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The Golden Temple’s Finest Meal
An ode to thali
My favorite Indian dish was always the thali. It wasn’t just a single dish, but a variety of curries and chutney all on a platter. The simplest thali always had some form of dal (a lentil-based curry), channa (chickpea curry), and a side bowl of chutney and a tomato salad.
It didn’t matter where in India I was, there would always be a thali to greet weary guests. One wintery hike in the foothills of Sikkim, up high in the Himalayas of India, my group trekked through the worst blizzard imaginable. We struggled in the conditions as we attempted to reach a solitary hut manned by an isolated Indian family.
Eventually, we trudged through the door of the hut and were greeted with warm tea, thali, and a side of naan.
The family didn’t know that three people would arrive at their door in freezing conditions, hungry for food. We were humbled as we took our place on the floor, warming ourselves by the fire. Our hosts did everything in their power to ensure we were comfortable. We happily defrosted as we ate our way through the spicy meal.
