If you’re craving something savory and authentic, try our South Indian thali. This traditional dish includes an assortment of delicious side dishes and curries all served together on a single platter. Learn how to make this classic thali south Indian quick with the instant pot.
Choose your south indian thali base
The base of your indian thali platter will be the main dish. You can choose from a range of options including south Indian favorites such as dosas, idlis, appams, uttapams, or any rice varieties. If you have enough time on hand you can try something new and make your platter base.
Preparation for thali south indian vegetarian
Whether you’re using a pre-made mix or making them yourself, these delicious dishes are sure to give your thali platter an authentic flavor experience.
Basically, a south Indian meal is a combination of six tastes as per Ayurveda. The platter will have sweet, sour, bitter, salty, pungent, and astringent. The south Indian dishes served in a thali is a perfect,nutrition-dense, balanced meals.
Every state in southern India has its own variations in the thali menu. What I’m sharing today is a Tamilnadu-style simple veg south Indian thali that can be made without any onion or garlic.
This South Indian thali recipe is made in one half using an instant pot and another half on the stovetop. Cooking more than one food at a time in the instant pot has cut down the cooking time. This instant pot south Indian lunch menu is prepared mostly as a standard menu during Indian festival times at our homes.
South Indian lunch menu will basically have
sweet,
Rice,
ghee,
dal,
sambar,
rasam,
Vegetable curry | Vegetable stew
yogurt,
pappad and
pickle.
It’s totally optional you can add or skip any of the above in your South Indian thali platter.
Here are some of the instant pot south Indian recipes from my blog you can try in your home.
Instant pot Sona masoori rice
Instant pot Sambar
rasam in the instant pot
Carrot Curry, Potato curry, beans paruppu usili, beetroot curry – instant pot veg recipes
Instant pot Indian yogurt
Veg south Indian thali menu
Today on our platter I have shared a combination of the below
Rice, Ghee, Instant pot tur dal, Mor kuzhambu, Cluster beans curry also known as paruppu usili, Tomato rasam, Instant pot desi yogurt.
South Indian thali prep work :
I started with preparing instant pot yogurt the previous night using this recipe. This will be useful for us to make more kuzhambu and yogurt rice.
The next day to start with I cooked the rice following this instant pot sona masoori rice recipe
Ghee is already available so no meal prep work is required.
While the rice is cooking, I started soaking lentils for rasam and cluster beans paruppu usili. I have also soaked some cumin seeds, coconut, and green chili with little rice for mor kuzhambu.
In the meantime, I chopped the ash gourd for mor kuzhambu and cluster beans for curry and kept it ready.
Grind lentils you soaked for cluster beans to a coarse paste and make small balls and keep them ready.
Grind coconut, cumin, and green chili into a paste and keep it ready for mor kuzhambu.
South Indian thali step-by-step guide
I’m using a 3-quart instant pot for this south Indian thali menu.
Turn on the instant pot and add the toor dal to the inner pot with enough water. This instant pot toor dal will be used for rasam as well as a little on top of the rice while serving my kids. I have used around 1/2 cup of tur dal for this recipe and around 11/2 cup of water for cooking.
On top of this, I placed the steamer trivet with cluster beans. Now place the lentil balls we prepared. On top of it, I placed a small cup with white pumpkin also known as ash gourd( chopped into cubes). Close the lid and set the pressure to cook for 5 minutes and let the pressure release naturally.
Instant pot mor kuzhambu recipe
Instant pot Mor kuzhambu recipe is a liquid curry using buttermilk and a paste made of coconut, cumin seeds, green chili, and turmeric powder.
Mor kuzhambu paste recipe You need 1/2 cup of grated coconut(fresh or frozen), cumin seeds 1 tsp, coriander seeds 2 tsp,2 Thai green chilies I used, and around 1/2 tsp raw rice. Soak it for 10 minutes and grind it into a smooth paste and keep it ready.
All our prep work is completed. We will move on to the main course.
How to make this Instant pot Mor kuzhambu recipe
We need ash gourd (cubed) – 1 cup, Yogurt whisked into buttermilk around 2 cups,1/4 tsp of turmeric powder, and salt to taste.
In a bowl add the ash gourd with buttermilk, salt, turmeric powder, and the paste. Mix it well and place it on the stovetop.
Cook it on low heat, stirring continuously for 4-5 minutes, bring it to one rolling boil, and turn it off.
In a small pan heat a tsp of coconut oil, and add mustard seeds around 1/2 tsp. When mustard seeds splutter add curry leaves and turn off the heat and add it to the mor kuzhambu recipe.
The best mor kuzhambu side dish will be beans paruppu usili or any potato recipe
Tomato rasam recipe
In a bowl add 1 tsp of instant pot tamarind paste or any tamarind paste. Add around 1 cup of water,1 small tomato mashed,1/2 tsp turmeric powder, salt, and a pinch of thing. Place it on a stovetop and bring boil it for 5 minutes.
Add the mashed tur dal around 1/4 cup and one more cup of water with rasam powder. Give it a stir and When you see the froth forming the surface switch off the flame.
Heat a tsp of ghee, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add cumin seeds, and curry leaves and turn off the heat and add to the rasam we prepared. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.
Rest all the recipes are linked below for your reference.
Cluster beans Paruppu usili also known as kothavarangai paruppu usili.
Here are my collections of instant pot Indian sweet recipes you make in minutes with the thali.
South Indian thali recipe
South Indian thali recipe include rice, dal, vegetables, roti, papad, dahi (yogurt), small amounts of chutney or pickle, and a sweet dish.
Instructions
South Indian thali recipe prep work :
-
I started with preparing instant pot yogurt the previous night using this recipe. This will be useful for us to make more kuzhambu
-
The next day to start with I cooked the rice following the instant pot sona masoori rice recipe mentioned below.
-
Ghee is already available so no meal prep work required.
-
While the rice is cooking, I started soaking lentils for rasam and cluster beans paruppu usili. I have also soaked some cumin seeds, coconut, and green chili for mor kuzhambu.
-
In the meantime, I chopped the ash gourd for mor kuzhambu and cluster beans for curry and kept it ready.
-
Grind lentils you soaked for cluster beans to a coarse paste and make small balls and keep it ready.
-
Grind coconut, cumin, green chili into a paste and keep it ready for mor kuzhambu.u.
South Indian thali recipe step by step guide
-
I'm using 3 quart instant pot for this south Indian thali menu.
-
Turn on the instant pot and add the toor dal to the inner pot with enough water. This instant pot toor dal will be used for rasam as well as little on top of the rice while serving my kids. I have used around 1/2 cup tur dal for this recipe and around 11/2 cups of water for cooking.
-
On top of this, I placed the steamer trivet with cluster beans. Now place the lentil balls we prepared. On top of it, I placed a small cup with white pumpkin also known as ash gourd( chopped into cubes). Close the lid and set pressure cook for 5 minutes and let the pressure release naturally.
Instant pot mor kuzhambu recipe
-
Mor kuzhambu paste recipe You need 1/2 cup of grated coconut(fresh or frozen), cumin seeds 1 tsp, coriander seeds 2 tsp,2 Thai green chilies I used, and around 1/2 tsp raw rice. Soak it for 10 minutes and grind it into a smooth paste and keep it ready.
-
We need 1 cup of ash gourd (cubed) – 1 cup, Yogurt whisked into buttermilk around 2 cups,1/4 tsp of turmeric powder, and salt to taste.
-
In a bowl add the ash gourd with buttermilk, salt, turmeric powder, and the paste. Mix it well and place it on the stovetop.
-
Cook it on low heat, stirring continuously for 4-5 minutes, bring it one rolling boil, and turn off.
-
In a small pan heat a tsp of coconut oil, add mustard seeds around 1/2 tsp. When mustard seeds splutter add curry leaves and turn off the heat and add it to the mor kuzhambu recipe.
-
The best mor kuzhambu side dish will be beans paruppu usili or any potato recipe
Tomato rasam recipe
-
In a bowl add 1 tsp of instant pot tamarind paste or any tamarind paste. Add around 1 cup of water,1 small tomato mashed,1/2 tsp turmeric powder, salt, a pinch of hing. Place it on a stovetop and bring boil it for 5 minutes.
-
Add the mashed tur dal around 1/4 cup and one more cup water with rasam powder. Give it a stir and When you see the froth forming the surface switch off the flame.
-
Heat a tsp of ghee, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add cumin seeds, and curry leaves and turn off the heat and add to the rasam we prepared. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.