The thali was probably our favorite Indian meal, or at least the one we had the most times. Present on nearly every menu in India, and differing a bit from region to region, it’s generally a generous portion of rice, another carb like the crispy, fried papad cracker or a flatbread such as roti or chapatti, and three or four savory sauces–usually lentils and potatoes, a spicy, pickled vegetable, often a veg curry, and sometimes meat, curd (yogurt), salad, soup, or a sweet. They’re a very traditional staple dish of most Indians, and if you get away from the tourist restaurants, your host will keep offering to refill any dish you finish until you’re completely stuffed.

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And those are just the ones we took pictures of!