thali

British

/ ˈtɑːlɪ /

noun

Indian cookery a meal consisting of several small meat or vegetable dishes accompanied by rice, bread, etc, and sometimes by a starter or a sweet

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of thali

C20: from Hindi thālī a plate or tray on which food is served

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

So, in crafting the challenge that really speaks to Indian culture and would also be unfamiliar to our chefs, we learned about thali and the intricacies of the different flavor profiles.

From Salon • May 12, 2023

Batta, 52, said as he ate a lunch of lentils and vegetarian thali.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 6, 2022

The restaurants in this area of town aren’t as glitzy as those downtown, but the food is excellent, with strip malls offering fantastic Yunnan-style rice noodles, hot pot, thali platters and more.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 27, 2021

The owner likes nothing more than when customers opt for a thali: “All the flavors of Nepal” in an assortment of dishes, says Subash Rai, who does double duty as the restaurant’s chef.

From Washington Post • Aug. 24, 2021

“No sign of her,” he said gruffly as Rupa piled rice on his thali.

From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023