About

Hi, I'm Abhi!

I'm the recipe developer, food photographer, and nutrition nerd behind Thali Method.

I help busy people eat balanced Indian food without spending hours in the kitchen. My recipes are designed for real life: macro-friendly, freezer-ready, and hands-off whenever possible.

abhi holding her toddler looking into the fridge

My Story

When I moved to the US as a teenager, everything about my eating habits changed. I tried to adapt to a completely different diet, but like many of us, I kept falling back to Indian food, except it was just rice and curry. I thought I had to choose between my cultural foods and being healthy.

The real turning point came during my pregnancy when I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Suddenly, understanding nutrition wasn't just important, it was essential.

That's when I rediscovered the traditional thali method and realized I didn't need to replace my entire plate. I needed to focus on balanced eating with lots of side dishes, just like our ancestors did. A balanced plate with dal for protein, vegetables for fiber, rice in controlled portions, and a variety of flavors that kept me from feeling deprived.

I started cooking Indian food again. But this time, I approached it differently.

What Changed: From Hours in the Kitchen to Hands-Off Cooking

After my daughter was born, I quickly learned something: I couldn't stand at the stove for hours anymore.

With a newborn in one arm and a spatula in the other, I needed recipes I could start, walk away from, and come back to. I needed hands-off cooking.

That's when I started experimenting with:

Oven-roasted Indian dishes (curries, vegetables, proteins that cook themselves)
Baked versions of traditionally fried foods (same taste, less babysitting)
One-pan meals that didn't need constant stirring

Green beans going into the oven for hands-off Indian cooking

The result? Indian food that fits into interrupted, chaotic, real-life cooking.

The Freezer Changed Everything

Then came the toddler phase. And work. And the reality that cooking fresh every single day just wasn't happening.

I started asking myself: What if I could cook once and eat all week?

I began testing which Indian dishes freeze well and which don't. I experimented with Souper Cubes and portion-controlled curry cubes. I figured out how to freeze sambar, rasam, dal, and curries so they taste almost as good as fresh.

Now, my freezer is stocked with curry cubes ready to be thawed and eaten in minutes. Sunday batch cooking means weeknight dinners are already done.

I've tested freezing methods extensively:

Which curries survive the freezer (and which don't)
How to freeze and reheat without losing texture
The best container sizes for individual vs. family portions
Whether to freeze with rice or add rice fresh

I share all of this testing in my recipes so you don't have to figure it out yourself.

Palak paneer curry cubes for Indian meal prep in Souper Cubes

What Makes Thali Method Different

1. Macro-focused recipes
Every recipe includes full nutrition data. I calculate the protein, fiber, and portions because that's what helped me during my gestational diabetes journey, and it's what I still use today.

2. Freezer-friendly by default
I test freezing for most recipes and tell you exactly how to do it. Souper Cube sizes, thaw times, reheat methods, everything.

3. Hands-off cooking methods
I love oven-roasted, baked, and set-it-and-forget-it recipes. Minimal active time means you can actually live your life while dinner cooks.

4. Authentic taste, practical methods
I'm not here to make "healthy" Indian food that doesn't taste like Indian food. The flavors are authentic. The methods are just smarter.

5. Real life tested
I cook with a toddler underfoot, work deadlines, and the same time constraints you have. If a recipe makes it onto this site, it works in real life.

Balanced chicken curry thali with rice, vegetables, and sides showing the thali method of eating

Who This Is For

Busy parents who can't stand at the stove for an hour
Working professionals who want home-cooked Indian food without the daily effort
Anyone managing health goals (diabetes, weight, macros) who doesn't want to give up cultural food
Meal preppers looking for Indian recipes that actually freeze well
Anyone searching for South Indian freezer meals (I know you exist, I've been searching for you too!)

What You'll Find Here

Balanced thali meals with complete nutrition breakdowns
Freezer-friendly Indian recipes with tested freezing and reheating instructions
Oven and hands-off recipes for interrupted, real-life cooking
South Indian staples (sambar, rasam, chutneys) adapted for meal prep
Macro-focused recipes designed for health goals without sacrificing taste