How to Create a Bohra Thaal Dawat at Home

An intimate guide to planning, serving, and celebrating Bohra feasts the traditional way.
A Bohra dawat isn’t just food — it’s a ceremony of love, lineage, and legacy. Whether you’re hosting a family gathering, a soulful Eid lunch, or celebrating a milestone, this guide will help you recreate an authentic Bohra dining experience, right from your own home. Every thaal, every bite, carries the warmth of generations.

🌟 Why the Thaal Matters

In Bohra culture, food is sacred. Meals are served in a thaal — a large circular platter where 8 people share a meal seated on the floor. It reflects our values of unity, equality, and barakah (blessing). And though you may now be in London, New York, or Sydney, reviving this practice is like bringing a piece of home back to life.

🧂 The Sacred Sequence of a Bohra Meal

A traditional dawat follows this spiritual and sensory sequence:

1. Pinch of Salt – Cleanses the palate and aligns intention.
2. Mithaas First – Begin with a dessert like Sev no Jardo or Malido to symbolise sweetness in life.
3. Starters – Kheema samosas, chicken cutlets, or mishkaki skewers.
4. Breads & Curries – Naan or rotli paired with gravies like kheema kaleji or chicken curry.
5. Rice Dish – Khichdi Palidu or Bohra mutton biryani with meat or lentil accompaniment.
6. Soup or Curry – A warm kharak soup, paya, or khurdi (mutton milk soup).
7. Salads & Accompaniments – Kachumber, raita, pickles, or fried mogo.
8. Desserts Again – Sheer Khurma, gulab jamun, Sev na Ladwa, or malpua.
9. Mukhwas – A blend of fennel, coconut flakes, and cardamom to freshen the breath.
10. Pinch of Salt – Ends the meal just as it began, with gratitude and balance.

Note: Traditionally, a Bohra thaal included multiple mithaas (desserts) and kharaas (starters) throughout the meal. To reduce food wastage and unnecessary expenses, His Holiness has recommended and urged the Dawoodi Bohra community to serve just one mithaas and one kharaas per meal. This modern practice ensures the dawat remains meaningful, sustainable, and in harmony with our values of gratitude and moderation.

🍹 What to Serve as Welcome Drinks

• Gol Paani – Tamarind, lemon, and cumin-flavoured water.
• Rose Sharbat – Infused with rose water, cardamom, and milk.
• Kahwa or Chaas – Depending on the season and preference.
• Fresh Juices – Mango, sugarcane, or a seasonal fruit blend.

🏡 Setting Up Your Dawat at Home

🪑 Seating

• Spread out a clean white sheet (sufra) and place the thaal in the centre.
• Seat guests cross-legged in a circle around it.
• Use thal covers to keep food warm until all are ready.

🍽️ Serving Etiquette

• Elders are served first.
• Dishes are always placed in the centre, shared communally.
• Use your right hand to eat; spoon only for soups or desserts.
• Don’t waste food — it’s a spiritual principle.

🍲 Menu Suggestions

🎉 Casual Dawat

• Kheema Samosas
• Chicken Curry with Naan
• Gosht Curry with Rice
• Khichdi Palidu
• Fruit Custard
• Souffle
• Rose Sharbat

🌙 Eid Special

• Mishkaki Skewers
• Kidney Curry
• Goat Leg
• Seekh Kababs or other BBQ Dishes
• Mutton Biryani
• Paya Soup
• Sheer Khurma
• Kahwa

👑 Wedding or Milad Thaal

• Malai Khaja
• Gulab Jamun
• Chicken Shami Kababs
• Anda Mesub
• Ladwa
• Mutton Rang or Stuffed Goat
• Biryani
• Singaporean Rice and Soups

🔗 Recipes to Bring Your Dawat to Life

👉 Make our Khichdi Palidu here
👉 Try Kheema Samosas that melt in the mouth
👉 Sheer Khurma recipe for Eid or Milad
👉 Rose Sharbat that revives the soul

Creating a Bohra dawat at home is not about perfection—it’s about connection. To your mother’s hands, to the taste of home, and to the love infused in every dish.

✨ Engage and Share:

• Try the recipes, recreate your thaal, and share your photos with us on Instagram. Tag @bohrarasoi or @eastafrican.foodie with hashtags #Bohrarasoi and #TasteofMamaRashida
• Comment with your favourite Bohra dishes or family twists.
• Invite friends and family to experience the magic of a Bohra dawat.
• or Email us at business@bohrarasoi.com

Your kitchen can be a place of heritage, joy, and togetherness. Let’s honour Mama Rashida’s legacy—one shared thaal, one bite at a time.

Start your Bohra dawat today and explore all recipes here: bohrarasoi.com/recipes

✨ Join the conversation:

• Comment below with your favourite dawat dish.
• Share your twists on traditional recipes.
• Keep the flavors and stories alive for generations to come.

Your kitchen can be a place of heritage, joy, and community. Let’s honour Mama Rashida’s legacy together—one bite at a time.