Casual Indian Entertaining Menu

Indian meals are very unique, with the hosts going all out to make their guests feel like royalty ..literally! Even in this day and age of casual dining and entertaining amongst friends and family, when you are invited to an Indian home for a traditional Indian meal, the lady of the house will most probably not sit down to eat with everyone. Instead she will spend all her time running around, catering to everyone’s needs, fresh hot ‘puris’ from the kitchen, topping up cold water, shoving second helpings onto plates despite you saying that you possibly couldn’t eat anymore. Even in homes where this practice is long gone, all the different dishes are laid out on the table like a banquet and the host serves everyone starting from the eldest to the youngest. One way or another, you really can’t escape the mother figure of the house who will be on a very personal mission to fill you up with all that gorgeous, rich food.

Try these recipes as a meal for a casual, Indian-style meal.

Starters Curry Roasted Peanuts Spread out 1 cup of shelled peanuts on a microwave safe platter. Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle some salt, curry powder and chilli powder. Toss lightly and microwave, uncovered on high for 4-5 minutes. Serve warm

Drink Thandai [Cooling Milk Drink] Serve this drink in little Moroccan glasses or chai cups alongwith the peanuts.

Mains Palak Paratha [Spinach Bread] & Fruit Chicken Curry 

Sides Cucumber Raita with Mint Dice 1 lebanese cucumber into tiny pieces. Combine this with 1/2 cup of fresh mint leaves, 1 cup of plain yoghurt, 1/2 cup of cold water, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp sugar. Mix well and serve chilled

Dessert Gajar Ka Halwa [Indian Carrot Pudding] Best served warm from the microwave although when I was younger I liked to chill it and put a hefty dollop of vanilla ice-cream on top. Yummm!! This one is a traditional Indian dessert and you can experiment with more exotic tastes by adding rose essence, saffron strands or kewra essence.