I love getting emails from readers asking for menu ideas when hosting an Indian-themed party. Here’s one I received from Jen a couple of days ago:

Dear Meena,

I’m hosting our monthly book club and my selection is Interpreter of Maladies - a series of short stories that I absolutely love.  We try to coordinate our meeting’s food with our book’s subject - usually just appetizers & dessert, but occasionally a full meal.

I’d love to make some great Indian dishes for our group to sample - and to have as much as possible prepared in advance so I don’t miss out on the fun.  Even some spiced nuts or snacks would be great. Any ideas?

Many, many thanks,

Jen

Seeing that my very own Cook’s Book Club is well on it’s way, I thought that Jen’s request couldn’t have come at a better time. I love putting casual buffet menus together where guests can just sit and chat while nibbling on some delicious food. For a book club meet, it’s always best to serve food that can be easily picked up with one hand and eaten while you use the other hand to navigate through your favourite passages and pages in the book. Here is what I think would go well at this particular meeting. Most of the items can be prepared up to a few days in advanced, stored in the freezer or fridge till D-day, and kept warm in the oven till it’s ready to serve. I hope you and your friends will enjoy this menu as much as the the party Jen! Happy hosting!

• Potato Parcels - prepare the parcels in advance and freeze them without frying. When ready to serve, either fry them up or simply bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes till golden. For a slightly simpler, less effortless version, use large puff pastry sheets. They puff up like tiny pillows when done and look and taste marvellous!
• Tandoori Chicken Pops - Let the chicken marinate in the fridge overnight, and when ready to serve, simply grill in an oven instead of frying.
• Corn Chaat (recipe included) - Quick and simple to prepare, and delicious to the very last morsel! For an added flair, serve in mini tortilla cups.
• Shakkarpare - A perfect sweet treat that can be made many days in advance and stores well in an air-tight jar.
• Masala Chai - The perfect ending to a fun evening.

CORN CHAAT / SALSA
Prep time: 10 min | Cooking time: 0 min | Serves: 4-6 as an appetizer

2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp chaat masala powder
2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
salt, to taste

MIX all ingredients together in a large bowl and serve with a side of tortilla chips.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 18th, 2008 at 8:41 am and is filed under Recipes: Vegan, Recipes: Vegetarian, What to Cook. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.