KHAANA KHAAKE JAANA...

Mami and Mamu with their sons, Akaash and Agnik have come down to Delhi from London for their summer break. And mom’s first cousin, whom I fondly call Mashimuni are also coming from Texas, USA for a day’s stay with her hubby, Ronnie Da. My mother has announced a grand dinner for tonight as we sat together for breakfast. And then she served the icing on the cake by adding… “We’ll have a home-made dinner for them. A nice four-course meal for them, that’ll be great” she smiled as she finished her sentence.

Well, trust me, women and their last lines are deadly! They save the worst for the last and phuff! Out they blurt right when you begin to relax to their ideas. I am a woman and I am not ashamed to admit to these maneuverings! And everyone sitting on that table knew who’d be responsible for the bon appétit.

Thus, I got to work right away. I took out a notepad and pen and began scribbling in the order of the Grande Dinner.

APPETIZERS

-         

      Nachos and Salsa Dip

-         Stirred Fried Prawn with Vegetables

-         Chicken Pockets

DRINKS

For Kids

-         Orange Squash

-         Chocolate Milkshake

For Adults

-         Watermelon Margarita

-         Long Island Iced Tea

-         Whisky

-         Vodka

SOUPS

-         Chicken Lemon Coriander Soup

-         Sweet Corn Soup

MAIN COURSE

RICE

-         White Boiled Rice

-         Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

BREADS

-         Phulka Rotis

-         Garlic Breads

-         Garlic Breads with Cheese

CURRY

-            Mutton Curry

-          Chingri Shorshe (Prawn in Mustard Sauce)

-         Chilly Chicken

-         Phoolkofir Torkaari (Cauliflower with potatoes in dry curry)

-         Chholar Dal

-         Deemer Jhol (Egg Curry)

-         Aloo (Potato) and Begun Bhaja (Brinjal fry)

DESSERTS

-         Maalpuya (Pancakes)

-         Moong Dal ka Halwa

-         Paayesh (Bengali-style Kheer)

After deciding upon the menu, it was time to get hold of the ingredients. Thus, before I went out to the departmental store, I thought of browsing the website and making a list of all the ingredients I’d require.

Making the Appetizers is not a deal, as most of them are easily available in restaurants. It is the main course that is of great concern.

Apart from the flour, rice, egg, mutton, chicken, prawn and chicken, I made a list of the fruits and vegetables I’d require that included tomatoes, cauliflower, brinjal, potatoes, onions, chilly, ginger-garlic paste, garlic, apples, banana, mangoes and milk of course. Special Masalas always do the trick and with my hands on the special masala mixes by Kitchens of India, I don’t think I’d have much of a problem.

 

 I personally love this mix because it contains all the necessary ingredients like saffron for the subtle fragrance and color while tamarind for that Hyderabadi tinge along with other masalas like turmeric, red chilli, cumin, coriander powder.

All my guests love my biryani and I am sure it'll be the show-stealer this time too!

Shorshe Chingri or Prawns in Mustard Sauce is a hot favorite amongst bengali dishes. The good thing is that I prefer preparing the mustard paste myself rather than using other ready-made pastes available in the market.

Served with white boiled rice, and cooked in Mustard oil, you'll know of a synonym for the word 'zing'!

This mix would help me cook the Mutton Curry as I like my kosha maangsho spicy hot with a thick gravy, adding a little sweet to it, creating the perfect sweet-spicy taste in Bengali Food.

I am not too fond of Paneer and equally hate cooking it too. Thus, I will be using the gravy mix of this to my deemer jhol or egg curry.

The ingredients in this mix tastes excellent when cooked as an egg curry. Haven't tried it, have you? Well, mix n match is the taste of the season, haven't you heard?

I will also use thus mix to the Phoolkofir Torkari (Cauliflower and Potatoes Stirred fried). Only need to add some ginger and jeera to the oil and peas to the curry.

The Heat & Eat products by Kitchens of India are a blessing to those who work at the last minute, but are not willing to compromise on taste. I have decided to us the Dal Bukhara Heat & Eat pack.

Here's how you can make one.

Along with that, some Aloo and Begun Bhaja are great complimentary side dishes.

The malpoyaas are again a Bengal speciality, and 

a secret every Bengali family preserves

with great care. But then, I also have Paayesh (a thicker version of the North Indian dessert, Kheer) and yes, of course, Moong Dal ka Halwa, another of the Heat & Eat pack by Kitchens of India.

 The Venue should undoubtedly be the area right outside my house with the tables placed in the green lush lawns. The children can play in the ground while the young adults can sip on their drinks.

 Considering this isn't a huge area, I have decided to keep it real simple, the place shall be lit with dim LED lamps that have been installed around the lawns. Also, I will only use my laptop with my pre-designed playlists.

A mix of Hindi and English songs to help us sway and move around.

 

HINDI SONGS

ENGLISH SONGS

 This weekend is going to be a legendary one with me adorning the Chef Apron, with the venue, the food and the music blending perfectly into one revered experience, what Sufis would call, Mehfil.

This post has been written for a contest organised by Indiblogger along with Kitchens of India under the theme "My Weekend Party With Gourmet Food"