It’s pary time
Carefully balance taste, textures, colour and aroma to make food and beverages the star this festival season

The secret of success of any party, where everyone, including the host, has a good time, is planning. This applies as much to menu planning and preparing the guest list as to decoration and entertainment. If you want your efforts at hospitality to stand out and become memorable, you will also have to think about balancing tradition with innovation. Lastly, don’t let ambition blind your abilities. A mismatch here can easily ruin the occasion.

The good thing is that while the prescription for a successful party appears complicated, it’s really quite easy to follow. Just don’t lose sight of a few basic things. Never forget that however sparkling the conversation or sweet the music, your guests expect to be fed well. Let food and beverages be the star. The menu should be celebratory, different from everyday fare, without being bewilderingly exotic.

The dishes you serve should carefully balance textures, colour, aroma and taste. There must be variety to allow guests to exercise choice. Similarly, there has to be a balance between snacks and starters, main course and dessert. Lastly, every dish must have eye appeal to attract the dinner. Use serving dishes that set off your creations. Resist the temptation to order food, even one or two dishes, from the takeaway next door or your favourite restaurant. Nothing can match the elegant integrity of a homemade meal, especially at a party.

We aren’t suggesting that you become a drudge in the kitchen for hours; use labour-saving products — pastes and powders — and pre-processed ingredients as much as you wish but avoid the ‘heat-and-eat’ route at all costs.

We feel that if you marinate the meats — mutton, fish and chicken — not only a lot of cooking time is saved but the flavour also improves. The three recipes for the non-vegetarian delicacies we share with our readers use this technique. Then, think of a staple that is refreshingly different yet stays close to the familiar, something most guests are comfortable with. Serve a risotto or paella instead of a pulao and biryani and treat them to brown pita or Lebanese bread, instead of kulcha or roomali. If you feel patriotic, Malabaar parantha, too, is now available in most stores.

Another great idea is to keep the pot boiling at the dining table, literally. A fondue or a Mongolian hot-pot, aka, steamboat can keep your party a talking point for day. Let the purists tear away their hair; adapt these dishes to the Indian palate. Boneless chicken breast and fish fillets, along with mushrooms and bamboo shoots, may be deployed on this front and served with assorted chutney and dips. Original vessels are great for atmospherics but you can travel afar with any good-looking pot and a brass-spirit lamp.

For some, the meal isn’t complete till dal-roti is there. A bowl of dal and a seasonal subzi shouldn’t be forgotten. Let the lentils be yellow for a change and the ubiquitous paneer be forgotten for a change. Greens, bharta or chokha or tamatar ka Hyderabadi kut can all take the guests’ breath away. You may like to revive homely dishes that are perched on the verge of extinction like alu vadiyaan or mugodi mattar.

This leaves us with worries about the soup and dessert. Our advice is stay with a thick broth-like vegetable soup — maybe corn chowder. Homemade stock and garnishes can transform beyond recognition something that originates in a sachet.

Believe it or not, everyone has a sweet tooth and weight concerns. Under these circumstances, it is best to plan a sweet dish that’s light and fruity. A fruit salad that can, at will, be enriched with clotted or whipped cream or warm fruit compote fits the bill perfectly.

Finally, remember a festive dinner at home isn’t a cocktail. Treat your guests to inebriating drinks by all means but treat these as aperitifs; avoid recreating ‘happy hours’ in a hotel bar or a pub. Try restricting the alcoholic refreshments to hot toddies, punches and interesting cocktails. Let the guests know that you have some nice wines to go with the food. A large array of affordable Indian or imported wines is now available in the market. An investment in some wine glasses can guarantee happiness for a long time. Popping a champagne, or any sparkling wine, at the outset, injects excitement in the gathering and slows down the rate of liquid intake.

Fruit Compote

Ingredients
Mixed fruits (fresh and dried of your choice — apricots, figs, peaches, apples, pears, cherries, etc) 500 g
Sugar 350 g
Water 2-1/2 cup
Cloves 2-3
A pinch of cinnamon 
powder

Method
Soak the dried fruits overnight in water. Then drain and reserve. Some prefer rum! Stone or pit seeds, if required, and halve the fruits. Prepare the syrup on low heat dissolving sugar and water. Poach the fruit in syrup for about 20 minutes, arrange in serving dish and pour the remaining syrup on top.

Risotto

Ingredients
Rice 250 g
Vegetable stock 
(can also use cubes) 500 ml
Onions (peeled and chopped) 100 g
Parmesan cheese 75 g
Butter (or olive
oil 4 tbsp) 3 tbsp

Method
Heat butter or oil in a saucepan and gently cook the onions until translucent. Then add rice and stock. Cook uncovered and keep stirring gently at regular intervals with a wooden spatula. Cook till rice is soft but not mushy. Add grated cheese and a pinch of saffron if you like and have it handy. Adjust seasoning and serve hot.

Chicken Steaks

Ingredients
Chicken breast (sliced neatly and flattened with a broad knife) four 
Ginger paste 1 tbsp
Onions (medium sized and sliced fine) two 
Garlic clove One 
Black peppercorns (freshly ground) 1 tsp 
Cinnamon stick ½ inch long
Lemon juice 1 tbsp
Oil 100 ml 
Salt to taste

Method
Clean, trim, wash and pat dry the chicken breasts. Score criss-cross with a sharp knife ensuring that the flesh isn’t cut through. Gently massage with lemon juice mixed with crushed garlic, ginger paste and salt. Keep aside for two hours. Heat oil in a flat pan. Add cinnamon and peppercorn. As these begin to change colour and pop, put in the chicken breasts. Brown evenly on both sides. Add onions and cook covered on low-medium heat till done to taste. Stir occasionally, sprinkling a little water if scalding, crap the brown residue from the bottom. Remove the chicken, keep on a platter and add 1 cup of boiling water to the pan. Keep boiling till a thick sauce is obtained. Adjust seasoning. Pour over the chicken steaks.

Rogani raan

Ingredients
A whole leg (or 
shoulder of lamb) 800g to 1 kg
Ginger-garlic paste 2 tbsp
Malt vinegar 1 tbsp
Coriander powder 1 tbsp
Cumin powder 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder ½ tsp
Bay leaf (large) one
Brown cardamom 2-3 
cloves 4-5
Black peppercorns 1 tbsp
Onion (Medium, sliced fine) one
Oil 1 cup  
Salt to taste

Method
Clean, trim, wash and pat dry the leg of mutton. Make deep gnashes with a sharp knife on both sides. Prepare a marinade mixing vinegar with ginger-garlic paste and the powdered spices, along with salt. Apply it evenly and well. Keep aside for at least four hours. Heat oil in a large flat-bottomed pan. Put in the bay leaf and the whole spices. When these begin to change colour, add the meat and sear it on high heat. Brown slightly. Add sliced onions and pressure cook for 15 minutes. Let the cooker cool, open and carefully remove meat from the bone and keep aside. Thicken the gravy to sauce consistency, adjust seasoning.

Soup hollaindaise

Ingredients
Tomatoes (medium, peeled, 
deseeded, quartered) three
Onion (medium sized, peeled 
and chopped) one
Celery stick (small, washed 
and chopped) one
Stalebread (croutons) 200 g
Gouda cheese (grated) 150 g
Fresh cream 6 tbsp
Butter 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method
Heat butter in a saucepan and brown the onions and celery together over gentle heat. Add tomatoes and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Remove and puree the contents in a blender. Return to saucepan. Bring to boil. Add seven cups of water, salt and cook for 15 minutes more. Place the crutons of bread in a tureen or large bowl with the cheese and pour in the soup after adding the cream to it. Cover and let it stand for five minutes before serving.

Grilled Sole

Ingredients
Sole (fillets) 300 g
Lemon juice 1 tbsp
Ground mustard
(or kasundhi) 2 tbsp
Coarsely ground 
black peppercorns 1 tbsp
Egg beaten lightly(opt) one
Breadcrumbs (opt) 3 tbsp 
Oil 1 tbsp
A large pinch of salt 
Salt to taste

Method
Wash and pat dry the fillets of fish. Rub gently with salt and lemon juice. Keep aside for 20 minutes. Line a large non-stick frying pan with a film of oil and pan grill the fish 3-4 minutes on each side pressing delicately with a wooden spatula. Or else, you can dip the fillets in beaten egg and coat evenly with bread-crumbs before grilling these. Spread a little kasundhi before serving.

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