How to Prepare Indian Food for Your New Year’s Eve Gathering

 

It’s been a very challenging 2021 for us all amidst the pandemic crisis. But since the holidays are here again, it is perhaps time to reward ourselves with the most fun-filled holidays we can possibly have.

A great idea for welcoming the fresh new year is definitely to do something different. Something that helps us wave a permanent goodbye to last year’s challenges and look forward to new and different beginnings in 2022.

So here’s an idea for you: Celebrate the New Year with a feast of delicious Indian cuisine that will definitely spell U-N-I-Q-U-E and take you and your guests into a different world to lavish there for the whole New Year’s Eve. After all, there’s nothing like having shared great food to trigger fond memories of being together. And preparing food you don’t usually have at parties is a wonderful way to create even stronger memories! <!–more–>

But how exactly do you prepare an Indian dinner party menu? Don’t worry! It’s not as complicated as you think. By knowing a few basics in Indian party preparation, you’ll be on your way to a New Year’s Eve celebration your guests will never forget!

Here then, are our essential tips for preparing an Indian dinner party menu:

Step 1: Planning the General Party

• Do your head count. How many guests will you be expecting?
• Know the diet preferences of your guests. Any vegetarians, vegans, or gluten allergies?
• Meat Preference: What kind of meat will guests prefer? Chicken, mutton, lamb, fish, etc.
• Think of your party theme. For example, will it be a traditional Indian dinner, street food party or BBQ party?

Step 2: Planning the Menu:

Most Indian parties or dinners have a three-course meal. This includes appetizers, the main course and desserts. You want to keep the menu simple. Here’s an outline:

• 1-2 appetizers and a beverage. This keeps the guests occupied while waiting for others to arrive. It also keeps them from getting too hungry while waiting.
• 1-2 dips and pickle. These are essential partners of Indian appetizers.
• One curry with a gravy and one without gravy.
• One lentil, chickpea or bean dish (especially for vegetarians)
• One raita. This is important to include since it goes well the spices in Indian food.
• One rice dish.
• Indian bread to eat with the curry, such as naan, chapati or paratha. This can be homemade or store-bought.
• 1-2 desserts.

Here’s a sample traditional Indian party menu:

Appetizers: Samosa, Chicken Tikka Kebab

Beverages: Mango Lassi and Cocktail drinks/beer

Dips and Pickle: Cilantro Mint chutney, Tamarind chutney

Main Course: Lamb Curry, Butter Chicken and Chana Masala

Raita: Cucumber raita, Onion raita

Salad: Kachumber

Rice Dish: Vegetable Biryani

Bread: Naan

Dessert: Gulab Jamun, Barfi

 

Step 3: Party Preparations

One week ahead:

Make your shopping list and buy the basic produce like aromatics, spices, rice, lentils and/or frozen bread. Prepare your tikka masala and store in the freezer.

1-2 days ahead:

• Shop for your fresh food items like meat and vegetables, bakery items and drinks.
• Chop your veggies, make the raitas, dips and desserts and store in the fridge, along with the beverages.
• Let any pre-made masalas thaw in the fridge.
• Clean up the house and add some holiday decorations as you wish.

Day of the party:

(Morning)

Cook all dishes except the rice and place in oven-proof serving dish. Thaw all frozen appetizers.

(2-3 hours before the party)

Cook/bake the frozen appetizers and bread

Chop up herbs for garnish

Put all finished dishes and appetizers in the oven set in “keep warm” mode

Cook the rice

(One hour before the party)

Relax and change into party attire!

Have we gotten you excited yet for your New Year’s celebration? We hope so! One final tip we can give for doing less work in the kitchen is to have a mix of home-cooked and store-bought food. This will create more stress-free food preparations while maintaining a good balance with your buffet.

For one-stop Indian food shopping and/or Indian food catering, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at Curry Corner. Our shop and online grocery offers a wide range of Indian ingredients you’ll need. We also cater fresh-cooked authentic Indian food for any occasion and can definitely help you plan an outstanding Indian party menu that will greet 2022 with an awesome bang!