THE BEST INDIAN DISHES TO COOK FOR A DINNER PARTY
The fact that Indian food is traditionally made for sharing makes it an ideal cuisine for any dinner party, providing an opportunity for interaction as well as allowing guests to sample a wide range of flavours and spices.
Using a wide range of dishes and ingredients to suit any taste, hosting an Indian themed feast can allow you to be creative and have a memorable evening. Indian spices are extremely diverse, and are widely used in both sweet and savoury dishes, making the cuisine an ideal dinner party theme.
Here are some of the best Indian dishes to cook at home.
Snacks and Nibbles
No dinner party is complete without the obligatory snacks or a starter for guests on arrival before the main meal. Start by providing some simple snacks such as some nuts and other nibbles, as well as some hot options such as Chicken Tikka, Samosas, Patties and Onion Bhajis. And of course, lets not forget, some delicious fresh fruity dips and chutneys.
The Main Meal
The main meal at an Indian dinner party is really an opportunity to impress, and the more variety you provide the better. The setup of providing a range of sharing dishes in the middle of the table is perfectly suited to a western style dinner party. As a basis to the meal, you should aim to provide several different curries, of varying levels of heat and a variety of flavours, with something to suit any taste.
Buying some ready made Indian curry sauces and pastes can save you a lot time, allowing you to cook a range of dishes, and if you cook some of the curries from scratch, and use ready made sauces for others, the chances are nobody will notice. It is wise to provide a variety of both meat and vegetarian dishes, as lentil and paneer based curries can be just as enjoyable for meat eaters.
To compliment the curries, provide ample amounts of freshly baked Indian bread, some pulao and other rice dishes, as well as some raita, pickles and additional chutneys to add variety and balance the tastes of the meal.
Dessert
After what is likely to be a very filling meal, a light and refreshing dessert is the best option. Exotic fruits perfectly compliment Indian dishes, and these can be incorporated into yoghurt based dishes such as shrikhand. Alternatively, Barfi is a dish which provides a delicious sweet flavour, and is perfect served with coffee to finish off the night.
Extras
To finish off the night and tie together the Indian theme, a fun idea is to provide some spiced fruit cocktails, which can be made to alcoholic or non-alcoholic recipes. Cinnamon and cardamom are delicious flavours within winter cocktails, and perfectly compliment the spices within Indian cuisine.
If you are planning to host an authentic Indian dinner party, you can find all the supplies you will need here at Shop Spicy. To make things easy, we offer a free home delivery service for all orders over £30, allowing you to devote your time to create the perfect feast.
