Get set to party

Planning and preparing for a party can be as enjoyable as eating
the tasty stuff, says Pushpesh Pant 

AS we enter the new year and bid adieu to past, our thoughts turn to partying. There is, arguably, no joy greater than sharing good food with family and friends. This is why celebratory menus are an integral part of all the fairs and festivals, and let’s not forget that special delicacies — pakwaan and mishtaan — are associated with different rituals and rites of passage. Parties are occasions when the palate is tickled and guests pampered. Rich or poor, young or old, everyone yearns for something different — a break from the monotony of routine and the urge to splurge becomes irresistible.

In recent years, one has discerned a disturbing trend. More and more people avoid parties at home and are yielding to the temptation of entertaining at a restaurant or a hotel. Even when it is the family that is dinning out, the easier (and more expensive) option is exercised. We firmly believe that this is a poor substitute and can’t ever match the warm glow that a daawat at home leaves behind. The host and the guests alike keep bathing in its glow for long.

We are not unaware of the hassles and hazards that inhibit most of us from inviting people at home and relying on ‘affordable eateries’ or recommended tent wallahs for everything from birthday parties to marriage banquets but would like our dear readers to give careful thought to bucking the trend and reclaim the incomparable bliss of a party at home. That’s the stuff memories are made of.

Our greatest grudge against parties catered by professionals is that they specialise in lowest common denominator and debase and devalue signature dishes to culinary clich`E9s. How many times in a year and more can you endure tikka (veg or non-veg) starters, followed by kali dal, karahi paneer, butter chicken, gobhi masala and mixed vegetables with rice and rotis rounded off with gulab jamun/ halwa and ice-cream? If kids are there, a noodle stall may be thrown in and the gender-biased think that the ladies drool over chaat. What has allowed this state of affairs to flourish is that a whole generation has grown up not knowing what pleasures a home made party can bestow.

A party menu doesn’t have to be lavish or elaborate. What is important is that the dishes selected are appropriate for the season and occasion and if you can surprise the guests with one of their favourites, still better. And, nothing stops you from making use of all labour-saving gadgets, and pre-processed, packaged ingredients that are now available. Planning and preparing a party can be as enjoyable as devouring the tasty stuff.

Let’s begin at the beginning. Don’t go heavy on the drinks — alcoholic or ‘non’. Stay in the winters with a bowl of steaming soup — clear or broth-like. Eschew the readymade out of the sachet variety. The stock can easily be prepared with seasonal veggies or bits and bones of meat being used. A pinch of mixed herbs and a blob of butter — even low-fat substitute and an imaginative garnish ranging from sprigs of mint to slivers of almonds and pistachio or strands of saffron can work wonders. Stoneware soup bowls or large, easy-to-hold mugs are well worth the investment to show off skills in this department.

Please don’t misunderstand us. We don’t belong to the teetotaller’s biradari. It’s just that if drinks of the distilled variety are allowed to dominate, food becomes poor Cinderella before her transformation. Conversation can take an unpleasant turn after a couple of Patiala pegs and the party can end in a fiasco. We suggest you dazzle the spiritually-inclined with homemade toddy — blending tea, fruit juices, a little bit of rum/vodka, wine and spices — a much more healthy and fun option. We can bet that you will be beseeched with request for recipe. Once again proper props like a large glass bowl and an impressive ladle enhances the impact dramatically.

A glass or two of swadeshi wine is always welcome. Isn’t that what all doctors prescribe to keep the heart, body and soul in good repair. Don’t be deterred by the arriviste wine snobs who pick up the goblet and the golf clubs in the same hand and brandish both simultaneously as status symbols. Let them waste breath, singing paeans to phoren stuff. Don’t be browbeaten. Swadeshi wines are great for most of us. These are not only affordable but also greatly enjoyable, offer sufficient choice and once you master the basics of ‘body, bouquet and aroma,’ you add another piercing arrow to your conversational quiver. May the inspiring words spur you on — don’t yield to cowardice, O you worthy son of Kunti (If you are fortunate enough to dwell in Chandigarh or its vicinity, you can also stock up on delightful fruit wines produced in Himachal Pradesh). Remember, once again a set of wine glasses, well-washed and wiped clean, adds class almost effortlessly to the spread on the table.

Let the nibbles be light. Canap`E9 should aspire to be visual delights and appetisers not fillers. More importantly, these should never be strongly spiced. A palate, benumbed with bits of hot kebab or bhujia — mini kachori etc, is the greatest enemy of lovingly prepared main course fare. Steamed khandvi, dhokla, idli, roasted parched grains, baked samosa filled with sprouts — there is no dearth of options. Ajwaini bread sticks with soup and finger-licking dip, married with cucumber and carrot sticks, and saut`E9ed button mushrooms and steamed baby corn is always a hit.

When it comes to the main course, stay with one centrepiece each — vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Depending on what the family members or guests prefer, decide on mutton, fish or chicken. Avoid the ubiquitous kali makhni daal or nameless yellow daal tarka. Straying boldly off the beaten track is ideal for parties. Of course, you have to serve the traditional roast, pudding or cake but this needn’t cramp your style. Unless you are a master or mistress of such recipes, stay with the symbolic, miniature versions. Revive the nostalgia by rekindling memories when everything was cooked and baked at home. The idea is to share the enjoyment, not punish yourself for unknown sins. Don’t attempt what you feel you can’t pull off.

Buy cuts of meat that facilitate easy, equitable portioning. Select a recipe that is easy to cook yet uncommon. Fusion is the magic key here. We are not tempting you to genetically modify etnic/regional fare here. What we mean by fusion is to combine dishes from different food zones in our great land. If it is roghan josh from Kashmir that is there for the meat lovers, then let the vegetarians delight in baghar ke baigan from Hyderabad. The daal can be panchmel from Rajasthan and dessert phirani from Awadh. Talking of lentils, tempering can make or mar the dish. From delightful Andhra pappus to sonar mung or chholaar daal from Bengal, you can choose what you like.

Devote attention to accompaniments as the substantial dishes. Bring out the mini martbans of pickles and preserves — achaar, chutney and murabba. Who says you have to prepare these yourself. But be generous in giving credit to those who have prepared or gifted the stuff.

Where the sweet tooth is concerned, we are not averse to cheating a little. Take as much help as you like from the neighbourhood halwai but improvise and improve his stuff and make it your own. On a base of unsweetened rabri or hung yoghurt, crush half a motichhoor ka laddu on this place half a rosogulla, topped with stewed fruit-peach, pear or apple. Drape with thick coconut cream and let the symphony of sweet notes seduce everyone.

As you settle down after the meal a cuppa masala chai, filter coffee or khawa or flavoured teas may be offered to guests. Dip and sip tea bags are available in a mind-boggling range. What can be more satisfying than a guest whispering in your ears with the thank you, "Where can you get that?" Season’s greetings and bon appetite.

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