Party Planning

In all of these 36 years after that wonderful evening, I still remember the party I attended as a young captain at Bikaner Military Station.  The evening was hosted by Maj and Mrs Avtar Cheema later Colonel.  The name may sound familiar to some.  Colonel Cheema was the first Indian to climb Mount Everest and is something as children most of you may have learned at school and forgotten.  For me, he was my senior and one of the finest officers I have had an opportunity to serve with.  Both husband and wife were the epitome in entertaining and hospitality.  That party I attended at their house still remain in my memory because of the attention I got from both during the evening.  It is here that I picked up my first lesson in entertaining; make the guest feel important; 'Athithi Devo Bhava'.  I still do not recollect the food I ate that day but the hospitality was incomparable.

Way later, in 1999, when I was asked to compile a book for the young wives joining the Army, I had to put down all those good lessons in the chapter Party Planning.  Attending parties and hosting parties are part of modern day life.  These parties can be formal, informal or casual but it is important that your hospitality becomes the talk of the town.  

Let us go about analysing each facet of giving a party.  The first and the foremost is the type of party you are wanting to give which is very important.  Is it going to be formal or are you inviting your boss over or is it just a put your hair down party .  In all these cases one needs to arrive at a guest list.  It is very important that  you mix and match the guest list so that they are a harmonious mix.  Your parties are not patching up evenings, so never have people with difference of opinions as nobody will be able to enjoy the evening.  If you are inviting your boss and he is coming with his teenage daughters, do invite a young couple or a teenager so that there is bonhomie all around.  You should be very careful in working out the numbers that you are inviting.  At best it should not exceed 12 including you because then it will not be possible to give attention to all.  Also, the same pattern dinner sets comes in sets of 6 and generally there are always 12 of the same plates.

Invitations

Once the list is finalised, find out the availability of each and every guest.  It is not always that all are available. If the planning is done well in advance, if there is someone not attending you could fill this gap with another two of your friends.  The good old fashion of sending invitation cards are out but do invite them in person.  If you are inviting your boss, then it is only appropriate that you invite him in person.

Menu

Once the list is finalised and invitations have gone out, the menu needs to be worked out.  Have a theme and then work your menu around it.  Do not ever try a new dish for a party, settle down for the ones you know best.  As I said in the beginning, the food is not all that important if your hospitality is at its best.  But that does not mean that you can be careless with your cooking.  Do not have too many dishes as it will become difficult to manage the serving.  Try and include one of your traditional dishes as this will be liked by many.  Another way to get their attention is to include a local cuisine you are comfortable with.  It is also important to find out beforehand as to the number of vegetarians that will be attending and also if any body has any food allergies or preferences.  Keep in mind the golden rule of the Chinese when it comes to fine dining; "you first eat with your eyes, then with your nose and lastly with your mouth". Once the menu is finalised, make out the shopping list and get all the stuff required well in advance.

Snacks

There are some golden rules to snacks.  If the snacks are heavy, the guests are unlikely to relish the dinner you have so painstakingly made.  Every time snack has to be served, you have to rush into the kitchen, warm it up and then arrange it before serving. In doing so you are ignoring your guests.  Generally, I always leave dry snacks all around.  First, there is no need for any serving in between.  At best, I leave some vegetable dips around as it breaks the monotony of the dry snacks.  Difficult to believe but it is best not serve any non veg snacks.  Non veg snacks tend to fill up the stomach leaving less room for an appetizing meal later.

Preparation

Preparations should start early and most of the masalas and mixes can be made the day prior.  All the cooking should be completed well in advance; at least 2 to 3 hours in advance.  Divide the predinner chores between you and your spouse.  

• Bar should be well stocked.  If you are aware of your guests' choice, do have those drinks.  Keep all the right glasses handy.  Ice always runs short so start making the ice at least 2 days in advance.  Empty the ice tray into plastic bags and put the same back in the freezer.  Do not forget soda and water and have them at room temperature and cold.  There should be adequate soft drinks to go around.  In addition to the colas, keep some juices handy.  Pineapple, apple and the Leechi juices mostly covers that department.  As regards liquor do have all the varieties ie to say Brandy, Rum both Black & White, Gin, Vodka, Beer, Indian Whisky and some Scotch.  Lime, salt, pickled onions are  all part of the bar and should be at hands reach.  
• Laying the table is very important.  It is not really possible to have a sit down meal as it requires lots of domestic help which is not available.  Buffet is a fine way of serving food.  The linen should be clean and appropriate.  A damask or satin for formal occasions, lace ones for less formal and coarse Madras cotton checks for outdoor or lunches.  
• Lighting should be bright especially at the entrance and where food is being served.  Have some fresh flower arrangements around as it will brighten up the room.  The rooms should smell good and not that food smell assaults the guests when they come in.  That is why it is important to finish the cooking well in advance.  
• Your bath rooms need special attention.  Keep adequate hand towels and tissues around.  Keep basic grooming accessories around so that one can do a bit of touching up in between.  The bathroom should smell nice even after repeated use, so have good bathroom freshners around.
• Your attire should be casual yet classy.  Your guests are going to be dressed well and if you wear your home attire you will be out of place.  Touch up your make up and be absolutely fresh.
• Have a TV room ready for the children and if possible have a domestic help here so that parents can relax.  Always cater for children snacks like pop corns and chips and have it ready ready right from the beginning.  Little imagination and adequate children snacks can keep the children engrossed in Little Bheem.

The Party

Meet your guests in person and with warmth.  Introduce any one new to the rest.  Always introduce the lady first and then the gent.  Give a 5 minute gap before you serve the drinks.  Give your attention to everyone and have an eye on everything that is happening around.  If it is a casual party, pour the first drink and you could ask the guests to help themselves thereafter.  However, if there is someone elder, it is better to serve him.  Do not ever force a drink as it is bad manners.  Also when you are mixing alcoholic drinks it is better to ask the measure especially when serving ladies.

Keep a track of the talking and let not conversation die down.  If the conversations are dying out then it is time for dinner and do not delay it.  A good measure of time when dinner should be served is an hour and half after the designated time of the party.  But then this may not be applicable where it is fashionable to come atleast 2 hours late for a party.  Well you need to play it by the ear so that those who have come early are served food in time.  I still remember attending a dinner at my friends house in Delhi where I was called for dinner at 8 PM and I was there 5 minutes ahead of time to find the host and hostess only getting ready.  The first guests arrived at 9.30PM.  Well, I quietly walked out of the party as I was feeling left out.

At the end, see off everybody in person and thank them personally for their time.  Do not rush to the bed immediately after a good dinner is over.  Relax with a glass of liqueur or wine with your spouse and go over the evening so that if there any short comings you can get over it next time.  Make a note of the menu and the guest list for the future and if you come to know about a food allergy, note it down.  Next time when she or he is around you could ensure that this was kept in mind by you and you would have bought that person for life.

When hosting a party hospitality is everything, make everyone feel important and you will be the talk of the town.

Simply Noodles

A friend of mine recently attended a class on noodle preparation and she told me that noodles made by a particular manufacturer are the only genuine ones. I always thought that noodles are the simplest of preparations and was actually curious to know what is that she picked which the whole world seems know, in that class.  The curiosity was even more because noodles today is the most common 'reddi' (push cart) food in India.  Outside every college and Call Centres we often find these reddis/ thehlewalas serving fried rice and noodles. Though the concoction is something between a pulav and  biriyani, everyone seems to be gobbling it up.

A word about the noodles.  There are no clear proof as to where the food originated; some say the Arabs, others China, some others Germany/ Italy.  It really does not make any difference as it has now become an international food.  Basically noodles are made from wheat flour or rice but there are noodles made from potatoes and lentil flour.  Mostly noodles are machine made and the hand pulled noodles are only available in China.  The children just love noodles and therefore became one of the first dishes I tried to perfect. I prefer egg noodles as it is softer and never the 2 minute Maggie noodles.  Though not based on any facts, I think all these companies making these 2 minutes noodles,  add addictive taste makers (Ajni-moto) and therefore cause harm to the children.    There are no manufacturing secrets to noodle making, the sauces and the method of preparing makes all the difference.

Two common methods of preparing noodles are Chow Mein and Lo Mein.  When ingredients are stir fried and served over noodles it is Chow Mein.  In Lo Mein the boiled noodles are stir fried in the wok and other ingredients mixed into it.  This allows the noodles to soak up all the flavours.  Having an iron wok is a good investment as noodles made in an iron wok somehow tastes better than the non stick Karahi (cooking pot).

I always add a lot of vegetables to the noodles and that makes it more tastier.  It is also the best way to get the children to eat the veggies.  The sauce the noodles are stir fried in should be subtle to the tongue but at the same time have a wonderful flavour.  It is extremely important how the vegetables are cut.  It should be long and as thin as possible like the noodles and see how the children will love it.  More the vegetables, the preparation becomes that much healthier for the kids.

Ingredients

• Noodles of choice - 1 packet
• Chicken Boneless - 1 breast piece
• Bacon strips - 2 - 3
• Carrots - 2 -3  long ones
• Cabbage - 1 Medium size
• Yellow Pepper - 1
• Red Pepper - 1
• Green Pepper - 1
• French Beans - 150 gms
• Mushroom - 150gms
• Celery Stalk - 1
• White Onion big size - 1
• Spring Onion - 6 - 8 sprigs
• Garlic big size - 3 - 4 gloves
• Light Soy Sauce - 1 1/2 table spoon
• Dark Soy Sauce - 1/2 table spoon
• Chinese Cooking Sauce/ wine - 2 table spoon
• Corn flower - 2 - 3 tablespoon
• Eggs - 2
• Vegetable Oil
• Salt to taste

Preparation
Noodles are tasty when served hot, hence the sequencing of the preparation is very important.  If the noodles are left to drain for long, it will become dry or if the stir fried veggies are left for long, it will become soggy and loose its crunchiness.  Hence time the preparation so that it all fits in like a jigsaw puzzle. The most tedious step is cutting the vegetable, so do that first.  Cut all the vegetables lengthwise and keep it separately.  Then cut the chicken into strips and mix the same with cornflour so that it becomes crisp when fried.  Cut the bacon strips into tiny pieces.
Now the cooking.  Take a pot and boil water in it.  Add salt and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to it.  Now add the noodles.  Do not break it, just leave it into the pot and the length will fold itself into the pot.  It will take about 8 to 10 minutes for the noodles to cook.  Place the wok on the stove and pour oil into it and get it real hot.  Now add the vegetables one by one into the wok except for the onion and spring onion.  Once all the vegetables are added put some sea salt into the mix and take it off the fire.  The noodle should be ready by now, take it out and put it under running water.  Once it is cool put the noodles into a strainer and allow it it to drain out.  Whisk the eggs and make a thin omelette.  Cut it into thin long strips.  Come back to the wok and pour oil into it.  Once it is hot crush the garlic and put it into oil followed by sliced onion.  Once the onions become translucent add the bacon and let it blend in.  Now pour the soy sauces and the cooking wine and a tablespoon of sugar into the wok.  Add the chicken now and fry the same till it becomes crisp.  Now add a layer of noodles followed by the veggies and then cover it with the balance of noodles.  Keep tossing it till the noodles are soft.  Add oil if necessary and if the mix is becoming dry add some water.  Now put the cut spring onions and the omelette pieces into it and give it a last toss.  The fried noodles are ready.  Add 5 ladles of love and serve it.

Just A Mutton Curry

There are so many mutton curries and I thought real hard to find a name for this one but since I could not arrive at a name, I am naming it Just A Mutton Curry. I picked up this recipe from Naik Gandharv of 9 Jak Rifles of Indian Army at Alwar, Rajasthan. Every time I had an opportunity to have food in their mess, I found the mutton curry simply delicious. I finally confronted him and asked him the name of the dish. While he tried to tell me few names, I was convinced that the magic was his own.

His lessons gave me a new insight into cooking meat. Lesson No 1 he taught me was that the key is in selecting the meat. Usually all of us go to the butcher and ask him for a kilo of meat and this guy just cuts pieces from various cuts and makes the kilo. That is a big NO when it comes to cooking meat as the mixed meat will vary in taste. The best way is to pick up a whole piece like a leg or rack (rib chops) or flank as per your liking. Ask the butcher to weigh it and buy the whole piece. With advances in refrigeration, the portions will not go bad. The next lesson is slightly difficult and only those who like it should attempt it; cut the mutton yourself. There are many reasons for it but the biggest being the chopping blocks in these shops are generally dirty and secondly meat if not cut properly can loose its taste. Wash the piece thoroughly and thereafter cut the mutton with a sharp knife. Avoid making a hash of the meat and each cut should be neat and clean. The bone can be separated out if it is a leg or shoulder piece. Now separate the cuts into portions and packet it before refrigerating it. Do not forget to drain the meat before finally packing it.

Now the Mutton Curry

Ingredients

• Mutton - 1/2 Kg
• Refined Oil - 150 ml
• Onion - 4 large ones
• Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 table spoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tablespoon
• Coriander Powder - 4 tablespoon
• Chili Powder - 1 1/2 tablespoon
• Meat Masala of your choice - 2 tablespoon
• Garam Masala - 2 tablespoon (Avoid buying it and make it at home)
• Potato - 2 medium size
• Tomato - 4 large ones
• Green Coriander Leaves - 1 bunch

Making the Gram Masala

• Cloves - 6-8
• Cinnamon Stick - 1
• Green Cardamom - 8-10
• Black Cardamom - 5-6
• Star Aniseed - 2
• Poppy Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Fennel - 1 table spoon

Put all the ingredients in a mortar and pestle and grind it to fine powder. No packeted masala can have so much flavour.

The Curry
Take a pressure cooker and pour the oil into it. When the oil becomes hot put thinly sliced onion into the oil and saute it till it turns translucent. Add the turmeric, coriander and chili powder into the mix and keep stirring it. Turn down the flame so that the masalas do not burn. Keep stirring it and soon you will find the oil leaving the mix. At this time add the ginger garlic paste and give a stir followed by the meat. Ginger garlic paste tends to catch the bottom and get burned if left for a long time, so always add the paste followed by the meat. Keep stirring till the mutton is coated by the masalas and the pores sealed keeping the juices inside the meat cuts. Cut the potatoes into medium size pieces and put the same also into the mix and keep stirring. When the oil separates from the mix finely chop the tomatoes and drop it into the cooker. Keep stirring till the tomatoes blends into the mix. Now is the time to add the salt. Never add salt earlier as it will drain the juices from the meat cuts if added earlier. Now is the time to adjust the taste by adding any of the ingredients till the taste is as per your choice. Once the curry is to your choice add the garam masala and top the mix with water. Pressure cook for 15 minutes or five whistles. Once it cools transfer the curry into a serving dish and add finely chopped coriander leaves before serving.

Just before serving add about 7 ladles of love and your friends will lick their fingers.

Cheese cake

CHEESE CAKE

Traditionally it is always best to start anything with sweets. So my first recipe is Cheese Cake. One of the easiest of preparations and the children just love it. Once the basic cheese cake is made, let your imagination run wild as you can create many different toppings and looks. I picked up this recipe from my nephews wife Liza. She is a doctor by profession and mastered the art of conjuring up magical combinations with least efforts.

Method

First step is to make the crust. Powder the biscuit in a simple Kitchen mortar and pestle and hand. Avoid using a food processor. The biscuits will become a fine powder and that is not what is expected. The biscuits need to be crushed and not powdered. Mix the butter into the crushed biscuits. Easier way is to melt the butter and evenly pour over the crushed biscuits. Once the butter is finely mixed place the biscuit powder into a pie dish or any dish of your choice. Pat it evenly into the base. Do not use more butter as it will make the crust very hard. Heat the oven to 180^oC and place the dish with the biscuit crust for 5 minutes.

Take the curd and pour it into a muslin cloth preferably or one of the biggish cloth napkins and hang it for water to drain out. Apply light pressure to squeeze the water out. You could do this first as then by the time the crust is made the water would have drained out. Take a bowl and transfer the hung curd into it. With a small whipper start to beat the hung curd till it becomes cream consistency. Then add the cream and keep whisking. Magic, by now you would have created Crème Cheese. Add sugar and continue to whisk till the sugar mixes well into the cheese mix. You can increase the sugar if you so desire. Now add 3-4 generous table spoon of marmalade into the mix and continue whisking. Once the mix is ready add three table spoon of gelatin into lukewarm water mixing till it dissolves and then add to the cheese mix and whisk it a final time and pour over the biscuit crust and refrigerate cheese cake. Once the cheese sets the cake is ready.

Easy is it not but don’t leave it here. The fun starts now. If there kids around the house then I would after the cheese sets to pour a layer of jelly on the top. Now when you slice the cake there are three bright layers brown, white and yellow/ red. Children love Jelly and this combination is something they will really love. Modifications do not end here. You can pile the top with straw berries, blue berries or mangos. Another deviation is to add a little fresh orange juice into the cheese mix.

Once you get the cheese cake right let your imagination run wild. Happy Cooking and I forgot the key ingredient add at least five ladles of love into the mix.

COOKING WITH LOVE

Time immemorial mankind has been experimenting with vegetables, grains, pulses, fruits, meat products and Fish, creating great recipes and interesting combinations of food. My experiments with food started very early in life. My wife felt that while everybody gets a day off in a week, why is that she does not get one from the kitchen. The logic in the statement led me to the kitchen and my experiments with food commenced. It started with me making Lunch and dinner on Sundays. The kids joined me in the venture probably because that was the only way they could skip church on Sundays but as we progressed they also started enjoying it as they both are excellent in culinary arts. Looking back in those days almost all the recipes we tried were from our own imagination of how the end product should be and was never based on any recipe book. Those carefree days were simply great as it gave me lots of time to be with the children and I still cherish those moments.

It was during this time that I came to realize the greatest ingredient in all forms of cooking. Nobody ever cooks a meal for their enemies and it is always for the near and dear ones unless of course one is working in a hotel. While creating these art forms, ladles of love is added and it is that which makes it simply great. When you cook with love even the simplest of omelet will attain a very different taste. First is the patient cutting of onions, tomatoes and any other vegetables so finely that it blends in finely and thereafter the mixture whisked vigorously till the egg starts to froth. The end result is a fluffy omelet which is sumptuous. As against this consider the same individual making it without any love; all the fillings will be lumpy and the omelet half burned.

I am sure you all will agree that food cooked adding loads of love will always be very tasteful. So how do we do it over and over again when cooking can also be a big chore. Well the answer would be to be honest because nobody can be on a permanent emotional high and therefore on some days one may not be in a mood to be in the kitchen. That is the time to pick up the telephone and order food from the nearest home delivery. Generally the problem mostly props up because there is no planning when it comes to food. More often than not, the course taken is to land up in the kitchen, open the refrigerator, look inside and then conjure up a meal. This results into mismatched dishes which leaves everyone unhappy. The husband will eat it because if he opens his mouth he will get an earful, the children have to eat it because it is healthy and the one who makes it guilty as hell. A very good way is to have a weekly menu sheet. This itself is a boring task but what needs to be understood is that there is no need to fill it all up in one go. As and when any dish comes to your mind jot it down and if it is the main dish work out the side dishes or vice versa. Since this has been done in advance, there is adequate time to do the shopping for the items required. Also important to note is that when we buy anything there is always a minimum quantity but that may leave unused portions which generally go bad. It is here that you can make a change because then you can mix and match the ingredients so that all what you have bought is consumed.

The actual cooking if there is a plan is far easier than an attempt without any preparation. Some of the sauces or masalas can be made whenever there is time and not rush doing it all in one go. The next is the actual serving. The lousiest of preparation can pass off if presented and served well. Make a rule that food will be eaten only at the dining table and never never a TV dinner. Lay the table and make it a joint task, it can be your spouse or the kids but do involve them. Conversing with each other makes the family come closer.

As the saying goes that if this entire struggle in life is to put food in the stomach, then it is important that we make a celebration of it. So let us start cooking with love because the content look on the face of your loved ones can be the biggest high on life.

Recently my grand children were with me and we had some great time cooking together. The planning, shopping and making it all became such a riot that we had some great laughs. My four year old granddaughter who is so choosy in her eating was happily eating all that she was making. My grandson would be jotting down the shopping list and would rush off to the nearest grocery store. There was so much love in these fun games in the kitchen that all what we tried turned out tasty.

Many women have won a man's love by cooking delicious meals for him. They fed his stomach and found love in his heart. So why not continue with the love story………..