My Theme Party!

(I wrote this post a part of Indiblogger's My Gourmet Party with Kitchens of India Contest.)

We are a family of five – the in-laws, the husband, the little brat and I. Between the five of us, we celebrate seven special occasions (birthdays and anniversaries) and several festivals. We generally invite people over to our house for a small party. Small, because we are relatively new to Bangalore and have only a handful of close relatives and friends here. Mostly, we end up having only my sis and her family as guests since they live the closest to our place.

Now, I am one of those who like to celebrate an occasion exactly on the date it takes place, and not shift it to the weekend for convenience purpose. I feel, somehow, that the event loses some of its sheen and significance if it is held on a different date.  While I make it a point not to create much encumbrance to the guests on a weekday by keeping the party hours very sensible, this however puts a strain on my own abilities. For, I am a working woman and new mother. I have to come back from office and cook for my guests. That, sometimes, becomes a big deal. Or rather, an ordeal.

I think this is where Kitchens of India would fit in perfectly. Life becomes so much easier when you know there is a solution to handle kitchen pressures. If I had my way, I would keep the theme of my party, let’s say my husband’s birthday, related to the Mughal era. Maybe because I own a nice Anarkali suit! The husband, too, has a nice kurta which can pass off as something Salim wore. For ambience, I could perhaps light a few scented candles, encased in decorative holders.  So, then, my food will belong to the royal gharana – the famed Mughlai cuisine. 

My menu will not be expansive as Mughlai cuisine is quite rich and it needs to be savoured at its own pace without too many distractions on the plate. Therefore, I shall begin by serving a vegetable starter along with chilled glasses of Roohafza. For the starter, I shall first marinate broccoli florets, button mushrooms, capsicums and onions in a pack of Paneer Makhani Masala Mix for an hour and then skewer and grill them in a hot oven for about 10-12 minutes. That should hopefully result in a Mughlai rendition of Vegetable Tikka. The edges of each veggie would be perfectly crisp with the masala mix coating over it. 

Next, comes my main course. I shall have two main dishes, one vegetarian and the other non-vegetarian, to be served alongside my simple home-made pulao and plain paranthas. The vegetarian dish will consist of Mughlai Paneer while the other one will be Chicken Darbari, both hailing from Kitchens of India. Now, I have a habit of having a little dal with my rice and assume that others prefer the same. For that reason, I shall keep a bowl of the famed Dal Bukhara, the one which had taken ITC to great heights, on the table. In all likelihood, I may end up finishing the entire bowl of dal.  

Finally, I would like to put a sweet close to my Mughal themed party by offering my guests plates of sinful Awadhi Badam Halwa. And then watch my guests groan in pleasure and leave for their homes with happy, satiated smiles. I would have a happy smile, too, and for that I shall have to thank Kitchens of India!