We love Channel 4’s Come Dine With Me in the Dr Spice household – it’s one of the only times we all sit and watch TV in relative silence. However, as you’d expect, there’s always a big debate on what we’d serve for our guests.
Despite being a house of curry fanatics, Indian food is rarely mentioned as the top choice for cuisine – preferring, instead, to go for an old French classic or something equally as predictable. Obviously, being a curry fanatic I’d definitely do all three courses as Indian dishes matched of course with the only beer brewed especially to go with Indian food – Cobra beer.
For inspiration I’ve nabbed a few of one of my favourite Indian chef’s, Anjum Anand, recipes for the basic reason that they’re really tasty, simple and most of the ingredients can be found in the local supermarket!
One of the great things about Indian food is that it can often be prepared well in advance, leaving you time to talk to your guests rather than being cooped up in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove!
I would do the following:
Starter – Aktar Islam’s Tandoori Salmon
Just because this recipe from F-Word Best local Restaurant Lasan’s in Birmingham is low in fat certainly means it’s not low in taste! Simple and easy to prepare this makes a cracking starter served with some mint yoghurt or Raita.
Main Course – Jamie Oliver’s Southern Indian Crab Curry
As you’ll have seen in my past post I love Southern Indian food so this dish ticks that box nicely. There’s also something fantastically decadent about crab – not many people eat it on a regular basis so it feels special and will make your guests marvel at your taste and sophistication.
Dessert – Anjum Anand’s Indian Brioche Pudding with Cardamom and Saffron “Cream”
I think it’s best to let Anjum explain this one:
“This dessert is my easy, cheat’s version but it is still luscious and moreish. You can serve it as it is simply garnished with some fried cashew nuts, toasted almonds or pistachios or with the caramelized apples for an added dimension or with any other fruit you like.” – My mouth is watering just thinking about!
Drinks – Cobra of course! In particular I’d go for King Cobra – looks great, tastes great and goes wonderfully with curry!
Finally, here are my top tips for a successful dinner party:
- Prepare as much in advance as you can – get marinating several hours before your guests arrive. Not only will this develop the flavours but it’ll also save you rushing around when you have guests to entertain!
- Set the table the night before – your day will be manic and stressful enough so why not cut yourself some slack
- Make sure you have all your extras (naan, chutneys, Raita etc) prepared and on the table before your guests arrive
- Ensure you’ve put your Cobra in the fridge before you start – nothing will put a dampener on the evening more than serving warm beer to your guests
- Don’t forget to drink in moderation – no-one likes a drunken host!
- Above all, enjoy yourself! Relax, chat to all your guests and most importantly don’t panic – it’ll all be ok, there’s always a takeaway if it all goes horribly wrong … no-one will notice the difference!
So guys, no excuses – what are you waiting for? What would you cook?
