What if your new year’s eve house party sported a menu with dishes as good as those on iconic restaurant menus?
File pic
Rue de Liban’s Baba ghanoush
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Who’s sharing: Arja Shridhar
For the last 10 years, Arja Shridhar, co-founder of Kala Ghoda’s Levantine eatery Rue de Liban has been working on new year’s eve. So, when we ask her for a specific memory of a house party, she can’t remember. One from a trip to Lyon with friends when they walked in the cold until 2 am and sipped on mulled wine is the only thing she can come up with. “Baba ganoush tops my list of party foods because, not only is aubergine one of my favourite vegetables, the dish is easy to prepare and an excellent dish to serve with lavash or crackers,” says Shridhar.
Baba ghanoush, Lebanese origin
Ingredients
250 gm aubergine
5 gm curd
20 gm tahina paste
1 gm citric salt
1 gm salt
1 gm garlic crushed
15 gm olive oil
5 gm spring onion
2 gm sumac
For pomegranate salsa
100 gm pomegranate seeds
10 gm red wine vinegar
10 gm chopped onion
4 gm pomegranate molasses
10 gm olive oil
1 gm salt
1 gm black pepper
Method
Grill the aubergine over an open flame on high for five minutes, turning occasionally to ensure all the sides are charred and tender. Take off the flame, let it cool, then peel off the charred skin and discard the stem. Transfer to a bowl, add tahina and stir using a fork, for about two minutes. Add curd, salt, citric salt, garlic, and 5 gm of olive oil and continue to stir vigorously for another five minutes until all the ingredients are combined and a thick paste is formed. For the salsa, mix the ingredients in a bowl. Mix gently and keep aside. While plating, transfer the baba ghanoush to a serving bowl. Add pomegranate salsa in the centre. Garnish with spring onion, sumac and olive oil.
The Conservatory’s Lamb Chops
Who’s sharing: Suren Joshi
Fitness freak Suren Joshi, who is founder of The Conservatory, loves theses grilled lamb chops as they are extremely healthy and as a bonus, they taste great! “The ones that we serve are grass fed lambs, so they’re all the more beneficial and have a higher value in nutrients. It is a meal I personally love to have daily. They’re good for a party because it’s easy to eat, are packed with flavour, and are extremely juicy, so it ends up being a crowd favourite,”
says Joshi.
Lamb Chops, Central Asian or British origin
Ingredients
180 gm New Zealand lamb chop
5 gm rosemary
10 gm garlic
10 ml extra virgin olive oil
70 gm baby carrots
For jus
10 kg chicken bones
350 ml red wine
350 ml port wine
150 ml balsamic vinegar
80 gm mixed herbs (rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, parsley)
1 kg mirepoix (garlic, carrot, celery, leek, onion)
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Season lamb chops with salt, pepper, olive oil, rosemary and garlic. Grill on high heat for two minutes on each side. In a pan, heat butter and add the baby carrots with brown sugar, cook until the carrots are nicely done and caramelised. Season with salt and pepper. For the jus, roast chicken bones in the oven for 45 minutes at 180C. Add oil to a pan and cook the mirepoix until lightly golden. Add the herbs and cook on low heat until done. Next, add all the wine and vinegar and let it reduce for 30 minutes. Adjust seasoning.
Cafe Mommyjoon’s Zereshk Polow Morgh
Who’s sharing: Seema Sadequian
For mom-son duo Seema Saequian and Hossein Mehrazar, the polaw is a party hit because it is a complete meal by itself. “The jewel like tart berries makes it a favourite for flavouring and seasoning. Berries are also known to lower blood pressure,” says Sadequian.
Zereshk Polow Murgh, Persian origin
Ingredients
4 tbsp oil
2 pieces chicken leg
2 inch stalk celery
1 carrot
1 bay leaf
1 onion
Rose water, saffron as per taste
For sauce
4 tbsp oil
2 onions, grated
2 tbsp tomato paste
½ tsp red chilli powder
Salt and pepper
Method
Heat oil and fry the chicken leg pieces. In a vessel, place stalks of chopped celery, onion and carrot slices and bay leaf. Place the fried chicken on top, add hot water and allow it to boil. Remove the froth and then simmer with the lid on till the chicken is tender. For the sauce, heat oil and saute grated onions until the colour changes. Add tomato paste, red chilli powder, salt and pepper and saute well till oil is released. Now add this to the chicken and simmer for 10 minutes. Soak the barberries or zereshk for 20 minutes in water and drain well. Heat oil in a pan, add zereshk and fry lightly on low flame. Add rose water, brewed saffron and sugar as per taste. Turn off the flame after three minutes. To make saffron rice, combine brewed saffron with one cup of rice, mix well and add zereshk to it.
Mahesh Lunch Home’s Crispy Fried Chilli Garlic Prawns
Who’s sharing: Suraj Shetty
For Suraj Shetty, partner, Mahesh Lunch Home, seafood makes for a great party starter. His favourite, crispy fried prawn has the right crunchiness and spice, which gives the perfect taste, and is soft and juicy inside.
Crispy Fried Chilli Garlic Prawns, Sichuan origin
Ingredients
8 medium-size prawns
For batter
50 gm maida
50gm cornflour
10 gm ginger and garlic, chopped
Fresh celery, chopped
Chopped red chillies as per taste
½ tsp turmeric and red chilli powder
Salt to taste
1 egg
Some lime juice
For garnish
3 to 4 dried red chilli
8 to 10 cloves garlic
Lime juice
½ tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp aromatic powder
Chopped coriander leaves
White and black pepper powder
Method
Mix the batter ingredients in a bowl, add water to make a thick paste. Coat the prawns evenly and deep fry them in a wok. Keep aside.
Heat butter in a wok, add red chillies, chopped garlic, red chilli powder white and black pepper powder, salt, aromatic powder, lime juice and chopped coriander leaves. Stir on high heat. Once done, place the fried prawns on the serving dish and add the garnish from the wok on top of the prawns. Serve it with Sichuan sauce.
Gymkhana 91’s Kuber Kulcha
Who’s sharing: Aditya Hegde
This easy-to-cook and delicious kulcha has been a bestseller at Lowe Parel resto-bar Gymkhana 91 for six years, says its proprietor Aditya Hegde, who is a popular caterer for high-end parties and events. “It’s a perfect bite-sized starter loaded with cheese. What’s not to like?”
Kuber Kulcha, Indian origin
Ingredients
100 gm refined flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp oil
100 gm cheese
30 gm garlic
10 gm green chilli
Chaat masala
Butter
Red chilli powder
Method
Mix refined flour, salt, sugar, and oil in a bowl and let it rest for at least 90 mins while you cover it with a damp soft cloth. After two hours, the mix would have expanded. Take a handful of the mix and roll it out into circles of four inch diameter. Stuff the kulcha with cheese, garlic, chillies, bring together the edges and gently roll it again without letting the filling burst through. You can use a tawa or tandoor to cook these. Once they are ready, garnish with butter, chaat masala and red chilli powder.
Grandmama’s Cafe’s Hummus
Who’s sharing: Abhayraj Kohli
Grandmama’s café’s favourite, hummus is also its founder Abhayraj Kohli’s preffered party favourite. “It is easy to make—looks great on the anti pasty counter, lasts well throughout the part—need not be served, and can be paired with every bread. You can also add any customised topping to suit every party,” he adds.
Hummus, Middle Eastern origin
Ingredients
400 gm chickpeas
1 tsp crushed garlic flakes
100 gm tahina
100 ml olive oil
1 whole lime juice
Salt to taste
For chilly and garlic confit
50 gm red Bhavnagri chillies
50 gm green Bhavnagri chillies
50 gm green jalapeno chillies
15 gm fresh red chillies
15 gm fresh green chillies
30 gm fresh garlic cloves
5 gm fresh oregano
5 gm fresh basil
300 ml pomace olive oil
Method
Pressure cook chickpeas that has been soaked overnight in double the amount of water till tender. Strain and keep aside till cool; retain the boiling liquid. Put the boiled chickpeas with half the quantity of liquid along with all the ingredients in a blender. Grind to a smooth paste and serve with any desired topping. This is the base hummus recipe. For the confit, mildly heat the olive oil in a saucepan, remove it from the flame and keep aside. In a separate frying pan, heat six tablespoons of refined oil till it begins to smoke. Add garlic and chillies, pan toss for 30 secs. Remove from flame and immerse in warm oil, kept aside. Cover the pan with a lid and let the chillies and herbs infuse for two hours. Remove the lid and store in the refrigerator. Serve with or atop hummus.
Ideal Corner’s Margi Na Farcha
Ideal Corner’s Parvez Patel’s loves Chicken Farcha. Pic/Ashish Raje
Who’s sharing: Parvez Patel
While sharing the recipe, Fort’s loved Parsi eatery Ideal Corner’s proprietor Parvez Patel tells us that we are sure to fall in love with the star dish he is recommending. We agree on first bite. “It is the Parsi’s answer to KFC. It’s my favourite because it is easy to make and perfectly spiced, making it just right for any house party.”
Margi or Chicken Farcha, Parsi origin
Margi or Chicken Farcha, Parsi origin
Ingredients
1 kg tender chicken legs or drumsticks
6 cloves garlic
¾ inch fresh ginger
4 tbsp chopped coriander
6 to 8 green chillies
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp mixed dry masala (chilli powder, turmeric, coriander etc)
½ cup semolina
2 eggs
Method
Grind the masala to a paste. Marinate the legs in it overnight. Lightly coat with semolina, dip in beaten egg batter and fry till crispy. Serve with French fries or potato chips and half-boiled eggs.
TwentySeven Bakehouse’s Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Tarts
Who’s sharing: Aditi Duggar
One of TwentySeven Bakehouse’s Aditi Duggar’s favourite is the dark chocoate salted caramel tart, which makes for a great addition to any party. “Bake with patience, doing away with frills in favour of quality, flavour, and technique. Our secret: less is more—unless, of course, we’re talking about butter!
Dark Chocolate caramel tarts, English Origin
Ingredients
For tarts
250 gm flour
95 gm icing sugar
165 gm butter
30 gm milk
Mix the butter, add the sugar and flour, and use the milk to bind the dough. Chill for 30 mins. Line mini tart shells, rest the dough and bake at 160C for six to eight mins.
For dark chocolate ganache
250 gm 70 per cent dark chocolate
65 gm cream
65 gm milk
Heat the milk and cream and pour over the chocolate, whisk until smooth.
For salted caramel
100 gm sugar
45 gm butter
60 gm cream
In a saucepan, add the sugar and melt without stirring. Once it reaches an amber colour, add the warm cream, butter and whisk until an emulsified mixture
has formed.
Method
For assembling, demould the tarts, add caramel at the base and then the ganache. Let it set and garnish with whipped cream and grated chocolate.
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