Create a menu that is so memorable it will even make carnivores forget there is no meat (or poultry or fish)

Have you ever thought about hosting an elegant vegetarian dinner party? I did exactly that last weekend and couldn’t wait to share my menu with all of you. Here in Harlem, our downstairs neighbors are wizard computer scientist Peyman and stylish fashion designer Tomoe, who live in the apartment right below us. We love spending time with them whenever we can. They’ve hosted us for dinner at their place and thoughtfully brought us homemade Japanese soup when we’ve fallen sick, so I’ve been excited to host them for dinner. Since Peyman and Tomoe opt to eat vegetarian as often as possible, we decided to fete them to an Indian vegetarian nirvana and also invited our dear friend Alda, who describes herself as “a vegan 80% of the time and ‘anything goes’ for 20% of the time.” The much-awaited Spring weather has finally arrived in New York City, so we prepared what we call Big Apple Curry’s Spring Tasting Menu:

Spring Tasting Menu: An Indian Vegetarian Nirvana
Harlem, New York

First
Grilled Vegetable Antipasti
Camembert Le Chatelain
Danish Blue Cheese
Ewephoria Sheep’s Milk Gouda
Twice-Baked CheeseSticks, Raincoast Crisps, and Cracked Pepper Water Crackers

Second
Mixed Root Vegetable Cutlets
Organic red beets, Yukon Gold Potatoes, and Heirloom Carrots pan-fried with garam masala and sundried mango, then dipped in organic egg, breadcrumbs, and fresh cilantro

Tamarind Date sauce
Mint chutney

Third
Mattar Paneer
Farmer’s cheese and sweet garden peas braised with brown onions, garlic, ginger, then stewed with whole cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, turmeric, nutmeg, fire-roasted tomatoes and cream

Baingan Burtha
Smoky pan-roasted eggplant with onion, garlic, turmeric, nigella seed, and tomatoes

Crunchy Okra
Flash-fried green okra with garam masala, organic cornmeal, and cayenne

Coconut Corn Pulao
Basmati rice steamed with coconut milk, cumin, cinnamon stick, green cardamom, and cloves

Saffron Yogurt Sauce 

So, how exactly did I go about setting my menu? Many people are stumped by Indian cooking, which is what inspired me to start this blog. It’s a labor of love. I’m often asked how to create a homemade Indian menu. Which dishes go together? Which don’t? Here is what I did, how I chose the courses and dishes, and the main reasons why:

I. Planning the First Course (Appetizers)

It was a Friday evening, so I figured that after a long week at work, my guests would prefer to leisurely unwind with some appetizers and wine. I put out a spread of mixed grilled vegetables like zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, and asparagus, alongside three different cheeses (one hard, one soft, one blue), salted nuts, breadsticks and crackers. This enabled my guests to graze, drink, and relax, while I focused on getting our 3-year old Liam fed and down for bed before serving dinner at 8:30pm.

Who needs pate and charcuterie? Putting together filling vegetarian appetizers can be a breeze with grilled vegetables, cheese, nuts, and breadsticks

II. Planning the Second Course

The key to a winning Indian menu is getting the right mix of dishes that are the perfect match of spices, herbs, and textures. I decided to open with a true ode to vegetables by making my mom’s mixed root vegetable cutlets. Grated organic beets and heirloom carrots are sautéed with spices like garam masala and sundried mango, then combined with Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, formed into cutlets, dipped in organic egg and breadcrumbs, and then pan-fried. They are crisp in the outside and deeply red  and tender on the inside.

III. Planning the Third Course

I decided to make three vegetarian dishes along with a memorable rice dish. I didn’t want the dishes to taste too much alike and I certainly didn’t want three saucy dishes. I chose a classic curry  called Mattar Paneer, which is farmer’s cheese and sweet garden peas stewed in whole spices like cinnamon, cardamom and cloves:

Next I chose to make Baingan Burtha, a silky mashed roasted eggplant that is pan-roasted with spices like nigella seed, turmeric, mustard seed:

And finally, I chose to make Crunchy Okra, a dry-rubbed okra dish to provide some crunch and texture, slicing the okra very thinly lengthwise and tossing them with a mixture of spices and cornmeal before pan-roasting them on high heat:

The best canvas for all three dishes was a sweetly scented basmati rice sautéed with whole cinnamon stick, green cardamom, and cloves that is stewed in coconut milk with corn and cumin seed:

I would round the whole thing out with homemade Saffron Yogurt Sauce, which my guests could drizzle as they liked:

I set the table hours in advance so it was all ready to go. Plus, hosting an elegant dinner gave me a chance to use my fine china; I turned my creamer into the perfect vessel for my homemade Saffron Yogurt Sauce. With a bit of prep and some well-planned grocery shopping, including a quick stop at your local Indian grocer for condiments like tamarind-date sauce and mint chutney, you can easily make this menu at home too. If you have any questions, just post a comment below!

Big Apple Curry dinner party hosting tip: set your table hours in advance so you aren’t rushing to do it right before your guests arrive on your doorstep

Mixed root vegetable cutlets are the first course: organic beets and heirloom carrots are grated and sautéed with spices like garam masala and sundried tomato and then folded with mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes and pan-fried until golden.

Indian Vegetarian Nirvana on a dinner plate: from top left to right going clockwise, mattar paneer, baingan burtha, crunchy okra, coconut corn pulao!

Put your china to work! Here I used my china creamer of homemade Saffron Yogurt Sauce for passing around the table

What’s nicer than waking up the next morning to Spring flowers from your dinner party guests?