WhatsApp strikes again! When Inderpreet, a school friend and wife of a serving General, describes a dinner she threw recently, I am struck by both nostalgia and terror. But I decide to see if I still have what it takes. Of course, while she entertained scores of guests and had a menu that must have run into several pages, I have decided to serve a modest lunch to 10 friends.
It has been nearly 15 years since Raju left the Air Force and we entertained fauji -style, complete with table runners, napkin rings, flowers in vases, candles and long-stemmed glasses. Over time, I have stopped cooking on that large a scale. I am wonderstruck by Inderpreet’s energy and courage to cook for so many people even now. My social life barely passes muster and my fine-dining paraphernalia is gathering dust in a trunk in the loft. Raju and I still entertain, but it is usually close friends and the food is usually a hastily put-together meal or a pot luck, rather than an elaborately planned one. Of course, more often than not, we take guests out for dinner instead of having them over at home, which is quite sad.
I ask Inderpreet how she goes about it. With military precision! I quote: “First step, I decide whether it is going to be North Indian or South Indian cuisine. Second, list the dishes ensuring nothing is repeated. Write down items to be purchased for the cooking. Do the marketing preferably three days in advance. Chop, clean, grind masalas a day in advance. Cook those things that will keep well if cooked the day before. Get out the perfumed candles.” I am daunted but decide to channel my inner Nigella and start somewhere. So we begin.
Raju whips out his notepad and pen and we settle down to decide the menu. We always do this after a disaster in the beginning of our married life when I slaved all day in the kitchen and then forgot to put the bhindi and the raita on the table. Now the menu is printed in large letters and stuck on the fridge door. Then, another list is made with the ingredients that need to be bought. Raju ticks off each dish, as I complete it. The third list has the things I can prepare the day before. I have realised the importance of prep, more so since it is only me chopping, cooking and dishing up. Lists calm me down.
I first thought of cooking fancy, but good sense kicked in. I decided to go with the tried and tested. As Inderpreet advised, “Stop messing around. Stick to the delicious Madrasi khana . That is what your guests will enjoy.” Though I protest indignantly saying I can cook other stuff too, I am secretly relieved. I enjoy cooking food I grew up with and it has always been well received.
So what is it going to be? I am a lot older now, so I am keeping the lid down on too much deep-fried stuff. There was a time I slathered everything in mayonnaise. That has stopped too. While keeping ‘healthy’ in mind, I know how I always hope to see something sinful on the table when I eat at my friends. So it will be half and half. We will plan some salads and raitas but will also have something sinful enough to keep our friends. Does puliogarai, thayir sadam, kosambari, roti and ghia kofta sound like a good meal to you? And what about home-made kulfi and peanut brittle as dessert? Let me know while I send the kofta recipe to another WhatsApp buddy.
