• Work with Me
  • Culinary Medicine
  • Featured
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Shef's Kitchen

Eating Global. Staying Seasonal. Keeping Healthy.

  • Start Here
  • About
  • Videos
  • Blog
    • Faves
  • Recipes
  • Press
  • Contact

October 6, 2011

Bollywood Bash

How do you throw a Bollywood-inspired and masala-infused bash for a group of 40 adults?

How about donating the dinner for a school silent auction? You can spread cultural awareness, get to know your children’s friends’ parents, and raise money for your school.

That’s what my friend Kavita thought of when she planned an elaborate dinner with live entertainment as part of a multi-course meal for all the guests.  And of course she persuaded me to join, and I’m glad to be part of it!

We’ve had a few “meetings” to come up with a dinner menu, beverage selection, and entertainment, and we have a fun-filled ngiht planned.

In our beautiful month of October, we’ll have a gorgeous atmosphere to house a live band, The Sacred Cowgirls, led by singer and co-host Pauravi Rana. We’ll also have henna artist Nikki Pham decorating our guests’ hands or feet, perhaps miniature versions of traditional Indian “mango” or “peacock” designs like this one:

My beautiful picture

or designs similar to this Western-inspired one:

And of course, we’ll be teaching a few Indian dance moves, though not Bollywood-style. To go along with the Indian Gujarati-predominant holiday of Navratri, we’ll be teaching our guests a little garba-raas dance!  Raas, the simply choreographed “stick” dance as (non-Guju Indians like to mock 😉 ), looks a little like this:

This surely ought to help further increase their appetites for a long and luxurious family-style dinner.

About 10 people are hosting this together, so not only will it be easy to cook for (I’m in charge of only 2 dishes!), but also the menu will reflect either the hosts’ regional culinary background or a national culinary jewel.

For example, we’ll be serving up Chhole, of course, a very typical and often requested chick pea curry. Delicious with naan–the two go together like mashed potatos and gravy. This dish hails from the state of Punjab, but no Indian equates it to only that area. It’s served at restaurants all over India and served steaming hot from colorful streetside stands.  It’s also served in most Indian restaurants in the U.S.  It’s a great healthy vegetarian weeknight meal as well.

Multiple family recipes exist for chhole; mine (learned from my mom) can be found here.

Another dish we’ll be preparing is Pulihora, or Tamarind Rice. This is a South-Indian style rice dish. I’ve been wanting to draft a recipe for pulihora for a couple of years but I’m always behind on recipe-testing. It’s one of those pleasing, uniquely delicious, and SIMPLE rice dishes with which any curry can properly accompany.  We will have pictures and hopefully a recipe by one of our co-hosts after the bash, so keep checking back!

And finally, I’ll give you an inkling of another type of dish, an appetizer. Hints:

  • made with cauliflower
  • taught in one of my classes before
  • has origins from China’s influence on East India
  • is spicy hot hot hot!!

It’s Gobi Manchurian, and it is the perfect bite to whet the appetite!

There are almost a dozen different dishes we’re preparing, and I can’t give away the menu details to the guests who are reading this blog post. Stay tuned for a fully detailed list of the menu items. And pictures of the FOOD!

Related Posts

  • Indian-American Diwali TraditionsIndian-American Diwali Traditions
  • Fenugreek Fish FilletsFenugreek Fish Fillets
  • Mango LassiMango Lassi
  • Semolina Halva (Rava Sheero)Semolina Halva (Rava Sheero)
  • Iron Chef Competition: The Saucy Patels’ RecipeIron Chef Competition: The Saucy Patels’ Recipe
  • Paneer KormaPaneer Korma
  • Winter Tomato Soup with Curry LeafWinter Tomato Soup with Curry Leaf
  • Theplaa (Metthi Parathas)Theplaa (Metthi Parathas)
Yum
«
»

Leave a Comment

Love This? Get More!

Subscribe to hear more about great posts just like this one. Plus, you'll get my free ebooklet, Five Nutrient-Dense Recipes to Maximize Your Phytonutrient Intake!

Support Shef’s Kitchen

Want to support this food adventure with Shef? By simply using the Amazon affiliate box below, we'll receive a small commission from your purchases. You won't pay higher prices or anything! It's the easiest way to support us without doing or paying anything different than usual.


Comments

  1. Valentina says

    October 11, 2011 at 12:44 am

    What time should I show up!? 😉 Seriously, it sounds fantastic! xo

    Reply
    • shefskitchen says

      October 14, 2011 at 10:54 am

      you are welcome here anytime Valentina!! congrats on your eating rules post!

      Reply
  2. Valentina says

    October 11, 2011 at 12:44 am

    What time should I show up!? 😉 Seriously, it sounds fantastic! xo

    Reply
    • shefskitchen says

      October 14, 2011 at 10:54 am

      you are welcome here anytime Valentina!! congrats on your eating rules post!

      Reply
  3. Amy says

    October 10, 2011 at 8:36 pm

    Ooooooo! It sounds delish! I cannot wait!

    Reply
    • shefskitchen says

      October 14, 2011 at 10:53 am

      It’s going to be delicious Amy, and an experience!

      Reply
  4. Amy says

    October 10, 2011 at 8:36 pm

    Ooooooo! It sounds delish! I cannot wait!

    Reply
    • shefskitchen says

      October 14, 2011 at 10:53 am

      It’s going to be delicious Amy, and an experience!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *






You've heard that food is medicine, but food is LIFE! I want you to enjoy both. I'm Shef, a culinary educator, and this website showcases the diversity of ingredients worldwide, using them in interesting recipes, and making them approachable without sacrificing flavor.

Food doesn't have to be boring and flavorless to be good for you. Getting familiar with spices not only heals you, but it adds happiness to your plate. I strive for a happy healthy plate with nutrient-dense well-balanced meals and an occasional dose of sweet!more please


Have a Question?
Ask Shef!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Culinary Medicine

Group Classes and Parties

Kitchen Coaching

Personal Classes

Get connected

Subscribe to our newsletter to get updates on all our latest posts, updates, and shares! Plus, get my free ebooklet, Five Nutrient-Dense Recipes to Maximize Your Phytonutrient Intake!

My latest video is a glimpse into the Shef's Kitchen lifestyle, and a what I teach.

DESCRIPTIVE-TEXT-OF-YOUR-LINK

Check out The Only Ten Tex-Mex Recipes You'll Ever Need

by Shef at Mode

Click above to get your copy, for free!

More Information

Welcome to a new world of food! I'm Shef and this site showcases the diversity of ingredients worldwide, making them approachable, and using them in familiar recipes.


I aim to do this using seasonal produce and sustainably-raised animal sources to accommodate our family's varied diets. But most importantly, I strive for nutrient-dense well-balanced meals (with room for sugar) so I can be a centenarian one day! more please

Contact

  • Shef's Kitchen, Inc.
  • Kitchen Instructor
  • Austin, Texas United States
  • shef@shefskitchen.com

Get connected

Subscribe to our kitchen newsletter to get blog posts updates! Plus, get my free ebooklet, Five Nutrient-Dense Recipes to Maximize Your Phytonutrient Intake!

Find Your Way Around

  • About
    • Meal Sharing
    • Austin Indian Grocers
  • Featured
    • Videos
  • Work With Me
    • Culinary Medicine
    • Group Classes and Parties
    • Kitchen Coaching
    • Personal Classes
  • Contact

Copyright© 2010–2021