Dinner Party!!

Punjabi Style (Part 1)

Who doesn’t like dinner parties, especially Indian Dinner parties? 

 I often find myself reminiscing about the old times when I was back home and how all those dinners brought excitement to my life. These are the memories that I hold very close to my heart. As a child, I felt so much excitement with guests coming over, and eating that special meal.

 Food is a big part of our culture, celebrations are not complete without family get-togethers and food.

Back home, my parents always hosted dinners, especially if a newly married couple or someone visited home after a long time. We never called it a dinner party. A specific term for this “ Roti Karne” means inviting someone for a special dinner. Roti means bread. My mom would take out new Crockery, serving bowls, and platters that were kept aside only to be used for the guests. Food is always served family style.

During the family weddings, extended families were invited to ‘Chuula Neounda’ this is another form of dinner invitation.  I was always excited about this dinner, meal was simple compared to the above. Everybody from kids to older people helped prepare the food from peeling potatoes to shelling peas. Dinner was prepared by the women in outdoor wood-fired pits called “Chulla”. Halwai ( sweetmaker) would make jalebi for dessert. You would go to the house you are invited to and tell how many people are eating. Then food got packed in whatever containers you brought from home. This was a simple meal consisting of Daal, Sabji, and roti. There was nothing extravagant about this, It was the atmosphere and sense of being a part of a big family. It was like a community meal but with extended family. 

Any dinner party is incomplete without starters like samosas, pakora, and chaat with a side of sweets and cha. Even these starters are a meal in themselves and your guests will be stuffed but dinner is not complete without them. After tea, dinner is served with an array of dishes like Sabje ( vegetable dish), Daal (Lentils), something with paneer like Mattar Paneer, Kabuli Choley ( Chickpeas), etc. No matter what there has to be a Paneer dish otherwise dinner is not complete. My mom always cooked Matter Paneer, a staple in our house on every special occasion. Meat is served occasionally, mostly men in the family eat meat dishes Tariwala chicken with drinks. Sides include chutneys, raita, simple salad, naan, rice and roti. It's a real feast.

 But wait, there are desserts like Kheer, hot gulab jamun, Sooji Halwa, or fruit cream. My dad always made Fruit Cream, I have a faint memory of eating this dessert. It was a fresh cream, sweetened with sugar and seasonal fruit like grapes, apples, and bananas. My mom used to make Kheer (Rice Pudding) with whole-fat milk and rice, simmered for hours to get that creamy texture. I would eat bowls and bowls of it Hot and Cold.

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As an adult immigrant, dinner parties are not the same as before. It wasn’t until my boys were born that I started hosting Diwali, and Thanksgiving dinners, not to mention Halloween parties. I even learned to make Turkey with all the fixings and a Pumpkin pie. When you move to a new country you lose a part of yourself and your connection with food. For the last few years, I have tried connecting with myself and finding my unique cooking method. I fell in love with hosting dinner parties again. I like to cook and create dishes not commonly made at home. I want my guests to experience different textures and flavors, not just regular dishes served daily or you would eat at the restaurants. I love to make stuffed vegetables like eggplant or squash, Daal Palak, Homemade Dahi Bhalley, Malai Chicken, and Beetroot raita with chat patta salad. Combining different textures and flavors gives this experience that your guests will love.

Dinner parties are a celebration of family traditions, it’s a part of connecting with family and friends.

Do you like to host or attend dinner parties?

Stay tuned for Part 2 of my next post for tips and tricks.