Indian Tea Party

[Suvir Saran]

I am catering a Tea Party later today in Bridgehampton. (4PM - 8PM)

It is primarily for kids and their parents.

There are going to be around 20 kids and 10 adults.

What would you serve for a party like this?

Are there any dishes in particular you think would work best for kids?

Remember, the theme is Indian, and the foods have to be Indian... Want to take a guess as to what I served?

I will post the menu after I am back from the party...

[Suvir Saran]

To get you started and thinking...

I am taking with me 50 gallons of Mango Lassi. Do you think that will be enough???

[anil]

To get you started and thinking...

I am taking with me 50 gallons of Mango Lassi.  Do you think that will be enough???

50 gallons for 30 people ??? I don't drink 1 gallon of beer, you think I'll drink that amount of lassi ?

[polly]

I think kids would like anything fried and crispy, so samosas, bajhi(sp?), pakoras etc could be good.

Maybe mini masala dosa, a do it yourself bel puri table... my limited knowlege is betraying me now.

Ooh, kulfi would be good.. JALEBIS how could a child not love curly, swirly batter in sugar syrup?

So what did you really make?

[Jason Perlow]

To get you started and thinking...

I am taking with me 50 gallons of Mango Lassi.  Do you think that will be enough???

Thats a shitload of lassi, Suvir.

[Suvir Saran]

To get you started and thinking...

I am taking with me 50 gallons of Mango Lassi.  Do you think that will be enough???

Thats a shitload of lassi, Suvir.

And correct you are Jason. It was 5 gallons. I typed a zero when I should not have. When is Nina when we need her most?

She would have certainly caught this typo.

I am sorry... It was 5 gallons.. and what great Lassi. Perfect for a summer afternoon in the Hamptons. I enjoyed drinking it even as I worked as the caterer. I never eat when I cater.. but I made a rare decision to quench my thirst, normally I never drink or eat when working. I ended up drinking two glasses... The power of good Alfonso pulp.

[Suvir Saran]

Menu:

Chicken Samosas

Potato and Pea Samosas

Spinach and Potato Patties (paalak aloo tikki)

Cashewnut and Corn Croquettes

Lamb Sausages (Seekh Kababs, called sausages to make them seem familiar to the kids)

Chicken Sausages ( Seekh kababs )

Creamy Ginger Grilled Chicken (Malai Kabab)

Naan

Potato Kulcha (Potato stuffed flatbread)

Onion Kulcha

Chicken Biryaani

Daal Makhani

Cucumber Raita

Mint Chutney

Cilantro-Yogurt Chutney

Tamarind and Date Chutney

Tomato Chutney

Mango Lassi

Orange Blossom Lemonade

Chai Iced Tea

[Suvir Saran]

The Tandoor on wheels was the big hit.

It always is at parties where I tote it. People cannot stop looking at how amazing the cooking technique is and how simply yet exotic it is.

[Suvir Saran]

There were an assortment of great bright, spiced and kid-friendly cookies that the host had bought from a local baker.

There were beautiful petit fours, cakes, brownies and fudge as also some candy.

[Suvir Saran]

The two women servers wore identical silk Saris in a beautiful magenta color with gold borders.

The man helping wore a kura Payjama.

The two chefs wore the usual chefs uniform.

The table cloths were in different bright jewel tone colors. The flower arrangements were bold and bright and fragrant.

There were beautiful Indian onion paper lanterns scattered around the large compound and around the wrap around patio. The hostess had bought these from Singapore and Hongkong.

[Suvir Saran]

The man helping wore a kura Payjama.

I meant a Kurta Payjama ( the traditional male attire from India).

[Suvir Saran]

When the young girls came over, they were greeted by the daughters of the house. They were dressed in beautiful Lahengas, Cholis and glass bangles and gold anklets, necklaces and earrings.

The young man who was hired to do the Henna (mehndi) Tattoos greeter them by giving each girl a beautiful hand dyed and embroidered textile from India. He wrapped them around the girls as a sarong.

They then picked a design or three or five that they wanted to get tattooed on themselves. He was very good with kids and these girls were enthralled by what they saw him doing and what ended up imprinted on each of them.

What a great idea to have for a party hosted by two young girls for tea. The girls were 8 and 10 year old. Their friends were in the same age group.

[Suvir Saran]

If the Henna was not enough to entertain, the hostess had organised for the young girls to get a lesson in the anicent Indian art of Rangoli and Mandala.

These are the arts of decorating the floors of houses with various colored powders, sands and flowers and grains.

Two large 12 feet round tables were set up with all the many colors of sand in the center. The girls had several patterned papers to choose from and also glue for each of them. They painted beautiful patterns in the most amazing colors as they ate and munched on the food.

I felt I was transported back to a lavish Indian party in Delhi. Bridgehampton was to my mind, no different from a posh New Delhi neighborhood. The young girls and their mothers had the same aura as that one sees in the gatherings in the richer neighborhoods of Delhi.

But what was most impressive was that the hostess had planned all of this while traveling to Hong Kong and Singapore. The young girls go to private school in Hong Kong. And each year, for the last three years, they have had a Summer Tea Party with a special theme.

[Suvir Saran]

And of course, the hostess had picked up several CD's of Indian music. Tamil, Hindi and Urdu songs were being played on the music system. The music could be heard in even the most remote corners of the large estate. It was surreal for me, since I had to keep reminding myself that I was not in India.