On the principle that many curries taste better the next day anyway, the Indian menu we served this weekend was composed primarily of dishes we made ahead.

The only exceptions were the rice, which was put into the rice cooker shortly before we started reheating process, and the breads, which we bought frozen and reheated quickly anyway.

“Appetizers”

We had a variety of Gujarati savory snacks out that we picked up at a local international fruit market set out while we worked on getting the food ready for dinner:

• Masala Khakhara (with mango chutney)
• Ratlami Sev
• Corn Chevda
• Papadi

Dinner:

My understanding of Indian regional cuisines is sadly lacking, mostly because the cookbook I own offers almost no information about which areas the foods come from or what kind of other dishes they are usually served with.  We went with some of our favorite dishes and tried to get a variety of flavors:

Vegetarian:

• Channa Masala (chickpeas in a tamarind sauce)
• Madras Sambal (veggies in a dhal lentil sauce)
• Eggplant Mushroom Curry
• Saag Aloo – Spinach Potato Curry
• Cauliflower with Carrots & Peas
• Pineapple Curry

Meat:

• Tomato Chicken Balti

Sweets:

• Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Tropical Fruits
• Black Rice Pudding with Ginger
• (purchased sweets: cookies, sesame candy, peanut jaggery candy, etc.)

Note: The Pineapple curry is not Indian, but Sri Lankan, but it is so tasty we added it in anyway.Also, this was for people that we weren’t sure would want spicy food, so we aimed for flavorful but not necessarily “hot.”

Did we need to make this many dishes? Probably not. Especially since we ended up with fewer guests than anticipated, but hey – more leftovers! I’m definitely looking forward to lunch today!