Salam All
im hosting a dinner on Saturday for 35 people including 15 kids from age 3-12. Need ideas for easy menu as I’m hosting it while having a 7 month old baby. So far I thought of
Nihari
Chicken roast
Chikkar choley
Baked Pasta
looking forward to your replies
Re: Dinner ideas needed
Sounds Great!
Just add your salad, raita/chutney, and naan. Get some store bought sweet.
Add a rice dish and ur good with regular salad/raita/naan etc.
Or to make it even easier, just get pizzas for the kids.
Re: Dinner ideas needed
Thanks!! Locked n this menu.
making pudding and coffee delight in dessert.
bean salad and Aaloo raita will be added.
making simple biryani that we usuall eat at shadi functions no onion or masala needed in that.
Re: Dinner ideas needed
If your making Nihari, please change that number to 36! For kids i would make something additional like Alphabites. It will give them something to play with while the adults talk...
Re: Dinner ideas needed
I have a 7 months old baby, can't do complicated things. You are more than welcome for nihari
Re: Dinner ideas needed
Same dilemma I have with small kids of my own, and not having enough time to cook more variety of dishes, but I do try, so this time around I tried to keep it different from my usual buffet style table.
Had a going back to school party last weekend for 7 adults and 9 children. I kept it really small, our menu was kept really simple and easy, chicken biryani, haleem and lamb qorma along with salad/raita
Got naans/and malai tikka as takeout, for meetha, I baked a NY style cheesecake day before, my mom made me zarda, and bought chocolate cake from the store. Alhamdulilah it was enough food for everyone. And surprisingly It wasn't a mayhem, because there wasn't much to clean-up/put away
If you want to make nihari, definitely make it a dat before and completely let it cool then put it away in the fridge.
Re: Dinner ideas needed
Although my kids are all grown up and in school all day, I still have a pretty hectic and busy day/work schedule as I work from home. So when my husband's boss was in town for one day only, we invited him and another exec over for lunch as he wouldn't be in town long enough for a dinner party. I started cooking at 8:00 am and was done by 12:00 (including cleaning up!)...the menu was mattar pulao, butter chicken, seekh kebab, bhindi, dahi boondi, samosas, naan from a restaurant and for dessert I made individual pistachio pineapple parfaits. It was perfectly balanced and easy peasy!
Re: Dinner ideas needed
1-800-DOMINOS
Re: Dinner ideas needed
I did these items for my babies' aqiqa of 100 people and think it was very easy with my 1 month olds as I split up the work over 3 days:
Appetizers:
1. chicken and cheese quesidillas served with homemade salsa (shredded cheese, prepped chicken and froze two days before... put in tortillas and cooked the day of)
2. tandoori chicken served with mint chutney (marinated and put in tray the day before... stuck it in the oven the day of)
3. fried rice (cooked the day before and stuck it in the oven day of)
4. Cholay (bought boiled chickpeas, grinded stuff to add and chat masala)
5. Chicken salad sandwich (made chicken salad 2 days before... spread on bread and cut into 4s the day of)
Main Course
6. Pad thai noodles with thai red curry
7. Biryani (made masala day before- just made layers with rice day of)
8. Nihari (made day of)
dessert
9. store bought gulab jamun
store bought naan
ginger, lemon and pepper garnishing for nihari
onions and raita to go with biryani
Re: Dinner ideas needed
Although my kids are all grown up and in school all day, I still have a pretty hectic and busy day/work schedule as I work from home. So when my husband's boss was in town for one day only, we invited him and another exec over for lunch as he wouldn't be in town long enough for a dinner party. I started cooking at 8:00 am and was done by 12:00 (including cleaning up!)...the menu was mattar pulao, butter chicken, seekh kebab, bhindi, dahi boondi, samosas, naan from a restaurant and for dessert I made individual pistachio pineapple parfaits. It was perfectly balanced and easy peasy!
I was able to manage a good 10 dish menu before my baby and done all within some hours with cleaning. Alhamdulillah to be blessed with joy of motherhood after 9 yrs of long wait but now even your this menu is a real lengthy for me. My baby is very attention seeking, i even struggle for daily cooking and household chores. I wanted to add starters but my baby didnt give space. Did all cooking at night when he was asleep and have to do this on cost of my sleep.
Re: Dinner ideas needed
I did these items for my babies' aqiqa of 100 people and think it was very easy with my 1 month olds as I split up the work over 3 days:
Appetizers: 1. chicken and cheese quesidillas served with homemade salsa (shredded cheese, prepped chicken and froze two days before... put in tortillas and cooked the day of) 2. tandoori chicken served with mint chutney (marinated and put in tray the day before... stuck it in the oven the day of) 3. fried rice (cooked the day before and stuck it in the oven day of) 4. Cholay (bought boiled chickpeas, grinded stuff to add and chat masala) 5. Chicken salad sandwich (made chicken salad 2 days before... spread on bread and cut into 4s the day of)
Main Course 6. Pad thai noodles with thai red curry 7. Biryani (made masala day before- just made layers with rice day of) 8. Nihari (made day of)
dessert 9. store bought gulab jamun
store bought naan ginger, lemon and pepper garnishing for nihari onions and raita to go with biryani
Masha'Allah you made a lot of appetizers!!!! And that too with sucha little baby. I also started working 2 days before, was awake busy in cooking, arrangment a night before and ALhamdulillah managed all
Re: Dinner ideas needed
Thanks all for all your suggestions. Alhamdulillah I managed all well, specially keeping in view that it was first time. I cooked nihari and chikkar choley on friday morning. Marinated chicken roast on friday night and just put it in oven on party day couple of hours before dinner. On friday i had made yakhni for biryani and just gave dam to biryani on sat afternoon. Pudding and coffee delight also made on friday night. Only i cooked Chicken alfredo that day and made bean macaroni salad.
Naan obviously from restaurant. Lemon and ginger for decore of nihari
Re: Dinner ideas needed
I was able to manage a good 10 dish menu before my baby and done all within some hours with cleaning. Alhamdulillah to be blessed with joy of motherhood after 9 yrs of long wait but now even your this menu is a real lengthy for me. My baby is very attention seeking, i even struggle for daily cooking and household chores. I wanted to add starters but my baby didnt give space. Did all cooking at night when he was asleep and have to do this on cost of my sleep.
its okay! hang in there, you'll soon get your groove back in the kitchen but these precious first few years with your baby go by so fast you blink and next thing you know you have an almost teenager like me. The dawats and fancy menus can wait..baby is more important.
Re: Dinner ideas needed
Masha'Allah you made a lot of appetizers!!!! And that too with sucha little baby. I also started working 2 days before, was awake busy in cooking, arrangment a night before and ALhamdulillah managed all
I wouldn't do it again though because cleaning up after the party was crazy. I have twins so I was tired just taking care of them and hosting and games... catering all the way for their 1st bday inshAllah