I’m thinking of having people over as my susraal keep bugging me to hold some sort of party/ronak type thing for my devar’s upcoming wedding. I don’t mind doing it except that as some of you know I’m expecting, and unfortunately have been having some complications throughout the pregnancy. I even had to go to hospital for an emergency scan today but alhamdolilah everything’s going well - midwives are just advising to take things easy and not stress too much.
My in-laws act concerned… but a few days later will start banging on about throwing a party again when I know it’s not something my body can fully handle right now. So I’m thinking of doing something that requires little effort but will still get the results and make them happy.
So, menu ideas:
I thought of roast chicken, as it requires hardly any work - you just put the masala on the night before and let the oven do the work a few hours beforehand.
I also thought of lasagna - I could buy the sauces in jars so I don’t have to do anything except cook the keema and layer - again the oven then takes over.
Any other ideas for simple, non-fussy food to feed a group of about 15 people? What about desi type things?
I don’t think there is anything wrong with ordering food/catering given your situation. The point is the hospitality, not who physically cooked the food.
i was going to suggest ordering in right after i read your post. it’s a legitimate solution given your situation, and assuming that the implied objective of the gathering is getting the family together for the celebration, not earning a stamp of approval for your culinary efforts.
if you must, make one or two things – the roast, for example, and a quick-fix crowd friendly dessert, like trifle, and let the catering service handle the rest.
Here’s the thing - Allah na kare, you feel poorly after the dawat because you overexerted yourself - will cooking have been worth it?
We all make decisions we have to live with - make one that’s in the best interest of your own and your child’s health - after all that trumps dawat ka khaana and susraal ke taanay any day.
Okay - thanks guys for the ideas. Yes, I am leaning towards ordering because I really don’t want anything to happen… plus I generally get crazy-tired at the end of a normal day when I’ve done nothing special, so hosting an event like this is likely to probably knock me out lol, never mind having to cook too!
I like the idea of doing a few ghar ki cheezay so at least it looks like I tried. How about home made roast chicken and ordering pizza? Is pizza bad for a function like this… should I order desi?
For dessert I’m thinking of just ordering a nice cake - they always look special and can be personalised.
depends on your family’s preferences and the degree of formality of the gathering. if it’s a hair-down kind of thing and your invitees aren’t the kind that would hawww over non-desi food at a shadi related gathering, pizza is one of the safest things to go with when you’re feeding a crowd.
else if you go for desi, if you’re doing the roast, order either a mutton saalan and rice of some sort or maybe haleem and some kind of qorma. they’re good options for feeding numbers.
Dum ka Qeema made using Shan ka dabba is super easy. Just buy the reqular Qeema curry Shan spice mix, marinate beef with the spice mix, ginger garlic paste & raw papaya paste or meat tenderizer. Even 1 hour marination will give lots of flavor. Cook the qeema. Because the meat is already tenderized, it takes less time cooking. Make sure you bhonify the qeema well to give it a nice “shakal” Give koylay ka dum & done. Super easy & will add a little oopmh to your menu. Serve both sheermal & naan with it.
If you don’t care for desi food much. Red Velvet’s “Baked Zitti” Recipe is super easy & yummy too.
p.s raw papaya taken in large quantities is apparently not good for pregnant ladies so if you do end up making Dum ka Qeema. Avoid eating too much of fit.
^^^ Thank you for the advice but for some reason it sounds complicated for me probably because 1. I’ve never made dum ka qeema before, 2. I have never used/even seen raw papaya paste, 3. I have never given koylay ka dum and don’t know where to even get coals from where I live lol, and 4. I don’t know what sheermal is lol
Don’t cook if your not up to it. My simple menu would be
hummous, other dips with bread,crudités, olives, marinated artichokes etc for a starter. All shop bought mezze
Slow cooked shoulder of lamb or leg of cooked in a slow cooker which is even easier.
Selection of salads (ready made where poss), i.e tabbouleh, aubergine and feta, green salad
Trifle, or another throw together dessert like Eton mess, or even something ready made
Alternatively, I’d do so something italiany, so marinated olives, mixed salad, garlic bread, bread crumbed mozzarella sticks, pizza, lasagne (all shop bought/ready made except lasagne) and trimisu.
Don’t over exert urself. Godforbid something happens, the same people forcing you to do a davat, will say you should have been more careful.
I would order kababs from a pakistani restaurant nearby, if you have an arabic or afgani restaurant that has nice rice, order from there and say that this restaurant has the best rice ever…
If you don’t have anything like that near by. Make pullau, its basically rice boiled in soup. Make the yahkni a daybefore and freeze it. the day of, just boil the rice in it.
I agree with the roast chicken, make 2.
The day of, you can make chicken karai, that takes abit more work though, I just have difficulty thinking of a saalan you can make with out haveing to stand infront of the stove stiring. Chicken or keema cooks quickly. I’ve seen egg and potato saalan, but thats really informal.
The best thing you can do, is break everything up into a couple of days. DO NOT DO IT ALL IN ONE DAY. and like everyone else, if you really don’t feel up to it, don’t do it. I also suggest getting your hubby or SIL to help you
It causes alot of heat in the body. Maybe its an old wives tale, but for someone who already is having problems with pregancy, best to be as safe as possible.
It’s not an old wives tales. Women in the old days used to drink raw papaya juice to induce an abortion. I think it has to do with some enzymes in the fruit.
On this note I would also like to mention that I have had bbq meat marinated with raw papaya 2 times during my pregnancies without any complications Alhumdulillah. I would definitely stay away from it in the first trimester.
oh then it might contain high amounts of vitamin C. i have heard that too much vitamin C can cause abortion. thanks for sharing the information, good to know.
probably because 1. I’ve never made dum ka qeema before, 2. I have never used/even seen raw papaya paste, 3. I have never given koylay ka dum and don’t know where to even get coals from where I live lol, and 4. I don’t know what sheermal is lol