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5 Quick Meals You Can Whip Out To Impress Unexpected Guests

Kavitha Mohanlal On Wednesday, 29 June 2016 11:00

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We have all had those moments of panic when the doorbell rings and we open the door only to face the totally unexpected guests. If there’s Murphy’s Law equivalent for entertaining, it will say Guests will arrive when you least expect them and don’t have anything at home to serve them. You don’t have any provisions or fresh vegetables in the house and unexpected guests do drop by and your innate hospitality of “Atithi Devo Bhava” won’t allow you to get away without feeding them the best. Even if it is a surprise party you will still need to make sure you entertain and serve them with food and fun. You have hardly any time to go shopping or even order food from outside. These situations call for creative thinking and right action to step up smartly. So we have explored for some easy solutions to the problems.

1. Stock Up your kitchen with basic Ingredients

The best way to get away in this situation is to stock your kitchen with your favourites. Stick to your core strengths, the food you like is what the ingredients you will stock and you can make the best out of what you like. Also never go short of basic ingredients and vegetables like Potatoes, onions, tomatoes, bread, eggs, cheese, dahi etc., as these basic ingredients do wonder. Also never go short of spice powders and masalas like Garam masala, Podi chutneys, herbs, turmeric and other spices, Ginger Garlic paste etc.,.

2. Freeze up in cubes

Stock up with paneer and freeze cubes of tomato puree or spinach puree once in awhile so that you can use them quickly to make curries and pasta sauces. Paneer can be used in making any dish interesting that is make Paneer Pulao, Paneer bhurji, Paneer pakoda, and other starters.. or stuff tomatoes or capsicum with paneer and make an interesting dish in minutes. You can also have cubes of vegetable stock to use them in biryani and soups.

3. Make an Impression with accompaniments

Make pickles, jams, Podi or Chutneys, Sauces and stock them to use it frequently when required; these small things can become saviours in panic situations like sudden guests. Make Aloo paratha and quickly serve with dahi and pickle. If you have any Papad dry roast them and top it with chopped, tomatoes, onion cheese and chat masala and serve as nibbles.

4. Sweet treats are always a hit

During weekends prepare a batch of Cookies, Muffins, and stock them, so that you can quickly serve. You can also make Pakora or samosa dough and refrigerate so that you can make quick delicious snacks with Aloo stuffing to impress guests. Our traditional sweet treats like Barfi, Ladoos, and Energy bars are the best to delight them. When guests come you have ready home-made sweets and savoury snacks and great Tea or Coffee to serve.

5. Garnish with love

With the last step of garnishing, any simple dish can look appetizing and glossy. A sabzi can be garnished with coriander, Pasta with herbs and mint etc. A scoop of ice cream can be garnished with nuts and fruits. So at the end of the day, the food that is to be served need not be made by spending hours in the kitchen. With a little bit of creativity, you can be a good host with a spread of simple, quick and deliciously garnished dishes.

Quick Mealtime Ideas

If you have sudden guests at mealtime, add simple things by refreshing your old ideas, Have Aloo tamatar ki sabzi and Puri with raita or a quick pulao, raita and papad, pickle combination. Besan can make a lot of dishes like gatte ki sabzi with phulka or roti and rice with a glass of chaas or make quick pakodas. Running out of veggies make delicious chana dal pulao with kadhi. For a sweet dish quickly stir in sooji ka halwa or atte ka halwa garnished with nuts and for sure this will be a win- win situation for you and as well as guests.

Here are quick combination of Meal Plan Ideas with easy recipes made using basic ingredients so that whenever you have unexpected guests at home to your surprise, you don’t have to worry and panic as you are well prepared.