Last Saturday we hosted our “A Journey Through South India” supper club. With the intention of showcasing the delicious specialities of South Indian cusine, my Mum and I set about creating a fitting menu that would highlight how amazing and complex this cuisine truly is. For starters we decided upon making a mini version of the signature South Indian dish, “Masala Dosa”- an Indian style thin crepe made from urad dal and rice stuffed with spiced potatoes and fresh coconut chutney (pictured above). I was excited about the prospect but also apprehensive about the challenge of freshly preparing sixteen dosas on the night! I put this thought in the back of my mind and Ma and I set about perfecting our home-made dosa mix.
The potatoes were tempered in classic South Indian ingredients such as mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida. We prepared each one and out they went. Not long after, the plates returned back empty and I began to hear much positive feedback from our guests-they were a success! The mains were comprised of two elements. The first part of the mains was a thali-a plate made up of idli, vada, sambar dal and coconut chutney.
Idli
Vadas
Fresh coconut chutney topped with curry leaves & dried red chillies
We received some great reviews of the thali-the sambar dal being a favourite! The second part of the mains was Pav Bhaji and fresh hot chappatis. Pav Bhaji is one of my favourite dishes-it’s made from cooking mixed vegetables in a spicy tomato masala-really simple to make yet tastes delicious. This went down really well too!
Before we even knew it, it was dessert time. Home made strawberry and mango sorbet, topped with fresh coconut and a strawberry tuile. Although rich in flavour this proved to be quite the refreshing palate cleanser!
We had a great time hosting this event. It was a really fun challenge and we received some lovely feedback from our guests in our guestbook. Big thank you to all of our amazing guests. Really looking forward to our Five Course Punjabi Feast on 30th July! If you haven’t booked already, get on it! View booking details here: http://spiceclubmanchester.com/upcoming-events/. Photography by www.vikashah.co.uk