So this is how it works. You invite a few friends. Open some nice wine. And make them get a dish each! Isn’t that the coolest idea? That way, you spend less time in front of the stove, and more time with the friends :)
Apparently, it’s called potluck and I chanced upon it on someone else’s blog and decided to use the idea to my advantage. Besides, there were 3 nice bottles of Himalayan wine, waiting to be opened.
So this is what I managed to get my guests to bring for the potluck:
A totally yummy vegetable and fusili bake from Zoo:
Kachoris and icecream from G:
Tasty chiken and veg momos from Apra:
Aloo Parathas that I cooked (with loads of help from Aqua and G! : it’s been about 3 years since I last cooked an aloo paratha!!)
Chicken wings, slightly overdone, but chicken is chicken!:
And loads of great plum, pear and apple wine!
And though no pics, there were also delicious chili potatoes from Aqua & P, red wine from Shibs and vodka from Venx.
So if you’re running out of ideas for an evening, invite friends and say it’s a potluck, sit back in your cosy chair and relax/watch television!
The only hard thing is cleaning up and fitting all the leftovers in the fridge. But on the bright side, I had enough to eat for about 3–4 days without having to step into the kitchen!
That’s cool!! I love Potluck Parties! We are especially enjoying the concept now in summer for Picnics. You meet up with great folks of great food and great drinks! What could be a better way to party?! :o)
Posted by Meena | June 22, 2006, 6:02 pmhahahaha! now we know what whenever madam bora is too lazy to cook, she “throws” a potluck party :)
but seriously, the wine was lovely, the food good and the company awesome :) we should do this more often!
Posted by aqua | June 22, 2006, 8:14 pmPotluck is very very popular with the immigrant community in the western world. They are usually held on fri/weekends.
You should start a vlog. Time for one, ain’t it?
Posted by Venky Krishnamoorthy | June 22, 2006, 10:26 pmTell us more about this himalayan wine, what kind is it who makes it and stuff…i presume that the pictures you have are the ones you speak of. During your visits you blog about, have you visited any vineyards in india?
Posted by Umesh | June 23, 2006, 1:11 amyum! and where was I on this day, may I ask? (hm…seething!!!)
Posted by Usha | June 23, 2006, 8:22 ammeena: true! it was good fun and that way the host doesn’t have to worry about feeding his/her guests :)
aqua: hey, i’m not too lazy too cook! in fact, i’ve noticed in the past that i always over cook and no one eats because everyone is on a DIET!! ;) but seriously, that was fun and definitely doable. and i volunteer your place :)
venky: for some reason, they’re not so popular here. i think it’s because traditionally, if you’re the host, you do all the cooking :) but friday i discovered is not a very good idea because no one has any time to actually go home after work and cook!
Vlog? hmmmm…
Umesh: It was a company called Sutter Vineyards in Himachal Pradesh. The wine is available there and I picked it up in Manali. The pictures are the ones here. They’re quite light and fruit flavoured. I thought they were really nice. The apple wine has a bitterish taste but the plum and pear were yummy! I’ve always wanted to visit a vineyard and have been wanting to do the Tulleho trail but have not managed so far. It is on my to do list :)
Usha: Madam, you have been in bed recovering from your sickness, remember? :)
Posted by Anita | June 23, 2006, 10:21 amSanjha Chulha!
~mks
Posted by Manish Srivastava | June 23, 2006, 1:13 pmPotluck is all that Indian communities in the US do! “Whether you will come to potluck to our house this weekend?” is the common refrain!
Posted by perry | June 26, 2006, 10:26 pmI never heard of potluck parties over here in UK — but the concept of “bring something along” is quite well known for (say) barbeque or house parties where people “bring a bottle” etc.
I envy anyone who can make aloo paratha.
Posted by Jag | June 27, 2006, 1:12 pmHey, I was given credit for the paratha — making! When I all I did was burn one. Yeah
Posted by Geetha | June 27, 2006, 4:39 pmIs that how it works ? I dont believe you. Why dont you invite me next time so that i will get to know how potluck works ;)
Posted by vasu | June 29, 2006, 5:43 pmNext time, I will courier you some food.
Posted by MadMan | June 30, 2006, 4:12 amvasu: ya, planning a potluck for all the photo gang members next. so you better cook some nice sambar!
madhu: hey, courier me food? i think you got something wrong there! after all that we had (and it was all delicious!), why on earth would i want more ;)
Posted by Anita | June 30, 2006, 5:57 pm