Celebrations – Tsunami of Spices

WHAT IS A MENU PLANNING?

Menu planning is the process of determining what you will eat for each meal, including main dishes, side dishes, and desserts. It also involves knowing how many meals to plan for and when to serve them. Everyday activities may complicate the menu planning process. Understanding what varieties of meals can be cooked according to the activities and plans for a day, is an essential part of meal planning. At the table spread, everyone enjoys the food, but to make it possible, there is a complete process which starts from the question “WHAT TO COOK TODAY?”, to the selection of food, the number of meals, budget for groceries, timeframes for preparation and quality. All these factors are linked together to make the table complete.

PLANNING A MEAL

Cooking for a large family, or a family with dietary limitations, menu planning is an important step to take in order to ease the stress that is thought in the kitchen around lunch or dinner time. The menu-planning can benefit you and your family to overcome by the following methods.

IT SAVES MONEY

When a menu is set out beforehand it’s simple what to shop for at the grocery, everything can be purchased for the week in one trip. Knowing exactly what to buy also guarantees that you aren’t grabbing random items off the shelf, which usually does happen.

IT SAVES TIME

When everything is organized and planned ahead of time, with all ingredients and recipes laid out neatly in front, it’s much easier to prepare the meal quickly and efficiently.

ENCOURAGES NUTRITION

Knowing what is going to be served and having all the ingredients readily available allows one to concentrate on preparing nutritious meals. When selecting recipes at the beginning of the week with appropriate side dishes, the table can be set with a variety of options.

AVOIDS UNNECESSARY WASTE

One of the biggest peeves is wasting food. When you have a meal plan in place, any leftover food can be eaten the next day for lunch in some other form, instead of throwing it away. Planning ahead of time is the solution to buying and preparing only what is able to eat.

HELPS YOU SERVE BETTER MEALS

When researching dinner ideas at the beginning of the week, one has more time to come up with imaginative and delicious foods. Also, there is time to plan an extra comprehensive meal that includes side dishes, a salad, and dessert. The accurate menu plan will allow concentrating on good cooking techniques through the preparation of the meal.

ENCOURAGE VARIETY

Nobody likes eating the same thing more than twice a week. A menu plan helps to avoid serving the same meals again and again. Everybody enjoys variety and planning your meals ahead of time will benefit to mix it up.

FORCES YOU TO PLAN AHEAD

Planning ahead means the kitchen will be more organized, the food will be served on time, and the family’s favorite meals will be on the list. Therefore, plan ahead, plan for several days at a time, including side dishes, research new recipes and hold on to the list when at the grocery.

DESIGNING A MEAL

Designing a meal is a wisely composed combination of ingredients, textures, and flavors that come together to create pleasing new memories. Some meals have the ability to transport memories to the past, while there are nostalgic emotions of family traditions. There are many features that can go into making a dinner spread, but planning the menu is the most important. It really becomes a simple method, if things are managed well.

The texture is a significant element in individual dishes, and when it’s about a complete feast, it is even more essential to make sure there is a variety. Basically cooking is really about creating balance, and considering how different flavors complement each other.

Try not to substitute rich and buttery meals and add both cooked and fresh sides, essentially analyze how all the flavors will serve collectively.
Avoid repeating flavors, like if there is something sweet, accompany it with something sour or salty and be mindful that everything is not too spicy.
Impressing guests have so much to do with the presentation, by including fresh, seasonal produce on the serving table, which can make the spread more appealing.

MAIN DISH:

When choosing a Main dish, keep it simple. Never try to attempt a new recipe when expecting company or having a special occasion. The best choice is to go for the recipes that you have truly mastered. If something can be made ahead of time, like frying or baking food, you’ll save yourself from a big mess.

SIDES:

Create seasonally and complement the flavors of your main dish with a colorful vegetable side, dips, or a crisp winter salad. If the Main Dish is served with a variety of sides and salads, it doesn’t always need to be a showstopper.

TABLE DISPLAY:

How food is presented can be as much fun as preparing it and eating it. Analyze how to serve the meals. Portions, whether served buffet-style or plated, the layout should be as simple as possible for guests to dish out and eat. When planning a food station at home, for a large gathering, instead of a traditional buffet table, set up a station where guests can assemble things themselves.

THE SWEET SPREAD:

Always aim to have your guests leave satisfied and not stuffed. If the main dish is simple, a heavy dessert will be a sincere surprise. If baking something, make it in advance or simply have store-bought sweets in different flavors. Something manageable to take home is great when a guest has no room for dessert. Dessert is a great place to display seasonal fruit in pies, cakes, and is also an opportunity to present rich flavors.

The Indo-Pak subcontinent nation has been rich in all of its traditions, culture, and cuisine. Popular Pakistani food remains traditional in some of its aspects, however many of the traditions which of course involve the cuisine has changed. A relatively interesting feature of Pakistani cuisine is that it is not much different from Indian cuisine regarding the herbs and spices, which are used in both.

The main sub-cuisines of Pakistan are:

Mughlai
Punjabi
Sindhi
Balochi
Persian

The food of Pakistan is one of the most diverse, traditional, and culturally oriented found worldwide, and leading from the sub-cuisine, the traditional trend still exists, the mouthwatering Delhi feast, which belongs to the Mughlai cuisine.

The preparation of Mughlai cuisine was time-consuming and involved with the number of flavored sauces and butter-based curries. The names of these foods are also so intriguing, which may tempt people to try new dishes in the Mughlai style.

The love for food can take you from small unknown streets to well-known restaurants, but there are some popular dishes from Delhi, India that are based throughout Pakistan and are still a part of the table. From the famous Sabri Nihari, Student Biryani, Karachi Haleem, Beef Paya to the popular Falooda and Kheer, all are still popular in Pakistan until now and stretching out their franchise throughout.

The preparation procedures of cooking the Delhi menu will deviate from region to region. Although preparing a Pakistani meal is not difficult, however, it requires a little sense. There are various ways of preparing the spices, which are used in cooking. Whole spices are mostly dry-roasted, they can differ in taste as well as texture. It depends on which meal is getting prepared, either the crushed or ground up spices are used for that particular recipe or they are cooked for several hours to bring up the right taste.

The following are the traditional dishes that were and still are the star dishes in the menu of each table in Pakistan and also abroad, which keeps the heritage alive.

The country of Pakistan is full of lively people, who love to eat, and it is an obsession. People don’t care whether the dish has some extra carbs or is full of fatty oil. There are many Pakistani food dishes that represent Pakistani culture. Pakistani food tastes so delicious and has many varieties. Many spices enrich the Pakistani food and cause it to be the best out of the many others. It has a variety of spices, vegetables, rice, and other ingredients.

Halwa Poori

This is a special Sunday breakfast across Pakistan. Puri (Deep fried bread), Halwa (Semolina Pudding), accompanying with Chana Masala (Garbanzo Bean Curry) is no less than perfection. A deep-fried flaky and soft flatbread that’s made from whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. In one bite, you feel different flavors bursting into your mouth, from the sweet, smooth halwa, the spicy chana, and the puffy puri. This dish is typically enjoyed with a cup of strong milky tea and mango and onion pickle.

Nalli Nihari

Nihari is a popular dish that is made with shank meat and bones. This dish, with its roots in the Mughlai cuisine, is especially common in Pakistan. Braised shanks are slow-cooked overnight with bones, onions, and spices, turning it into a breakfast feast by morning or served as a main dish at the dinner table. The meat is soft and falling apart into the rich and silky gravy. It is then eaten with fresh-baked naan and with maghaz (fried brain) which also makes a perfect combination. It is served with a platter of garnish which carries nicely sliced coriander leaves, fresh lemon, and ginger.

Beef Paya

Paye with freshly made naan is our all-time favorite breakfast in some parts of Pakistan. It is one of the most famous meals for brunch with the perfect combination of spices. Paya is also known as trotters (or hoof) of a cow, goat, or sheep. Beef Paya is a broth made with beef trotters when these trotters are cooked in water with some ginger, garlic, and spices like red chili, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and salt overnight so that the juice from the trotters is extracted fully and mixed with the gravy. The Paya is very healthy and essential for bones and joints. Beef Paya can be served as a full course meal. It is mostly cooked in the winter season to remain healthy and warm.

Biryani

Biryani is the most famous food in Pakistani food culture and it should always be perfect. Biryani is a one-pot meal of rice, meat, and aromatic spices, it’s rich in flavor, grand in tradition, and elaborate enough to take center stage at holidays and celebrations. Each bite is infused with spice, roasted nuts, dried fruits, or caramelized onions deep and layered in flavor. Biryani's richness and complexity begin from its layers of spices. Both ground and whole spices, as well as spice mixes, are used in the cooking process, as are fresh herbs and seeds. Every region has its kind of biryani, such as chicken biryani, beef biryani, mutton biryani, Bombay biryani, Sindhi biryani, and the list goes on.

Haleem

Haleem is a savory porridge made with various grains, lentils, and meat. Haleem is nourishing, rich in nutrients, healthy, and comforting. Traditionally, each component is cooked separately, then mixed and slow-cooked to achieve a thick and luscious texture. The resulting laced consistency is Haleem’s distinguishing feature. This savory porridge is served hot and topped with ghee, chopped herbs, lemon wedges, and fried onions. Toasted cashews, sliced chilies, julienned ginger are all optional toppings. Haleem is a great recipe for making ahead of time.

The cuisine of Pakistan is diverse and full of abundant variety. Pakistani cuisine is a combination of its eastern and western neighboring countries. Meat constitutes the major diet in Pakistani cuisine, on the other hand, vegetables, pulses, and beans are important too. Wheat and rice are the main nourishment in Pakistani cuisine. The spices used in the cuisine normally range from being very spicy, hot, and mild.