Food Explorers’ first Pop-up Dinner “The East Indian Expedition” was a journey back in time to the 18th century “British Raj”. Our guide for the evening is no other than our very own Cuisine Expert Amna Omer.
Amna is passionate about cooking, and it has been a dream of hers to cook special meals for guests in the form of Pop-up dinners. On September 30, 2017, we were treated to a display of Amna’s culinary skills.
Pop-up Dinner: The Menu
The word is that the spices of the region were so magical that the British who had come just to trade, were captivated and stayed for another century and a half. This dinner’s 4-course menu gives us a small taste of what the Westerners experienced across current political boundaries, from mouth-watering street food to kitchens of kings, which kept them mesmerized for so long.
We started the evening by whetting our appetite with one of India’s popular “chaat” (savory snack) – “Dahi Bhallay” (lentil dumplings in yogurt sauce), composed in form of a salad, served with “Aloo Tikki” (tangy potato patties) and two types of homemade chutneys.
Our second course was a “Chapli Kabab” platter served with “Naan” bread, and two more different types of homemade chutneys.
For our third course, we sampled “Chicken Handi with Matar Pulao“. The name “handi” refers to a traditional cooking vessel made of clay, which lends a special taste and aroma to the dishes cooked in it. “Handi” does not work on modern-day stoves, but Amna cooked this dish in a way that it tasted just as good prepared in a conventional pot.
Dessert was “Mango Kulfi” made with fresh mangoes from Pakistan. Its light, fruity creaminess provided the perfect finishing touch to our meal, cleansing our palates of the evening’s spices.
A big “Thank You” goes out to our guests who supported this event and made it a success. We can certainly look forward to more delicious dinners from Amna, and Food Explorers look forward to bringing you more of such evenings in the near future!
Being the chef, I enjoyed this evening as much as the guests….It was a dream come true for me, and guests’ delightful reviews made it even more worthwhile. Definitely looking forward to organizing another event like this very soon…
This was my first time at a Food Explorer event, but everyone was friendly and the food was excellent. We were told what was in each dish as well as the region where it came from; an entertaining look at the roots of the cuisine given by the Chef before each course. I will definitely go on another Food explorer event!
We are pleased to hear you’ve enjoyed the evening Annabelle. Thank you for your support, and your vote of confidence!
A fantastic evening hosted by two extraordinary hosts, Faeimm and Amna.
The food was excellent and there were 4 courses served. The kulfi icecream served as dessert was a delight for the palate. Combined with a comfortable, accomodating venue, it turned out to be an enjoyable evening.
Thank you Maria for your support, we look forward to seeing you again at the next event!