649783 Thu Sep 03 10:38:13 -0700 2009 6 31 Home Cooking 0 5002362 I'm brainstorming a cocktail party menu with an Asian theme and am having a bit of trouble coming up with hors d'oeuvres with a South Asian twist. So far I've devised: Kheema sliders with cheese, Maggi sauce, cucumber raita and lettuce on a potato bun Thanksgiving samosas (turkey kheema, mashed potatoes in a thin shell served with cranberry-ginger chutney) Curry deviled eggs Buffalo Wings Makhani (frenched wings in butter chicken sauce) Cilantro-cured gravlax with curry sauce (still a work in progress in my head) Mumbai grilled cheese Papadum with smoked salmon, caviar and dilled yogurt I'm sure there are more creative types out there with better ideas. Extra points for cold or room temperature dishes or pescatarian-friendly fare. Thu Sep 03 10:38:13 -0700 2009 68363 JungMann 1 5002559 The meanu seems a bit heavy on non-veg items, so I think a couple of veg items would be a good addition. How about doing some type of cold chaat? Maybe slices of potato topped with chickpea puree, a little diced onion, and a few drops of mint chutney and drizzled with yogurt? I went to a wedding dinner once and they served cocktail idli with chutney drizzled on top. The idli were about 1.5" in diamter, perfect for passing. I like the idea of a veg pasta salad. I'd add fresh cilantro, diced red onion, green/red bell peppers, blanched veggies like cauliflower, peas, and carrots, and toss it with chunks of paneer, sliced chillis and a spicy cumin vinaigrette. What is Mumbai grilled cheese? Thu Sep 03 11:35:26 -0700 2009 5002362 12384 boogiebaby 2 5002665 My mind thinks in very carnivorous terms so I certainly appreciate the veg ideas. I am trying to avoid items that need cutlery, but cocktail idli are an inspired idea if I can find them at the market. Rather than serving with just chutney, perhaps they could be a vehicle for a protein as with mantao? Mumbai grilled cheese is your standard grilled cheese with vegetables, usually at least potato, onions and tomato, slathered with chutney and chaat masala. Just cut into soldiers and served on a nice plate, it is the kind of high impact, low investment recipe I am trying to come up with, especially given the involvement of the other ideas I've had. Thu Sep 03 12:06:38 -0700 2009 5002559 68363 JungMann 3 5002827 If you cut the slices of potato thick enough, they could serve as the vehicle for the toppings, like a one bite portion of aloo chaat. Maybe even grill the potato slices ahead of time (brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with chaat masala) and then chill them. Something like a mini blini with caviar, only with chaat ingredients. Cocktail idli with grilled tandoori lamb and mint chutney sounds delicious to me. Your Mumbai grilled cheese sounds like a sandwich I make using the vegatbale masala murgers from Trader Joes. They are basically a spicy aloo tikki, then I pan fry them, and put on a toasted bun with cheese, mint chutney, red onion, and sliced cucumber. Quick and easy weeknight dinner in our house. I serve them with salad or french fries tossed with chaat masala. Thu Sep 03 12:53:50 -0700 2009 5002665 12384 boogiebaby 1 5004114 I had these fusion crab cakes before. They were like a basic crab cake with some chunks of fresh lump crab inside, but they were seasoned with red chile powder and also contained roasted whole coriander seeds. It was at this upscale restaurant, sort of French influenced, but the owner-head chef is Indian so he tries to incorporate Indian seasonings in some of the items. Not curry powders, but just like one or two spices to change things up a bit. Roasted cumin seeds and powder, plus red chile powder added to most any savory dish make it better. So you could do a fish seasoned with that. I have seen those baby idlis around here. I think the only difference is that the idli tray has small indentations in it instead of regular size. Thu Sep 03 23:24:43 -0700 2009 5002362 118120 luckyfatima 2 5004307 Given that I'm not a big fan of idlis, if I serve them, they're going to have to be storebought as I see no need to add an idli tray to the chaos in my kitchen cabinets. I've had a subtle fusion crab samosa whose flavor predisposes me to your crabcake idea, but the spices were so subtle I had little idea of what was inside other than the cumin I saw flecked on the dough. Does this sound right to you? http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/crab-cakes-indian-flavors Any other ideas? Fri Sep 04 05:32:38 -0700 2009 5004114 68363 JungMann 3 5004837 Looks yum to me. I might leave out the pickling cucumber though. I have had some Western inspired foods cooked at some Indian friends' homes that are spicy unintentionally fusion fare. I have a friend who takes a small bun like a Portuguese roll or sour dough roll, hollows it out, and stuffs it. She puts in corn niblets, mushrooms, paneer, cream cheese, or other such interesting combos. The filling is also seasoned with red chile powder and lightly with other spices. Then she tops with a dot of ketchup and some white mozzarella-esque cheese and bakes in the oven to color the cheese and warm the stuffed rolls. The same concept can be used on a potato, stuff it with East meets West fillings. Fri Sep 04 09:16:29 -0700 2009 5004307 118120 luckyfatima