For South Asians, planning the reception dinner can be a complicated affair. At Desi events the question isn’t “Fish or steak?” it’s “Veg or non-veg?” And there have been many an Indian mother who has pulled her hair out trying to figure out the answer to this exact question.
That’s not to say that a lot of South Asian couples don’t just opt for a mix of the vegetarian and meat dishes, but for many the struggle between sticking to your own beliefs and satisfying your wedding guests is very real.
To get to the bottom of this issue, I talked to my aunt, Anjali Thaiji, who, at her daughter’s wedding earlier this year, was able to figure out exactly how to pull off a strictly vegetarian spread that had guests of all denominations coming back for more.
When I asked her what the simple solution to this problem was she said, “The basic thing we have to remember when we create a menu for the general public is we have to make sure all the nutrition is there and we take care of their taste buds.”
Sage advice. But how exactly do you do that?
Anjali Thaiji says the trick is in choosing things everyone would like within the specific cuisines the couple wants. For instance, everyone likes noodles, falafels, olives, and hummus. So that’s a good place to start if you have nothing in mind.
And, she says, as long as you have the four S-types: salty, spicy, sour, and sweet, you will cover everything a guest could want. Every single cuisine comes with the four S – Thai, for example, covers the types with a variety of curries and dessert. Or Mexican has, in order, tortilla chips, chile relleno, enchiladas, and tres leches.
“I’d ask [the couple] what kind of cuisines they like,” Anjali Thaiji says. “Then I’ll get further details like what dishes. You can get vegetarian versions of meat dishes. And if you use a variety of spices to enhance the food.”
Basically, she says, good food is good food and doesn’t require any apologies. So aim for that and you can’t go wrong.
And at the end of the day, Anjali asserts, it is all about the couple. If they want vegetarian, vegan, all meat, Texas barbeque, or whatever – it doesn’t matter because it is all about them.
In sum, no matter what you want at your reception dinner, just remember you’re allowed act a bit diva about it even if your Dadi does wrinkle her nose at the idea of tandoori tofu (it's a real thing btw!).