Indian-Inspired Holiday Feast with Amy’s Kitchen
I have partnered with Amy’s Kitchen to create tasty dishes using Indian flavors for an amazing holiday feast. It all starts with Amy’s Kitchen, and you will end up as the hostess with the mostest. No really, everyone will wonder why you have never offered to cook up holiday dishes until this year. I’m giving you a shopping list AND a prep list a week leading up to the big feast.
I will give you plenty of shortcuts using Amy’s dishes as a starting point. Why #StartwithAmys? Well, first of all, they make everything with ingredients you can trust. They make their food with love, just like a home cook would in their own kitchen. They also take care of the farmers they partner with to ensure that the produce used is the best.
Indian-Inspired Feast Menu
So let’s get started. I’ve made three dishes and one epic dessert for four people that are full of Indian flavors. You can download a printable menu right here.
Shopping List
Now you are probably thinking: how do I tackle this without stressing out? No worries. I got you. Here is a downloadable, printable shopping list. The list is broken down by frozen food, canned goods, pantry staples and fresh food. Breaking down the list this way also helps determine when to go shopping and for what.
Prep List
That brings us to our prep list. Ideally, you should start shopping a few days to a week beforehand for the frozen food, canned goods and pantry staples. It’s also good to do it this way budget-wise so you are not hard hit with a huge grocery bill all at once. Just make sure that when you shop for your holiday items, put them aside so you don’t use them during the week.
Here is a Prep List that you can download and print so that you can start checking things off as you go.
1 Week Before
As I mentioned above, go through the list and buy frozen food, canned goods and pantry staples.
3 Days Before
Check that you still have the shelf-stable food you bought the week before and, if you have missed anything, go shopping! While you’re at the store, buy your fresh ingredients.
When you get home, start prepping vegetables by washing them and putting them away in the refrigerator. I like to prepare the Pumpkin Pie filling for the dessert recipe at this point.
To make the Pumpkin Pie filling, put the pumpkin puree, coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, coconut milk and date syrup in a food processor. Blend until combined and smooth. Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and label it with a post-it note so you know what it is!
Measure out the walnuts and place in a bag with the Crispy Candy. Label the bag and place in an area with all your other Thanksgiving pantry ingredients. Double-check that you have the Coconut Whip in the freezer. Now you can check that off the Prep List.
2 Days Before
Tablescape
This is when I like to start gathering what I have in the house to set the Holiday Table. Start looking around and pull out the following items:
Tablecloth
4 cloth napkins
4 knives
4 forks
4 dessert spoons
4 water glasses
4 wine glasses (to serve sparkling apple cider like we did)
Platter (for the Pakoras)
Casserole dish (for the Stuffing)
4 ramekins or 1 big oven-proof bowl
4 parfait glasses
Cake stand
Set these items aside so you have everything together the morning of the big feast.
Table Decorations
For a simple centerpiece, gather fall fruit (pomegranates, persimmons, cranberries, apples) and layer them on a cake stand. When you go out and buy your fresh vegetables, look for greenery to decorate the table, such as eucalyptus leaves, which smell amazing and look great too. Pick up some mini pumpkins and use them as place cards, with each person’s name written on their very own pumpkin. Or you can just leave them blank and each person can bring them home as a parting gift.
1 Day Before
This is when I like to buy fresh vegetables. It’s also helpful to do this at the last minute to ensure your veggies are fresh and won’t take up space in your fridge. So today go and buy the veggies for the Pakoras and also start prepping them: Wash, dry and shred. You can put all the veggies in one re-sealable bag so they’re ready to go in the batter in the morning.
The Day of the Holiday Feast
It’s finally here. Depending on what time you will be serving your big meal, give yourself at least three hours to prepare and set up before your guests arrive. The great thing about our menu is that it can all be made ahead and kept warm in the oven while you get ready for dinner.
In the AM
The first thing to do is set the table. Everyone can eat breakfast somewhere else. Setting the table early just starts things off right. Lay out all of your tableware and decorate the table, fruit centerpiece included. Now you can tick that off your list and start cooking.
Put together the Pumpkin Pie Parfait with Amy’s Crispy Candy
After you have finished setting the table, take out your parfait glasses and all the ingredients for the Pumpkin Pie Parfait. We are going to put them together now.
In each glass layer the bottom with a few pieces of the Crispy Candy. Then top with a scoop of Pumpkin Pie filling. Top the filling with walnuts and a drizzle of date syrup. Add another scoop of Pumpkin Pie filling. Top with more walnuts then a scoop of Coconut Whip. Drizzle with more date syrup and top with the remaining crushed Crispy Candy. Cover each glass with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator.
Dessert is done!
In the Afternoon
Let’s say you want to serve dinner at 5.30 pm, I would officially start cooking at 2.30, 3.30 at the latest. This gives you some buffer time.
Pre-heat oven to 350℉. Grease a large casserole dish with olive oil and set aside.
Place the heated Indian Vegetable Korma in a bowl with the ripped naan, vegetable broth and chestnuts. Mix well. The bread should be very moist (close to soggy but not quite). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mixture in a baking pan in one layer. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 25 minutes until the naan is golden brown and crispy. Take out of the oven and set on the table.
Make the Pakora Batter
Take out the bag of shredded vegetables and place them in a bowl, along with the spices, chickpea flour and ¼ cup of Amy’s Golden Lentil Soup.
Mix everything until the spinach starts to release water. At this stage add water bit by bit until the mixture starts looking moist.
Place the olive oil in the frying pan and set the heat to medium. Wait for the oil to heat up. Then using a ½ cup measuring scoop, add dollops of the batter into the hot oil. Fry on each side for about two minutes until crispy. This will take the longest to cook, depending on how many you can cook at one time in your frying pan. If you have a helper who knows how to fry, let them help you with this step. It could take about 30-45 minutes to fry all the Pakoras.
After frying, place the Pakoras on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil then transfer to your serving platter. Place on the table.
Prep the Gratin
In the meantime, distribute the remaining Amy’s Golden Lentil Soup into each of the ramekins. Slice the baby potatoes thinly and arrange in a nice pattern on top of the soup.
Top with the vegan cheese and almond milk. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese and soup start to get bubbly and the potatoes are golden brown.
You can also make this in a large oven-safe bowl or baking dish. If you do, increase the baking time to 30 minutes. Place on the table near each plate.
Get Ready and Enjoy your Dinner!
Because the table is all set and the food is done, check the time; if there is more than an hour left before your guests come, set your oven to warm and place all the food in there until they arrive.
Enjoy dinner and now just relax with your family and friends. I had a great time putting this menu together and, when you do make it, don’t forget to tag @rezelkealoha and @amyskitchen with the hashtag #StartWithAmys. I can’t wait to see your holiday table! Sign up here for more meal inspiration like this.
This post is sponsored by Amy’s Kitchen, however all recipes, photography and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support me!