The older I get, the more I dislike crowds. When I was in college, the idea of a packed club, a crowded party, and a mobbed dance floor was exhilarating. Now, it sort of makes me wince—hot and sweaty with bad beer and no clear path to the bathroom? No thanks. These days, I prefer my dance parties in the living room after a great meal or in the kitchen while doing the dishes.
Needless to say, our New Year’s Eve plans this year did not involve going out. Tony and I decided that we could probably cook just about anything we could find in a restaurant and at half the price. We combed through Indian cookbooks, searched the internet and assembled a hearty Indian menu. The night would start with homemade potato samosas and papadums which we would dip in three sauces: a spicy cilantro sauce, a sweet and tangy tamarind sauce, and a cool herbed yogurt sauce. Next we’d move to a rich, long-simmered lamb curry and a creamy chicken korma, which we would pile on top of perfumey basmati rice and scoop it all up with soft, homemade naan.
We knew we needed a few more hands to actually pull this meal off, so we invited Mom and Dad and Maggy and Andy to join the fun. Andy requested we start the meal with a spicy cucumber, cilantro, and gin cocktail, and Mom volunteered to make toasted coconut ice cream for dessert. And so the meal plan got bigger and more exciting.
Tony and I spent the better part of two days trying to find all the ingredients we needed. Most of the spices weren’t hard to come by, but we trekked all over Southeastern Pennsylvania in search of whole cardamom pods, tamarind concentrate, and a strange spice called asafetida (which we never did find).
When December 31st arrived, we rose early and cooked all day. The curries turned out wonderfully—rich and deeply spiced with fall-apart-tender chunks of meat; the naan was pillowy soft and hot out of the oven; the cocktails were cool, zippy, and refreshing; and the ice cream was lush and creamy. Tony and I were extremely proud of the whole meal—how it tasted and how hard we’d worked to pull it off. But most of all, we were proud of the samosas. We’d made naan, curries, and homemade ice cream before. We’ve tried plenty of new cocktails and toiled over interesting sauces. But we had never attempted samosas. These flaky little pastries filled with spiced potatoes and peas are a must-have appetizer at Indian restaurants, but they seemed so complicated to make. Most cookbooks call for puff pastry as a shortcut. But this meal was not about shortcuts.
There is no two ways about it, these little guys were time consuming, but they weren’t difficult to make. We started by making the filling, then we made the dough (which, in the food processor, is a cinch). When we were ready to make the samosas, we called for back up. The whole family got involved as we divided and rolled out the dough, made and filled the samosas, and finally fried them quickly and served them piping hot with our sauce line-up. Our samosas were amazing…possibly better than any I’ve had at a restaurant. They were perfectly crispy and flaky on the outside and warm and spicy on the inside. And they couldn’t come out of the oil fast enough!
These are definitely a new 3MC favorite…should we be embarrassed that we made them again the next night to eat with our leftovers? Sure, samosas are not weeknight fare, but they are a fun cooking project for a group. It really speeds up the process having three or four sets of hands. Grab a beer and make a night of it. Trust me, it’s so worth it.
Totally agree. I couldn’t be less interested in a mega crowd on New Year’s Eve (particularly the “no clear path to the bathroom” bit, haha). We were the lucky recipients of your hard work in the kitchen. I have not enjoyed a meal that much in a long time. And the samosas were the highlight of the night! What fun we had making them…and then eating them. Now I want to try them with meat 🙂
Sharon, I am with you. While we did go into the city, we didn’t go anywhere near a crowd. We rang in the new year at a tiny little comedy club as big as our living room. It was a fairly good time, though I think it would have been even better up at your place.
I’m loving this recipe. Your sauces reminded me that Maggy and I should figure out how to make the coconut sauce we’ve had at that tiny little Indian in Woking. We know it has coconut and mint, and we know we’ve never had it anywhere else. It is divine mixed with the cilantro sauce.
Happy New Year, sweetheart!
I agree with you! That is the worst night of the year to go out!
To be able to share it with family is sooo cool!
FYI!
http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices/asafoetida-powder
Are y’all mind readers? It’s been so cold that I’ve been craving the warm spices of Indian food. I’ve been pouring over the recipe for potato samosas in the Whole Foods cookbook with some skepticism. I need an updated, fresher recipe. Yours fits the bill! Thanks 🙂
Also, maybe this is a sign we’re getting old (we’re the same age), but we stayed in for NYE too. When I think about the crowds of people at a party, I think cold and flu germs! When did I change into a responsible adult that likes to stay home and celebrate? Sorry, I know I’m rambling here, but I also have another way to know you’re all grown up…when you become obsessed with buying stuff to decorate the house. Remember in high school when all you wanted was cute clothes and electric blue eye shadow? Now Pottery Barn makes my heart sing. Sigh.
Have a good day! 🙂
What a memorable day and night, and the food was magnificent. Thank you, Sharon and Tony, for taking the lead on this incredible feast. It was the perfect New Year’s Eve. (What country will we be be visiting next year? How ’bout Spain?)
Sharon I especially loved that at 10:00 you declared it midnight and we got to drink champagne and do the countdown early. As they say, “It’s midnight somewhere.”
I love an entire day dedicated to cooking. The absolute best!
My friend shared your blog with me. I was giggling when I read about your search for Asoefetida. So funny! It is one of those odd spices that smells like wet socks but it adds a depth of flavour to food that can’t be explained in words!
Anyway.. it is also called ‘Hing’ or ‘Hingh’. Most indian stores will have it.
Those samosas look delish! Happy cooking! Happy New Year!
This meal sounds incredible (like, mouth-watering-incredible)!!!
We spent the night with family, grilling several pizzas, with LOTS of different toppings- that my husband and I spend the afternoon prepping. It was delicious. 🙂
Hey you three!
I just want to say that i love your blog and I have published it on my blog in my blog roll.
I don’t know if I have to get any sort of consent for this? Is it okay if I put it on?
http://coco-pistachio.blogspot.com/p/collection.html
@maya, of course you can put us on your blog roll! it’s an honor. also…your site design is SO cute!!
@dessertfortwo, i totally know what you mean. i used to shop for clothes, shoes, and cheap eyeliner…now it’s the crate and barrel, pottery barn, and williams sonoma catalogs that really get me salivating. and yes, we can read your mind. 🙂
@rashmi, glad you found us! i’ve got to find an indian store near me, because i really want to try cooking with asoefetida…something so indescribable yet integral is just so darn alluring to me!