Selecting your “Amazing” & “Delicious” Mahirs menu
Invitations, décor, favours, first dance….these are all great ways to let your personalities shine through on your Big Day! All of these are important, but of course, after the bride & groom, the menu is the star attraction. A well thought out menu can convey who you are, whilst pleasing the diverse preferences of your guests and yet ensuring that the menu is memorable and defines you.
Try and bear in mind that whilst selecting your menu, you look at each course as an entirety and not as individual items as ultimately you want the flavours of each dish to compliment one another. Don’t worry; the Mahirs staff are on hand to help you select a balanced menu that not only pleases your guests, but a menu that does not comprise your own tastes.
Almost everyone is a ‘foodie’ and will want to mix up the menu with unique dishes, the Mahirs team are here to accommodate you and ensure there is a good balance. It is important you put your guests first and their tastes at the forefront. The best way to find the balance for your love for adventurous food and pleasing your guests is to have options that are a little different for your crowd but then offer options your guests will be familiar with as well.
Balance
An integral factor when deciding your menu is keeping in mind that the menu allows for options that suit your guests but whilst still reflecting your tastes. For example, you and your partner may be die hard carnivores and prefer your non vegetarian dishes over your veggie dishes. Your guests will appreciate you taking them into consideration with having a balanced menu. There are enough courses for you to make sure you get what you want, after all, it is your day.
One course at a time!
My honest suggestion from experience is to look at each course as one instead of separate dishes to comprise of the course. It is imperative to ensure that there are no similar flavours that will clash with one another. It can be very difficult to do this, especially if you prefer dishes from the same group of flavours. Let me take you through each course and advise you on how select the best mix of dishes suitable for you and your guests.
1. Captivating Canapes
Let’s firstly take a look at your drinks reception and the selection of canapes! This is exact point where you will set the mood and feel for your day! Ensure you pick canapes that not only look appetising but also will satisfy guest’s palate of flavours to get them looking forward to their meal.
You don’t need to choose between you and your guests, simply split your decisions to have a couple of creative canapes and a couple of options that you know are going to a definite hit with your guests.
Here at Mahirs, we would recommend a selection of four canapes. For example, let’s take the popular Papri Chaat and Jeera Chicken Skewers, simple, yet the majority of your guests will love them! Then you can select two canapes which are more suited to your palate, this way you have your “something different”, for example, if you love seafood then our Masala Fried Prawns will definitely be something you don’t want to miss out on your menu, alongside pick the option of Sweet Potato & Halloumi Fries.
2. Scrumptious Starters
Starters are most definitely, speaking from experience, the most popular course amongst guests, so this is a course that you really need to tantalise the taste buds.
For the non-vegetarian dishes we suggest a chicken, fish and lamb dish. This way the flavours with the dishes you pick are different and compliment one another perfectly! i.e. Amritsari Fish Pakora, Lamb Seekh Kebabs and Hariyali Chicken Tikka would make the perfect combination and will be a winner with your guests. If you are adventuress, why not opt for our Tandoori Salmon Tikka!
Vegetarian dishes in the starters, the most debated conversation clients have! It’s always a traditional classic vs something different food fight! The best way to work round this is to pick one fried dish, one with a sauce and one paneer dish, this is the perfect way to ensure that the flavours are complimenting and adding options to fit everyone’s needs! For example the combination of Aloo Tikki, Channa Masala & Mushroom & Paneer Manchurian is perfect.
Now if you are a fan of trying out new dishes and don’t mind experimenting, why not opt for a soya alternative, our Soya “Chicken” Tikka is fast becoming a popular starter dish, now how that’s food for thought!
3. Moreish Mains
Bengan or Bhindi? Chicken or Lamb or both?
One of the most frequent questions that is asked is whether to include two non-vegetarian items. We find that one meat normally works fine, not to forget the array of choices you have given the meat-eaters in the canapes and starters.
In terms of vegetarian dishes to avoid the disagreement on what sabji is most popular amongst their guest, we highly recommend our tasty Tawa Sabji, a dish that offers your guests an option of 3 sabji’s (Bhindi, Bengan & Potatoes) in one, served on a tawa.
Ultimately, the best way to structure your mains is to have 3 vegetarian dishes i.e. a Daal, a Sabji and something along the lines of our creamy Makhani Paneer. Along with one non vegetarian dish, maybe our traditional Punjabi Lamb Curry or a Butter Chicken.
4. Delectable Desserts!
Dessert (my favourite course), this is the perfect place to have your preferences at the top list (depending on how much of a sweet tooth you have)!
A choice of two desserts, what more could you ask for, one traditional Indian dessert (i.e. Ras Malai, Gajar Ka Halwa or Gulab Jaman) and then for the second dessert option go for a dessert that you really love, how about a selection of Petit Fours for each table or a creamy cheesecake (Oreo, raspberry ripple, or lemon drizzle….mmmmm.)
If you are a fan of sweet dishes and find it hard to choose, why not opt for our Mahirs Trio of Desserts; have three desserts on the one plate, as a trio majority of our clients choose is Gulab Jaman, Pistachio Kulfi and Raspberry Ripple Cheesecake.
Now, if you really (and I mean really) love desserts, then how about our Eat Me Wall Dessert Station! Have all your favourite desserts traditional and quirky all under the on roof. With an array of mini desserts you will definitely tick the boxes of satisfying your personal preferences and keeping in mind your guest choices!
Perhaps a waffle station to along with some masala chai. A selection of toppings will certainly be pleasing for all ages; strawberries, blueberries, Nutella, ice cream, the list goes on…. Anyone else put on a few pounds just thinking about dessert!??
Allergy Alert!
It’s great to be thinking about your guests who may have intolerances, for example, in my experiences, especially over the past year I have seen a growing trend of clients asking about dishes that are gluten, nut or dairy free. However, you do not need to make a completely different menu for them or compromise dishes to accommodate this. Working with you we can collate an amazing menu which has viable options to tick all boxes required without compromising your tastes or sacrificing dishes. I mean making a gluten free Aloo Tikki is adaptable without losing the essence of the original product (Please note we do not work in an allergen free kitchen).
I do hope this provides some sort of benefit to picking your menu, as always, if you are in any doubt, just give us a shout and our team will be on hand to guide you through to putting together a Mahirs “Delicious” menu!
Simrit Bhachu
