User talk:CookTube

Let's Droooool!!!
As we know man first eats with his nose, then with his eyes and finally the mouth. Now if you are cooking well, chances are that your home is already filled with the wafting aroma of all the delicious stuff that you are making. What about the presentation though? You've put in so much effort to make this feast...now let's make it look like one. Presenting before you, beautiful ways to decorate your food & set up your table!

Christmas: It's red table cloth with silver table mats. Snow flake printed paper napkins. Stuffed whole chicken looks best when presented with a lot of colour. So place it in the centre of the dish and line the sides with baked potatoes, broccoli and roasted red, green & yellow bell peppers. Sautéed buttery mushrooms increase the drool quotient. For the breads, instead of keeping slices in individual plates, have your bread placed on a big chopping board, with about 3 slices cut and kept. Serving potato keives? Line them circular in a big round plate – place the yogurt dip bang centre. Sprinkle some paprika and place that parsley right in the centre of the dip. Ditch mundane glasses for wine. Bring in glass goblets instead – available online too. The sweets need no decorations, but you can place a tiny Santa or even a snow dome in between to add to the cheer. Wine bottles go with the red bow. And don't forget your Santa caps!

Eid: I love this festival, for the sheer love of Biryani! And I love the rustic setting. So amidst the boudoin setting of floor seating, the biryani goes bang centre in a wide earthen pot covered in foil. And now it's time to bring out the widest & biggest thalis (wide plates) possible. Arrange your shammi kababs going circular with the chutney in the centre. Line up your seekh kebabs on skewers on mini tandoors that can be placed in 3-4 places around the circle, depending on how big the gathering is. Place colourful sheeshas (hookhas) in between the setting. Set up your chapatis or khuboos on an old trunk parked on the side. Bring out your copper vessels with burning embers underneath to serve the Nahari simmering hot. And how about serving the phirni in wide mouthed earthen cups!

Party Time: You always don't need festivals to kick in the festivities! Even a house party does that!!! Here are quick ways to quirk up your serve. So if India is your theme, you can simply surround each dish with a row of marigold flowers. If you have the appropriate manpower, then you can even set up a temporary mud 'chullah' in the lawn and have piping hot chapatis comes to the guests.

But if it's the coast that catches your fancy, then go all out for it. Serve your Thai curries in emptied Green coconuts. The dips can go into empty brown coconut shells. How about tossing up the rice on banana leaves, while the noodles stay in the wok itself! And the soup cauldron can of course stay center stage with the small flame beneath.

I've tried most these themes personally and every time it has landed looking like a meal fit for a King. So go for it!