Aarti Paarti cookbook
Aarti Paarti – Aarti Sequeira
Saturday, October 26 – 7:00pm

Our October cookbook was Aarti Paarti, by Aarti Sequeira. She simplifies traditional Indian recipes in order to make the flavors and techniques approachable for the US market.

Aarti Paarti spread We were able to have a party of 24 thanks to Barbara, who hosted us in her incredible backyard complete with full outdoor kitchen. It was a beautiful setup and she couldn’t have been more welcoming.Aarti Paarti party

The Menu

Masala Kale Chips - Shayna

Masala Kale Chips – Shayna

Shayna made Masala Kale Chips. These were delicious – one of my favorite dishes of the night. They had a super light crispness and were packed with flavor. I’ve been wondering what to do with the nutritional yeast that somehow appeared in my pantry… now I’ve found my solution.

Chapatis and Chutneys - Rachel

Chapatis and Chutneys – Rachel

Rachel made Chapatis (Whole-Wheat Griddle Breads) and four different Chutneys – Date-Tamarind, Green (Cilantro, Mint & Bell Pepper), Ketchup, and Ruby Red (Cranberry-Pomegranate with Orange, Black Peppercorns & Coriander). It’s always fun to have bread and multiple dips/spreads. My favorite was the Date-Tamarind Chutney.

Raita - Sheana

Raita – Sheana

Sheana made Raita (Cucumber, Mint & Yogurt Salad). I’ve had raita many times before, and always found it to be a pleasant accompaniment to other Indian dishes, but not something I gave much more thought to than that. So I was happily surprised to find that I found this raita particularly tasty, so much so that I went back for more raita to eat on a chapati.

The Girly Salad - Erin

The Girly Salad – Erin

Erin made The Girly Salad (Fennel & Grapefruit with Black Olives & Coriander Dressing). I loved the crunchy texture of this salad, but found the flavor somewhat lacking. The citrus was nice, but other than that it just seemed to lack zing.

Cauliflower Steaks with Limey Yogurt - Drew

Cauliflower Steaks with Limey Yogurt – Drew

Drew made Cauliflower Steaks with Limey Yogurt. I really liked this dish. The seasoning coating the cauliflower was great, and the lime yogurt complemented it with a nice acidic pop. This is a cauliflower execution I will add to my list for the future.

Sambar - BA

Sambar – BA

BA made Sambar (South Indian Vegetable Stew). I found this stew to be fairly bland. It felt as though I could detect the hint of some good flavors, but there needed to be a whole lot more of the seasoning relative to the volume of vegetables.

“Juldi Juldi” Everyday Veggies - Julian

“Juldi Juldi” Everyday Veggies – Julian

Julian made “Juldi Juldi” Everyday Veggies. This dish was also uninspiring. Similar to the vegetable stew, I found myself searching for the flavors. I definitely wanted at least a bit of salt.

High-Five Stuffed Sweet Potatoes - Julian

High-Five Stuffed Sweet Potatoes – Julian

Julian also made High-Five Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (Baked Sweet Potato with Tahini, Chickpeas, Pine Nuts & Pomegranate Seeds). This was easily the most beautiful dish of the night, so I had high hopes that the experience for my tastebuds would match the experience of my eyes. Unfortunately, the flavor didn’t live up to the aesthetic.

Saag Paneer - Barbara

Saag Paneer – Barbara

Barbara made Saag Paneer. Yum, what’s not to love about greens and cheese? The spices coated the paneer and soaked into the saag really nicely. It was drier than the saag paneers that I’ve had in the past, but very tasty. And I found that the dryness grew on me as I ate, because the greens maintained a bit of chew rather than becoming mush.

Mum’s Everyday Dal - Kamy

Mum’s Everyday Dal – Kamy

Kamy made Mum’s Everyday Dal (Red Lentils with Sizzling Spiced Oil). I was excited for this dal, as it was one of the dishes I had considered making, particularly because sizzling spiced oil sounded great to me. I was disappointed to find that this was another case where I felt like the spices were there, but needed to be amped up.

Sunny-Side Pulao - Alana

Sunny-Side Pulao – Alana

I made Sunny-Side Pulao (Black-Eyed Pea Pilaf). This was a tasty rice dish, with a nice spice to it. I tasted it when it was done cooking, and then couldn’t stop myself from spooning several more bites into my face before packing it up to take to the party. Good on its own, but also great for soaking up the sauces of many of the other dishes.

“Pleasantly Plump” Arayes - Brian

“Pleasantly Plump” Arayes – Brian

Brian made “Pleasantly Plump” Arayes (Lebanese Spiced Beef Pitas). The filling in these was yummy, and credit to Brian for the most perfect grill marks on these pitas! I went back to get seconds, but they were all gone, so I clearly wasn’t the only one who enjoyed the arayes.

Meatball Curry - Anthony

Meatball Curry – Anthony

Anthony made Meatball Curry. He did a test-run on this dish and found it a bit bland, so pepped it up using his judgment and cooking skills. I think this definitely helped, but it still wasn’t a curry that blew my mind.

Kheema - Kris

Kheema – Kris

Kris made Kheema (Ground Beef Sauteed with Spices & Vinegar). He found that this dish also lacked something, so he hit it up with some fish sauce to enhance the flavor. This was another dish that I found passable, but not something I would seek out again.

Pout-Plumping Wings - Erin

Pout-Plumping Wings – Erin

Erin also made Pout-Plumping Wings (Pomegranate-Sriracha Chicken Wings). I was drawn in by the title of this recipe, and looked forward to finding out if it would match my expectations. Again, I was searching for the zing that would have made these special, but felt like I’ve had many other renditions of wings that I would go to over these.

Fish Chowder for the Idea Man - Cindy

Fish Chowder for the Idea Man – Cindy

Cindy made Fish Chowder for the Idea Man (Dill, Cilantro & Coconut Milk Fish Chowder). I loved this chowder, definitely one of my favorite dishes of the night. But Cindy said she used substantially more of the seasonings than what the recipe called for, so perhaps thats the key.

Basic Chicken Curry - John

Basic Chicken Curry – John

John made Basic Chicken Curry. I think “basic” was an apropos title. It was a perfectly edible curry, but I’ve had many that were better. Just nothing that really got my tastebuds tingling.

Chicken Tikka Masala - Jamie

Chicken Tikka Masala – Jamie

Jamie made Chicken Tikka Masala (Charred Chicken in Creamy Tomato Curry). This was a dish I went back for more of. I was so happy for the rice and grains she provided to soak up tons of the delicious creamy tomato curry sauce.

Lucia-Lucica Fried Rice - Jamie

Lucia-Lucica Fried Rice – Jamie

Jamie also made Lucia-Lucica Fried Rice (Indian-Style Fried Rice with Chorizo, Peanuts & Mustard Seeds). It took a few seconds for the depth and breadth of flavors in this rice to spread around my tongue, but I found that this dish got better and better with every bite. I’d eat it again for sure.

Apple Galettes with Pink Salt & Pepper Caramel Sauce - Melanie

Apple Galettes with Pink Salt & Pepper Caramel Sauce – Melanie

Melanie made Apple Galettes with Pink Salt & Pepper Caramel Sauce. I really enjoyed the touch of spice that the pink peppercorns brought to the galette, and they looked cool too! Just the right amount of sweet, salty, and peppery to make for a great apple dessert.

Huggy Buggy Bread Pudding - Rachel

Huggy Buggy Bread Pudding – Rachel

Rachel also made Huggy Buggy Bread Pudding (Coconut-Cashew Bread Pudding). This sounded like a version of bread pudding I could really get behind. It was tasty, but not as wonderful as I’d imagined it might be.

Flaming Cherries Jubilee - Anthony

Flaming Cherries Jubilee – Anthony

Anthony also made a bonus strawberry cake with creme fraiche ice cream and cherries jubilee. What happens when you have a party full of foodies? Dishes get lit on fire… intentionally 🙂 Anthony’s ice cream is always a treat, but especially when topped with flaming cherries!

Spiced Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Labneh Frosting - Erin

Spiced Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Labneh Frosting – Erin

Erin also made bonus spiced sweet potato and chocolate chip cupcakes with labneh frosting. This was from Erin’s brilliant mind, not the cookbook. OMG I can’t stop thinking about that labneh frosting. She said it was simply labneh, powdered sugar, and maple syrup. I’m thinking up things to bake just so that I have a vehicle for more labneh frosting.

The Verdict

In trying to make Indian flavors accessible to Americans, I think Aarti Paarti often went too far. Many of the dishes bordered on bland, but with hints of all the right flavors if only the seasoning quantities had been increased. However there were also some very tasty dishes. So it was something of a mixed bag, leaving me with a few recipes that I’ll keep for future use but no desire to explore into Aarti Paarti any further.

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