If there was a dollar for every time I embarrassed myself by cooking food for my guests, I’d be so rich that I’d have butlers to serve them instead! ‘Coz that is how hard I suck at making snacks. Forget innovation or experimentation, I barely manage to put something on the table before my guests die starving. But then again, all of us have been there.
While hosting is fun and all, more often than not, cooking for your guests feels like the exact opposite. I mean, most of the time, I cannot even think of anything beyond the regular coffee and pakoras when it comes to serving snacks. It’s like you want to cook something epic but when it comes to the execution giving up sounds way easier than actually doing it. Well, what if we told you that you can, in fact, create something gourmet with as much effort as it takes to make any instant noodles? We know we have your attention!
We recently reached out to chef Tanisha Mehra of Food L’amour to help us with our hosting nightmares and not gonna lie, our lives have changed. The self-taught chef has a crazy arsenal of super quick recipes and she helped us with her top five picks that are absolutely fuss-free when it comes to cooking. Also, they are as fun and fancy as it gets and happen to be absolute party savers. These snack recipes are a hit, easy to assemble, and need to be bookmarked RN! Scroll down to take notes:
Beetroot Hummus
Food L’amour
Got a packet of chips or nachos sitting in your cupboard? Well, Tanisha’s super easy Beetroot Hummus is how you elevate the chip and dip experience for your guests! The coolest part about this recipe is that you can make it in huge batches and store it in the fridge. Also, the recipe asks for the minimum effort on your part and all you gotta do is boil, assemble, and blend. Easy peasy, right? Here’s what you need to do:
Ingredients
- Chickpeas (250 gm, cooked)
- Green chilies (2, whole)
- Beetroot (1, pureed)
- Roasted cumin (1tsp)
- Garlic salt (½ tsp)
- Pepper (½ tsp)
- Lemon (1)
- Olive Oil (¼ cup)
- Sesame seeds (1tsp)
Method
Take all the ingredients in a blender, add ¼ cup of water and blend until smooth. Serve with crackers, pita bread, or kebabs.
Three Cheese Pasta
Food L’amour
Now, who doesn’t love a bowl of steaming, creamy pasta? Take this from us: this Three Cheese Pasta recipe takes hardly any time to make and tastes wayyyy better than any of these instant pasta packets that you find at the supermarket racks. Just try and you’d know:
Ingredients
- Fusilli pasta
- Pasta water (¼ cup)
- Butter (2 tbsp, melted)
- Cream cheese (100gm)
- Fresh cream (⅓ cup)
- Mozzarella cheese (¼ cup)
- Parmesan cheese (½ cup)
- Thyme (1 tsp)
- Oil (1 tsp)
- Garlic (1 tsp)
- Salt (as per taste)
Method
Saute the garlic in oil & butter until fragrant. Apart from the pasta, mix all of the remaining ingredients to get a rich, smooth sauce. Turn off the heat, add pasta, and top it with parmesan before serving.
Chicken Salami Sliders
Food L’amour
Want to go all ‘professional chef’ on your house guests? This Chicken Salami Slider recipe is what you need to try. So easy but so impressive. Also, as Tanisha says “there’s no such thing as too much butter.” Here’s what you need to do:
Ingredients
- Dinner rolls (6)
- Chicken salami (6)
- Tomatoes (6 slices)
- Cheese slices (6)
- Butter (for greasing)
Method
Horizontally cut the dinner rolls and apply butter. Add chicken salami, tomatoes, and cheese between the buns like sandwiches. Put it in the preheated oven for 5 minutes at 170c, and it’s ready.
Pizza Dip
Food L’amour
Okay, so this dip is life-changing. You can explore this recipe for a late-night chip and dip snack, as a bread topping for your next house party or as it is. It’s super versatile like that and tastes exactly like a pizza! We know, that’s quite a case. Here’s what you need to do:
Ingredients
- Homemade tomato sauce
- Cream cheese (100 gm)
- Parmesan cheese (½ cup)
- Fresh cream (¼ cup)
- Mozzarella cheese (½ cup)
- Chili flakes (½ cup)
Method
Start by adding a layer of homemade pizza sauce in a bowl. Mix cream cheese, parmesan, and fresh cream and add this as the second layer. Add ½ cup mozzarella cheese as the third layer and chili flakes as the third layer and microwave this for 3-4 minutes. Serve with breadsticks.
Tandoori Fish Tikka
Food L’amour
Haven’t we all at some point tried to create some restaurant-level food for our special guests? The kind that they always remember you for. This Tandoori Fish Tikka recipe is your answer to all such ocassions. It’s yummy, it’s healthy, and it’s a party hit. Try it next time you have a house party and you’d know.
Ingredients
- Kingfish/Pomfret (½ kg)
- Lemon Juice (1tbsp)
- Mint leaves (6-7)
- Yogurt (¼ cup)
- Ginger garlic paste (1 tsp)
- Garam masala (½ tsp)
- Coriander powder (½ tsp)
- Turmeric (¼ tsp)
- Deggi & Kashmiri chili powder (½ tsp each)
- Salt & pepper (½ tsp)
- Mustard oil (⅛ cup)
Method
Take 1/2 kg of fish (kingfish, pomfret) in a bowl and pour 1 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice and 6 to 7 mint leaves. Mix the rest of the ingredients to make a marinade, cover the fish in it, and let it rest for 3-4 mins. Heat your grill and brush with oil. Cook your fish fillet for 4 to 6 minutes in total, turning sides occasionally. Make sure not to overcook it and Serve with mint chutney.
So fam which one of these easy peasy snacks are you trying tonight?
Featured Image Courtesy: Tanisha Mehra
