to serve a meat free meal at a dinner party

[CoralFish]

Having friends round and I am trying to think of a menu. I came up with the following.
Starter: Spiced vegetable fritter topped with fried egg
Main: Lentil Dhal, aubergine and chickpea curry and rice
Dessert: Rice pudding
Mentioned to DP and he said it sounded nice but I should do a chicken curry instead because people will expect meat.
It hadn't occurred to me that there was no meat. None of us is vegetarian. AIBU to not give people meat? Nobody would say anything, but would they go home afterwards saying 'shame there was no chicken'?
My main concern was having rice twice in the meal!

Sounds absolutely delicious!! I don't think you need to add a meat dish. A lot of Indian food is vegetarian, so it's not like you are making a veggie alternative to something that should contain meat, you are just cooking a typical Indian meal.

I'd change the pudding. Rice pud is lovely but not the best choice after a rice-based main. The rest sounds delicious!

Sounds lovely!

If you're worried about too much rice, maybe either swap rice with the main to flat breads or the rice pudding to a pistachio cake?

Either way I'm a meat eater but love a good vegetarian meal. I work in a cafe that has a meat free Monday and only one person in 2 years has asked if there is a meat option available...

Your menu sounds delicious.

Given that Indian food often involves a selection of dishes on the table, to maximise the sense of variety I would probably include at least one meat or fish dish, though. It's not that you have to, I just think it is more interesting if you have one alongside the vegetable dishes.

Yum. The lack of meat wouldn't bother me, but i wouldn't do two rice based courses. Could you do Naan or Roti with the main?

I wouldn’t expect meat or fish especially.

Do it! I'm a meat eater (DP veggie) and we regularly serve all veggie or even all vegan.

My meat-eating mum is in her 50s and she recently served veggie lasagne to her (all meat-eating friends). They loved it. Times are changing and people aren't as bothered as they were ten years ago about the "meat and two veg" trope.

Besides, if they're coming to you then you choose the menu! If they don't like it, don't come. Simple. Anybody who likes curry and fried food will like this menu!

Sounds gorgeous except for rice pudding which is nasty.

Something with chocolate and cardamom perhaps

Serving a meat free meal is fine as long as you don’t repeatedly point out that it is meat free in a smug fashion (doesn’t sound as though you would).

Yeah, I wouldn’t do rice pudding after a rice based main though.

Sounds fine to me, a meal doesn't need meat in order for it to be nice. I would pick a different pudding maybe something with chocolate most people like chocolate puddings.

Nope sounds lovely! I think it’s really weird that some people have this perception that every meal needs to contain meat. I’m sure you know your guests and would know if they were one of those people (and tbh anyone rude enough to make a point of ‘where’s the meat?’ when they’ve been invited for dinner wouldn’t get any further invitations).

I don't think rice pudding really goes with the starter and main. Otherwise it sounds nice.

sounds nice apart from the rice pudding -yuk

Sounds nice to me, although I agree with PP that rice pudding doesn't really go. I'm vegan so if I invite people round to eat, they get a meat-free meal - unless we are having a takeaway of course. Nobody has ever complained!

With regards to the rice pudding, as much as I love a traditional baked rice pudding complete with skin, I wouldn't serve it after curry. But an Indian lady at church always makes a really delicious cold rice pudding for the monthly bring and share lunch, it's really creamy (not solid like the English version!) and flavoured with spices like cardamom and cinnamon and has sultanas in it - something like that would be good after curry.

Came on to say that the pudding is the most odd thing on the menu so I'd change that. Sounds good otherwise 👍

Okay great I can tell DP he is wrong! I am tied to the rice pudding (I'm going to do a spiced chai flavoured one, and I know there are no rice pudding haters at the table) but I might do Bombay potatoes and/or chapatis with the main instead of rice.

Do two dishes, one meat one veggie.
If nobody is veggie it looks like you can't afford the meat, and I'm not a huge rice lover, take it or leave it.
Not very adventurous having rich twice in one meal.

I don't think you need meat but dhal and rice and chickpeas is a bit texture-samey. Maybe do some cauliflower or bhindi bhajee too as a complementary dish?

Sounds lovely. I'm not vegetarian and would be very happy with that. Chapatis or potatoes would work well.

Sounds good but I wouldn't do a rice pudding when you are having rice with main dish. Something nice and fruity for pud would be ideal.

Other than that, lovely! May I come :-) ?

If nobody is veggie it looks like you can't afford the meat
The bonkers comment of the day!
For desert I would do a pomegranates Eton mess or date pasties with figgy ice cream.

@CoralFish - spiced chai flavoured rice pudding sounds delicious! Could I please be a pain, and ask for the recipe? Thanks!

I did vegetable lasagna as a main when I had friends round a while ago. It didn’t even strike me as slightly odd to do so. But my sister said people would think I was being measly! I don’t think they did. It was a really nice lasagna fwiw. And I had loads of wine and an amazing pudding.

Anyway. Yanbu.