Who’s having an “unusual” Christmas meal?

[PayPennies]

I’ll start!

we are visiting my family in India after many years - and have just finished christmas dinner. White British spouse who’s led a life of roast turkeys set the menu requests for today and we’ve had, amidst balmy 25 degrees “winter” weather - a spread of -

Chicken reshmi kebab
Paneer tikka kebab
Naans cooked on proper charcoal
Afghani Biriyani
Mutton Rezala
2 chopped salads
Raita

kids are now playing with Indian grandparents in hot sunshine on a balcony.

Extremely English white spouse of mine is sleeping in a meat sweat faintly smelling of curry 😂

he’s requested never to have a turkey xmas ever again!

Not so much unusual as last minute change. It'll be a bit of a mixture as discovered this morning the large chicken for roasting was starting to go off! Don't have a huge amount of other meat in so to feed everyone it'll be some chicken fillets with tarragon butter wrapped in bacon, some striploin steak I'll cook in last 10-15 mins before serving and slice. All the usual sides. I'll throw in some Yorkshires too now that there is beef involved 🤣

Your Indian feast sounds amazing!

My son is working all day (and will be fed xmas dinner at work) and I have friends arriving late afternoon after their various days - so for this evening, which will be my main meal I’m having an all vegan buffet of:
spicy crispy cauliflower
creamy cheesy mushroom dip
gyozo’s
falafals
home made hummus
home made garlic flat breads
roast squash
And loads of other picky bits and dips etc.

We are ill so have postponed Christmas - we will be having egg and chips later

I'm on my own so I'm throwing a ham and pineapple pizza in the oven for 10 minutes, and dinner is done.

The Indian meal also sounds wonderful - and nicer than a traditional Christmas dinner.

DH is Swedish so last night was a literal smorgasbord of Swedish favourites (meatballs, pickled herring, gravlax, 'Prince sausages', potato gratin with anchovies, lots of schnapps).

Today it's just the two of us and pointless one of us spending an hour in the kitchen to make a full roast just for 2, so we're having a giant cheese / charcuterie board and will graze on it all afternoon and evening.

We might throw a Turkey crown in the oven tomorrow or the next day so I can have a turkey and cranberry sandwich at least

We’re having a prawn cocktail starter and then Alaskan snow crab. It’s just three of us and DH and DS don’t really like turkey so we’re doing the food we really want. We had sushi one year.

Growing up, my grandma used to make chilli in the slow cooker on Christmas. She always said that she wanted to be having fun, not trapped in the kitchen all day.

Im not English and I don’t really understand having the traditional Christmas dinner if people don’t really like it. Cook and eat what you and your family like.

As we have done for the last few years, we are going out for a curry with family and friends.

Your Indian meal sounds amazing OP.

We are doing Persian food for lunch. Lamb, rice, bread, salad, yoghurt dip- I actually need to start a bit of prep. I love prepping Persian food.

I find roast dinners dull and no one likes them enough here for it to be an issue. DH is half-Iranian BTW, DDs 1/4 Iranian.

DM will cook a roast tomorrow.

Rice and peas and jerk chicken/tofu over here

All
of this sounds amazing - the last minute melange, the Swedish and Persian - all of it. Today was an eye opener for all of us that chrisTmas dinner can really be anything and I must say I’ve got my English spouse to thank for it although I’m Indian myself!

These alternatives sound amazing. We are having family with more traditional tastes around this afternoon so compromised on home-made fish pie for non-meat eaters and boeuf bourguignonne for the others, and also for MIL and various elderly neighbours stuck at home with flu and maybe able to manage a bit of something in tupperware.

I could go for an alaskan King crab and sushi feast though.

We are still having turkey and beef with all the trimmings but MIL's oven has given up this morning so it's all being cooked in slow cooker and on hob. Roasties will be deep fried this year!

70 plus parents having their first southern hemisphere, pescatarian lunch for 14. Muchos cheese, amazing fish, tomato tart, garlic potatoes, delicious salads. All eaten under the shade of the palm trees.
Turkey and the trimmings is an easy forgotten thing. We all agreed that a standard Xmas meal is shite

Bacon and eggs. Best I can do on two electric rings in an outdoor kitchen at 28C. But then we’re off to the beach :-)

My mouth is watering now, I'm so jealous. Not least because of the 25° heat. Why can't my partner have Indian family instead of freezing Latvian family who eat grey peas and bacon fat accompanied by lumpy milk on Xmas day 😡

I'm a big advocate of just having whatever you want on Christmas Day. If you want a Turkey roast and all the trimmings then crack on, but I think too many people do it every year purely out of tradition / pressure / never having questioned it / martyrdom.

Unless you're extremely well prepared in advance it's a ridiculous concept to have one or two people tied to the kitchen all day while everyone else gets to relax and enjoy themself (unless, of course, the chef enjoys and relishes the process, which I know some do).

I am very intrigued by lumpy milk. Please say - is it a recipe or milk gone curdled?

Most of the family are poorly so most of lunch is in the freezer to use when everyone is better, so who knows what we'll end up having for lunch today? Probably chocolate 😂

We actually plan to do an Indian banquet for NY day so I'm hoping everyone is well by then!

I have 'agreed' to do a traditional meal today upon the basis that I can make a big Indian meal tomorrow as that is the food for which I would travel three hours in the dead of night.
Nawab has been recommended but I just know it won't hit the spot. I need freshly prepared, authentic and cooked in small batches served immediately.

I have a microwave chicken dinner for one at the ready. It looks horrid, I probably won't bother.

I believe it's milk that has been deliberately left to curdle. They call it "old milk". It's not completely unpleasant, I was just a bit surprised to have to chew my drink. The grey peas and bacon though is deeply unpleasant. Very claggy, but then I loathe peas anyway- dried or otherwise.

The family though are all really lovely. Just a shame that the food is so awful, and it's so cold for half of the year.

Oh if you were here with us now my family would smother you in freshly made kebabs and naans and pilafs!! Hope you manage an Indian feast wherever you are!

I'm having a cheese and beetroot sandwich and a nice cuppa. DD has tonsillitis and is having ice cream.

I love Indian food and many other cuisines but for me, Christmas must include a roast. There is no need to be tied to the kichen all day if you are organised. No martyrs here. Other countries embrace their cultures and traditions and I find it sad when people say a roast is dull. My roast is certainly not dull. Have whatever you like for Christmas dinner but there is nothing wrong with the traditional option