Easy Indian-inspired canapés

[PoinsettiaLives]

Having some friends for dinner soon and am planning to make various curries. I’d like to do some Indian-inspired canapés as well- any suggestions? I’d rather not deep fry anything as I’ll be trying to talk to friends as well.

Could you make in advance and then heat in the oven so you don't have to be standing over them?

Could you get some of those mini poppadoms crisps and fill with finely chopped cucumber, tomato, mint, coriander, onion and a dab of raita and pickle? Or maybe samosa pastry cases filled with similar?

If you're going proper Indian, pani puri - little cases you fill up. Should be able to buy them in a decent Indian shop.

Indian snack food is called chaat, Google it and you'll find loads of recipes. Not really finger food though!

I've made £2 coin size versions of these spicy potato cakes as a canapy before. I added a few Nigella seeds to the mix, cooked them ahead of time, then just popped them in the oven before serving.

Depending on what you are serving for main you could serve chicken breast cut into cubes, marinate in tandoori paste, cook and serve on cocktail sticks with a cube of cucumber.

Some tasty tandoori prawns? Mini poppadoms filled with the dip the pp suggested sounds great. You could make pakora in advance and warm up on the night. And the obvious one is poppadoms and range of dips.

Oooh your lucky friends!

mini kofte kebabs with some sort of a yoghurt thing for dipping.

little squares of chicken tikka or paneer tikka.

bit bigger and messy but some spicy marinated lamb chops.

https://www.babur.info/menus/a-la-carte

this is a great upmarket indian restaurant in london, take a look at their starters for inspiration x

Mini onion bhajis heated up on arrival?

These walnut and mushroom samosas are incredible. They can be assembled in advance and frozen, then just heated in the oven on the day.

you could do mini tandoori broccoli, absolutely delicious.

second the mushroom and walnut samosa from pp above.

also second mini aloo tikki.

also second the tandoori/tikka everything from pp's - prawns, lamb, chicken, paneer... I have had good results with this classic chicken tikka and dishooms murgh malai, a must order whenever I visit dishoom.

I like popadoms a great deal, but ensure you have a boat load of coriander chutney if your guests are anything like me. I also enjoy a coconut chutney, a mint yogurt, and smokey tomato chutney. I can personally take or leave mango chutney. On the right dish a tamarind chutney can majorly elevate it.

also on the broccoli theme (can you guess my favourite vegetable), I don't know what 'mains' you are planning but I heartily recommend the dishoom Chilli Broccoli Salad as a side. It is always welcome in an Indian spread, it brings vibrancy, crunch, and freshness. Every time I serve this to guests I am asked for the recipe.