HELP! No pork, no beef - what can I cook for our Indian friends? They are staying a MONTH! Already breakfast was a problem...

[StarryStarryNight]

I am so lost. We have friends staying from India for a whole month, and they dont eat pork and beef, and I am running low on dinner options. There is just so much I can do with chicken and lamb!

Also, they dont eat cereals and milk, and they are not keen on sandwiches, and so they had no idea what to eat for breakfast today, so ended up frying some eggs. Any ideas?

personally I think xenia is talking out of her arse. The men in dp's family can cook bloody well, in this country, in american and in Indian. And they share the job with the women. They also help with housework and cleaning.

I've also lived in a borough where the population was around 40% asian and 40% black and about 10% eastern asian. You would see both men and woman shopping and some of our neighbours could cook brilliant food, even when the woman were out at work!

in america and in india. It's too early for this!

hear hear starry. think there are some great ideas here. and maybe hold your hands up and say, when they have settled in a bit, im struggling to come up with ideas, what do you fancy to eat, lets go shopping! a month is a loooonggg time

Perhaps you cauld mention some meals you have had in India ans ask if they know how to make them.

Thus involving them in the meals but also inproving your skills.

I must admit I'm a bit bemused by this. It's really welcoming of you to have them stay for a month, but do you really need to cater exactly for what they would normally eat?

Isn't the whole point of visiting another country to try to eat as much of their food as possible and experience that way of life?

The not eating pork and beef I can understand, I would definitely cater for any religious or ethical dietary requirements. So like others have said, I would cook lots of veggie meals so you're not eating chicken or lamb all the time!

But not eating cereals or 'being keen' on sandwiches - shouldn't they be just mucking in a bit and eating whatever you eat? The first time I spent 6 weeks in Africa that's exactly what I had to do, and wanted to do. My hosts did ask for particular preferences or dislikes but we generally ate as they normally would, or where we varied it was in a way that was as little fuss for them as possible. So for example, they wanted to cook lots of egg-based dishes very early in the morning, which was just too heavy for me to eat every day at that time. So after a while we compromised and I just ate the bread and fresh fruit that was served anywy alongside the hot meal everyone else was eating. On the odd day I felt like the cooked meal, I joined in with the others. That way I was comfortable, and they were, and I didn't feel I was being rude.

For breakfasts I would try to have a selection of cereals, breads, fresh and dried fruit etc and let them get on with it. Perhaps try to take them food shopping and see if there is anything they see that they would eat in the mornings - but it has to be either no- or little-preparation or they have to be able to do it themselves!

Lunches - either sandwiches and let them acquire a taste for them, or lots of help-yourself type salads. Or serve the sandwich fillings separately with different types of bread, crackers etc. And lots of fruit again.

Don't spend a month wearing yourself out with all of this!

do you use brown bread for sandwiches? My family (I'm south asian) can't stand brown bread but will happily eat sliced white.

One thing I do when I'm really stuck but want something that's tasty and nutritious is to pick up a jar of Loyd Grossman's tomato and basil pasta sauce. It has no additives and is really wholesome. I stick it on top of some chicken breasts in a covered casserole and bung it in the oven for about 25 minutes.

Sometimes I add (bought) breadcrumbs on the top with some grated cheese. You could also add a layer of fried aubergines on the top--below the breadcrumbs.

portonovo, i am not trying to rustle up indian dishes, but to find recipes for lamb and chicken dishes they, and indeed the entire family may enjoy, in terms of dinner. I do cook the occasional curry myself (and very well I must say), but mostly based around coconut milk as my kids like it mild rather than spicy. I like Indian food a lot, I love a good vegetable biriany, but too spicy to offer my family.

Last time we had indian friends over I learnt to cook with fresh ginger paste, garlic paste and fresh coriander, it revolutionized my horizon. But then there were no restrictions as to meats, and weetabix with milk went down a treat!

Oranges, I remember now my struggle to find brown bread in India, or even bread with the smalles amount of wholegrain.... Maybe I could try keep white rolls in the house? They could just fill it with whatever takes their fancy, I suppose?

Eliza2 that sounds yummy!

. if I may, can i suggest something? They do sound a lot like my relatives, and if they are, they really will pretty much eat anything, except brown bread and loads of cheese.
and you don't have to make something different each night. and even a meal made up of totally random bits of leftovers - some pasta, rice and a handful of veg, will be absolutely fine to serve up. the dishes suggested here sound lovely but are hard work for you, and I'm sure they would rather you sat down and relaxed with them.

Thanks.
I served up a norwegian semolina porridge with butter, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon last night. The girl was hesitant to even try saying she had tried porridge as a child she didnt like it. I told her she would have to try embrace the challenge of cultural exhcange and try some foreign dishes, I could assure her my semolina porridge was different to what she had tried as a child. In fact they both loved it, and helped themselves to seconds.

The boy found my Thai sweet chilli dip, and is now applying that to wholemeal sandwiches with sliced chicken, tomato, grapes and goats cheese.

I went to Sainsburys today and bought some marinades for making chicken kebabs, and some lamb and coriander burgers (to be served in buns with a side salad), stir fry vegetables and some sweet chilli sauce (love that myself) to serve with cod fishcakes, a jar of uncle bens korma sauce (...oh well...), give my a week, and we will be on top form!

I am making a point of having fresh fruit and strawberries etc freshly washed on a plate in kitchen so it is easy to help themselves.

I like the sound of the semolina porridge, can you post the recipe please?

Blimey Starry, you are a super fab hostess!

Why don't you write down everything you come up with and at the end of it all write a book - I'd buy it! You can call it "If This Lot Doesn't Satisfy You, Nothing Will!"

Xenia - Have you considered changing your name to 'jade'? I think linking the possibility that Starry's DH's work collegues are potentially guilty of infanticide is pretty dodgy. to say the least. India is not, as far as I am aware, solely defined by the desparate poverty, feudal subsistence, lack of education and desparate dependence on peasant culture that has led to such practices amongst certain sections of the population of India and china.

Or have I managed to bags the only cooking-parenting-thinking-educated-independent-child-loving man ever to come put of an Indian family to be my DP?

Thanks guys!

MuminBrun - semolina porridge:

1l milk (semi skimmed or fullfat)
1 1/2 dl semolina
1 tablespoon of margarine suitable for cooking
1 pinch salt

Pour around 1/3 of the milk together with the margarine into a caserolle, when margarine has melted, slowly add the semolina whisking vigoursly to avoid lumps. Add the rest of the milk and bring to boil. Stir frequently. Cook for 11 minutes.

Spread onto plate, place a few small dollops of margarine here and there, let it melt. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, enjoy!

This is enough for 2 kids, and a generaous taster for one adult. Place any remaining porridge in a bowl in the fridge, as it sets when cold, and you will have a really nice pudding the next day. My boys love it cold either with just some sugar, or some youghurt or berry sauce poured over.

That sounds really nice and we will definitely try it. The funny thing is, it sounds just like a traditional Indian pudding called "sujji ka halwa" - did your guests mention it?

The day through political correctness we stop ourselves criticising the sexism inherent in much of India (and China isn't that much better despite its political correctness) is a very sad day indeed. India is a huge country and some women do run businesses etc but it is much more sexist than the UK and we would all do well to try to stamp out the damage done to women there.

"Although gender-based abortion is illegal, parents are choosing to abort female foetuses in such large numbers that experts estimate India has lost 10 million girls in the past two decades. In the 12 years since selective abortion was outlawed, only one doctor has been convicted of carrying out the crime." Also many baby girls killed. But it's not just that it's a set up where usually women give up work and wait on men and I equally criticise that when I see it in the UK too. So I was just a bit surprised there was any assumption a woman would cook in the UK - if the husband wants his guests fed let him feed them.

Xenia says: "we would all do well to try to stamp out the damage done to women there"

And this is best done on a thread about recipes?

Perspective Xenia, please!

But this is the place we help our daughters to achieve equality - now we have mostly equal rights in law it's in the homes, kitchen and in one to one relationships that we really need to get things fairer. It really is down to the level of who cleans the toilets and whether someone regards their effort as "helping" (wrong) or not being precluded from doing a 50/50 share of domestic labour simply because they're male.

Also I think it would be really good if an Indian family saw that the man cooks and the woman sits down and he serves her just for a few days.

I am tempted to say: 1. They are not my daughters, and 2 no equality battles in MY kitchen, please!

However, I think it is important not to stereotype people. I dont know what image you have in your mind about my houseguests, but these are young progressive carreer people. She cant cook. She goes to Oberoi for breakfast, she has no interest in the fridge or whats in the cupboards here. He has already nosed around my kitchen cupboards looking for anything resembling chutneys and condiments to season his food, he has emptied the dishwasher and knows already where to find cups and plates whereas as she doesnt. He was on all four tidying toys, she was on her laptop getting some more work done. Equality between the genders? Mission accomplished!