Dawat Menu: Ideas and Recipes for a lovely South Asian/Desi Dinner

I had a dawat (dinner) at our house last night for some beloved guests and shared the details of the dinner planning on my Instagram stories. A lot of you requested all the recipes I used, so here we go! Sharing a dawat menu for a spectacular South Asian/Desi dinner at your house!

Dawat Menu

Cholas Pulao

Gosht Bhar: Recipe here.

Chicken Bihari Boti: I used the recipe from Fauzia’s Kitchen Fun.

Spicy Potatoes: Recipe here.

Lahori Fish: Marinate fish pieces in egg (beaten) + garam masala + coriander powder + cumin powder + red chillies + salt + black pepper + black salt + lemon juice + ginger/garlic paste  + baisan and then fry.

Salad: I used a kale one.

Raita: Mix yogurt with coriander leaves + green onions + salt + pepper.

Mango Delight: For dessert I used this recipe from The Prairie Tray.

Take 4 packets of heavy cream and a beat a little. Now add one can of sweetened condensed milk and a little lemon juice. Start the layers of the dessert with creating a base of Marie biscuits, now add the cream and then some mango jelly. Top with mango pieces. Repeat the process. Done! Refrigerate before serving!

Dawat Arrangements

I have written in detail about Dawat planning in this blog post and you must read it!

For this party since we had 6 adults and 3 children, I could have a sit down arrangement.

I put the dishes on a counter besides the table since my table is not that big.

For decorations, I used a combination of fresh and fake flowers to put in the middle of the table along with some fairy lights!

I asked my daughter to set an area for the children at our breakfast nook and she put plates and cutlery for the children there. I want her to be aware of guests and their needs from a young age, so I always ask her to arrange the table for the children.

For the children I had some veges and the chicken bihari boti is a mild taste, so they could eat that also!

Hope you enjoyed this dawat menu. Always love hearing from you!