Kadai Paneer @ NY Indian Film Festival

 

I was very excited to be asked to prepare appetizers a couple weeks back for the NY Indian Film Festival party to celebrate the world premiere of Rituparno Ghosh’s film, Chitrangada.  The event was hosted by SAY WE (South Asian Young Women Entrepreneurs).

For the event, I made a kadai paneer (recipe below).  Kadai means wok in Hindi and this dish is essentially a paneer dry stir fry, curried with tomato paste, onion, ginger and garlic.  You can either buy paneer at the Indian store (I like to buy it unfried if I do this and in blocks) or make it homemade like this.  I like using this San Marzano tomato paste a lot in cooking because it’s delicious and great in a pinch, but it also provides the perfect consistency for this dish:

At the last minute, we decided to put the paneer into these funny cocktail cups topped with my cilantro coconut chutney, which went over really well!

 

I also served these tea sandwiches on Balthazar bread with apple tamarind chutney and fresh local cream cheese that I purchased from Anne Saxelby’s cheese shop in Essex Market.

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This was my first time attending the film festival.  I was very impressed with the film selection, including one called Kumare by Vikram Gandhi.  Kumare is kind of a documentary/farse starring the filmmaker himself as he transforms into a guru that actually attracts a following, in of all places, Arizona.  But, ultimately he has to come clean with his disciples about his true identity. What transpires in the film is truly fascinating and a commentary I think on the power of belief.

At the end, the catering staff got really creative and started using my chutney as a dressing. Definitely stealing that idea:)

 

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