Brian made Ginger and Tamarind Refresher. We mixed it with an equal amount of sparkling water. I am a big fan of tamarind so was very happy to have this drink. The combination of the bubbles, the freshness of the ginger, and the tartness of the tamarind was super refreshing.

Brian also made Chile-Sumac-Pomegranate Nuts. He said they went from sticky to over-done in less than 5 minutes, I’m guessing due to the sugar content. Bummer, because I like the idea of a sweet/sour/spicy flavor combo, but it was hard to completely appreciate in tandem with the slightly burnt flavor.

I made Chipotle-Garam Masala Olives. They’re meant to be served hot, so of course I had to try one right out of the fryer – YUM! Even having cooled down during transit to the party the olives were pretty great. Many people hovered around the table popping more olives into their mouths. The dish even got the thumbs up from several people who said they usually don’t like olives.

Superna provided potato and pea samosas and garlic naan. She ordered these in, as at the last minute she wasn’t able to cook. But that’s ok – stuff comes up, and these were delicious even if not from the cookbook.

Hector made Roasted Cauliflower, Paneer, and Mixed Lentil Salad. Paneer is an Indian cheese that I adore – Hector made this paneer following the cookbook recipe, and I was so excited to learn that it’s really easy to do! Topped with a really nice Cilantro Oil Dressing, this combination of paneer, cauliflower, and lentils was so tasty!

Brian also made Roasted Young Carrots with Sesame, Chili, and Nori. This was more Japanese than Indian, with the carrots sprinkled in Sharma’s version of the Japanese seasoning togarashi. But I like togarashi, so this carrot dish was just fine by me.

Brad made Caprese Salad with Sweet Tamarind Dressing. The dressing is for sure what makes this dish special. As I’ve mentioned, I really enjoy the sweet/sour notes of tamarind, and here they added a beautiful spin to the tomato and mozzarella of the typical caprese salad.

Brad also made Rainbow Root Raita. He said the recipe called for a surprising amount of water, which resulted in the whole thing becoming a pink soup as soon as he added the carrots and beets to the yogurt mixture. It was pretty runny, and Brad thinks it would have worked just fine without adding any water.

Jeff made Naan. He said he did quite the battle with the smoke alarm during the process and felt like he almost burned his house down, but we applaud him for his efforts because look how beautiful the naan came out. It was good to eat with the Rainbow Root Raita.

Jeff also made Bombay Frittata. This frittata was bomb! Haha sorry I couldn’t resist the play on words. But seriously – the egg with the feta and spices was so good. I wasn’t expecting to be so pleased with this one.

Barbara made Eggplant Pilaf. A giant platter of rice makes me happy. I think she must have made a quadruple recipe. I only had a small container to take some of the leftovers home, but now I’m wishing that I had figured out a way to pack up more.

Barbara also made Ground Lamb and Potato “Chops” with Sambal Oolek. Once again, Barbara made a ton, and I’m so glad. This was definitely a winner. The breadcrumbs on the outside of the patties were crispy deliciousness, the mashed potato was creamy goodness, and I loved the flavor of the Sambal Oolek-seasoned lamb filling.

Chris made Spiced Meat Loaf. Another wonderful dish. The meat was flavorful, and oh man that glaze! The meat loaf ended up being upside down on the platter because Chris had a bit of a hard time getting it out of the pan, so he put some additional glaze on the side, which I did not hesitate to spoon on.

Revi made Spiced Maple-Broiled Peaches. There were vanilla creme fraiche and maple vinegar syrup toppings. I didn’t realize that when I took the picture or when I first tried the peaches. Even by themselves they were tasty, then I added creme fraiche and I liked them even better. Then I discovered there was also syrup, and I was in heaven.

Revi also made Grilled Dates and Raisins with Black Pepper and Honey. The fruits got nicely caramelized from the grill, and the peppery flavor against the sweetness was amazing! The recipe suggested optionally you could eat these with a little Greek yogurt on the side, which I think sounds super.

Hector also made Date and Tamarind Loaf. I know I’ve already said this repeatedly, but tamarind is so good! This is a pretty dense cake, so the creme fraiche he served on the side was a nice complement to add some moisture and acidity to the sweet spice. I liked the crunchiness of the glaze too.