From potato dumplings to pumpkin tart: White House menu Modi will miss out on

New York might be the luxury capital of the world, but our Prime Minister has no great interest in what it has to offer. Like we have said before, PM Modi, who has never missed a Navratra fast doesn’t seem up for a Big Apple feast this time. Reports suggest that PM Modi will mostly survive on lemonade (which he always carries with him when he is out), fruits and of course, tea. [caption id=“attachment_1730177” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] A file photo of former PM Manmohan Singh with present PM Narendra Modi. AFP[/caption] One look at his itinerary confirms that he has been invited to several lunch and dinner programmes by the US government and business bodies in the country. The sad part here is, he might not be able to enjoy any of the lavish dishes laid out for him at these meetings. Since we don’t want our PM to miss out on dishes that we have otherwise seen only on Masterchef, we shall try to give him a sense of what he will be skipping during his trip. Since we have no clear picture of what the White House kitchen is up to, in order to dazzle our Prime Minister, we dug out the menu of ex-PM Manmohan Singh’s visit to get a sense of the US tradition to welcoming state guests. And to put it in one word: it’s delicious! To make sure the good Indian man didn’t miss home too much, the dinner menu, for the first time in its history even included a curry! With the Green Curry Prawns, Singh was also served ‘coconut-aged basmati rice’. Infact, a report in the Times of India  said that the dinner hosted by Obama for Singh was one of the most expensive. The US President, in 2009, had spent a whopping $1.5 million on five state dinners and the most expensive was for the former Indian Prime Minister. “The Obama administration spent $572,187.36 for the State Dinner for PM Manmohan Singh at the White House on November 24, 2009,” the report states. Here’s a list of all that former PM Manmohan Singh was served. Will they be good enough to make PM Modi change his mind? STARTERS/APPETISERS: Okay now Baingan Bharta patriots, calm down. Before you turn your nose up and call the following a supermodel version of apna baingan bharta and declare that our PM doesn’t need to travel all the way up to White House for this and just get your cook on speed dial for free instead, think again. ‘White House Arugula With Onion Seed Vinaigrette’  could be no ordinary thing. And that’s not just because it has a herb that sounds like it’s a Game of Thrones villain, but because it’s a vinaigrette made in the White House guys! And you thought, they just made drones. *Rolls eyes* [caption id=“attachment_1730245” align=“aligncenter” width=“620”] Potato and Eggplant Salad, White House Arugula With Onion Seed Vinaigrette/Credits: flickr creative commons[/caption] Aww, how thoughtful again. This don’t-miss-home-too-much soup. Rajma with a cheesy twist only this! And if the PM gets US withdrawal symptoms, he could just sprinkle some paneer on his Rajma to bring some Amreeka to his dinner. [caption id=“attachment_1730247” align=“aligncenter” width=“620”] Red Lentil Soup with Fresh Cheese/credits: flickr creative commons[/caption] MAIN COURSE:  There was ‘Roasted Potato Dumplings With Tomato Chutney Chick Peas and Okra’. So, this is it. Of course this was the most expensive dinner Obama ever served. That one dish had all our week’s subzis in it! There was also a ‘Green Curry Prawns Caramelized Salsify with Coconut Aged Basmati’.  It was accompanied with Smoked Collard Greens. We hope that our ex-PM managed to find his prawns amid all those other fancy things mentioned in the name of this dish. [caption id=“attachment_1730263” align=“aligncenter” width=“620”] Roasted Potato Dumplings With Tomato Chutney Chick Peas and Okra /credits: flickr creative commons[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1730265” align=“aligncenter” width=“620”] Green Curry Prawns Caramelized Salsify/credits: flickr creative commons[/caption] DESSERT:  The guests got three options for dessert. Pumpkin Pie Tart (IMAGE)/ Pear Tatin (IMAGE) / Whipped Cream and Caramel Sauce. Now, this is very Navratri-friendly, we must say. Also, since pumpkin can be made into a tart, maybe we should try making halwa out of it also,right? Will the PM be tempted at all? [caption id=“attachment_1730255” align=“aligncenter” width=“620”] Pumpkin Pie Tart & Pear Tatin Whipped Cream and Caramel Saucecredits/flickr creative commons[/caption]   ACCOMPANIMENTS: Petits Fours and Coffee / Cashew Brittle Pecan Pralines Passion Fruit and Vanilla Gelees / Chocolate-Dipped Fruit Over to the White House kitchen now. Let’s see how they manage to plan a menu around nimboo paani though.