Christmas is around the corner and I am missing my parents, my home and God’s Own Country – Kerala. Christmas used to be a family reunion time and it was always filled with good memories. We spent our Christmas Holidays writing Greeting Cards, making Cribs, decorating the house with lights, hanging glowing Stars outside the house and attending the Christmas Midnight Mass.

Now that Advent Season is here, let us not forget to prepare spiritually for the birth of Jesus along with all the celebrations of the holiday season.

Most of us would be busy planning for the Perfect Christmas Party for family and friends. Well, here is a Christmas Party Menu complied from my collection of recipes. A major portion of the menu consists of recipes from Kerala Cuisine. Hope it will be useful for deciding on your HomeMade Christmas Menu.

Once again, I wish all my readers a Merry Christmas!!!

1. Christmas Special

You can start your lunch or dinner party with a Christmas Special Plum Cake, followed by Home Made Wine. I generally bake cake on the previous day of the Party.

1. Home Made Grape Wine
2. Plum Cake
   

2. Appetizers

I guess Cutlets with Onion Salad (Sarlas) make the most common appetizer for any Kerala party.

1. Simple Chicken Noodle Soup
2. Fried Shrimps
3. Onion Salad (Ulli Sarlas)
4. Chicken Cutlets
5. Karimeen Varuthathu (Pearl Spot Fry)
6. Fish Cutlets
7. Grilled Chicken Kebabs
8. Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
9. Fried Masala Shrimps
10. Vegetable Cutlets
11. Hot & Sweet Fish Fingers
    

3. Appam with Veg or Non Veg Curry

After the round of appetizers, you can either go for Palappam or Kallappam along with a Vegetarian or Non Vegetarian Gravy of your choice.

1. Appam
2. Egg Roast
3. Fish Molee
4. Vegetable Stew
5. Vegetable Khurma
6. Vegetable Masala Gravy
   
7. Chicken Masala Gravy
8. Kerala Chicken and Potato Curry
9. Cauliflower Green Peas Masala Curry
10. Spicy Beef Tomato Curry
11. Red Chilly & Tomato Chicken Curry
    
12. Mutton Stew

4. Bread and Curry

After Appam and Curry, the next course would be sliced Bread (usually fresh Bakery Rotti which we get in Kerala) served with another Non Vegetarian Dish. You may skip this course and go directly to the Main Course.

1. Bakery Bread (Rotti)
2. Kerala Chicken Gravy
3. Kerala Chicken Roast
4. Beef Masala
5. Butter Chicken
6. Spicy Chilly Fish Masala
7. Indo Chinese Style Chicken Kheema
   
8. Beef Chops

5. Main Course

You can either prepare Fried Rice, Pulav, Ghee Rice or Biriyani for the main course.

1. Nasi Goreng
2. Simple Fish Biriyani
3. Chicken Fried Rice
4. Egg Biriyani
5. Egg Fried Rice
6. Vegetable Fried Rice
7. Kerala Fish Biriyani
8. Vegetable Biriyani
9. Chicken Pulav
10. Ghee Rice (Neychoru)
11. Chicken Biryani
    

Sides for Fried Rice

Here are a few Indo Chinese Sides for Fried Rice.

1. Chilly Chicken
2. Chilly Prawns
3. Chilly Gobi
4. Chilly Fish
   

Side dish for Biryani

If you are making Chicken Biriyani, then you can chose a side dish like Fish Fry. If your making Fish Biriyani or Egg Biriyani, then Chicken Fry will be good.

1. Kerala Fish Fry
2. Kerala Beef Fry
3. Kerala Chicken Stir Fry (Kozhi Varattiyathu)
4. Kerala Chicken Fry
5. Prawns Tomato Roast
6. Kerala Chicken Roast
7. Tomato Chicken Roast
   

Side dish for Ghee Rice/Pulav

Ghee Rice is usually served with a spicy Non vegetarian Gravy like Mutton Curry, Chicken Curry or Beef Curry.

1. Kerala Chicken and Potato Curry
   
2. Kerala Chicken Gravy
3. Beef Masala
4. Chicken Masala Gravy
5. Spicy Beef Tomato Curry
6. Onion Chicken Curry
   

Accompaniments for Ghee Rice and Biriyani

For Biriyani and Ghee Rice,  you can prepare any Raitha (Yogurt Mix) and Pappad as an accompaniment.

1. Raitha – Onion Tomato Raitha
   
2. Salad – Onion Salad
3. Plain Yogurt
4. Pickle
5. Pappad

6. Kerala Style Main Course – Rice with Curries

You can also go for Kerala Style Main Course instead of Biriyani and Fried Rice. Rice is served with one main Curry/Gravy, one or more Vegetarian Sides and one or more Non Vegetarian Sides.

Gravies or Curries for Rice

1. Dried Prawns Mango Curry (Chemmenum Mangayum)
2. Seasoned ButterMilk (Moru Kachiyathu)
3. Pulishery
4. Spinach Lentil Curry (Cheerayum Parippum)
5. Kerala Sambar
6. Tomato Rasam
7. Thakkali Curry (Tomato Curry)
   

Non Vegetarian Sides for Rice

1. Kerala Fish Fry
2. Fried Anchovies (Netholi/Kozhuva)
3. Kerala Beef Fry
   
4. Kerala Chicken Stir Fry (Kozhi Varattiyathu)
5. Kerala Chicken Roast
6. Prawns Tomato Roast
7. Dried Prawns Stir Fry
8. Spicy Kerala Chicken Masala
9. Beef Masala
10. Kerala Chicken Fry

Non Vegetarian Gravies for Rice

1. Fish Curry
2. Simple Prawns Curry
3. Spicy Pork Curry
4. Kerala Chicken and Potato Curry
5. Kerala Chicken Gravy
6. Chicken Masala Gravy
7. Netholi Fish Curry (Kozhuva/Anchovy Curry)
8. Varutharacha Meen Curry (Fish in Roasted Coconut Gravy)

Vegetarian Side Dish for Rice

7. Desserts

I would usually bake a cake on the previous day of the party and buy a few flavors of Icecream. Cake with Ice cream is the best dessert.

1. Cake with Ice Cream/Whipped Cream
   
2. Fruit Salad
3. Gulab Jamun with Ice Cream
4. Pudding

8. Touchings for Alcoholic Drinks

For those of you want a few touchings for Alcoholic drinks, you can choose any of the following:-

1. Kerala Beef Fry
2. Prawns Tomato Roast
3. Fried Chicken Sausages
4. Sausage Crumble Stir Fry

Enjoy the Holiday Season!!!