A state dinner is being held on Thursday in honour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House. An article published by the Press Trust of India (PTI) narrates the details of the event and focuses on the menu.
The state dinner is the third of the Biden administration. Last year, when welcoming French President Emmanuel Macron, the menu consisted of lobster, goat cheese, and chiffon cake.
For this banquet, a fully vegetarian menu has been designed by guest chef Nina Curtis, who specializes in plant-based cuisine, alongside the White House chefs.
The first course will be a marinated millet salad with grilled corn kernels and watermelon with a tangy avocado vinaigrette. The watermelon has been compressed to bring out the full depth of flavours. This will be followed by the main course, consisting of stuffed portobello mushrooms with summer squash and leeks, and a creamy risotto.
“We have curated a menu that really showcases the best in American cuisine seasoned with Indian elements and flavours,” said Curtis in a press conference held on Wednesday in the White House. As a result, the risotto will be saffron-infused and garnished with “different herbs from India.”
Upon request, sumac-roasted sea bass with crisped millet cakes and a lemon-dill yoghurt sauce will also be available for guests to dig into. To top it off, a rose and cardamom infused strawberry shortcake showcases the seasonal fruit currently available in the United States.
“Every element of the dinner and décor has been chosen to make each guest’s experience personal and warm,” said social secretary Carlos Elizondo in the press conference. The decoration will incorporate colours of the Indian and American national flags, with green curtains and carpets of navy blue.
“For this dinner, we have embossed an eagle and peacock onto the lectern where the toasts will be given,” said Elizondo at the conference and added, “In the peacock’s talons, (there will be) stalks of millets, (as) a nod to India’s successful campaign to declare 2023 (as) the International Year of Millets.”
With inputs from PTI.
