President Pranab Mukherjee to host power dinner for 30

NEW DELHI: With Gujarat the flavour of the season, Rashtrapati Bhavan plans to serve delicacies like kadhi (fried dumplings of gram flour in tangy gravy of yoghurt), kela methi nu shaak (plantain and fenugreek leaves tempered with cumin seeds) and pineapple shrikhand (hung curd and sugar flavoured with green cardamom and saffron) to Narendra Modi within hours of his taking oath as the next prime minister.

President Pranab Mukherjee will host a private dinner for Modi and Saarc leaders including Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif. The guests, including Vice-President Hamid Ansari, some of newly sworn-in ministers and a handful of senior BJP leaders will be hosted in the Grey Dining Room.

"The President will host a private dinner for about 25-30 guests which include the PM, foreign dignitaries and some members of the council of ministers," Omita Paul, secretary to the President, said.

The sumptuous spread at Rashtrapati Bhavan is likely to include chilled melon soup, followed by a selection of four entrees. The non-vegetarian option will include chicken hazarvi and galauti kebab while the vegetarian starters include tandoori aloo and arbi ke kebab.

The pan-India main course will include Kerala-inspired prawn stew for non-vegetarians while a vegetable stew will be on offer for others, chicken Chettinad from Tamil Nadu, Jaipuri bhindi from Rajasthan, potol dolma from West Bengal, Punjab's dal makhani besides Gujarati kadhi and kela methi nu shaak and birbali kofta curry. This will be accompanied by papad, cucumber raita, steamed rice and assorted Indian breads. For dessert, the guests will be served pineapple halwa, shrikhand, fruits and sandesh. The meal will end with green tea and south Indian coffee.

Soon after the oath-taking ceremony in the forecourt, Modi and Saarc leaders will be ushered inside Rashtrapati Bhavan for high tea. Refreshments will include snacks like dhokla, cucumber sandwiches, assorted savory tarts, imarti and cookies.

Following this, the dignitaries will be led to the guest wing of Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President's office has made arrangements for leaders to refresh themselves in different suites of the guest wing before dinner.

The newly-refurbished guest wing of Rashtrapati Bhavan was thrown open earlier this year after two decades and Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his wife were the first guests to stay there.

At Mukherjee's special initiative, the old glory of Rashtrapati Bhavan, which was formally inaugurated in 1931, was restored.