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Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
5 min
18/12/2025
There's no time to be in the kitchen when all the guests are arriving for December weddings. This guide will help you prepare delicious dishes ahead of time (from gravies to snacks, curries and desserts) so you are prepared for any last-minute guests coming over without the chaos of last-minute cooking.
This article will give you the best strategy to host during such a busy month filled with weddings: prepare ahead of time, freeze ahead of time, and choose recipes that improve with time (i.e., they taste better the day after cooking). This article focuses on fabulous dishes and explains why they can be made ahead of time and how they can be served on busy wedding party weekends to prevent any unnecessary stress for the hosts.
You can't get much more of a crowd-pleaser than Dal Makhani, as it truly improves by sitting for a day or so. It becomes much creamier as time allows the smoky flavour of the lentils to fully infuse with the oil and spices. Make a large batch two days before your guests arrive, place it in the refrigerator, and heat it slowly to serve with your fresh rice or rotis, and you will be none the wiser that it was cooked two days earlier.
Paneer tikka is the ideal companion for an event or celebration; in addition to the festival's flexibility, the dish includes a yoghurt, spice and lemon marinade that permeates during the waiting time due to the 24-hour soak. All you'll need to do on the day of your gathering is throw it onto skewers and cook it on a tawa or in an oven. The longer the paneer marinades, the deeper the flavour, thus this is a great tip for all hosts.
The biryani is the only celebratory dish with this effect because the biryani is typically kept at the 'Dum Stage' for a full day or until served the next day before being fully steamed (though still leaving the rice grains intact). For the month of wedding guests visiting and using their own kitchens, making large batches of biryani will allow you to save time while maintaining the dramatic appeal of a special occasion meal.
Half-cooked stuffed parathas save you when you're looking for a quick breakfast or something to satisfy your hungry stomach after your wedding night. They are easy to prepare in advance. You can prepare aloo, gobhi or paneer stuffing prior to cooking. They can stay fresh in your refrigerator for a couple of days. Once you cook half the parathas, you can stack them and freeze them after laying them out between pieces of butter paper. When you want to use them, you will need to heat them on a hot tawa until fully cooked, and they will come out soft and flaky, like a freshly made paratha.
Chole also tastes best when it is made several hours earlier than when you are going to serve it. As the chole soak up the gravy and the spice flavours continue to settle, the dish naturally darkens. The chole can be made at least 24 hours in advance and stored in the refrigerator until you reheat and serve it by adding a small amount of water to loosen the sauce. Chole served with puri or bhature makes for an instant crowd favourite during any wedding season.
The December wedding season is known for pairing good friends, family, and comfort food during long days of wedding festivities. Gajar halwa is one of these comfort foods. Gajar halwa will continue to be one of the best desserts to make and keep in your refrigerator during this season. When you need to serve something sweet after the wedding festivities, gajar halwa has a wonderful texture, and it will keep its wonderful consistency while stored in the refrigerator due to the fact that it is made with ghee, carrots and milk that have been continuously being cooked slowly in large pots. Once you are ready to serve the halwa, reheat it in the microwave until warm, and top with chopped nuts during the last moment for that finishing touch.
