Diwali for 18 guests
A buffet-style Diwali for 18: 6 dishes, about 907 g of food a guest (36 lb in all), 34 lines on the shopping list and around 68 drinks. 20% of the cooking can happen before the day.
- Dishes
- 6
- Food
- 36 lb
- Drinks
- 68
- Shopping lines
- 34
Sized by the planning engine
The menu, amounts and kitchen check
- · We set food for 7 PM — change it if your timing is different.
Menu for 18
To start
- Cheese board with quince & walnut3 batches · 24 servingson the day
Mains
- One-pot red lentil soup3.5 batches · 21 servingson the day
Bread
- Pan de muerto3 batches · 24 servingson the day
Dessert
- Vegan plum sorbet with ginger and black pepper3 batches · 24 servingsday before
About 907 g of food a guest. 20% of the cooking can be done before the day.
Shopping highlights
- Cauliflower4 lb
- Citrus for garnish4 ea
- Fresh ginger0.3 cup
- Garlic15 clove
- Herb for garnish — mint or rosemary2 bunch
- Lemon4 ea
- Onion7 ea
- Orange zest1 oz
- Potato4 lb
- Ripe plums6 lb
10 of 34 lines. The full list comes with the plan.
Kitchen check
SERVING STATIONS — What runs out first
The day-of cooking does not fit the day
The day-of cooking does not fit the day. Move dishes to the day before, cut the menu, add an oven, or reduce the guest count. The plan will not compress cooking time for you.
Checked against a starting kitchen of 1 oven and 4 burners — not yours yet. Seats are not counted here: the planner asks for your real number rather than guessing it.
Drinks and cost
- Drinks, all kinds
- 68
- Ice
- 28 lb
- Food, estimated
- $500
About $28 a guest — a planning estimate from typical supermarket costs, not a price.
Countdown
The Diwali timeline, condensed
4 weeks before
- · Send the date, the start time, and a question about what people do not eat.
- · A dal, a vegetable, a rice and a sweet cover a common home Diwali. Vegetarian tables are common; do not assume every guest is vegetarian.
2 weeks before
- · Order the things that sell out. Leave the greens for the week of.
- · Decide the table before you buy anything for it.
1 week before
- · Cook whatever is better the next day. Leave the last fry for the day.
- · Count the zero-proof and the water with the rest of the drinks.
Day before
- · Clear the surfaces you will actually serve from.
- · Label what is already done so a helper does not redo it.
Day of
- · Finish only what cannot wait. Put the rest out before people arrive.
- · Keep one person out of the kitchen once guests are in the room.
Day after
- · Cool leftovers in shallow containers. Note what actually ran out.
- · Eat the food that keeps. Throw out the food that does not.
Other sizes
Diwali for more or fewer
Questions hosts ask
How much food for a Diwali for 18?
About 36 lb of finished food, or 907 g a guest across 6 dishes, with one-pot red lentil soup as the main. The amounts are sized by the planning engine and include a small margin.
Should a Diwali for 18 be a buffet or a sit-down meal?
It usually runs buffet-style: guests help themselves, so not everyone needs a chair at once. Still count the seats you have; the planner never assumes them.
How many drinks for a Diwali for 18?
About 68 drinks across the party, including alcohol-free ones, and 28 lb of ice.
How far ahead should I start planning?
Start 4 weeks before: send the date, the start time, and a question about what people do not eat, and a dal, a vegetable, a rice and a sweet cover a common home Diwali. Vegetarian tables are common; do not assume every guest is vegetarian.
What does a Diwali for 18 cost?
The food in this plan comes to roughly $500, about $28 a guest. That is a planning estimate from typical US supermarket costs, not a price for your shop.
The whole night
Plan my Diwali for 18
Tell us about your kitchen, your seats and anyone's food needs, and the menu, shopping list and timeline redraw around them.