Indian charcuterie board. A fresh new spin on your classic cheese board. Featuring popular Indian favorites, this makes for a stunning centrepiece for your holiday gatherings. It’s totally customizable too, so you can wow your guests with an incredibly tasty festive spread.
When you combine Indian classics and a contemporary cheese board, culinary magic just happens. Well, doesn’t this charcuterie board look stunning? Let’s make a South Asian inspired cheese board this festive season.
This Indian charcuterie board brings in all the right elements to create the perfect platter of your dreams. Starting with classic samosas, chutneys, treats and ending with India’s most favorite fruit, mangoes, this brings you the ultimate flavor explosion. Depending on the size of the board you will need, you can add more elements to it.
Make The Best Indian Charcuterie Board
- Chutneys- First, arrange the small bowls with chutneys around the board. As you can see in the pictures, I have included green chutney and tamarind chutney, the two quintessential chutneys that you need for any Indian spread. The third option is mango chutney to add a little sweetness.
- Nuts - Indian cuisine and nuts go hand in hand. They appear in a variety of curries, snacks and desserts adding the lovely crunchy texture and richness to the dishes. Spiced or masala coated nuts are a popular snack choice, so add a bowl of masala peanuts or spiced cashew nuts and almonds. If you want to avoid nuts, spiced chickpeas are a great option.
- Crackers - Papdis are the classic Indian crackers that are usually used to make chats. However, you can replace them with your favorite store bought crackers. Again, for the authentic touch, go with Indian brands like Monaco and Krackjack. If you like biscottis, you can also include some Indian rusks.
- Bread - The classic Indian bread, naan, gets a crispy baked makeover here creating naan chips or crisps. They are super easy to make using store bought or homemade naan. Simply brush the naans with oil, sprinkle with some herbs, cut into triangles and bake until crisp.
- Cheese - I have opted for three kinds of cheese to make this platter. Classic Indian cottage cheese or paneer, brie and Swiss cheese. With paneer, you can make paneer tikka with a simple rub of paprika and garlic powder. Just brown them in the pan and you are done.
- Fruits and vegetables - Mango is the popular choice for Indian inspired platters, but pomegranates, sliced apples and red grapes also make a great addition to this Indian cheese board. I have also added some cucumbers and tomatoes that also form an important part of Indian style salads.
- More treats - To fill the gaps, you can add Indian snacks and sweets. I decided to go the easy way, and added some store bought cookies called ‘Little Hearts’ to the board. I think they are so uniquely Indian.
- Garnish - Add a few lemon wedges and coriander sprigs for the final finishing touch.
Indian Charcuterie Board | Video
Ingredients
- Green chutney
- Tamarind chutney
- Masala peanuts or spiced nuts
- Naan chips see notes
- Samosas choose small cocktail samosas
- Crackers
- Rusk or Indian biscotti
- Paneer skewers
- Brie
- Swiss cheese slices
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
- Mango
- Little hearts cookies
- Coriander cilantro leaves, to garnish
- Lemon wedges to garnish
Instructions
- Place chutneys and peanuts in three small bowls.
- Arrange them on the cheese board.
- Arrange all the other ingredients on the board.
- Garnish with lemon wedges and coriander (cilantro) leaves
Video
Notes
- All ingredients on the board are easily available from the Asian / Indian aisle of your local grocery stores
- To make naan chips, brush naans with oil and dried herb, cut into triangles and bake at 200 C (400 F) until crispy
- Here are a few more ideas to add to the cheese board - papdi / papri, spiced chickpeas, Indian snacks like murukku, banana chips, raisins or sweets like ladoo, jalebi etc. With cheese, choose from goat cheese, aged cheddar etc
Nutrition
Like this Indian charcuterie board idea? Then join Nish Kitchen on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. Watch exclusive recipe videos on YouTube.
Leave a Reply