Turkey With a Delhi Accent: We Didn’t Merely Adopt Thanksgiving. We Rewrote it in Saffron
- May your Thanksgiving be full, fearless, and joyfully over-spiced — the way all unforgettable family stories begin.
Our first Thanksgiving in Los Angeles unfolded in saffron, ambition, and a turkey that had somehow picked up a Delhi accent.
It was just a couple of years after we got married. Kunal had joined Sony Pictures.
I was still figuring out storytelling in Hollywood — holding onto the wild hope that narrative structure could somehow make sense of this immigrant adventure we had thrown ourselves into.
And in the most optimistic move known to new immigrants everywhere, we volunteered to host Thanksgiving dinner for our film-school friends.
I don’t remember the finer details now. That’s what early beginnings do — they blur into warm, soft shapes, like old film stills. It was chaotic, loud, over-seasoned, and absolutely perfect.
We didn’t merely adopt Thanksgiving. We rewrote it — in spice, in story, in our own accent — until the holiday finally understood us back.
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗔𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞𝗦𝗚𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗨
𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳.
COURSE 1 — JUST US TWO, BEFORE ANYONE ARRIVES
The quiet pre-chaos moment. A small ritual for two.
BOMBAY CHILI CHEESE TOAST
The iconic Indian comfort: melty cheese, green chillies, cilantro, and butter sizzling on soft toast.
Wine (Generic): Dry Rosé
LXV: 2023 Reserve Cabernet Franc
Bright, herbal notes, and built for cheese + heat.
COURSE 2 — WHEN FAMILY WALKS IN
Conversation begins. Opinions appear. Chaat is served.
SWEET POTATO CHAAT
ROASTED SWEET POTATOES TOSSED WITH CHAAT MASALA, LIME, CILANTRO, AND POMEGRANATE.
Wine (Generic): Dry Riesling or Chenin Blanc
LXV: 2023 Secret
subtle fruit, silky tannins = magic with sweet potatoes.
COURSE 3 — THE INDIAN PALATE CLEANSER
No sorbet. No mint sprig. Just brilliance.
NIMBU PAANI GRANITA
Fresh lime juice, grated ginger, jaggery, and black salt — frozen and shaved.
COURSE 4 — THE MAIN EVENT
This is where the turkey becomes an immigrant too.
MASALA-RUBBED TURKEY WITH GINGER-GARLIC & KASHMIRI CHILLI
YOUR “TURKEY WITH A DELHI ACCENT” — BOLD, AROMATIC, SLIGHTLY SMOKY FROM GHEE, DEEPLY CONFUSED IN THE BEST WAY.
Wine (Generic): Syrah / Shiraz
LXV: 2023 Meso Syrah
Smoke + pepper + savory depth = built for masala.
COURSE 5 — THE SUPPORTING CAST
Saffron Mashed Potatoes
Silky, golden, unapologetically Indian.
Green Beans with Cumin & Red Chilli
Crunchy, earthy, quietly powerful.
Cranberry Chutney with Ginger & Mustard Seeds
Cranberry sauce after finding its identity.
For all your sides: always have a glass of a Dry Rose or LXV Blanc De Franc alongside the featured wine(s)
COURSE 6 — DESSERT
CARDAMOM PUMPKIN PIE
Pumpkin pie that grew up in Mumbai.
Wine (Generic): Late Harvest Riesling or Sweet Muscat
LXV: 2024 Blanc de Sangiovese
May your Thanksgiving be full, fearless, and joyfully over-spiced — the way all unforgettable family stories begin.
Neeta Mittal’s first language is storytelling. Raised in a small town of Kolhapur in India and trained as a filmmaker, she carried with her an instinct for narrative and a sensitivity to the sensory world — the markets, the spices, the rhythms of everyday life. At LXV, she became its voice and its lens, shaping not only how the wines are experienced but how they are remembered. For her, wine is not complete without the frame around it: spice, ritual, conversation.