Sherlyn's Food for Thought

I am: A pure non-vegetarian. I like chicken. I also like seafood especially pomfret.

I begin my day with: Four or five cups of coffee. I wake up according to my schedule. I am quite flexible.
I don't have breakfast: I eat wheat and digestive biscuits.

I eat only: One meal a day at around 6 pm. That's my breakfast cum lunch cum early dinner. I eat two chappatis, one portion of chicken breast or two portions of pomfret and I love to have dal tadka.

In vegetables: I love brinjal, ladyfingers and French beans.

I am allergic to: Fried food. The sight of fried food like samosas or fried chicken is disturbing. I hate anything deep-fried.

A must have for my dinner is: One non-vegetarian item.

I don't work out regularly: I visit my doctor.

During my childhood: My dad would make khichdi for me when I was sick.

My favourite cook: Was my dad. He would make anything I asked him to, including dosas. Besides being a great doctor, he was a great cook. I would ask my mom how he knew to whip up many more dishes than she could!

I always carry: Red Bull to my shoot.

I love to binge on: Kurkure.

In my fridge: You will always find wine bottles, Red Bull and chicken packets.

On Sundays: I like to have rice. I eat a small portion of rice with onions. I have a maid who cooks for me. I don't like sweets. If I feel the urge to eat sweets, I eat egg-less cakes. I pick up cakes from Foodland, Juhu.
Dishes I expertise in: Noodles, spaghetti and macaroni.

My best dining friend is: My maid. She makes simple food like dal chawal and roti. I love the flavour of her Maharashtrian style chicken. While I eat, she goes on and on with her stories.

In foodstuff: I can't resist buying things made of wheat like brown noodles and brown bread. I make sure I take at least 10 cans of Red Bull. And I love strawberries.

I feel guilty about eating: Non-vegetarian. A debate goes on in my head. A part of me tells me that I should not be eating it while another part says, 'Why not?". But because I am associated with PETA I feel guilty.

When I am in Hyderabad: I never miss Hyderabadi biryani, mirchi ka salan and bagare baingan. They are mouth watering. ITC makes amazing food. Dum Pukht is like my second home.

My favourite restaurants: Abroad, I don't remember any. In India, I like ITC in every city. I like Mainland China too.

My favourite cuisine: Persian cuisine. My mother makes a dish that has layers of onions, mashed potatoes and chicken, cooked with rice. It's an amazing dish. I also like Indian and Italian cuisine.

My favourite spice is: Green chilly. I usually deseed them before eating them.

My favourite beverage is: Red Bull and red wine.

My favourite Poison: Tequila. It is literally poison for me because even a shot of it leaves my head spinning.

I resemble a: Chilly cum strawberry. I am a spicy strawberry.

My favourite fruits are: Strawberries, apple and bananas.

My idea of a romantic meal: Is a great DVD, a bottle of red wine, chicken sizzlers and nobody around to bother me.


Sherlyn's Favourite Recipe: Hyderabadi Dum Biryani

Ingredients

1/2 kg basmati rice
1 kg chicken, cut into medium pieces
2 big onions, finely sliced
15 cashew nuts
250 gms curd
Salt to taste
6 to 7 tbsp oil
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
6 to 7 green cardamoms
1 black cardamom
4 cloves
1 piece of dalchini
3 to 4 bay leaves
4 onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp ghee
25 strands of saffron, soaked in 1/4 cup milk
Some wheat flour dough
Masalas to be ground
3/4 tsp turmeric powder
3 tbsp coriander seeds
5 to 6 Kashmiri chillies
25 gms poppy seeds
12 flakes of garlic
Coriander leaves
2" piece ginger
4 to 5 green chillies
Fresh mint leaves

Method

Wash and soak rice for about 20 minutes. Wash the chicken pieces. Deep-fry the sliced onions and cashew nuts, till golden. Keep aside. In a bowl, mix curd with ground masala and salt to taste. Marinate the chicken pieces in the curd mixture for an hour. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, add cumin seeds, green and black cardamom, cloves, dalchini and bay leaves. Fry for a few seconds, add the chopped onions and fry the onions on a low flame till golden. Add the chicken and let it cook. Cover with a lid with water in it, stirring at regular intervals. Parboil the rice with salt to taste. Spread the rice on a thali to cool completely. Lightly heat ghee in a dekchi. Put a layer of rice, sprinkle some saffron milk, spread the fried onions and place the prepared chicken on it. Top the chicken with the remaining rice. Sprinkle the remaining saffron milk. Garnish with remaining fried onions and fried cashew nuts. Cover with a lid and seal the dekchi with the wheat flour dough. Keep the dekchi on a pre-heated tawa for about 20 minutes on a low flame. When you want to serve remove the dough. Serve hot with vegetable raita and onion kachumbar.