'We sometimes pack snacks and go to Marine Drive'

DJ Akbar Sami recommends this simple pleasure

Akbar's thought for food

I am a non-vegetarian: My favourite food is Indian (homemade).

My breakfast consists: A mixture of dry fruits. I like to eats eggs in different ways. There are times when I eat cornflakes with milk.

My lunch consists of: Chicken curry/ fish curry, with chapatis, curds and dal. No, I do not carry lunch to work.u00a0

My dinner is: Very light. It consists of salads and soups and sometimes a tuna sandwich.
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My fitness training: I do cross training for 30 minutes and jog for 20 minutes. I pump iron at the gym, for 45 minutes, four days a week.

I am allergic to: Powder and dust.

I hate: Ghee and oils.

One food or drink that has a childhood memory for me: I would mix Mangola and lassi and drink it (laughs).u00a0

When I am recording, I always carry: My homework of what I make the night before and a pullover because it's very cold in studios.

In the evenings I like to binge on: Tea with khari biscuits.

In my fridge you'll always find: Lots of juice, milk and gajjar ka halwa.

My Sunday lunch is mostly: With the family. My wife makes great food.

My favourite cook from my family: My mummy. She makes the best shammi kababs in the whole world.

The one dish I expertise in: I can make the best boiled eggs!

My best dining friends are: Dilip, Pappi, Harry, Longie and Manish they are my oldest friends and like family to me. Eating out with them and having a laugh with them is soulful.

My comfort food: Hot paya soup is magical. And paneer salad for me is total comfort food.

My favourite holiday dining experience: Was at the Grand Canyon, Arizona. I was taken by helicopter to the bottom of Grand Canyon and served lunch. The atmosphere was awesome, flowers with rare colours were flourishing. The mountains were multi-hued. The lunch was historic. I have never seen anything like this before.

In food stuff, I can't resist buying: Cheese, honey, fish, garlic, bread, fruits and vegetables. Ooh I go crazy shopping.
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I feel guilty about: Eating rice. Rice is the reason I have to spend more time at the gym.

My favourite dishes from hometown: I love the food in Mumbai because it has the best of everything from all over the world. If I have to point out it would be Maharashtrian and Mughlai food.

My idea of a romantic meal: An outdoor meal with my wife Raziya. We sometimes pack snacks and go to Marine Drive. We sit out on the stone chairs while the waves create a splash. Try it, it's beautiful.

My favourite restaurants in India: On Toes (Juhu), Olive, Indigo, Busaba, Golden Orchid.

My favourite restaraunts abroad: ILe Baoli (France) Villa Romana (St. Tropez), Lush (Durban) Asha's (Dubai).u00a0

My favourite cuisine: Is Indian.

My favourite spices: Garlic and chilli achar.

My favourite beverage is: Black grape juice.

My favourite fruits: Kiwis, avocados, apples, papayas and anar.

I am not a dessert person but I like: Mishti doi.

I resemble a: Mosambi because I am a humble, shy and down-to-earth guy.

Food stuff I like to buy at a supermarket: When I am abroad, I buy clothes and chocolates for the family.

I went once to a studio: For the shoot of Fast Forward and the lunch on the set was: mutton curry, baingan ka bharta, aloo mattar, dal, rice and chapatis.

Akbar's favourite recipe: green chicken korma

Ingredients
1 kg boneless chicken cut into medium pieces
2-4 cloves, 2" cinnamon stick
1tsp cumin seeds
2-3 green elaichi
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 1/2 bunch fresh coriander leaves (finely chopped)
3-4 green chillies
4 onions (finely chopped)
Salt to taste
1 cup curd (beaten)
1 1/2 tsp garlic paste
1 1/2 tsp ginger paste
100 gms oil

Method
Wash and clean the chicken pieces. In a vessel, heat oil add clove, cinnamon stick, elaichi, bay leaf and cumin seeds. Saute for two minutes. Add the chicken pieces. Saute for 2-3 minutes on a slow fire.

Add turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste. Saute for 2-3 minutes. In a grinder add coriander leaves, green chillies and onions and little water to a fine paste. Add this paste to the chicken. Mix well and cook on a slow fire till the chicken is cooked and the oil separates. Add salt to taste. Mix well. Keep the vessel open. Do not cover as the green gravy will change colour.

Add 1 cups of water and cook again till the oil separates, add the beaten curd and mix well. Cook on a slow fire for a few minutes.

Garnish with lemon wedge, juliennes of ginger and slit green chillies. Serve hot with rotis or rice.

Note: for vegetarians, we can use paneer instead of chicken.u00a0