Food for travel

Shekhar Kapur the famed director might have breakfast in New York and lunch in London but he loves bajre ki roti and dal

Shekhar Kapur the famed director might have breakfast in New York and lunch in London but he loves bajre ki roti and dal

I am
An early riser. I like getting up early because that part of the day is really beautiful. It's that blue light; it's the most creative time and the most spiritual time.

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I begin my day with
Earl Grey tea with a dash of milk and a bit of honey.u00a0I have been travelling for the last five years so I have to constantly adapt to new places. If I am in London or New York then I walk the streets and observe the people and end up in a little cafu00e9. If I am in the mountains, I go out for a walk. If my daughter is with me then I just like to sit and watch her sleep because there is nothing more beautiful than watching a child wake up.

In New York or London
I always eat the local breakfast. If I am at home and somebody is making breakfast for me then I have a fruit. If I am missing missing home, I eat a masala omlette. I don't like a very heavy breakfast so I have fruits followed by a boiled egg and toast so I end up having two breakfasts.u00a0

My lunch is
From home. But if I am travelling, lunches are working lunches. If I am shooting in London I take my cook Suresh with me. My lunch box contains brown rice, bajre ki roti, vegetables and dal. My favourite dal is masoor and my favourite vegetables are karela, methi, cabbage. I like sambar a lot. I love vegetables cooked Indian style. Rice is a must have for lunch but I don't like white rice.
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On the sets of Elizabeth The Golden Age
All the stars would come to my trailer to eat. My cook had started cooking for about 10 people. He had become one of the most popular people on the sets.u00a0

In the evenings
My stomach starts to growl but I keep away from snacking because I know I have to eat dinner. But during filming the problem is that there is always food lying around the set so you keep binging. At other times, I settle for til ka laddu. I've loved them since I was a child.

My dinner is
My main meal. I like black channa, rajma, chawli u2014 Punjabi habits. I like ragi rotis. I just can't stay away from desi ghee; I put dollops of it in my food. I often get up in the middle of the night to have a snack. I eat some cheese or whatever is nibble-worthy in the fridge.

In sweetsu00a0I like
Gaajar halwa. If I feel like a sweet after dinner, I eat a dark chocolate. I like its bitter taste.

My childhood memory of food
Kharbooza, mangoes, sarson ka saag, makai ki roti. Either the cook or my mom would make the meal. We were in Delhi and ate rajma chawal, makai ki roti and saag. Although we aren't vegetarian it's where my love for vegetables has come from.
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My favourite cook
My cook, Suresh. He does a great fish curry, bhindi and karela. He has been with me for years, he really knows what I want.u00a0

I can cook
I taught Suresh the recipe of fish curry. I am also good at making a biryani and an omlette. When I was 18 and left for the UK I had to learn to cook. I remember my mom came to see me when I was a student in England and stayed with me in an apartment I was sharing with friends. And I made a great curry for her. She really enjoyed it but I forgot to tell her it was beef. She was all sick when I told her. At that time the trick was if you had enough butter it would taste nice.u00a0

Sunday lunch
Is the same as Monday.

My idea of a romantic meal
I don't find meals very romantic to tell you the truth. I am too much of a foodie. For me a romantic dinner is an artificially created western concept but I love Venice and avocados.

Favourite Resturaunt
Shekhar says, "I don't like places where you have to make a reservation. In London I like to go to Lebanese restaurants. I love Japanese food, it's clean and sans oil. I like their fish sushi et al. A traditional Gujju restaurant in Ahemadabad is fabulous."

Favourite Recipe: Veg Biryani

Ingredients
1/2u00a0cup rice
1 onion (finely chopped)
4-5 tsp pure ghee
3-4 cloves
1 stick cinnamon
5-8 black pepper
1/2u00a0tsp cumin seeds
Salt to taste

Method

Step 1
Take some dry riceu00a01/2 cup, one finely chopped onion, and four-five tsp of pure ghee and fry them till they become soft and brownish. After that add some zeera, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, salt and sautu00e9 a little more.
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Step 2
Add two cups of rice and four cups of water along with lots of vegetables carrots,cauliflower, peas, green beans, semi-boiled potatoes, onions cut in larger pieces along with turmeric and mix the whole mixture. Let it cook on slow flame for about 30 minutes.

Step 3
When the mixture looks sort of cooked, add some pre-boiled rice to it ie white rice to the yellow vegetable plus rice that we have cooked so far. Add some more ghee and some more water and mix it slowly so that the white and yellow rice mix well. Add some more salt if required. Cover from the top with cabbage leaves and let it cook on a slow flame for another 10 minutes.
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Step 4
Turn off the flame and let it stand for another 15 minutes in a closed container.u00a0
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Serve hot along with cold dahi.