Jiah Khan's food turn-ons

The actress says her romantic meal must-haves would be oysters and caviar

Jiah's thought for food

I am: A non-vegetarian but I am not so much into non-vegetarian fare.

On a working day: I get up early, otherwise I don't wake up till 9 am.

I begin my day with: Cereal and milk. I don't eat anything in between meals.

I have lunch: Around 1 pm or 2 pm. If I have a shoot coming up, I stick to proteins and salads. If I am in London, I eat burgers and French fries. I like Caesar salad. For proteins, I eat grilled fish, kebabs, chicken and an egg white omelette.

When I don't carry lunch: I eat unit food as long as it's healthy. I like dal chawal.

A must have for lunch: Amazing green chutney that my maid makes. I also have cheese sandwiches or sprouted salad. I like having curd.

I drink a lot of: Water and diluted apple juice. I dilute it as I don't like it sweet.

I love chocolates: My mom bought me an advent calendar and there is a chocolate on each page. There were 24 chocolates and I finished them all. I like truffles and Swiss chocolates. Apart from that, I like rasmalai.

In the evening: I don't snack, I eat dinner by 6:30 pm or 7 pm.

For dinner: I eat home food; dal rice or chicken curry.

The last thing I have before going to sleep: Is a glass of milk.

My fitness regimen: I lost a lot of weight over the past year and now I am just trying to put it on. Otherwise, I dance and do yoga. I think being young helps because your metabolism is high at this age.

I am allergic to: Pollen.

I dislike: Onions. I have never liked them.

One food that has a childhood memory for me: A cereal called cocoa puffs. I have been having it since I was seven.

My fridge always has: Milk and cheese.

My favourite cook is: My mom, Rabia. She makes everything well u00e2u0080u0094 Indian, Italian. When we were living in London, each time my mom made Indian food, it was like Christmas for us.

I started cooking when I was: Seven. Cooking was a subject in school. I made chicken pasta once and my family ate it within two minutes flat, I didn't even get to taste it. I don't get time to cook when I am shooting but the last time I was in London, I made salmon, grilled vegetables and a French muffin salad.

My best dining friends are: My younger sisters, Karishma and Kavita. We used to go to Wasabi a lot. I love sushi. I also like Olive and Mezzo Mezzo. We always eat Continental when we go out.

I can't resist buying: Bourbons. I love them.

One dish from my hometown that I like: My mom's from Lucknow so ideally I should be saying biryani. But because I have grown up in England, I relish fish and chips.

My idea of a romantic meal: Oysters and caviar.

Jiah's favourite recipe:

Chocolate cookies

Ingredients
1 cup walnut pieces
2 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate
1 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
(2 sticks, no substitute)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

Method

Whirl walnuts in food processor until powdery (or use a nut mill to grind finely). Set aside. Whirl chocolate until powdery. Set aside. Bake the ground chocolate at 275 degrees. Pre-heat oven to 275 degrees. In a mixer bowl, combine butter and sugar, and beat until fluffy. Add vanilla and chocolate and mix thoroughly. Gradually mix in flour, walnuts, until well-combined. Drop cookies by heaping teaspoons, slightly apart, onto un-greased or parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake till cookies are firm and lightly browned. Let cookies stand on baking sheets for about five minutes before removing them to wire racks to finish cooling.