Live to eat

Aditya Pancholi
Never feels guilty after eating. He says, "Pet bhar ke khaata hoon because it's for this food that we all work hard."



u00a0I am
Non-vegetarian but I prefer eating vegetarian food.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0

u00a0MY breakfast is
Papaya, a fresh glass of juice and some oats.u00a0u00a0u00a0

u00a0MY Lunch is
Dal-chawal with a nice tadka of red chillies and garlic. I relish curd and papad too. I also like to eat five-grain chapattis, which is very filling, lasan chutney and a nice seasonal vegetable.u00a0u00a0

u00a0My evening snack is
Nothing. I just eat three meals in a day and nothing in between. I know it's not good to keep a wide gap between the meals but I have formed this habit now for years. I prefer to keep it simple.u00a0

u00a0My dinner is
Almost the same as lunch but lighter. Just a dish of a vegetable with roti is fine with me or a chicken dish at times.

u00a0In sweets i like
I like mishti doi, khajur gud ka sandesh (available only during winters) and at times besan barfi.

u00a0My fitness regimen is
I do yoga regularly, basic asanas, pranayam, etc. I also like to jog at times either on the beach or in the park near my house. At times when I am too lazy to step out I run on the treadmill at home itself.u00a0

u00a0My favourite cook
My maasi used to cook excellent chicken curry. I must mention my mom's fish curry and fried fish too. She is no more but the memory of her cooking lingers. My wife Zarina is a good cook too.

u00a0I cook
Dal-chawal and a sabzi. I can also make tea and omelettes. I top them with cheese, peppers and mushroom for my family at times on a Sunday morning. My wife toasts the bread for us and coats it with hot butter.

u00a0My best diningu00a0u00a0friend is
I love people who eat well. My son Suraj is my favourite food companion.u00a0u00a0u00a0

u00a0My idea of a romanticu00a0u00a0meal

Italian food, candles, nice red wine; mostly a French wine as it's very light. Even the street cafu00c3u00a9s in Paris serve such nice house wine that one doesn't miss drinking water with the meals.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0

u00a0My childhoodu00a0u00a0memory of food is

I ate 20 rotis with every meal. I loved the malai skimmed from milk. I would sprinkle it with a generous helping of sugar and eat it with a slice of white bread. I distinctly remember that dad made excellent suran ki sabzi.
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u00a0My sunday lunch is

Heavy. Biryani works the best on Sundays or a nice heavy Hyderabadi dish made by Zarina as everyone is in a mood tou00a0 indulge. I don't work out on Sundays, I just eat all my favourite foods one Sunday after the another.

u00a0I resemble

An apple. I am hard on the surface but soft inside. In vegetables I think I am like a potato, jo har cheez mein mix ho jaata hai and doesn't change the taste, only enhances it.u00a0u00a0

u00a0My fridge always has

Curds, chocolates, fruits, water that has been boiled and cooled. I drink a lot of water.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
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u00a0I can't resist buying

Dark chocolates. I love to buy chocolates from duty free shops for my friends and family.u00a0u00a0u00a0
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u00a0My favourite...

Spice: Freshly ground kali mirch. I love it especially with Italian food.

Kitchen Appliance: A pressure cooker.
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Poison: Scotch with ice and soda.

Beverage: I don't drink colas, not even the diet ones. I love orange andu00a0u00a0 and watermelon juice.u00a0u00a0u00a0

Favourite Restaurant

Aditya says, "In Delhi, I love the Bukhara, Maurya Sheraton. The ambience is authentically northwestern frontier and I love their freshly prepared kebabs and garlic naan. In Mumbai, my favourite restaurant is Mahesh Lunch home for their seafood.

For Italian food, I recommend Zizzi in London. The pizzas are freshly made from a special dough. At Edgware Road, in London, the street is full of Lebanese food.

The baby grilled chicken and fresh salads are to die for. The pita bread is warmed and served with hummus, baba ghanoush, fattoushu00e2u0080u00a6 I love it."

Favourite Recipe: Chicken In Hara Masalau00a0u00a0

Ingredients

500 gm broiler chicken (cut into medium sized pieces)
5-6 green chopped Bhavnagri chilliesu00a0 (or as per taste)
A big handful of coriander leaves (chopped)
u00c2u00bd tsp black pepper powder
2 tsp red chilli powder (or as per taste)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion (sliced)
1 tomato (chopped)
1u00c2u00bd ginger
8 cloves garlic
4-5 tbsp oil
Juice of a lemon
Salt to taste

Method

Clean and wash the chicken. Grind together green chillies, coriander leaves, pepper powder, red chilli powder, cumin seeds, onion, tomato, ginger and garlic. Grind to a slightly thick paste. Add salt and mix well.
Marinate the chicken in the mixture for an hour. Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Put the marinade into it. Bhuno the chicken on a low flame, stirring at regular intervals till oil comes on top. When the chicken is nicely browned and aromatic, add little hot water and pressure cook. Wait till it cooks and forms a little gravy. Add lemon juice and mix gently. Serve hot with roti, naan or lemon rice.
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