Pankaj Tripathi
PANITA RAHEJA-HEENA AGARWAL ankaj Tripathi has an impressive funda about food. “Our entire life is driven by the need to eat food. We have to understand how we are eating and what we are eating. What we eat makes our body,” he says. In an exclusive chat with The Free Press Journal, the foodie shares his food secrets. Excerpts:
I begin my morning by: Drinking warm water. Once a week, I have warm water with lemon and honey.
My diet preference: Is largely homemade vegetarian food. I enjoy all Indian cuisines. In nonveg, I enjoy fish, especially the Bengali dish Bhetki Paturi and Hilsa.
My breakfast comprises of: Sprouts and fruits. I like to have seasonal fruits and sprouts almost every day.
For my lunch: I try to have a balanced diet that has a combination of carbs, proteins, and vitamins. Basically, my meal should have all the nutrients.
I make it a point: To eat homemade flax seed powder twice a week.
Between breakfast and lunch, I have: Just coconut water
A must in my meals: Salad.
In the evenings, I snack on: Some chana and peanuts.
My dinner comprises of: Soups and salads.
My favourite desserts are: Halwa and ras malai. But I ensure that I have just a bit of it.
To keep fit: I do yoga five times a week and jog daily. When I am shooting outdoors for a film, if I find a lawn or a garden, I jog, but I never miss yoga.
For exercising: I have a small personal gym at home. I do some light exercises just for fitness, not for bodybuilding. I like working out by myself. I also do stretching four to five times a day as I have a little problem in my upper body. In foods, I avoid: Deep fried and spicy food.
One thing I cook best: Khichdi.
My favourite cook in my family and they make the best: At home, we have Rubin dada. He is an expert at cooking Chinese food and sautéed vegetables, and Uma makes very good Bengali food which is my weakness.
My favourite restaurants in Mumbai and abroad: I love the idlis at Dakshinayan, Juhu. On foreign shores, I love Continental and Thai food. Whichever country I visit, I like to eat the local cuisine of that place; I don’t hunt for any
Indian restaurants.
My comfort food is: Plain rice, dal, khichdi, curd rice and idlis.
My favourite drink is: Sattu with roasted jeera, kala namak and nimbu. It’s popular in Bihar.
On a hot summer day: I love eating watermelon and light and simple homemade Bihari food. Also, lots of liquids, especially nimbu pani.
During winters, I relish: Litti chokha and kulcha. I also look forward to Punjabi food.
During the
monsoons:
Sometimes I indulge in crisp and slightly spicy bhajiyas.
One tip on food to my readers: Eat seasonal fruits and vegetables.