The first thing I have in the morning: Warm water. After 10 minutes, I take my calcium. Then, after 15 minutes, I have black coffee or green tea and follow it up with a workout. On weekends, I enjoy a full mug of tea with toast or khari.
My breakfast is: Two eggs in any form with a fruit. Around 11 a.m., I like a small cup of tea.
My lunch comprises: Bhakri and sabzi with dal or sprouts. Twice a month, I indulge in rice, but otherwise, I stick to a small bhakri made of jowari, nachini, or bhakri. It’s slightly bigger than a puri. My meal always contains greens because my daughter loves salads.
In the evenings, I have: Chiwda or makhana.
My dinner is: Boiled vegetables and a soup.
My favourite desserts are: Indian! I love ladoos, kaju katli, besan ke ladoo, and gulab jamun. I dislike chocolates.
My fitness regime is simple: I walk at least 7,000 steps a day. I do functional training three days a week and yoga two days a week. On other days, I just walk or cycle.
My favourite restaurants are: Gajalee for fish. I also enjoy the buffet at JW Marriott because my daughter loves it. I love Udupi restaurants, especially for sada dosas. For me, sada dosas and sada chai at Swadesh Hotel, Versova, are a treat.
My favourite cuisines are: South Indian, Gujarati, Italian, and, of course, Maharashtrian food.
My childhood memories are: Filled with little money but amazing, yummy food made by my mother. I still can’t make amti or sheera like her. She’s a fabulous cook, and my mother-in-law is a fantastic cook too. Thankfully, they don’t compete with each other!
I can cook: Loads of vegetarian dishes, mostly Maharashtrian, but I can’t make a single non-vegetarian dish.
The favorite dishes of my daughter and husband made by me: My daughter Kaveri loves salads, so she enjoys it when I innovate. She also loves my dosas, hot chapatis, and pasta. My husband Nachiket loves the rotis, sabudana ki khichdi, and pohe that I make. He generally likes my cooking.
My idea of a romantic meal: Just my husband Nachiket and I, with very soft music—I hate when music dominates conversations. A well-lit room so we can see each other, and no checking messages.
My mom-in-law’s gesture of: Taking extra pains to make moong dal halwa for me is incredibly touching.
You will be surprised to hear that I have picked up a variety of recipes from: Male friends like Sachin Kondhalkar, Mahesh Manjrekar, and Atul Kulkarni.
Kache Kairichi Dal |
Recipe of Kache Kairichi Dal (Raw Mango Dal)
Ingredients
1 bowl chana dal
1 bowl grated raw mango
Salt to taste
Little sugar (as per taste)
2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh coconut
For tempering
1-2 tablespoons oil
¾ teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
A few curry leaves
½–¾ teaspoon asafoetida powder (hing)
2 to 3 dry red chillies
Method
Wash the dal well and soak it overnight. The next morning, drain the water and coarsely grind the dal without adding any water. In a bowl, combine the ground chana dal, grated mango, salt, and sugar. Add the finely chopped coriander leaves and grated coconut. Mix well. For the tempering: Heat oil on a medium flame. Add mustard and cumin seeds. Once they crackle, add curry leaves, hing, and red chilies. Pour this tempering over the chana dal mixture. Cool in the refrigerator for some time (optional) and serve. It tastes yum!
