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 I am An early riser I like getting up early because that part of the day is really beautiful Its that blue light its the most creative time and the most spiritual timeMJ KimGetty ImagesI begin my day withEarl Grey tea with a dash of milk and a bit of honeyu00a0I 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 dont like a very heavy breakfast so I have fruits followed by a boiled egg and toast so I end up having two breakfastsu00a0 My lunch isFrom 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 dont like white rice u00a0On the sets of Elizabeth The Golden AgeAll 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 setsu00a0 In the eveningsMy 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 Ive loved them since I was a childMy dinner is My main meal I like black channa rajma chawli u2014 Punjabi habits I like ragi rotis I just cant 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 nibbleworthy in the fridge In sweetsu00a0I likeGaajar halwa If I feel like a sweet after dinner I eat a dark chocolate I like its bitter taste My childhood memory of foodKharbooza 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 arent vegetarian its where my love for vegetables has come from u00a0My 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 wantu00a0 I can cookI 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 niceu00a0 Sunday lunch Is the same as Monday My idea of a romantic mealI dont 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 avocadosFavourite ResturauntShekhar says I dont like places where you have to make a reservation In London I like to go to Lebanese restaurants I love Japanese food its clean and sans oil I like their fish sushi et al A traditional Gujju restaurant in Ahemadabad is fabulousFavourite Recipe Veg BiryaniIngredients12u00a0cup rice1 onion finely chopped45 tsp pure ghee34 cloves1 stick cinnamon58 black pepper12u00a0tsp cumin seedsSalt to taste MethodStep 1 Take some dry riceu00a012 cup one finely chopped onion and fourfive 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 u00a0 Step 2 Add two cups of rice and four cups of water along with lots of vegetables carrotscauliflower peas green beans semiboiled 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 preboiled 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 u00a0 Step 4 Turn off the flame and let it stand for another 15 minutes in a closed containeru00a0u00a0 Serve hot along with cold dahi