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| 'I never tire of eating good Indian food' |
| Priyanka Joshi / Mumbai Apr 18, 2010, 00:34 IST |
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 Rajiv Mehta, managing director of Puma, talks to Priyanka Joshi
Which is your favourite restaurant in India, and abroad?
In India, it’s Umerkot, a fine dining restaurant in Koramangala, Bangalore. There’s lot of attention given to Mughlai cuisine and the restaurant takes care to make the food delicious but not too rich. I would highly recommend Umerkot’s version of the Sikandari Raan.
I also love the Livingstone, a small yet fabulous Thai restaurant in the heart of Paris. The food is simple, authentic, and they offer a lot of vegetarian options. The restaurant decor is very rustic with African wildlife as a theme, which, I think, is very novel, considering it’s a Thai restaurant. The owners are hands on and personally interact with customers. And that personal touch is what makes the experience of eating at Livingstone very agréable as the French would say.
Tell us about a childhood memory that is related to food.
I’m a Gujarati and, like most Gujaratis, I belong to a family of foodies. I remember spending a lot of time around the dining table and in the kitchen as a kid. My fondest memory would be enjoying leisurely Sunday brunches at the neighbourhood club, post swimming lessons with my father. We would be so hungry, waiting to devour anything that came our way.
The one dish that immediately transports me back to childhood is rice pakora, which was made regularly at home with leftover rice. This would be part of our breakfast at home and, till date, rice pakoras bring back some delicious childhood memories.
Which is your favourite cuisine?
Well, if given a choice to eat outside, I would opt for Thai, Japanese, Chinese or Indian. At home, however, I like my simple Gujarati food. We make it every day with a few variations now and again.
What do you usually eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner?
Breakfast is usually a glass of freshly squeezed orange and carrot juice followed by a bowl of dry fruits, one cut fresh fruit and a glass of milk. Lunch is home-cooked food with nutritious dal, vegetable curry and rotis. Dinner is when I like grabbing quick bites and opt for fast food like tacos, burgers or pav bhaji. I love plain cheese pizzas. I can eat them at any time of the day or night.
What are your regular eating habits?
I am a stickler when it comes to food. I get uneasy if I am hungry. So I make it a point to eat on time always. Breakfast by 7:00 am, lunch by 1:00 pm and dinner by 8:00 pm when I am at home. I eat two bowls of vegetables, two bowls of daal, two glasses of buttermilk and only two small chapatis for each meal. I make sure that my intake of fibre and protein is high. I go easy on carbs. Eating well is a habit I’ve inculcated from childhood and not something I’ve started lately.
Any sinful indulgences?
I love fresh fruit ice creams. Strawberry, orange-pineapple, chickoo and sitaphal are some of my favourite flavours.
FAVOURITE RECIPE
 RICE PAKORAS
1 bowl of left over rice, cold
2 tbsp besan
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp haldi
1/2 tsp green chillies, finely chopped
1/2 cup refined oil to deep fry
1 tsp curd
1/2 cup fresh coriander, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Mix all the ingredients together and knead into dough without adding water. Make little round-shaped balls (it’s alright if the shape isn’t perfect) and deep fry them in oil.
Serve hot with fresh curd-garlic dip.
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