Cooking Up A Storm With Sheeba Chadha: My Sister Makes The Most Incredible Poha

“My go-to is savoury, not sweet,” says the versatile actress Sheeba Chadha (Dil Se, Badhaai Ho, Badhaai Do). Though she has a solid diet plan, she isn’t hard on herself if she can’t stick to her health regime or a pre-determined meal when on a continuous shooting schedule.

My dietary preference: I am a pescatarian; fish is my favourite dish, but I also enjoy vegetarian food. I love a good South Indian fish curry or curries that are flavourful yet light.

In vegetarian food: I am a big fan of South Indian cuisine, and I love Sindhi curry, chole bhature, rasa wala aloo, and couscous.

When I wake up: I have a glass of hot water with ajwain, methi, and jeera seeds soaked overnight. I follow it up with fruit and nuts, two boiled eggs, or a dosa.

For lunch: I love home-cooked food—dal, sabzi, salad, and roti made of khapli atta, or sometimes rajma chawal with a big salad on the side and a mint, palak, or beetroot raita.

I avoid: Regular wheat and white rice.

In the evening: I usually avoid snacks between meals unless I’m really hungry. A small portion of poha or popcorn. When I’m shooting, I have a fruit like an anar, kiwi, or kacha amrud.

My dinner: I try to avoid carbs at night—either a light fish preparation with soup or fish pan-fried. Sometimes, I have a big bowl of dal with brown rice.

My favourite desserts: Cheesecake, jalebi, and rasmalai.

My fitness regime: Yoga, but with our erratic schedules, I sometimes switch to walking.

My favourite restaurants: Tanjore Tiffin Room and Dakshinayan in Juhu.

My favourite cuisines: I love South Indian, Chinese, Korean, and Mediterranean cuisines.

My favourite cook in the family: My sister makes the most incredible poha.

My childhood food memories: My dad cooking mutton and fish curry with mooli, and my mother making delicious parathas.

My favourite beverage: Jal jeera and nimbu pani, flavoured with either lemongrass or elderflower. For alcohol, I enjoy an Aperol Spritz.

Tip for readers: Be mindful of what you eat. I know it’s hard with so much variety around, but our senses often lead us astray.

My favourite recipe: Sindhi curry with aloo tuk and ghee rice is the perfect meal.

Recipe for Sindhi Curry

Sindhi Curry

Ingredients:

8 medium-sized firm red tomatoes (cut into quarters)

1 small bowl of tur dal

7 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)

1/2 teaspoon asafoetida powder

6-7 tablespoons gram flour

2-inch ginger (crushed)

2 green chillies (slit)

2 teaspoons red chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

200 gms ladyfingers (washed)

100 gms washed gavar (cluster beans)

A few fresh curry leaves

7-8 glasses water

2-3 kokum pieces (optional)

Salt to taste

Method:

Wash the dal and soak it for 20 minutes. Pressure-cook the tomatoes with the dal, green chillies, ginger, and one and a half glasses of water for about 5 whistles on medium flame. Let the mixture cool, then hand-blend and strain it, squeezing out the soup with your hands. Add the remaining water and keep aside. Trim the ends of the ladyfingers and slit them in the centre. Do the same for the cluster beans, keeping them whole. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed vessel. Add cumin and fenugreek seeds. When they splutter, add asafoetida powder and sauté for a few seconds. Add gram flour and sauté continuously on low flame until light brown. Add red chilli and turmeric powder, continuing to sauté on low flame until golden. Remove from flame and add the ladyfingers and cluster beans, mixing well. Add the tomato soup mixture and stir immediately, ensuring no lumps. Add salt and curry leaves, mixing thoroughly. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low flame for about an hour and a half. Turn off the heat and add the kokum pieces, covering with a lid for some time. Serve hot with aloo tuk and steamed Basmati rice topped with a spoonful of ghee.