Cool like a watermelon

Of the musical trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Shankar Mahadevan enjoys food from the world over Thai in New York and Lebanese in Dubai

Of the musical trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Shankar Mahadevan enjoys food from the world over Thai in New York and Lebanese in Dubai

Shankar's thought for food
I am: Non-vegetarian.
My favourite non-vegetarian foods are: Mutton and fish.u00a0
I begin my day with: A glass of warm water with lemon. Later, I have green tea with a drop of lemon and a cup of coffee. My friend Lalji Bhai gets coffee for me from all over the world. He is my self-appointed coffee supplier. Davidoff is my favourite brand of coffee.u00a0
My breakfast is: Dosa or an egg white omelette.u00a0u00a0
My lunch when I am recording: Is very light. A salad, a sandwich or dalia.u00a0
When at home I tend to get creative: And either make or get something interesting made.u00a0u00a0
My evening snacks are: Bhel or a fruit.u00a0
I normally end up: Sinning when we dine out. But when I am at home I like to eat simple dal, sabji, pasta or soup and salad.u00a0
In sweets I like: Payasam, anything to do with chocolate, apple crumble from Hard Rock Cafu00e9. I recommend the special chocolate soufflu00e9 at Indigo Deli. It has jalapeno peppers a really wild combination.u00a0u00a0
My fitness regime is: Irregular walking on the treadmill and irregular pranayams.u00a0
My favourite cooks in my family: My wife Sangeeta, my in-laws and my maid. They are experts in a whole lot of things. Sangeeta makes a very good paneer makhni, she makes very good Sindhi kadi. My mother-in law and one aunt, both of whom I call my in-laws, make outstanding mutton chops and prawn khichdi.
My favourite restaurants: Masala Bay at Taj Lands End, Peshawari at the Grand Maratha, Thai Pavilion. In Chinese, I like Royal China and China Garden. For Thai I like Jaya in New York. I also relish the food at Lebanese restaurant, Arhus Damascus in Dubai. In Goa, I like Martin's.u00a0
My best dining friends: Raj and Anu, Goels, Kiran and Kanchan, Mr and Mrs Louiz Banks, Sivamani, Hariharan, Ganesh and Shanti.u00a0u00a0
My fellow foodie: Sanjeev Kapoor, the food columnist and author, is a very dear friend of mine. I am a big fan of his cooking.We diet together and have a half hour session at Dr Davre's everyday, wherein we discuss things like where we get good fish et al and I ask him where to procure yellow mirch powder from. Iu00a0 watch many cookery shows because I am passionate about food.
My idea of a romantic meal: Varies depending on the state of my mind. Sangeeta and I had a romantic meal in the backwaters of Kerala, the two of us on a rice boat. A chef was at the other end of the boat, he made himself invisible while we ate a romantic meal on the deck of the boat even as it cruised through this river. I also recall a romantic meal on Reunion Island, which is close to Mauritius. We had a huge deck in our hotel overlooking the valley and the beach and we ate a lovely meal by night.
My Sunday lunch is: An indulgence.
One thing I can't resist buying is: Nothing in food, it's electronics.u00a0
I feel guilty after eating: Most of the things.
My childhood memory of food is: Sambar rice.
I think I resemble: A watermelon.
My fridge always has: Chocolates and all kinds of sauces for various cuisines.u00a0
I always carry with me: Marie and Glucose biscuits.u00a0
My comfort food: Dosa. It's an ideal snack, very light and at the same time filling. In Chennai, the dosas from Saravana Bhavan are awesome. The secret of a good dosa is the chutney. I make very good chutneys.u00a0
My favourite spice: Star anise.
My favourite poison: Beer, occasionally.
My favourite beverage: Coffee.
My favourite kitchen appliance: A good non-stick pan.

Shankar's Favourite Recipe: Pasta Aglio Olio
Ingredients
200 gms pasta (spaghetti or fettucini)
2 tsp olive oilu00a0
Pepperencino chillies or red chilli flakes as per taste
Handful of parsley leaves, finely chopped
Handful of fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1 pod garlic, peeled and finely chopped
200 gms sun dried tomatoes, chopped
Salt as per taste
A pinch of pepper
100 to 200 gms Parmesan cheese, grated
Method
Boil water in a big vessel, add a couple of drops of olive oil and little salt to it.
When the water starts boiling, throw in the pasta and cook al dente (till it is perfectly done)
Strain it out.
Heat 2 teaspoon of olive oil in a pan and sautu00e9 the garlic, the chillies, salt, sun-dried tomatoes for a couple of minutes.
Toss the pasta in and add a pinch of pepper, chopped basil and the parmesan cheese and cook for about a couple of minutes.
Garnish with parsley.
Serve hot.u00a0u00a0