Imran can't binge
Teen craze Imran Khan is not a big eater. But the flavour of 2008 can cook a simple meal. A self-confessed healthy eater, this slim youngster steers clear of sweets and colas. Talk about self-restraint!
Imran Khan's Diet Routine
I eat: Non-vegetarian food but I am not a fussy eater, I eat everything.
My morning begins:
Early, generally around 7:30 am. I begin my day with cold milk with some chocolate in it.
If I have breakfast:
It's generally omlette.
For lunch I have:
Dal, chawal, vegetables and chicken. When I go to a shoot I carry my lunch. A must-have for lunch is chicken; I need the proteins because I tend to lose weight very quickly.
My favourite vegetable is: Baingan ka bharta.
My dinnertime:
Varies because I have no idea when I'll return from the shoot. My dinner is the same as my lunch.
I like to sip: Water, a lot of it.
In the evening I eat: A roll or a frankie or a sandwich. I like to eat a chicken tikka roll. I am a very healthy eater.
My fitness regime:
Currently because I am doing an action film I work out. Aamir (Khan) has his own gym and I go there around five-six times a week for about two hours.
Food Habits
I am allergic to: Nothing but I hate dahi. I just never ate it so I guess I don't like it.
Bhel Puri has: A childhood memory for me because my mom and I would always eat it together.
When I am shooting I always carry: Lunch and dinner. I carry home food because set food is very oily. I also carry fruits. My favourite fruit is kharbooja.
In my fridge you will always find: Milk.
Sunday lunch is: Nothing special, it's always the same.
Nobody in my family Cooks. We have a cook who makes very good baingan bharta.
I can cook: Dal and chawal. I can also make a really good chilly con carne.
My best dining friend is: Avantika. We like to go to Don Giovanni.
My comfort food is: Dal-chawal.
In food stuff I can't resist buying: The ingredients for what I am planning to cook. I am not an impulsive buyer.
I feel guilty about: Nothing. I don't eat sweets and I don't even drink soft drinks. As I said unhealthy things are not for me.
I am from Mumbai: And I love vada pav. I pick it from any street where it's available.
My idea of a romantic meal: When I'm out for dinner I focus so much on the food that it's not really a romantic affair. I don't talk or anything.
My favourite restaurants are: Don Giovanni and Caravan Serai.
My favourite cuisines are: Mexican, but we don't get Mexican food in India. I have spent a lot of time in California where the Mexican food is good. I don't like Tex Mex, it's horrible. It's Americanised Mexican. I would rather go to places with authentic Mexican. I also like Indian food and sushi.
I relish: Gujarati food. I have a friend who is a Gujarati and I love the food at his place. I don't know the name of the dishes, there is karela stuffed with maida and khatti meethi dal.
My favourite spice is: Green chilly. I like it a lot.
My favourite kitchen appliance is: A standard frying pan because it's versatile.
My favourite beverage is: Fruit juice.
My favourite poison is: Beer.
My favourite fruits: I don't really like fruits but I make it a point to eat them.
I feel fruits: Don't really have a personality.
I am not a: Dessert person. Unlike some people, I don't crave sweets. I like dark chocolates though.
Imran's favourite recipe: Chilly Con Carne
Ingredients:
-Ground Beef
-Pygmy beans (rajma)
-Tomato puree
-Chicken stock cubes
-Onion4-5 cloves of garlic (chop 2 finely and cut the rest roughly)
-I go to the supermarket and I buy different kinds of peppers. You get cayenne peppers; chipotle peppers, all chilly powders but 3-4 different types.
-Tannery salt
-Standard cheddar for garnish (grated)
Method:
In a pan, add oil and brown the beef. Regular oil because the flavour of olive oil is too subtle. You brown the beef gently; you add in the beans and add some of the water that the beans have been soaked in.
Then I put everything else in — the puree, garlic, 1 or 2 cubes of chicken stock dissolved in hot water, onion cut in a flower pattern (from the top up to down and left to right but not all the way through, at the bottom you leave it joined so it looks like a flower. This is so that all the surface of the onion is exposed). Cover and simmer. It has to be kind of thick so the water is andaaz se.
It takes around an hour to cook because it has to be simmered on a low flame. Sometimes I add a little beer or whiskey to this so it burns off and gives a caramelised flavour. I also like to add a few spoons of brown sugar for the same caramelised taste as an alternative to alcohol.
Every chilly powder has a different flavour so I keep tasting and adding.
Serve it in a soup bowl, garnished with cheddar cheese. Serve with garlic bread.This dish was made by cowboys with all the leftover food that they would have.
