Dance pe Chance!

Vibrant choreographer and Jhalak Dikhla Ja judge Vaibhavi Merchant calls herself "a focused non-vegetarian and a moody non-vegetarian". Maybe that comes from her Gujarati dadi-dadi, who solidified an appreciation for seafood

Vaibhavi's thought for food

I am a: Focused non-vegetarian and a very moody vegetarian.

In non-veg I love: My mom's chicken kheema and I relish paya in winters! Yummy.

I begin my day with:u00a0 A glass of lukewarm water followed by dry fruits like walnuts and almonds.

My breakfast is: Egg white omelette or idli sambhar or poha, upma. I eat a lot of fruits. On special days, it's a grand fare like kheema and laccha paratha. And paya and brun pao.

My lunch is: Very simple, either a soup or a sandwich. Sometimes I enjoy Chinese cuisine in the afternoons.

My evening snack is: Bhel or fruits, and butter milk.

My dinner is: Moong soup, a piece of grilled chicken and sautu00c3u00a9ed veggies. But if I am out with friends then I go all out and enjoy the food I am served, no naatak!

In sweets I like: Ice creams. Haagen Daz's strawberry flavour is my most favourite.

My fitness regimen: Besides dancing I also do yoga. My yoga teacher Shivangi is very strict with me because I am a brat. I love walking when I am abroad or else on my treadmill at home.

My favourite restaurants in India: I enjoy Ram and Shyam chaat stall in Khar, Aurus for its superb food and Golden Dragon, Taj for its Chinese. I used to love Nanking, Colaba for Chinese but it shut down.

Abroad I have a long list: Out of which I'll choose Busaba, London.

I can cook: With my heart when I want to and yes I can cook well.

My favourite cooks in my family: My mom. She makes superb pepper fry fish and mutton biryani.
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My best dining friend is: Rani. We are foodies, but she has transformed her body by being super dedicated about her diet.

My idea of a romantic meal: No place like home. A simple home cooked meal and an interesting conversation is perfect.

My Sunday lunch is: Boring these days because I have to take care of my diet, Earlier, it was gosht dal and flavoured rice, palak chicken or crab cooked in butter garlic, prawns and pomfret fry, sanghi dal kadhi.... the list goes on.

Things I can't resist buying: Olive oil and green olives.

I feell guilty after eating: All Indian sweets. Especially kaju katri and malai khaja. I don't eat them anymoreu00e2u0080u00a6 sob sob sob!

My childhood memory of food is: My nani is from Andhra and my nana was from Rajasthan and they lived in Chennai. During vacations, we had a blast. We enjoyed meats from Chettinad to Andhra to Rajasthani cuisine, Dada and dadi are non-vegetarian Gujaratis we have learnt to relish all kinds of seafood.

I think I resemble: Tender coco(nut).... (laughs).

My fridge always has: Naturals ice cream, Diet Coke, milk, eggs, fruits, cheese and wholemeal bread.

I always carry with me: Brown rice or nachni atta, fruits, buttermilk, curd, cream crackers and juices.

My comfort food: Baghara dahi chawal and a khichdi which mom cooks on Naag Panchmi. I like all kinds of khichdi.

I am allergic to: Peanuts, honey and egg yolk.

My favourite spice: Green chillies. I can eat 2 to 3 with my meals!

My favourite poison: I had tried this very sweet wine, Brigantino, which you only get at a store in Manhattan, New York. You don't get it everywhere, not even in Italy.

My favourite beverage: Buttermilk.

My favourite kitchen appliances: Non-stick pans and super sharp knives. I get completely put off by blunt ones.

My favourite cuisines are: I enjoy all kinds of cuisines. I am not so much into Japanese cuisine.

The meals served on the sets of Jhalak Dikhla Ja: I like the nashta that is served on the set, especially the saboodana khichdi.

Before shooting for a song: Am not in to food when I am working. I can't enjoy it, besides I hate that feeling of gluttony so I keep it lighter than light.

One food/drink that energises you: When I am low, I eat an ice cream cone without feeling guilty. It completely energises me.

Vaibhavi's favourite recipe: Chicken Kheema

Ingredients
250 gms minced chicken (cleaned and washed well)
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 onion (finely chopped)
1 tomato (finely chopped)
2 tbsp coriander and mint leaves (chopped)
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
A pinch of turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chilly powder
1 tsp roasted coriander powder
2 big green chillies (slit)
1/2 tsp limejuice

Method
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick kadai or pan and sautu00c3u00a9 the onions on a low flame till golden. Add ginger garlic paste and tomatoes. Mix well. Add all the dry masalas and sautu00c3u00a9 on a low flame till oil separates. Add the minced chicken and cook on a low flame for about 45mintues. Add mint and coriander leaves, green chillies and lime juice. Mix well and simmer for 10 mins. Serve hot with pao.

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