Cooking Up A Storm With Vivan Bhathena: 'Every Meal, Every Workout, Has Been Part Of My Journey Of Discovery'

Vivan Bhathena, as a brave army man, Jemdar Surja Ram in the war film 120 Bahadur, is receiving raves for his performance. Vivan’s quote from Insta about 120 Bahadur: “From finding a brotherhood to even finding myself and my footing in life, it has been a journey of discovery and learning at every turn.” The super-fit Vivan makes a handsome army man. What does Vivan eat to maintain his fine physique?

My dietary preference: I am purely non-vegetarian. In non-vegetarian fare I like Kolhapuri fried fish, but my favourite is lamb shank (shank is a cut of meat from the lower part of the leg, just below the knee).

I begin my day: With a glass of water, lime and salts to hydrate my body.

My breakfast: Eggs and a cup of tea. I like my eggs sunny side up or scrambled. I skip bread.

My lunch comprises: Grilled chicken and some carb source—rice, pasta.

In the evenings I snack on: Nuts, protein shake or a smoothie.

My dinner is: Fish, chicken or red meat with some veggies.

My favourite desserts are: Ice-cream and rasmalai.

My fitness regime: Three days a week of sport—Padel and volleyball—and three days of weight training.

My favourite restaurants are: Masque, Ode, Mag St, Vietnamese food, Farmers Cafe and Boojies.

My favourite cuisines are: Goan and Parsi. In Goan food I like pork vindaloo and prawn balchao, and in Parsi food I like salli chicken and dhanshak.

I can cook: Continental food. I can make a healthy meal.

My favourite cooks in the family are: My mum and my grandmum. They make excellent Konkani food.

As a child my favourite food was: Dosa and jam.

Foods I consciously avoid: Roti, bread and bakery items.

My idea of a romantic meal: By the beachside at Maldives. I like the sounds of the ocean and the breeze on my face, and seafood would be ideal.

The weirdest food I have had is: Crickets.

My favourite food during winters: Red meat.

I feel guilty after having: Ice-cream and cookies.

While shooting for 120 Bahadur: We stayed in this small 3-star hotel in Alchi, Ladakh. We had access to the chef, so one day I got him to make some lamb nihari and I polished 1 kilo of it.

Tip on food: Eat by your blood type.

Recipe of Cottage Cheese Ice-Cream

Ingredients:

500 gms cottage cheese

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup dates or butterscotch syrup (as required)

Method:

Combine cottage cheese, cocoa powder and dates/butterscotch syrup in a blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 5 to 6 hours. Protein ice-cream is ready to eat.