Madalsa Sharma Chakraborty is currently seen in the popular TV drama Anupamaa. She is also married to actor Mithun Chakraborty’s son Mimoh. In an exclusive conversation with The Free Press Journal, she talks about her food fundas and fitness. Excerpts:
My dietary preference: Well I am not much of a non- vegetarian. I am more of a vegetarian. Only sometimes, I have chicken and prawns, maybe once or twice in a month.
The first thing I have when I wake up: Warm water.
My breakfast is: I’m not a good eater when it comes to breakfast, so I drink juice. Mainly beetroot juice and a few almonds.
My lunch comprises of: Bajra roti and a vegetable.
One thing that is a must with my meals is: Sprouts in the evenings.
I snack on: Makhanas.
My dinner is: Soup and chicken.
My favourite desserts are: Chocolate pastries.
My fitness regime: I workout four to five days a week. I don’t get a lot of time for workout as we start shooting early in the morning and pack up late at night. It’s very difficult to maintain a particular time in the week for my workouts. So whenever I get the time, I do CrossFit only as it has a lot of cardio and also includes a little bit of weights here and there. I don’t lift too many weights. I prefer CrossFit as it’s an intense workout of 40 to 45 minutes.
My favourite cuisines are: Chinese and Italian.
My favourite restaurant is: P.F. Chang’s.
My idea of a romantic meal: A place by the sea and pizza with a diet coke.
One thing I can cook really well: Paneer makhani.
A dish made by my mom (Sheela Sharma) which is excellent: My mom is a South Indian Catholic. She makes a dish called avial, which is a very popular recipe in Kerala, it’s my favourite dish. Then she makes this excellent chicken patty, it’s super yummy. It makes me nostalgic whenever I eat it. My papa (Subhash Sharma) makes chole bhature very well. My father is from Delhi toh wahan ka jo original taste hota hai chole ka wohi dad ki chhole mein hota hai. We make the bhaturas at home. They are really nice, soft and delicious. Everything my parents cook is so yummy.
My father-in-law makes: Amazing fish and chicken. He makes masala baigan very well too. I never used to eat baigan so much as I never liked it. However, every time my father-in-law makes it at home, it’s so tasty that I have become a fan of brinjal. He also makes very good Chinese food.
Recipe for paneer makhani
Representative pic of the dish | Pic: Pinterest
Ingredients:
250 gms fresh paneer (cut into cubes)
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion (grated)
1-2 slit green chillies (or as per taste)
1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
3 medium sized tomatoes (made into a purée)
1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
1-2 teaspoons coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon garam masala powder
3 tablespoons cashew paste
2 tablespoons fresh cream
1 teaspoon kasuri methi
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup milk (optional)
Finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish
Method: Lightly heat butter in a non-stick pan. Add grated onions, green chilies and ginger-garlic paste. Sauté on a low flame till the onions are transparent. Add the powdered masalas and sauté for a few seconds.
Add the tomato purée and sauté on a low flame for five minutes. Add salt and sugar and sauté for a few more minutes. Add the cashew paste and sauté for a couple of more minutes. Add the fresh cream and kasuri methi and stir continuously.
Add the paneer cubes and gently stir. Let it cook for two to three minutes. If you feel the gravy is thick add 1/4 cup milk. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot.
