Mohit Khattar, managing director, Godrej Nature’s Basket, talks to Priyanka Joshi
Which is your favourite restaurant?
I absolutely adore Thai Pavilion in Mumbai. I love Thai food and that is as authentic as you can get.
What’s that one taste/dish that transports you back to your childhood?
I loved aubergines in almost every form — baked, fried or smoked. I still do. A well made <I>baingan ka bharta </I>still makes me nostalgic.
What sort of cuisine do you like in general?
I enjoy the fusion of flavours, spices and aromas from different cuisines. I usually prefer lighter curries. In fact, I don’t like very rich curries. Though I thoroughly enjoy Italian, Mexican and Thai cuisine, I’ve started enjoying Japanese cuisine as well.
What’s your daily bread?
Well, breakfast is usually fruit and cereal. While I enjoy eating papaya, I like organic strawberries too.
As for cereals, I can have something as simple as oat bran muesli topped with some fabulous chestnut honey. I also include multi grain bread in my breakfast. On weekends, however, I have south Indian breakfast. I usually have working lunches but I make it a point to keep my lunch light. Dinner is usually with the family and I look forward to home cooked food, which is typical Punjabi food. However, we end up eating something inspired by cuisines from all over the world too.
Any food fads?
I like variety, and I love to try new dishes from around the world. I am also very conscious of my health so I do like to bring in a fair amount of healthy ingredients to my diet. In fact, I have recently started including couscous (an ingredient from the Middle East) in my diet and put it in most of my meals, including salads, soups, and even curries.
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Would you confess to any sinful indulgences in food?
I love desserts and my meals are incomplete without anything sweet. In fact, the considerable range in the patisserie section of Godrej Nature’s Basket is driven by my sweet tooth!
My favourites are the strawberry lemon cake and Tiramisu, which we do at Godrej Nature’s Basket. In fact, we make special low calorie Tiramisu, which is absolutely delightful. I am also very partial to cheese and cold cuts. In cheeses, an absolute favourite is the West Zaner smoked cheese with herbs, besides Hoffamns garlic cheese. As far as cold cuts go, Mortadella with pistachio and Chicken Mustard Seed is a favourite.
What’s your favourite recipe?
Vegetables in spicy garlic butter. This one is a quick, simple and surefire winner.
VEGETABLES IN SPICY GARLIC BUTTER
1/2 cup garlic
1 tbsp freshly ground pepper
3 tbsp butter
Salt to taste
Combine garlic, pepper, salt and butter, mix well and set aside. Wash vegetables and cut into bite-sized pieces. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add one tbsp salt to it and add baby corn to it. Allow to cook for a minute. Drain and set aside. Blanch broccoli in the same water and strain out after 10 minutes. Once done, add brocolli, baby corn and other vegetables into the butter mixture. Mix well. You can steam it for another five or quickly stir it in a wok. Serve with pieces of grilled spicy Haloumi cheese.