Rich food, rich conversation, rich experience

FOODIE

Now's the time to look away," says Yateesh Srivastava, marketing director, Centurion Bank of Punjab, scooping out ungodly doses of ghee to fire up an afternoon of cooking. It's hard, though, to extract yourself from his culinary performance "" the complexity, the rigour, the undeniable fun he makes of it all. Don't know what mace is? He'll bring some down from the shelves, crush it between his fingers and let you take in its sweet smell. His regular correction of heat seem methodical, and his tips are handy: "Never add salt until the very end."

Cooking, for Srivastava, is a labour of love. The fact that he's chosen to make two dishes instead of one is a clue. He doesn't believe in taking the easy way out. Instead of ferreting out recipes, his method is taste and try, several times over...until he gets it to taste as his memory serves it up to him. He never writes down a recipe. "Sometimes I'll cook things back to front," he jokes. And he's not averse to distraction while he's at it. "This is the time when I crack open a cold beer," he announces mid-way, not unlike his favourite celebrity chef Keith Floyd.

The menu for the afternoon consists of bhuna gosht, Goan prawn curry, salad and saffron rice. The Lucknowi mutton is an elaborate dish and takes two hours to prepare "" in true, laid-back nawabi style "" so we have plenty of time to chat. In his career, it turns out, Srivastava has been through a patchwork of sectors, from the civil services to market research, e-commerce, advertising and now banking. No matter what takes up his weekdays, though, weekends are the time to cook up a storm for friends and family. Pork vindaloo is a common request.

"You know the implications of being a Kayasth, don't you?" he asks, "My community is notorious for its love of food and booze." He goes on: "For such a patriarchal community, the men are very comfortable cooking." As if on cue, Srivastava's wife Monica appears at a safe distance from the kitchen, cocking a snook at the abundant use of ghee.

The Goan prawn curry, in contrast to the mutton, takes no time to cook at all, but gives off equally spirited aromas. The meal is peppered with talk of starlet neighbours, local government ineffectualness and the Atkins diet. That and the lip-smacking goodness of the ghee-laden, enthusiasm-filled fare.

FAVOURITE RECIPE

Bhuna Gosht (serves 6) Total preparation and cooking time: 2 hrs

1 kg mutton (mix of chops, bones and chunks) 2 chopped onions, 2 sliced onions 1 tsp each of coriander, turmeric and chilli powder 4 bay leaves, 2 one-inch cinnamon sticks, 4 cloves 3-4 black cardamom seeds 1 tsp each of green cardamom, mace and aniseed (saunf) 4 tsp garlic paste 2 tsp ginger paste 2 tsp lime juice

Heat ghee, add bay leaves and cinnamon. Throw in the sliced onions. When brown add the mutton and let it cook for 20 minutes. Add the chopped onion and stir. Add black cardamom which has been ground to powder, and the cloves. Let it simmer for a while. Add garlic and ginger paste. Add coriander, chilli and turmeric powder and give it a big stir. Add beaten yoghurt and two cups of water to stop it from getting sticky and let it simmer for another 20 minutes. Grind the green cardamom, mace and aniseed to a powder, add it to the besan-maida mix, and roast this mixture on low heat in one teaspoonful of ghee. Add half cup of water to the mutton before stirring in the thickening mixture and salt to taste. Add saffron mixed in milk. After 10 minutes sprinkle garam masala and add vanilla essence and lime juice. Garnish with coriander.