Cooking Up A Storm With Suchitra Pillai: The Most Exotic Food I Have Had Is Snails In Paris

Suchitra Pillai is fond of sweets and good food, especially non-vegetarian dishes. Despite eating well, steering clear from the gym, and doing yoga sporadically, she remains spry and fit to act, sing, and dub. She was recently seen in the popular web series Call Me BAE. Some people just strike lucky.

My dietary preference: I am a non-vegetarian. My favourites are Thai dishes, anything with basil and bird chillies, as well as South Indian dishes like appam and dosas with egg and curry.

First thing I have when I wake up: The Good Bug gut cleanse sachet, followed by black tea with lemongrass and ginger.

My breakfast: Generally, I have toast with peanut butter, butter, jam, or honey, along with an egg. If my maid is around, then poha, dosa, or uttapam.

My lunch: Often, I eat out as I’m working or on set. If I’m home, it’s usually pasta or curry with rice and a small salad.

My evening snack: If I have a snack, it’s usually fruit or vada pav, or sometimes bhajia-type snacks.

My dinner: Frankly, I don’t eat much for dinner. I love Chinese food as it’s light, or I’ll have leftovers from the afternoon. Sometimes I skip dinner altogether and just have some fruit.

My favourite desserts: Crème brûlée, banoffee pie, choco lava, rasgulla, rabri, and jalebi.

My appetite for sweets: Friends are always envious of how much I eat, especially sweets, and yet I don’t gain weight.

My fitness regime: I don’t work out. Yoga is my thing, but I’ve been really irregular for about a year now.

My favourite restaurants: Tuya’s Juhu, Nuema, Dakshinayan, Nara Thai, and Malvani Kalwan.

My favourite cuisines: Thai, Chinese, and South Indian.

My daughter’s favourite dish made by me: Vegetarian pasta in red sauce with broccoli, zucchini, and mushrooms. No one can tell it’s vegetarian—it looks like Bolognese and seriously tastes fabulous. My daughter has loved it since childhood and even says, “If I had to eat one thing for the rest of my life, I would choose this sauce, mom.”

My family favourites: The above pasta sauce and marinated breadcrumb-fried chicken.

My favourite cooks in the family: My mum could cook excellent cutlets, curries, and would rustle up snacks in no time. My mother-in-law, Bente Kjeldsen, made delicious Forloren Hare (a meatloaf) and Danish cutlets called Frikadeller. She also made Ris a l’amande, a thick rice and cream dessert with almonds, during Christmas.

My childhood memories of food: My maid from Kerala, Radha, made really authentic Kerala food. I remember eating dinner with my dad, mum, and sister every night at a fixed time. Dad was particular about having plentiful food on the table. I also remember eating mom’s hot toast when ravenously hungry, and dining out at Bandra’s popular spots like Neelam, Moti Mahal, and Otters Club.

Foods I consciously have: Fruits and dry fruits. I avoid nothing,

but perhaps Mexican food isn’t my favourite.

My idea of a romantic meal: Definitely at an out-of-the-box location near water, but without any insects! I don’t drink alcohol, so a fizzy, sweet mocktail and steak would be perfect.

The most exotic food I’ve had: Snails in Paris.

I relish: Brains and paya.

My favourite recipe: Breadcrumb chicken. This recipe was shared by my mom when I moved to London. Friends called it my go-to dish and loved it.

Breadcrumb Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

500 gms boneless chicken breast

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste

4 to 6 finely chopped green chillies (or as per taste)

1 egg (beaten)

1½ tablespoons cornflour

100 gms Panko breadcrumbs

4 to 5 tablespoons oil

Method:

Wash the chicken, pat dry, and flatten it. In a bowl, mix together dark soy sauce, ginger-garlic paste, and green chillies. Marinate the chicken in this mixture for 30 minutes. In another bowl, beat the egg and add the cornflour. Mix well. Dip the marinated chicken in the egg-cornflour mixture, then coat it well with breadcrumbs. Heat oil in a pan and place the chicken in it. Cook on medium to low heat until the chicken is done. No salt needed. Serve hot with salad and French fries.