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I met cricketer-actor Ajay Jadeja at The Great Wall, Leela Kempinski. He was happily tucking into a hot and sour vegetable soup, chicken in oyster sauce and delicious seafood in Schezwan sauce — a meal that had been recommended by Chef Chew.
Ajay got so engrossed in talking about food and his acting debut in Suneil Shetty's Khel, he decided to skip his flight to Delhi. Instead, after a hearty meal and an interesting tte--tte, he headed to his friend's house for a follow on — there was hot poha waiting for him.
Thought for food
I have to get up early. When a match starts at 9 am, you have to leave the hotel at 5.30 as the venue tends to be at least an hour's drive from the hotel.
I begin my day with a bottle of water. If I am at home, I have warm water.
I like to drink a cup of green tea before I go to bed. I like to drink sweet lime or a tall glass of milk.
If I am in Gujarat I prefer drinking chaas to doodh. Down south I settle for idlis and vadas with sambhar. When I am at home it's usually cereals with milk and lots of honey or aloo parathas. When I was shooting in Mumbai, I ate some vada pav or egg sandwich on the sets.
During the Khel shoot, I ate unit food. I like to take a short nap if I have eaten a heavy meal so I would eat something light, may be tandoori chicken. I usually avoid rice in the afternoon but if you want to stay healthy you must eat rice during the day and not at night. If I had my way it would be rice for lunch and dinner. Suniel Shetty is a wonderful host.
I spent a major part of my life in Delhi. I was born in Jamnagar but food at home has always been a mixture of south Indian as well as Punjabi, as my mother is Malayali.
My wife Aditi is a very good person, but I would give her 2/100 for her cooking. She excels at making chai, anda and toast.
Food at home is usually made by the cooks. It comprises dal, rice, two to three sabjis and one non-vegetarian dish. I like aloo palak, baingan ka bharta but I avoid mutter (peas) because you don't get fresh peas anymore. I hate frozen peas.
In non-vegetarian food I enjoy eating sea-food, so when I come to Mumbai I head straight to The Leela and freak out. When I returned from South Africa at about 3.30 in the morning, the hotel staff made prawn dosa especially for me.
Other sportsmen are always conscious of what they eat and drink, but not me.
On my off days my day begins late and my breakfast and lunch combine, ending up as a brunch.
I eat my dinner at 7.30 pm and once more at 11.30 pm.
If I am in Mumbai I eat fish at Mahesh Lunch Home and khichdi at Sheetal, Khar.
I love meetha. Gulab jamuns and ice- cream make an ideal dessert after dinner. During my cricketing days if my team mates worked out for half-an-hour I would have to work out for an extra half-an-hour for the gulab jamuns I ate. In life you have to pay for everything that you get.
Coconut barfi is another favourite — my wife likes to eat it all the time. Though I am not much of a western dessert person I like eating chocolate mousse or a tiramisu sometimes. I don't like fancy chocolates, I am a Kit Kat person.
Besides sweet lime, I enjoy watermelon and pineapple. Alphonso, the king of fruits, is my favourite.
I like to eat chhole-bhature and chaats at Haldirams in Delhi.
In Mumbai I like to eat pav bhaji at Shiv Sagar, Juhu. During the day, it's frequented by couples largely, so no one bothers you.
I love teekha and chatpata desi khaana, I am not into pizzas and burgers.
Since I am a Rajput who comes from Kathiawar, I enjoy my bajra ka rotla, lasun ni chutney and dongri (onions). Our khichdi and kadhi is also different from the southern and central Gujarat. Leela (green) moong ni khichdi and the kadhi with papad and dongri is my favourite.
Two places for good food in the world — Mumbai and London. In London you must visit Leicester Square. Maroush in London is best for Lebanese. I like to eat Chinese food at Takaloke on the first street of China Town in London. They serve crispy aromatic duck with pancakes — it's excellent. In South Africa there is a chain of sea food hotels called Ocean Basket at Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.
I am not an alcoholic but I enjoy my pint of Kingfisher beer. When I was in class eleven, I drank whisky for New Year's Eve. I ate dates as an accompaniment. By the end of the night I did not know how much I drank. And I was sick!
Pepsi and Coke taste the same to me.
At Gautam Singhania's house we have spent some wild nights drinking sake.
The first time I tried cooking was when I had to spend four months in England playing county cricket. I cooked jeera aloo, jeera rice and dal. My mother briefed me over the phone.
Sachin (Tendulkar) taught me how to make a great bharta. He is one of the best cooks you can find. He makes fantastic fish dishes. Once when he had come to my house he made baingan bharta and fish, Maharashtrian style.
My favourite kitchen gadget is the mixer; it's so easy to make a milkshake, no jhanjhat of cooking.
The first time I cooked for my wife Aditi was when we moved to our new house. It had a spanking new kitchen. I made a complete breakfast — coffee, tea, milkshake, toast and eggs. Bas that's it! It's been three years since I cooked anything else.
Chicken in oyster sauce
400 gm chicken leg, boneless
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp chopped ginger
150 gm broccoli, florets
50 gm carrots, sliced
100 gm Chinese black mushrooms, soaked in salted water
1 bunch spring onions, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp dark soya sauce
2 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp sugar
salt to taste
Pinch of white pepper
250 ml chicken stock
2 tbsp corn flour soaked in
cup of water
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp Chinese wine for cooking
To marinate
1 tbsp corn flour
Pinch of salt and pepper
1 egg white
1 tsp sesame oil
Clean and dice the chicken into medium-sized pieces. Marinate the chicken in the above ingredients and keep aside for 20 minutes.
Heat 1 tsp oil and shallow fry the marinated chicken on slow fire for three to four minutes.
In another wok, heat the remaining oil and add broccoli and carrot pieces. Drain the soaked mushrooms and add to the vegetables, saut for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the fried chicken pieces to the sauted vegetables.
Now add oyster sauce, dark and light soya sauce, sugar, white pepper, salt to taste and Chinese wine. Mix well. Add the chicken stock and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
Now add the corn flour mixture and mix well.
Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Garnish with chopped spring onions.
Serve hot with Chinese fried rice.
Ajay got so engrossed in talking about food and his acting debut in Suneil Shetty's Khel, he decided to skip his flight to Delhi. Instead, after a hearty meal and an interesting tte--tte, he headed to his friend's house for a follow on — there was hot poha waiting for him.
Thought for food
I have to get up early. When a match starts at 9 am, you have to leave the hotel at 5.30 as the venue tends to be at least an hour's drive from the hotel.
I begin my day with a bottle of water. If I am at home, I have warm water.
I like to drink a cup of green tea before I go to bed. I like to drink sweet lime or a tall glass of milk.
If I am in Gujarat I prefer drinking chaas to doodh. Down south I settle for idlis and vadas with sambhar. When I am at home it's usually cereals with milk and lots of honey or aloo parathas. When I was shooting in Mumbai, I ate some vada pav or egg sandwich on the sets.
During the Khel shoot, I ate unit food. I like to take a short nap if I have eaten a heavy meal so I would eat something light, may be tandoori chicken. I usually avoid rice in the afternoon but if you want to stay healthy you must eat rice during the day and not at night. If I had my way it would be rice for lunch and dinner. Suniel Shetty is a wonderful host.
I spent a major part of my life in Delhi. I was born in Jamnagar but food at home has always been a mixture of south Indian as well as Punjabi, as my mother is Malayali.
My wife Aditi is a very good person, but I would give her 2/100 for her cooking. She excels at making chai, anda and toast.
Food at home is usually made by the cooks. It comprises dal, rice, two to three sabjis and one non-vegetarian dish. I like aloo palak, baingan ka bharta but I avoid mutter (peas) because you don't get fresh peas anymore. I hate frozen peas.
In non-vegetarian food I enjoy eating sea-food, so when I come to Mumbai I head straight to The Leela and freak out. When I returned from South Africa at about 3.30 in the morning, the hotel staff made prawn dosa especially for me.
Other sportsmen are always conscious of what they eat and drink, but not me.
On my off days my day begins late and my breakfast and lunch combine, ending up as a brunch.
I eat my dinner at 7.30 pm and once more at 11.30 pm.
If I am in Mumbai I eat fish at Mahesh Lunch Home and khichdi at Sheetal, Khar.
I love meetha. Gulab jamuns and ice- cream make an ideal dessert after dinner. During my cricketing days if my team mates worked out for half-an-hour I would have to work out for an extra half-an-hour for the gulab jamuns I ate. In life you have to pay for everything that you get.
Coconut barfi is another favourite — my wife likes to eat it all the time. Though I am not much of a western dessert person I like eating chocolate mousse or a tiramisu sometimes. I don't like fancy chocolates, I am a Kit Kat person.
Besides sweet lime, I enjoy watermelon and pineapple. Alphonso, the king of fruits, is my favourite.
I like to eat chhole-bhature and chaats at Haldirams in Delhi.
In Mumbai I like to eat pav bhaji at Shiv Sagar, Juhu. During the day, it's frequented by couples largely, so no one bothers you.
I love teekha and chatpata desi khaana, I am not into pizzas and burgers.
Since I am a Rajput who comes from Kathiawar, I enjoy my bajra ka rotla, lasun ni chutney and dongri (onions). Our khichdi and kadhi is also different from the southern and central Gujarat. Leela (green) moong ni khichdi and the kadhi with papad and dongri is my favourite.
Two places for good food in the world — Mumbai and London. In London you must visit Leicester Square. Maroush in London is best for Lebanese. I like to eat Chinese food at Takaloke on the first street of China Town in London. They serve crispy aromatic duck with pancakes — it's excellent. In South Africa there is a chain of sea food hotels called Ocean Basket at Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.
I am not an alcoholic but I enjoy my pint of Kingfisher beer. When I was in class eleven, I drank whisky for New Year's Eve. I ate dates as an accompaniment. By the end of the night I did not know how much I drank. And I was sick!
Pepsi and Coke taste the same to me.
At Gautam Singhania's house we have spent some wild nights drinking sake.
The first time I tried cooking was when I had to spend four months in England playing county cricket. I cooked jeera aloo, jeera rice and dal. My mother briefed me over the phone.
Sachin (Tendulkar) taught me how to make a great bharta. He is one of the best cooks you can find. He makes fantastic fish dishes. Once when he had come to my house he made baingan bharta and fish, Maharashtrian style.
My favourite kitchen gadget is the mixer; it's so easy to make a milkshake, no jhanjhat of cooking.
The first time I cooked for my wife Aditi was when we moved to our new house. It had a spanking new kitchen. I made a complete breakfast — coffee, tea, milkshake, toast and eggs. Bas that's it! It's been three years since I cooked anything else.
Chicken in oyster sauce
400 gm chicken leg, boneless
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp chopped ginger
150 gm broccoli, florets
50 gm carrots, sliced
100 gm Chinese black mushrooms, soaked in salted water
1 bunch spring onions, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp dark soya sauce
2 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp sugar
salt to taste
Pinch of white pepper
250 ml chicken stock
2 tbsp corn flour soaked in
cup of water
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp Chinese wine for cooking
To marinate
1 tbsp corn flour
Pinch of salt and pepper
1 egg white
1 tsp sesame oil
Clean and dice the chicken into medium-sized pieces. Marinate the chicken in the above ingredients and keep aside for 20 minutes.
Heat 1 tsp oil and shallow fry the marinated chicken on slow fire for three to four minutes.
In another wok, heat the remaining oil and add broccoli and carrot pieces. Drain the soaked mushrooms and add to the vegetables, saut for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the fried chicken pieces to the sauted vegetables.
Now add oyster sauce, dark and light soya sauce, sugar, white pepper, salt to taste and Chinese wine. Mix well. Add the chicken stock and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
Now add the corn flour mixture and mix well.
Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Garnish with chopped spring onions.
Serve hot with Chinese fried rice.
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