It is almost a dream-come-true-feeling to meet your idol, somebody you've grown up watching, somebody who has inspired you. A similar feeling surged in me when I got a mail about a bloggers' meet with Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, the original celebrity Chef of India. If you are a 90s kid you'd remember that never fading smile and enthusiasm of the Khana Khazana host. It was a ritual in most of the families to sit in front of the TV with a notepad and pen to jot down the simple recipes he churned out. Most would remember running to the kitchen and doing some kiddie experiments with food. His recipes were always quick and not very intimidating, that's what made him famous in almost all the households.
As a kid I was amazed by his knowledge of every ingredient that he used. He would love to dig in the history and would bring out interesting stories related to that ingredient or dish.
Coming back to that mail, call it the perks of being a food writer or just my good luck that I was invited to this event. Just the name of Sanjeev Kapoor mentioned in the mail was enough for me to hit the reply button for RSVP.
Finally the day arrived and a bunch of us food bloggers reached Sanjeev Kapoor's Andheri office. After a little wait he arrived looking fit as always and flashing that very charming smile. We were taken back to our childhood days when he greeted us with his signature 'Aap sab ko Sanjeev Kapoor ka pyar bhara namashkar'. We couldn't stop grinning and I am grinning right now as i write this post. It was an experience to listen to his inspiring stories while a group of bloggers cooked for him. Here again he did something that has always fascinated me, create something exciting out of the ordinary ingredients. In a matter of minutes he turned the galouti kebabs into an exotic dish; galouti kebab stuffed puris with minty lemon buttemilk shots. The mushroom risotto was turned into risotto stuffed puris with tomato soup shots.
As a kid I was amazed by his knowledge of every ingredient that he used. He would love to dig in the history and would bring out interesting stories related to that ingredient or dish.
Coming back to that mail, call it the perks of being a food writer or just my good luck that I was invited to this event. Just the name of Sanjeev Kapoor mentioned in the mail was enough for me to hit the reply button for RSVP.
Finally the day arrived and a bunch of us food bloggers reached Sanjeev Kapoor's Andheri office. After a little wait he arrived looking fit as always and flashing that very charming smile. We were taken back to our childhood days when he greeted us with his signature 'Aap sab ko Sanjeev Kapoor ka pyar bhara namashkar'. We couldn't stop grinning and I am grinning right now as i write this post. It was an experience to listen to his inspiring stories while a group of bloggers cooked for him. Here again he did something that has always fascinated me, create something exciting out of the ordinary ingredients. In a matter of minutes he turned the galouti kebabs into an exotic dish; galouti kebab stuffed puris with minty lemon buttemilk shots. The mushroom risotto was turned into risotto stuffed puris with tomato soup shots.
These quick wonderful recipes were followed by chocolate pearl puris with chocolate, cream and espresso shots.
The discussion about food continued on the lunch table where we tasted some of Sanjeev Kapoor's signature recipes. But for me this day wasn't about food, it was all about meeting my idol who has a major contribution in putting the cooking ka keeda in me.
The meet ended with us taking home Sanjeev Kapoor's raisin and pineapple chutney jar, recipe on a scroll and diyas. A special thanks to Rushina M G for organizing this day which is aptly named Food Bloggers' Day.
Amazing :) i am so grateful to every force of nature for making this happen :) to so happy to share it with you and Ash :)
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