The idea that you can be a vegetarian or vegan and still enjoy delicious meals is well known to all Indians, and actress-producer Anushka Sharma is no exception. Anushka Sharma not only turned to vegetarianism around three years ago and is married to Virat Kohli, who is famously quasi-vegetarian, but also joined PETA India’s move to promote meat-free meals. But, given that she is a die-hard foodie, how does Anushka Sharma satiate her cravings for dishes from parts of India that are predominantly meat-eating?
With popular vegetarian fare from the same region, of course! In a recent Instagram story, Anushka Sharma revealed just how she manages to taste dishes from around the nation without compromising on her vegetarianism: through cloud kitchens that serve authentic, hyperlocal dishes from different cuisines of India! The story she posted on social media shows off one such meal from an Assamese cuisine cloud kitchen based out of Mumbai and run by a homechef, Gitika Saikia.
Video Credit: YouTube/Gitikas Pakghor
“Thank you for obliging my vegetarian meal requests always. Simply delicious,” said Anushka Sharma in the story post, admiring not only the food the homechef had shared but also the fact that it included vegetarian delicacies made with hyperlocal ingredients from Assam. Clearly visible in the image Anushka Sharma shared is a delicacy from Assamese cuisine called Dhekia Xaak. Made with Fiddlehead Ferns, this dish celebrates a rare green ingredient that many beyond the Himalayan areas don’t know of at all.
Also visible in the story are other monsoon green veggies that are famously used in Assamese cuisine, like Spiny Gourd or Kantola, which is known as Bhaat Karela in Assamese. The dish prepared with the Fiddlehead Ferns or Dhekia Xaak seems like a simple stir fry with potatoes, known as Dhekia Xaak Aru Aloo. The dish prepared with Spiny Gourd also seems like a simple Bhaja or dry sabji flavoured with salt and turmeric. Simple food straight from the heart of Assam!
Another dish is visible in the background, which could be an Assamese dal made with more monsoon greens. Clearly the dishes in the image represent rare yet delicious vegetarian delicacies from Assamese cuisine that most people don’t know about. Gitika Saikia, who runs the cloud kitchen Gitika’s PakGhor in South Mumbai since 2014, is known for her Assamese vegetarian delicacies like Dhekia Xaak, bamboo shoot and jackfruit seeds recipes as well as non-vegetarian Assamese delicacies like pork, duck and of course, fish.
For Anushka Sharma, who is a foodie and a vegetarian, indulging in vegetarian delicacies from regions like Assam must provide a change of taste while also meeting her own goals for fitness and anti-animal cruelty living. For those unaware, Anushka Sharma turned vegetarian three years ago and has still managed to live the life of a true-blue foodie. “Going vegetarian was one of the best decisions I ever made,” she said in a statement for PETA in May. “I have more eb=nergy, feel healthier, and am so happy that no animals had to suffer for my meals.”