Huma Qureshi comes from food. We all know her family runs a popular chain of restaurants in Delhi (Saleem’s). She recently produced and started in a film with Sonakshi Sinha, Double XL, all right in its intent but all wrong in its execution. The film does explore what it means to be plus size, how food can sometimes become an emotional crutch, and how beauty and self-worth can never be estimated based on the number your scale shows. Huma has also been very vocal about prevailing beauty standards and where these standards expect women in show business, even in 2023, the year of Lizzo, to stay—which is still extremely thin and extremely fair.
After Double XL, when it came to playing a femme fatale in Monica, O My Darling, she was expected to lose the weight she had put on for Double XL, something that didn’t quite sit right with her. As she said in a statement, "The point of me wanting to produce a film like "Double XL" was to shatter notions of how weight is equated with beauty and desirability. When I was all set to play a femme fatale, why was I succumbing to the rules made by society and not feeling beautiful in my own skin? I have realized that feeling and looking sexy is not because of the clothes you wear or because somebody weighs a certain weight." Amen.
From Gangs of Wasseypur to Badlapur to Dedh Ishqiya to Maharani, Huma has only continued to make inspiring choices, and been herself all along. In fact, we once saw her while we were getting a pedicure in Juhu, and she was getting a manicure at the counter. She was seated next to a posh lady who harassed her nonstop, and Huma could not have been nicer. So, Huma, if you are reading this—we know you are—you are awesome, and please stay that way. We stan. So much so, you have inspired us to eat the same breakfast you did yesterday. A delicious-looking porridge with apples and blueberries and a very healthy-looking salad with green beans and corn
Huma seems to be following a keto diet, so we thought, why not give you two of our favorite keto breakfast options? They are easy to put together and delicious.
1. Masala Frittata with Avocado Salsa
This Jemma Morphet recipe has everything you crave in a good "Indian" breakfast.
Ingredients:
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 onions, 2½ thinly sliced, ½ finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon Madras curry paste or any other curry blend of your choice
• 500g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
• small pack of coriander, roughly chopped
• 8 large eggs, beaten
• 1 avocado, stoned, peeled, and cubed
• juice 1 lemon
Method:
Heat the oil in a medium, non-stick, ovenproof frying pan. Add the sliced onions and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until soft and golden. Add the Madras paste and fry for 2 minutes more, then tip in half the tomatoes and half the chili. Cook until the mixture is thick and the tomatoes have all burst.
Heat the grill to high. Add half the coriander to the eggs and season, then pour over the spicy onion mixture. Stir gently once or twice, then cook over a low heat for 8–10 minutes, until almost set. Transfer to the grill for 3–5 minutes, until set.
To make the salsa, mix the avocado, remaining chili and tomatoes, chopped onion, remaining coriander, and lemon juice together, then season and serve with the frittata.
2. GREEN EGGS
Sophie Godwin has an excellent, easy, and healthy egg recipe that is to die for.
Ingredients:
• 1½ tablespoons olive oil, plus a splash extra
• 2 trimmed leeks, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
• pinch of chili flakes or according to your tolerance, plus extra to serve
• 200g spinach
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt or any dahi you can find
• squeeze of lemon
Steps:
Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the leeks and a pinch of salt, then cook until soft. Add the garlic, coriander, fennel, and chili flakes. Once the seeds begin to crackle, tip in the spinach and turn down the heat. Stir everything together until the spinach has wilted and reduced, then scrape it over to one side of the pan. Pour a little oil into the pan, then crack in the eggs and fry until cooked to your liking.
Stir the yogurt through the spinach mix and season. Pile onto two plates, top with the fried egg, squeeze over a little lemon, and season with black pepper and chili flakes to serve.