Janhvi Kapoor is one of our favorite new actresses. She’s one of the rare new actresses that can pull off a ditzy blonde as much as she can a thoughtful young woman who acknowledges and understands the privilege she comes from. Don’t believe us? Watch her on Koffee with Karan for her ‘ditzy blonde’ and watch her interview with Baradwaj Rangan to see how thoughtful and measured she can be. She’s also one of the few actresses making daring and unusual choices in films, and we are here for it. What also endears her to us, because we are after all Slurrp, are her food choices. The girl knows her food, likes her food, and isn’t afraid to share her love for it.
Recently, she posted stories of her "cheat meal," and what’s on the menu is enough to set us all back on our own diet goals. We stan. The spread had a very saucy-looking classic Margherita pizza, hakka noodles, spaghetti in white sauce, dumplings, and some rice paper rolls. For dessert, there was the evergreen tiramisu. So, classic Italian and Chinese fare here. What’s not to like?
Through many of her other interviews, she has made a mention of her personal chef, Harishji, whose food she is very fond of. In a promotional interview that she did recently for her film Mili, she brought out some of the classics that Harishji makes for her, including Pesarattu with sambar, a Maharashtrian chutney and chutney powder that she claimed were way spicier than a standard gunpowder, seaweed/ mushrooms, and garlic noodles with gochuchang sauce. She also trotted out keto pizzas from Farmer’s Café in Bandra, keto cheesecake with raspberries and strawberries, and keto espresso ice-cream made by Naini Bose, who runs an ice-cream business out of her home.
At another food-based interview, Janhvi professed her love for an eclectic set of dishes, including Paneer Makhani, Avial, Red Rice Biriyani, Cheese Dosa, Sweet Potato Paratha, Jalebi, Gulab Jamun, and Kalakand! That is a What’s What of All Things Delicious (and Decadent). She also professed a great love for galouti kebabs, dal makhani, and cheese naans. If it seems North Indian heavy, fret not, as she herself has claimed, she is more South Indian than North Indian in the way she thinks and eats, and there are some south Indian favorites – Mysore Pak, palkova (from Tirupati no less!)
While discussing some of her favorite restaurants in the world, these names came up. If you can, make sure to check them out yourself.
1. Farmer’s Café, Bandra
2. Restaurants at Taj Coromandel, Chennai
3. New York style cheesecake at Eileen’s Bakery, New York City (while you are in New York, we also highly recommend the cheesecake at Two Little Red Hens at 85th and 2nd; it is divine!)
4. 1125 AD, Amer Fort, Jaipur (one of our absolute favorites for Indian food in India)
5. Nasi Kandar Pelita Halal, Chennai
While Janhvi did take us on a culinary tour around the world, we’ll leave you with something from her own kitchen that she loves best, not least because it is a classic South Indian dish. Here’s how you can rustle up an excellent pesarattu at home: Get those insanely hot chutneys if you can!
PESARATTU, from Hebbar’s Kitchen
Ingredients:
• 1 cup moong dal
• 3 tbsp chana dal
• Water to soak
• 2 tbsp rice flour
• Salt to taste
• Oil/ghee to roast
• Finely chopped onion, tomato, chili, ginger, and coriander.
Steps:
• Soak moong dal and chana dal for 4-6 hours.
• Drain the water; grind to a smooth paste.
• Add rice flour for crispy results and salt as you wish.
• Pour the pesarattu the way you would dosas.
• Once the pesarattu has cooked a little, add the chopped vegetables on top.
• Once it is fully cooked, take it off the tava and serve hot with ghee, chutney, and any other condiment you wish.