Foodie Talk with Sana Ziya
#FoodBuzzz
Name-
Sana Ziya
Instagram
handle - @thefooditarians
What
is your favourite food memory from childhood?
As a kid, whenever I used to feel some dish is
spicy, my mother would give me a banana to have along with the food. Later
on, it became a ritual. My mother kept the fruit ready for me. Even now, there
are times when I eat a banana with roti.
What’s
your favourite comfort food?
It
has to be dal chawal with curd and pickle.
3
reasons why you consider yourself a Foodie?
1. Food makes me happy. It’s my happy moment since it elevates my
mood. The easiest way to pamper me is to tempt me with delicious food.
2. It was my passion for food that prompted me to get into blogging. I enjoy jotting down my experiences. Also I have
learnt a lot about food, cooking, ingredients and different cuisines. I became adventurous
and experimental in trying out new cuisines.
3. My mom is a great cook and I think I have got my foodie genes from
her. Even my grandmother (Nani) was a good cook, she would make simple dishes
but the taste would be great and it remained the same over the years. So both
of them have been instrumental in building my taste buds.
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Which
are your three favourite cuisine? Why?
1.
South-Indian food - I can have this for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is
light on the gut and healthy. Also I have spent a lot of time in Matunga (during
my post-graduation) so have explored South-Indian food to a great extent and
cultivated the taste.
2.
Chinese - From my childhood eating habits, you might get to know that I am not
someone who likes spicy food, but I can never say 'NO' to Schezwan. Till date,
Manchow remains my first choice when it comes to soup. Chinese food is one cuisine
which I like in the 'Indian' version as well as the 'authentic' version. If I
am having a bad day, this is something which instantly makes me feel good.
3.
Italian- I am more of a roti-chawal person but once in a while I do love
binging on pizzas and pastas.
What’s
the strangest dish you’ve ever tried?
Wasabi
ice-cream
What
is your favourite fruit and vegetable? And your favourite herb/spice?
My
favourite vegetables are cucumber, potato, gavar and spinach.
My
favourite fruits are mango, watermelon, chikoo and banana.
Favourite
spice is pepper.
Favourite
herb is oregano and basil. My pizza and pasta would be incomplete without
oregano.
If
you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Undoubtedly
Dal-Chawal and also Dal Khichdi.
Have
you ever travelled anywhere just/mainly for the food?
No,
I haven't travelled as such, but would like to explore different cuisines of
the world. I don't hesitate in trying the local food of a particular place that
I visit. The farthest that I would have travelled for food would be the dhabas
at the outskirts of Mumbai.
What’s
been your biggest kitchen splurge so far?
An
electric tandoor from an exhibition. My mom and me wanted to try out making
tikkas and seekh kebabs at home. It was a splurge for sure but worth the
treats we create at home.
Do
you indulge in food porn? Actively or passively? What impresses you with food
porn?
Oh
yes, I do indulge in food porn. Sometimes simple
dishes are clicked so beautifully and aesthetically.
A perfect food picture can prompt you to experiment with a new dish. I
indulge in food pornography also because you learn about angles and lighting of
the pic. Yes, I am fond of food photography. I love trying new cuisines, I love
clicking well-plated food dishes.
What
kind of oil do you use most of all?
Groundnut,
sunflower oil, sometimes olive oil. My mother keeps switching as there are
different benefits from different oils.
Any
quirky food dishes combinations you have invented or love feasting on?
I
haven't invented as such. My quirky combination has been having vanilla ice
cream with moong dal halwa. Recently, I
also tried cheesecake ice cream at a Bohri wedding, I loved it. Bohri caterers
do experiment a lot and come up with new dishes and combinations. I suppose these are the perks of being a
Bohri, you get to try out innovative food variations.
Your
take on:
Keto
diets - Keto diet is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. This may be useful for
overweight or obese people and Keto diet could assist in losing weight quickly.
A word of caution is that there might
be weight gain again soon. For me, it is more of a fad-diet. My
priority would be a healthy, fit body rather than a slim body
Intermittent
fasting - Being a Muslim, I follow Ramadan (which is a form of intermittent
fasting). From personal experience I can say, fasting surely detoxifies your
body. Sometimes when you have over-eaten the previous day, it helps in bringing
your body to equilibrium again and give it the much-needed rest.
Fusion
food cuisine – I have tried some of them. These variations hit the right chords
subject to the correct combination of dishes or cuisines.
Which superfoods have impressed you the most?
1. Yoghurt
2. Raw nuts
3. Leafy vegetables
4. Fish
5. Berries
What
are your favourites?
Over-rated
Indian restaurant in your city (and why) – I find places that focus more on the
ambience (than the food) quite over-rated. As an avid foodie, for me the food flavours
should stand out, the other factors add more brownie points.
How
do you detox your body after an overdose of eating out?
Intermittent fasting, having light meals like curd rice and lime juice.
Any
health foods you swear by?
Milk and milk products.
Fruits
Vegetables
Nuts
Beans, Lentils
Simple, easy to find, and easy to make.
Who’s
your favourite celebrity chef?
Sanjeev
Kapoor
Vikas
Khanna
Ranveer
Brar
All
3 of them make cooking look so easy, fun and comfortable.
What’s
your favourite food-related TV programme?
Sanjeev
Kapoor’s Khana Khazana has been a favorite. Most of us have literally grown up
watching his cookery shows. What I like about him is his subtle style. His smiling
face makes you forget the dollops of ghee and high calorie ingredients he is
using in the dish preparation.
Highway
on My Plate- Rocky & Mayur. I envy
these two as they are doing both the things that I love - eating and travelling
together.
What’s your favourite kitchen gadget?
Refrigerator and oven. One is a good storage and you
can try different foodie experiment with an oven.
