Foodie Talk with Sneha Soneji

#FoodBuzzz

Name: Sneha Soneji

Instagram - @snehadolcevita

What is your favourite food memory from childhood? 

My aunty (bua) used to feed me dal, rice and fried potatoes. The amazing flavours are still something I still yearn for. 

What’s your favourite comfort food?

Hands down to dal, rice and fried potatoes. This comfort food can perk me up on even the saddest of days. 

3 reasons why you consider yourself a Foodie?

1. I have always been a food lover since childhood, 

2. Honestly, I keep thinking what my next meal would be. 

3. Thanks to my family and friends who were also avid food lovers, I was exposed to new cuisines. We ended up trying and experimenting with good food at every opportune moment we got.

Which are your three favourite cuisine? Why?

Middle Eastern – I was exposed to this cuisine because of my brother and fell in love instantly. The lightness and freshness of the dishes fulfils me mentally. Also love their concept of eating together with the full family.

American – I have always loved the concepts of salads and burgers. There’s this zing element about American diners and cafés which glorify the American Food Culture.

Italian – The cuisine reminds me of my love for Paris, Rome and David Rocco.

Do you have a favourite food ingredient?

Potatoes. I love them in every possible way.

Which food ingredient do you loathe/think is overrated?

Capsicum / Bell Peppers. I fail to understand why the hell they need to be plonked on every possible dish even if it adds no value to the ultimate flavour of the dish.  

What’s the strangest dish you’ve ever tried?

There was this weird creation called Sev puri sandwich. They placed the sev puri in between two slices of bread. Wonder what was so original about this, the flavours were subdued and I dumped it after my first bite.  

What is your favourite fruit and vegetable? And your favourite herb/spice?

Fruit - Mango

Vegetable - Potato 

Herb - Arugula

Spice - Definitely Red Chilli

If you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Dal Rice and Potatoes. 

Have you ever travelled anywhere just/mainly for the food?

Yes. I travelled with my family to Kolhapur just to eat the city’s famous Phadtare Missal. I also loved the Vada Pav and Tambda and Pandhra Rassa. 

What’s been your biggest kitchen splurge so far? 

I splurged on an Espresso machine for the love of coffee. 

What kind of oil do you use most of all? 

Sunflower Oil

Which is the most over-rated food cuisine?

Mexican. Somehow I don’t seem to relish the flavours.  

Your take on:

Keto diets – A way of show off. 

Intermittent fasting – Honestly this fad seems more like torturing and feasting the body at intervals. Invariably the digestive system gets confused.  

Fusion food cuisine – Highly over-rated. People should stop creating fusion dishes. Vada pav and cheese don’t go together. Gulab jamun is meant to be a dessert not a main course. Stop adding cheese to everything. 

Which superfoods have impressed you the most?

Quinoa and Kale. 

What are your favourites?

Indian street food – Vegetable Sandwich

Indian dessert – Jalebi and Rabdi

Over-rated Indian restaurant in your city (and why) – Pure Milk Centre. Adding cheese to every dish doesn’t make the meal tasty. Extremely over-rated. 

The restaurant you keep going back to – Unfortunately, there’s no such restaurant in Mumbai. But Divtya Budhlya Wada in Nasik is one restaurant that I can eat at every day. 

How do you detox your body after an overdose of eating out?

By eating light, home cooked meal. 

Any health foods you swear by?

Green leafy vegetables like lettuce, kale, and arugula. One feels satiated  for a long time and are good for the gut. 

Who’s your favourite celebrity Chef? 

All of them have their own unique ways. No favourites but David Rocco, Gary Mehigan, Ranveer Brar, and Tarla Dalal are a few whose dishes I swear by. And of course Vikas Khanna for his cuteness and the twist he brings to regular dishes. 

What’s your favourite food-related TV programme?

MasterChef. 

What’s your favourite food destination?

Dubai for sure. It’s a melting pot and there are so many cuisines which have original tastes unlike India where they are twisted to suit our taste buds.

What’s your favourite kitchen gadget?

My all-in-one chopper. It makes cooking so easy.