20 Super Cooks in Home Kitchens

Reigning in their home kitchens, here are some remarkable cooks. Love for food, passion for cooking and being wonderful hosts are a few things they all have in common. Read their full interviews in our archives

Shaheen Daruwala

"I think, belonging to a large family had a lot to do with the kind of food we grew up eating," says Shaheen Daruwala. "We were and are a large and loving family, Masha'Allah. And my mum, who is unfortunately no more, was an excellent cook. She took great pride in her kitchen, a value system which got inculcated in us. Believe me, nothing ever came from a store for us, no jams, no sauces, pastes, no nothing. Just raw material. Everything was cooked or made at home. Even sherbets and pasta! So I did the same when my children were growing up."
Shaheen Daruwala is an excellent cook who serves Persian fare as enticing in looks as tingling in taste. Evolved cooking at its best. Her husband Roozbeh is Parsi and Parsi food was unfamiliar cuisine for Shaheen. Keen to introduce her in-laws to Persian food, she decided to start cooking. That's how her tryst with hands-on cooking started. From then till now the kitchen has dominated her life and she is happiest spending the maximum time in that part of her home.
Today, they all love Persian food. Who wouldn't?
Persians/ Iranians are robust eaters. And meat has to be part of the meals. To be specific, mutton or if you prefer lamb. We get both in India. There is a certain debate on what constitutes mutton and lamb.

For the complete interview: Persian Pride at Shaheen Daruwala's Table

Mridula Kadam

She mixes masalas in her kitchen with as much flair as she separates warring couples in spicy courtroom dramas. Meet Mridula Ravi Kadam, the celebrity 'family' lawyer, who handles both home and office with equal panache. Vegetarian as a child, she remained so till ë84, when she met her future husband, Ravi. Today, her family of four enjoys chicken with gay abandon. That and many other delicacies that she excels in cooking. She gives the credit for her cooking to her husband saying that heís fond of good food and that she learnt to cook because of him.

For the complete interview: Come Lunch With A GSB

Tara Deshpande

Cooking is her raison d'etre, a life line. And Tara Deshpande is good at it. Dinners at her home are fun affairs with a serious touch. She takes her food and her guests seriously. Her married life began in Boston and she knew she had to do something to keep herself engaged or go bonkers. As luck would have it she came across an advertisement in the papers where the Cambridge Community Centre was looking for someone to teach Indian cooking. Just up her street. Turning point, that.

For the complete interview: Tara Deshpande—A Versatile Cook

Kavita Sabharwal

Kavita Sabharwal is a hostess par excellence. A house-proud woman, a loving mum to her only daughter, Natasha, wife to Sunil, a supportive husband, a doting pet parent to Tequila and Sia, two really cute Pekingese and above all, a Mangalorean who loves, even lives to cook. Her daughter Natasha meticulously compiles the recipes because Kavita knows nothing about weights and measures and calls herself an andaz cook. Besides Mangalorean food, she also cooks Chinese, Continental, Italian and her repertoire includes the best pani puri, the best American chopsuey.
"I have always been a natural, instinctive cook who has never followed any recipes," says Kavita. "Frankly, I can't even tell you how much of what to put into each of the dishes I have cooked today. My maid helped with writing down. While the ingredients I use will be what each dish must have and my cooking method will be traditional, I just go ahead and use teaspoons and my fingers to throw in the various masalas and spices."
"Mangaloreans love seafood and I am no exception," adds Kavita, "and we love to combine everything with coconut. Not milk, but paste, ground very, very finely. I never use the canned milk or the desiccated stuff. This is so because I learned my basics watching my grandma cook. And my great grandma was a legend in her time. She cooked with shaking hands right till she was 95 and her malpuas are still talked about."
Kavita belongs to that brigade of cricket buffís wives who would be seen, looking glamorous on television screens, in oversized sunglasses, clapping hands with red-painted manicured nails, at sixers and successful overs at matches played in Dubai. This may have been in the rocking 80s, but none of the glamour has left Kavita, the only difference is now she enjoys ëkitchen timeí, off camera, a lot more and 'social time' a lot less.

For the complete interview: A Regional Repast with Kavita Sabharwal

Monika Correa

As a child Monika Correa loved going to Crawford Market with her father on Sundays and being fascinated by the piles of fish! Even when she travels she makes it a point to visit the local market. Today, she's a celebrity weaver and wife of world renowned architect Charles Correa, and keeps a good table at home. Started cooking seriously in 1962, after her marriage, Monika learnt her skills by cooking out of cookery books but it's amazing to see the spectacular food she puts out.
"I started off in Boston when people used to come over to our rented apartment and ask for an Indian meal," says Monika. "When we have friends over now, my meals are mainly seafood. Our friends are all creative people, and I am conscious how the food looks on the plates as how it tastes. Everybody can cook well, but the food must also be a visual delight."

For the complete interview: A Good Meal Can Even be Bhel-Puri

Kunal Vijayakar

Kunal Vijayakar, advertising and theatre man, writer and actor, painter and foodie, is a single guy who enjoys cooking when heís expecting company, or when he wants to de-stress himself after a hard day. And he cooks Pathare Prabhu food, being a member of the community.
"My favourite cuisine is my own Pathare Prabhu food. It is a lot like Parsi food. They depend on their dhansak masala, we on our Prabhu sambhar masala, which is available in Pathare Prabhu shops in Girgaum and Matunga. This is minimalist cooking. And it is a robust and delicious cuisine, lots of meat, prawn, fish. When I get stuck on a recipe, I call my mother or grandmother to help me out."

For the complete interview: I Cook Because I Love To Eat!

Parul Shah

The awareness to eat healthy has certainly caught on, but to find a family where every member is as conscious about it as the next, is rare. We bring you the Shah family, which continues to eat Gujarati fare at home, but with a healthy twist.
ìLook, we all love to eat in this house," says  Parul, Dr Viral Shah's happy and ever-smiling wife, "and so we found ways of eating the food we love, but by giving it a sensible twist. So instead of pouring pure ghee on everything we eat, we use fresh white home-made butter, where we have to. Like with Bajri Methi Palak Rotla. Or the Dal Dhokli. It's got all the traditional ingredients in it, but in addition I have the chopped and cubed veggies that we steam and add to it, according to our own individual taste."
Now that's the way to keep it healthy and wholesome!

For the complete interview: Parul Shah's Healthy Family

Kimmy Katkar Sheorey

Over a million hearts beat wildly as she gyrated to Amitabh Bachchan's Jumma Chumma De De. She set the big screen on fire and now cooks up a storm in the kitchen. From a glamorous actress to a devoted homemaker, Kimmy Katkar Sheorey has come a long way. Her first foray in the kitchen was a result of sheer desperation. She was newly married and needed to eat; as simple as that. Now she can whip up a meal in her sleep and cook marvellous Chinese and Italian delicacies as well as pork vindaloo, prawn kharouni and bombil fry.
"At one time, I entertained my fans through my movies,î Kimmy grins, ìnow I entertain my friends through their bellies."

For the complete interview: Kimmy Cooks Best

Rano Singh

There are many women who cook terrifically well and there are others who are terrific hostesses. To find both in one is not easy, Rano Singh is that rare one. She comes from a family of hearty eaters, and friends swear by her cooking. She is a versatile cook and as mentioned above, an amazing hostess. She has cooked robust Punjabi fare at the UpperCrust Show and had visitors eating out of her hand. She can cook with flair any and every international dish. She cut her teeth on Cordon Bleu cooking decades ago, training under Mrs Balbir Singh, a Cordon Bleu chef in Delhi.
She tells us, ìFood is a passion-cum-therapy for me. I have pursued it on my holidays in Thailand, U.S.A and Mexico. I did short courses on my trips and have done practical training at the Le Meridien, I have written recipes for many cook books. I have also studied chocolate making, and make a large variety of chocolates and take orders too. Itís been a huge success.î
Be it an intimate gathering of two dozen people at her sprawling mansion at old Cuffe Parade or a Diwali party of more than 200 guests, Ranoís food always shines. Nothing comes from a restaurant, itís all home cooked.
While hosting a party, Rano is not just in the kitchen supervising, she is actively cooking along with the servants. Come evening, she is all dressed, calm and relaxed, looking after  every guest, offering drinks, making sure the starters are moving along and are piping hot. Her husband, Kamalbirís popularity on the social circuit has much to do with Ranoís cooking!
ìI feel there is no end to learning and therefore, no end to teaching,î says Rano about her immense love for cooking. ìThere are so many recipes and the best way of spreading knowledge is by sharing them with others.î
We whole-heartedly agree!

For the complete interview: Rano's Passion

Raffath Jehan

Itís not just about Hyderabadi hospitality, itís about Nawab Shah Alamís personal style of mehman-nawazi so well executed by the rest of his family. Raffath Jehan, the 2nd eldest daughter-in-law of Nawab Shah Alam Khan of Hyderabad is among the few of the most talented and committed of homekeepers.
For Raffath Apa, cooking for a large number of people comes easy. She emphasises that in mutton dishes, ëthe cut,í meaning which part of the goat one uses for which dish is all important.
When asked to give tips on what makes perfect cooking, she says, ìFood has to be cooked slowly, carefully, with full concentration. When we make Do Pyaaza, I donít leave the handi, I stand there myself, stirring and stirring it patiently.î

For the complete interview: A Deccan Delight

Sangita Biyani

A homemaker, Sangita Kishore Biyani essays the role of super hostess, cookbook author and ëmost lovable chachií with ease and a spiritual touch to it all. She is intrinsically a happy person and there is an element of spirituality in her cooking. Every morning and evening bhog is made for the presiding deity of the house.
Food, cuisines, ingredients, recipes, cooking methods and yes, travel and family, all this motivates her. Sensible woman that Sangitaís mom is, it was she who inculcated the love for cooking in Sangitaís life from an early age. ìMy mother was very clear,î says Sangita. ìCooking, which was her forte is something her three daughters had to become adept at.î Truly, cooking is all empowering!

For the complete interview: Sangita Biyani's Foodhall With a Difference

Vidya Zaveri

Vidya Zaveri has modelled for companies such as Rasna and Vimal, Tata Soaps and Vadilal Ice Cream in a six-month stint after college. She looks dainty and demure but is tough as a diamond. And what a nugget Vidya is in her home kitchen!
ìFood has played an important role in  the lives of my family and we all love good food,î says Vidya. ìWe are careful eaters, but eat everything!î By which she means all things vegetarian. The Zaveris check out every new restaurant in town as soon as it opens. Generally a bunch of friends gather at their home in South Bombay overlooking one of the best views in town, where, over light hors díoeuvres and single malts, they build up a mood to go eating out.
But when it comes to hosting dinners, Vidya informs, predominantly they always serve Gujarati food at dinners at home. Their friends, both Gujjus and non-Gujjus, love it. And Vidya is in the kitchen pretty constantly, her maharaj, with her since more than a decade, is so adept, he does a great job on his own.
Vidya is disciplined about her food, health and fitness regime. She wakes at 7.30 am and on an empty stomach, drinks a glass of seed ëjuiceí. A tangy hot concoction where a teaspoon of pomegranate seeds are boiled in water. Good for health. She then has her ëdip-dipí tea, and a little later a bowl of porridge which she is crazy about.
Explaining the rich food that she serves her friends, she says, ìHonestly, I am careful about the health factor all the time. Like the dhokla that we make is made from green moong dal and is steamed. Or the tendli, semi-cooked and just some tempering with very little oil. And the Undhiyu is baked! Also, we indulge now and then. Itís human. Like I cheat twice a week when I binge on desserts!î

For the complete interview: A Priceless Rock in Shrenik’s Kitchen

Abida Rasheed

Abida Rasheed is perhaps Calicutís most famous Moplah woman due to her outstanding food and being a popular Moplah cook. Her cooking is legendary. Malayalis in Calicut wanting to introduce outsiders to the cuisine of the Malabari Muslims ask to be invited to Abidaís home. She is as warm and hospitable as she is talented at putting together a menu of authentic Moplah food. And if you are welcomed to her home, please go, she keeps a good table, and that table will be groaning with the weight of her awesome cuisine!
Her passion for Moplah food developed when Abida was a child. ìMy grandmother was a fabulous cook and I have been cooking since I was in the fifth standard,î she said. In 1984, enterprisingly, Abida launched Hot.Dot Foods, a culinary company of limited menus that packaged parathas and chicken biryanis and sold them locally.
Speaking about Moplah food, Abida said the style of cooking this cuisine is distinctly Yemeni. It is Muslim food but quite unlike the Mughlai cuisines of India from Hyderabad, Lucknow, Kashmir and even Delhi. ìThose cuisines are mostly oily and have heavy and rich gravies,î Abida said. ìMoplah food is not rich, we donít use too many spices, no ginger-garlic paste, we use chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric, jeera, a few whole spices that we grow. Moplah food, unlike Mughlai food, will not give you a feeling of fullness at the end of a meal.î
Moplah cuisine has the Arab influence evident in dishes like Alisa (a wholesome wheat and meat porridge) and the stuffed chicken. This cuisine is cooked by traditional women cooks known as ethathas. Abida too has a pair of ethathas at her home and together, the three ladies, run the traditional and contemporary kitchen in her home. Such an experience watching them cook!

For the complete interview: Arab Flavour to Moplah Cuisine

Mimi Batliwala

Mimi Batliwala travels the world on her own, dines at the finest restaurants and cooks superbly. She is a classical pianist, plays golf and loves the outdoors. She is visually impaired, went blind when she was only 12 but with a little but of help from her family and friends, she went right ahead and did everything she could, that she would have, had she been able to see. She might have burnt her fingers often enough, but never thought to give up cooking, thatís how much she loves it!
Mimi likes to cook but loves to eat. No, she does not drink any alcohol, not even wine. She gave up eating meat a long while ago and is mainly vegetarian now, but she does eat fish sometimes. This spunky woman is as comfortable snacking on sev puri on the streets of Bombay as she is at an upscale, Michelin-starred
restaurant in Paris.

For the complete interview: Mimi Cooks With Her Creative Eye

Smita Deo

Meet Smita Deo. A cook par excellence, who at 15 was absolutely sure she would be a cop one day. But her life is completely different today as she whips up sumptuous Karwari and Kolhapuri food, is the author of a cookbook and loves being a hostess.
ìMy ma-in-law had apprehensions about my cooking abilities,î Smita tell us. ìBut I surprised her. On the third day after my wedding I was in the kitchen cooking up meals!î
Here is one genuinely talented, unpretentious woman who bubbles and gurgles over food and food stories and one who simply loves to cook and feed!

For the complete interview: Smita Deo—Cooking with Passion

Havovi Shroff

For 14 years now home-chef Havovi Shroff has had thousands of food lovers eating out of her hands, licking away their fingers, in appreciation of her robust cooking. As a home-caterer, Havovi has built her loyal clientele bit by bit, only and exclusively through word of mouth over all these years.
Havovi is a straight-talking, no-nonsense, chirpy and fun woman, who does not let anything in life get her down. She tells us that she had the worldís worst cook in her mum who could not even boil water and so had to fend for herself when she was growing up. Gradually, she learnt to explain the cooks what she liked eating and that is how she discovered the joys of cooking and till date, that has been her saving grace. When things were going awry in her personal life she took up supplying cakes to friends and extended family who raved about her desserts. Soon she was doing dips and sauces, followed by Continental fare and then lagan nu bhonu, the entire Parsi repertoire. ìAll this happened within three months of me starting catering from my home!î, she exclaims, eyes dancing. Today, the extensive menu has over 150 items you can order from, 50 of which are desserts!
Whatís amazing about Havovi is also that she personally does all the rinsing and washing though she has help to do so. You can never be too clean. This aspect is after all an important reason to order food from a home-chef. You can be sure that the coriander is washed thoroughly, the prawns properly deveined, the mutton cut clean.
Because Havovi is a junk food and dessert freak, she really excels in making sweet stuff. Her daily meals she hates to cook and has a cook especially for her personal meal. Her Lagan nu Custard you canít beat, and the ravo, impeccable. The Lemon SoufflÈ is excellent, her chocolate cake to die for. In fact, her desserts are what she mostly eats, even for main course!

For the complete interview: Havovi's Home Tiffins

Bulu Muku Hamied

Bulu Muku Hamied hails from Lucknow and comes from a respected, reputed and influential family. That apart, she is a great hostess and keeps an enviable table. She represents a slice of Lucknow, right here in Bombay. From whose kitchen wafts the maddening aromas of Awadhi cuisine. Where even the simple chhadi dal has the unique Lucknow flavour. Being invited to her home is a high point for many, for you can be sure of an amazing dastarkhan.
ìWoh zamana hi kuch aur tha,î Bulu says nostalgically, ìtab aise, aise khane bante the, jo abhi soch bhi nahi sakte hai. Sara khana asli ghee mein banta tha. Aab kya, koi woh khaega?î she questions. Well, people hesitate to even smear rotis with pure ghee. Diet is the catch word. And guilt, the dominant emotion.

For the complete interview: Bulu Hamied's Ramzan Offerings

Wendell Rodricks and Jerome Marrel

Wendell Rodricks and Jerome Marrel are the ultimate patrons of the good life. And they take to it with utmost simplicity, naturally, almost in a manner of, to the manor born. Although this was not so, for to reach where they have, Wendell has certainly worked hard and Jerome, French to the core, has been a 100% supporting partner. Needless to add, they both exude immense charm, class and are a world apart. An early riser, Wendell was already busy laying the breakfast table when UpperCrust went for a visit. The duo laid out a feast of a breakfast complete with a line-up of juices, a melange of fruits grown on the Goan hills and a splendid Goan spread including Goan Chorizo Chilli Fry On a Bed of Scrambled Gaunti Village Eyes, Drumstick (moringa) Mousse and loads more!

For the complete interview: The Hearty Happy Duo: Wendell Rodricks and Jerome Marell

Yasmin Morani

When you are part of an extended family, life is lived very differently. Warmth and hospitality become an integral part. That is exactly how Yasmin Morani lives. And it becomes a pleasure to be in her company. Plus, hospitality in this household is legendary.
ìFrom an early age cooking was important to me,î Yasmin tell us. ìIt came very naturally to me to look out for cookery classes and go do short courses. But the bulk of my cooking I learnt from my bhabhi who is Pakistani and who lives in the US.î
Well, Yasmin, knows every nuance of Muslim food and whips us sumptuous Khoja food. And though she may not have cooked since more than 15 years, she is totally in charge of her kitchen even now.

For the complete interview: Bliss and Harmony- The Morani Way of Life

Udayan Bose

There are no half measures in Udayan Boseís life, nothing half-baked, be it on the business tableau or the culinary table. He makes his wizardly decisions with as  much ease and confidence in his office as he decides with aplomb the exact quantity of mustard seeds that will go into the prawns he is cooking in his kitchen.
This corporate man makes the time to indulge in his passion which apart from investment banking, is cooking. Udayan is happy when his family is happy and they are happy when he is cooking. That is now the tradition; he cooks most Sundays, whether he is in Bombay or London.
Going to the bazaar goes with the premise, as he will not leave that crucial task to his servants...

For the complete interview: Cooking With Precision And Love