Children’s Day: Popular chefs share their favourite dish as a kid

My favourite childhood dish is Fried sardine fish with shrimp paste krapi and stir-fried morning glory. The fish with shrimp paste topped with lemon and chillies was something I could not resist and even now, I enjoy it immensely. My fondness for this dish has not dimmed through the years and I feel quite nostalgic whenever I eat it. It’s like I relive my childhood years with it. Moreover, even today, I try to look for Morning glory near my house and even include it in some of my special promotions at The Spice Route. It’s super tasty and healthy too!

If I have to pick one dish, it has to be half-plate chow mien from the hot pot van. I think it was an effective use of pocket money. For me, those evenings were about the trip across the road with friends and enjoying the time. It was our time, we were the king of the world with 5 rupees in our pocket. Till date, I love the burnt edges of the noodles. It is priceless.

My favourite dish has to be my mom's chocolate cake. She calls it a "Deep Dark Chocolate Cake". It is probably one of the best cakes that I have ever eaten all over the world. It's super moist, it has no icing on it, very old school and the reason why I love it so much is because it used to be in my tiffin box almost every day. I have a huge connection with it, even today, whatever the cake might be, however creamy or delicious a cake might be, it’s always my mom's chocolate cake which brings back the best childhood memories.

For me, Mac and Cheese was the go-to meal and the reason was the overloaded extra cheese. I loved the cheesy texture and taste. It might sound childish but till date, I find happiness in that extra dose of cheese. Sadly, now I can’t enjoy that extra dose, but what’s wrong in dreaming about it!

When I was a kid, I was crazy for Samosas as there was a mithai shop near my home and I could not resist the frying aroma of samosas and used to be after my parents for those crispy, spicy and hot samosas. Also, the bread pudding made by my dad was just so divine that I often fought with my siblings for that last golden bite. In those days, Sundays were so much of feast day for my family as my father (who cooks really well) used to prepare for us.

My favourite food till date is Jalebi. I love it not just because it is tasty, sweet and hot but because during my childhood days my parents used to bring jalebi from the same sweet shop every year during Durga Puja and it was like a family ritual and we used to wait for those 9 days when we could relish jalebi every day.

My favourite dish as a child was Khow Suey. I simply loved the idea of adding a little bit of this and a little bit of that to make it perfect for my taste buds. It was exotic and different back then. My mom made it very well and our extended family and friends used to come to our house especially requesting for this dish. It was a special Sunday meal for us and till today it’s our lunch on most of the Sundays.