Gulshan Devaiah grew up in Bangalore. But his parents are from the hill station Coorg in Karnataka, which is close to the Kerala border. Interestingly, he grew up eating South Indian food, which carried flavours of both the states. Add to that his discovering the spices of Bengal, the aromas of biryanis as his tryst with the cuisine of Greece and Turkey courtesy his Greek wife Kalliroi Tziafeta… and Gulshan could not have had a more plentiful palate…
CHILDHOOD FLAVOURS
“My mother steamed the softest idlis. I’d finish off 12-15 at a time. My father is a good cook too. He made yummy tamarind rice, upma, poha, rawa barfi, and halwa. The coconut barfi infused with orange essence was his best. He used to prepare it for birthdays or anniversaries. He used to hide the barfi, considering how fast I finished it off and it became a game of sorts for me to hunt it out. Also, he’d take me to this sweetmeat shop called Malleswaram in Bangalore where they served gulkand with butter. The taste is unforgettable.”
He also misses his mother’s homemade cakes. “We used to have an old- fashioned oven at home. She’d bake some yummy treats, especially on my birthday. Once, she spent the entire day icing the cake on my fifth birthday. She has rheumatoid arthritis now due to which she is bed-ridden most of the time. She’s not able to cook anymore and her homemade cakes are a thing of the past.”
SOUTH INDIAN TALES
He learned cooking from his parents and remembers curling in the perfect dosas when he was 11. “I used to make real big dosas. Dad prepared the masala.” He mentions that each South Indian state has a different take on the dosa. Tamil Nadu dosas are different from those made in Karnataka. The batter of the dosas of Tamil Nadu has more daal. In Bangalore, dosa is made in ghee. It’s crisp outside and soft inside. I prefer the Bangalore style. Even the sambhar is different in all the four states. In Mumbai, you get dosas made in the Tamil Nadu style. In North Karnataka, you also have bajra and nachni dosas. In Mumbai, I love the South Indian fare served at the restaurant Banana Leaf. The avial, appam, Kerala paratha, tadka idli, mix vegetable, Mannapuram halwa – all are to die for.”
SWEET BENGAL
He digs Bengali cuisine as well. “I learnt to cook Bengali food from a friend in theatre. He underlined that each dish need not include all the spices available. It’s a misconception that Bengalis begin and end their meals with seafood. They have an amazing vegetarian spread too. They have adopted Mughlai cuisine as well.” He adds, “I love the Kolkata style biryani. They also make some dish from banana flower. The best Bengali meal I’ve enjoyed was at Bhojohori Manna, Kolkata. We had been there in 2008 for Rajat Kapoor’s adaptation of Hamlet. They serve some awesome Nolen Gurer ice-cream, which is made with jaggery.”
FOOD & FUN
The actor doesn’t believe in following set recipes. “A friend told me that once he made chicken in orange juice. I didn’t have orange juice at home, so I made it with apple juice, semi-fried it and it turned out well. Whenever we have a ‘potluck’ with friends, I make mutton curry, which I learnt from Anurag Kashyap’s cook Shrilal. He’s fab. In fact, he outdid himself at Anurag’s and Kalki’s (Koechlin) reception. We overate because the spread was finger-licking delicious.”
He has a soft corner for rice preparations. “I love all types of biryanis… Awadhi, Lucknowi, Kolkatta and Hyderabadi dum biryani. Making a perfect biryani or pulav is tough because you do not know how the rice will turn out. I love mutton biryani the most but it’s time-consuming.”
SPOUSE SE…
His wife Kalliroi loves to cook up Greek dishes when they have guests over. “She makes lovely Melitzanopita, which is basically baingan bharta baked in Pita bread. This makes an interesting dish with sea food, pasta and cheese. Greece is not far from Turkey, so Greek cuisine has Turkish influences too. One such dish is Souvlaki. This is a kind of street food. It’s a wrap and roll in which they put Cacik – a yogurt based dip.”
His wife makes great Greek salads too. “It’s healthy food for the fitness conscious like us.” He loves Italian fare but maintains it should be only eaten in Italy. “I had the best seafood experience in Venice. You come across shops selling black pasta, which is a mix of cuttlefish and pasta. Huge pizza slices are sold on the road and one slice is enough to satiate your cravings.”
STREET SMART
Back home, the couple frequents Metro Pizza in Khar. “They serve half-metre pizza, one-metre pizza, pasta and ravioli.” He also loves Havana Café and Bar in Colaba and the Leaping Windows at Yari Road and the ICH (India Coffee House) in Bangalore. “The ‘it’ place in Bangalore is the Grasshopper Restaurant. You cannot go there without an appointment.”
He adds, “Chandni Chowk in Delhi has the best street food. I love the Lucknow jalebis and the kebabs at Tunday Kababi.” Undeniably, Gulshan is a foodie. But he’s disciplined about his daily menu. “I stick to nachani and bajra bhakris and vegetables for lunch. For dinner, it’s mutton kheema, chicken and veggies.”