Posted:
Believe-it-or-not, Poonam Dhillon, one of the leading attractions of the popular TV serial Kittie Party, says she hasn't ever been to a regular kitty party.
Poonam further reveals, "I am not a person who is really obsessed with herself." To illustrate her point, she says, "At most times I style my hair or apply lipstick and kajal in the car. Basically, I am a trousers and jeans person. I feel people should wear jeans as one gets to know immediately if one has put on weight."
After shooting to fame as the innocent, rosy-cheeked mountain lass in Noorie, Poonam distinguished herself as an actress in films like Sohni Mahiwal, Basera and Ek Chaddar Maili Si. After marriage, she took a well-deserved break before taking an adventurous plunge onto the small screen.
A lesser known fact: Poonam hosted a food show called The Restaurant Show for DD metro.
Poonam, who seems to have found a secret elixir for being perennially pretty, shares a recipe and more with Sunday Mid Day readers.
Poonam's thought for food
I am not a bed-tea type. I start my day with a glass of plain water.
I am a breakfast person. My queen size breakfast comprises omelette, toast, ham and sausages with a cup of tea.
Lunch at home is two vegetables, dal and a non-vegetarian dish.
When I am shooting I carry my lunch from home, but sometimes I also eat unit food.
Earlier, I ate a lot in the evenings. My friend Padmini Kolhapure would wonder how I could eat so much with my cup of tea. I cannot have just chai, I must have something to nibble on, even if it is a piece of cake or samosa.
I am basically a non-vegetarian. I fast twice a week and have non-vegetarian food for four days of the week. Surprisingly, despite being raised in Punjab, I prefer seafood to chicken and meat.
In seafood I relish prawns, crabs and lobsters.
I would like to, and should go to the gym, but I don't. In the past two to three years, I have put on some weight because of a thyroid problem. I don't consciously avoid oily foods.
When I was in Chandigarh we ate chappati. Rice was a Sunday specialty, which we would eat with rajma, mutton, kadi or sambhar. The amount of rice we kids ate individually would have sufficed to feed a whole family. But in those days I would swim everyday and cycle to school and I was a gymnast and played basketball too.
In school I would carry parathas and pickle and share my tiffin with other students.
Yash Chopraji and Pam are extremely hospitable people. When I came down, I was very thin. They wanted me to put on some weight so that I looked buxom on screen. Therefore, Pamji, who like me is a Sikhni too, would feed me milk and bananas. In the mornings I was made to eat parathas.
Shashi (Kapoor) uncle's diet comprised boiled eggs, boiled vegetables, salads and boiled chicken. Jennifer aunty sent his food from home. He would eye our food with envy.
Sanjeev Kumar was a real foodie. He was a regular at Yashji's house.
When I was shooting with Kamal Haasan he was amazed that I ate as much as him.
Padmini Kolhapure cooks amazingly well, but her mother cooks even better than her. She makes excellent prawns and her fish curry is divine. When Padmini comes to my house, she loves to eat rajma. She is not very fond of chicken but likes the gravy of mutton.
Rati Agnihotri is an excellent cook. There was a time when I visited her house frequently. She would keep a casserole of my favourite food aside that I could take home.
I cook but I cannot call myself an expert. I enjoy making baked dishes. I make very good curd chicken.
My daughter Paloma is seven years old and my son Anmol is 10. I don't pack my children's tiffin, I have instructed the maids to do so. But I do conduct sudden inspections. I don't allow burgers and colas in the house but my children make a fuss about eating regular sabzi roti.
Sometimes I go to the market to buy sausages and pastas. I don't shop for groceries.
My servants think I am a terror. I keep telling them yeh saaf karo, woh aisa nahin hai, yeh karo, woh karo.
Earlier, when I was working more I would look forward to eating at home. I am not a party person. I would rather have eight to 10 people sitting together and eating at home or in a restaurant.
In restaurants I recommend China Gate, Shatranj, Trishna, Noodle Bar and Sampan at Holiday Inn. The lobster thermidor and big crab claws at Sun 'n' Sand are excellent.
My favourite cuisines are Thai, Chinese and Korean.
After a meal at times I feel the urge to eat something sweet. I like Bengali sweets and chocolate brownies.
In fruits I love litchis, cherries, mangoes and bananas.
My favourite beverage is Diet Coke.
In cocktails on a rare occasion I enjoy a Margarita or some champagne.
In Chandigarh during winter we'd have lots of saag and pinni. My naani made great pinnis. We ate moongfalis and gajak. We would snuggle under the razai and relish eating these delicacies.
Poonam's favourite curd chicken
500 gm broiler chicken, cut into medium-sized pieces
2 cups thick curd
Salt to taste
1 tsp garlic paste (optional)
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp coarsely ground pepper
1 inch piece of ginger, cut into slivers
3 to 4 green chillies, slit in the middle
2 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
Clean and wash the chicken. Marinate the chicken with curds, salt and garlic paste. Heat oil in a kadai or a heavy-bottomed vessel, add coarsely ground pepper. Saut the pepper for a few seconds, till aromatic. Add the marinated chicken.
After covering with a lid having some water on it, cook on a low flame. Stir at regular intervals. When the chicken is three-fourth done add slivers of ginger and slit green chillies and cook till the chicken is done.
Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves before serving.
Poonam further reveals, "I am not a person who is really obsessed with herself." To illustrate her point, she says, "At most times I style my hair or apply lipstick and kajal in the car. Basically, I am a trousers and jeans person. I feel people should wear jeans as one gets to know immediately if one has put on weight."
After shooting to fame as the innocent, rosy-cheeked mountain lass in Noorie, Poonam distinguished herself as an actress in films like Sohni Mahiwal, Basera and Ek Chaddar Maili Si. After marriage, she took a well-deserved break before taking an adventurous plunge onto the small screen.
A lesser known fact: Poonam hosted a food show called The Restaurant Show for DD metro.
Poonam, who seems to have found a secret elixir for being perennially pretty, shares a recipe and more with Sunday Mid Day readers.
Poonam's thought for food
I am not a bed-tea type. I start my day with a glass of plain water.
I am a breakfast person. My queen size breakfast comprises omelette, toast, ham and sausages with a cup of tea.
Lunch at home is two vegetables, dal and a non-vegetarian dish.
When I am shooting I carry my lunch from home, but sometimes I also eat unit food.
Earlier, I ate a lot in the evenings. My friend Padmini Kolhapure would wonder how I could eat so much with my cup of tea. I cannot have just chai, I must have something to nibble on, even if it is a piece of cake or samosa.
I am basically a non-vegetarian. I fast twice a week and have non-vegetarian food for four days of the week. Surprisingly, despite being raised in Punjab, I prefer seafood to chicken and meat.
In seafood I relish prawns, crabs and lobsters.
I would like to, and should go to the gym, but I don't. In the past two to three years, I have put on some weight because of a thyroid problem. I don't consciously avoid oily foods.
When I was in Chandigarh we ate chappati. Rice was a Sunday specialty, which we would eat with rajma, mutton, kadi or sambhar. The amount of rice we kids ate individually would have sufficed to feed a whole family. But in those days I would swim everyday and cycle to school and I was a gymnast and played basketball too.
In school I would carry parathas and pickle and share my tiffin with other students.
Yash Chopraji and Pam are extremely hospitable people. When I came down, I was very thin. They wanted me to put on some weight so that I looked buxom on screen. Therefore, Pamji, who like me is a Sikhni too, would feed me milk and bananas. In the mornings I was made to eat parathas.
Shashi (Kapoor) uncle's diet comprised boiled eggs, boiled vegetables, salads and boiled chicken. Jennifer aunty sent his food from home. He would eye our food with envy.
Sanjeev Kumar was a real foodie. He was a regular at Yashji's house.
When I was shooting with Kamal Haasan he was amazed that I ate as much as him.
Padmini Kolhapure cooks amazingly well, but her mother cooks even better than her. She makes excellent prawns and her fish curry is divine. When Padmini comes to my house, she loves to eat rajma. She is not very fond of chicken but likes the gravy of mutton.
Rati Agnihotri is an excellent cook. There was a time when I visited her house frequently. She would keep a casserole of my favourite food aside that I could take home.
I cook but I cannot call myself an expert. I enjoy making baked dishes. I make very good curd chicken.
My daughter Paloma is seven years old and my son Anmol is 10. I don't pack my children's tiffin, I have instructed the maids to do so. But I do conduct sudden inspections. I don't allow burgers and colas in the house but my children make a fuss about eating regular sabzi roti.
Sometimes I go to the market to buy sausages and pastas. I don't shop for groceries.
My servants think I am a terror. I keep telling them yeh saaf karo, woh aisa nahin hai, yeh karo, woh karo.
Earlier, when I was working more I would look forward to eating at home. I am not a party person. I would rather have eight to 10 people sitting together and eating at home or in a restaurant.
In restaurants I recommend China Gate, Shatranj, Trishna, Noodle Bar and Sampan at Holiday Inn. The lobster thermidor and big crab claws at Sun 'n' Sand are excellent.
My favourite cuisines are Thai, Chinese and Korean.
After a meal at times I feel the urge to eat something sweet. I like Bengali sweets and chocolate brownies.
In fruits I love litchis, cherries, mangoes and bananas.
My favourite beverage is Diet Coke.
In cocktails on a rare occasion I enjoy a Margarita or some champagne.
In Chandigarh during winter we'd have lots of saag and pinni. My naani made great pinnis. We ate moongfalis and gajak. We would snuggle under the razai and relish eating these delicacies.
Poonam's favourite curd chicken
500 gm broiler chicken, cut into medium-sized pieces
2 cups thick curd
Salt to taste
1 tsp garlic paste (optional)
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp coarsely ground pepper
1 inch piece of ginger, cut into slivers
3 to 4 green chillies, slit in the middle
2 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
Clean and wash the chicken. Marinate the chicken with curds, salt and garlic paste. Heat oil in a kadai or a heavy-bottomed vessel, add coarsely ground pepper. Saut the pepper for a few seconds, till aromatic. Add the marinated chicken.
After covering with a lid having some water on it, cook on a low flame. Stir at regular intervals. When the chicken is three-fourth done add slivers of ginger and slit green chillies and cook till the chicken is done.
Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves before serving.
Anupamaa
