Shreyas Talpade says satiety after a meal is important to him. “You have to feel satisfied after a meal. You cannot push something down your throat that you don’t like.” Uncannily, that holds true of Shreyas’ attitude in his choice of roles too. Shreyas doesn’t like half-baked roles but believes in everything healthy and wholesome. The actor-director, who is currently in the news after dubbing for Allu Arjun in the Hindi version of the blockbuster Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024), reveals his dietary habits.
First thing I have when I wake up: Two glasses of water.
My dietary preference: I eat a non-vegetarian meal maybe thrice a week. I don’t eat red meat or shellfish; I prefer chicken and fish.
My breakfast: It’s either poha or Upma or aloo paratha or egg white scramble or avacado toast.
My favourite foods: I love Indian home-cooked food — sabzi with roti or bhakri, along with dal-rice.
My meal must include: At least a little bit of rice... otherwise, I feel my meal is incomplete.
Evening snack: My granola jar, which has almonds, walnuts, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds.
My dinner: Is pretty early — by 7 p.m. I have a couple of phulkas or maybe one bhakri, besides sabzi or chicken and a little bit of dal-rice.
My favourite desserts: Gulab jamun with dahi, which cuts down the sweetness. Dessert is a luxury I indulge in once a month or on a special occasion.
My fitness regimen: Fitness begins with 7 to 8 hours of peaceful sleep. We try to sleep early because my daughter has early morning school. Post that, I do surya namaskars, stretching, pull-ups, push-ups, squats and some amount of cardio on the treadmill, stepper, cross trainer, or cycle. I work out with the Mudgar, the Hanuman Gada and weights. I try and do a combination of these things every day so that exercising doesn’t become boring.
I cook: Eggs, either as omelettes or sunny side up or scrambled. Cooking is not one of my strengths.
I am okay with: Less salt and sugar. Usually, our food is cooked in ghee, but I avoid oily, fried stuff.
My favourite cooks in my family: My mom, my wife, my mom-in-law, my bua and my late dadi and nani. I’ve eaten food cooked by them all my life and loved every bite.
The weirdest combination of food I have had: When I combine gulab jamun with dahi, many people find it extremely weird -- you're either spoiling the gulab jamun or spoiling the dahi. But I love it.
My idea of a romantic meal: More than a romantic meal, to be very honest, I enjoy my meals with my family. I grew up in a joint family, and all the cousins and uncles and aunts ate together -- I really miss that.
My tip on food for my readers: Eat what you like and watch what you eat. Feeling satisfied after eating is very important. So maybe have your favourites in smaller quantities. But don't abuse your body. I am a big advocate for home-cooked food; it’s way better than outside food.
My favourite restaurants and cuisines: Mainland China in Andheri has been one of our favourites, and surprisingly, even my daughter likes Chinese food. I also like the food at 1 BHK in Andheri, and they make it as per our specifications with less salt.
My favourite recipe: I used to adore the prawn curry made by my mom and my wife, but now I am not allowed to have it.
Recipe of Scrambled Eggs
Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 1 tablespoon butter
4 to 5 tablespoons milk
Salt and pepper as per taste
Method:
Crack the eggs in a bowl. Add milk and whisk it well with the eggs. In a non-stick pan, lightly heat butter. Add the beaten eggs-and-milk mixture. Cook on a low flame. Gently keep mixing with a spatula. Cook till you get a nice creamy and soft texture. Add salt and pepper. Gently mix and serve hot with toast.
