The director of the soon-to-be-releasing movie “Highway” is quite at ease in his kitchen. His familiarity with the kitchen dates back to his childhood. He fondly remembers, “I’ve been cooking since I was five or six years old. The first time was to surprise my mother. It wasn’t perfect, but she was happy.”[break]
From then on, cooking has been an intricate part of his life. “I used to cook on a daily basis. But after my marriage, I take to cooking only occasionally,” he reveals.
Fish and Lady Finger are amongst Deepak Rauniyar’s favorite food items. He likes his food on the spicier side, and is particularly fond of mustard-based spices.
He doesn’t experiment with dishes. But what he knows, he cooks well. His main concern, while cooking for others, is the quantity of salt, since he likes it saltier than most people do.
“He eats everything, but prefers authentic Nepali foods,” confirms his wife, actress Asha Magarati, who appreciates and encourages him as a cook.
“I don’t like to enter the kitchen when I’m alone at home,” adds Rauniyar. This fear was reinforced by an incident that happened many years ago. “I left a pot of water to boil and left the kitchen to edit a script. On returning, I found the container burnt and the tiles close to the stove cracked up. Far worse things could’ve happened. We were saved from a disaster that day.”
But that one incident didn’t deter his passion for food, nor cooking. Today, Rauniyar stands in his kitchen with a sense of calmness and cooks with delight, leaving that unpleasant memory far behind in time.
What he has held on to are his recipes. Two of which he gladly shares with The Week.
Ingredients
½ kg potatoes, boiled
5 chopped tomatoes
2 chopped onions
Cumin and coriander powder
Garlic and ginger paste
A pinch of fenugreek seeds
Chili powder
½ cup water
2-3 tablespoons of mustard oil
Salt to taste
Methodology
• Heat the oil in a pan
• Add the fenugreek seeds to the heated oil
• Add the chopped onions, and fry them till they are light brown
• Add cumin and coriander powder, and ginger and garlic paste, chilly and salt to the onions. Stir well.
• Add the chopped tomatoes, stir, and let the mixture cook for 3-5 minutes
• Add the boiled potatoes to the mixture and stir
• Add ½ a cup of water mix well, and leave the curry to simmer for 8-10 minutes.
• The Aloo Dum is ready to serve.
Ingredients
200 grams of gundruk (fermented and dry mustard leaves)
100 grams bamboo shoot
1 chopped onion
1 teaspoon of mustard oil
Chili powder
Methodology
• Soak the gundruk and bamboo shoots in water for 25- 30 minutes.
• Squeeze the water out thoroughly, and grind the bamboo shoot to give it a paste-like texture
• Add the chopped onions, along with oil, salt and chili powder, and mix well.
• Serve as a side dish for meals or have it any other way.
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