Shekhar Suman, son Adhyayan share their love for cooking and eating

Itrsquos a bright sunny afternoon at the Suman household While dad Shekhar is busy working on a script in his study Adhyayan is preparing for the cooking session Just in time the senior actor walks in and the gastronomical journey begins The food talk flows freelyAdhyayan and Shekhar Suman with Mushroom and Paprika Pizza and Chicken SaladFighting fitThough both the father and son confess to being big foodies their fitness regime differs Shekhar sticks to his old school thought of balanced eating He says ldquoI allow myself to overeat only when I have a deep craving for munchiesrdquoAdhyayan on the other hand makes no bones about going overboard at times He says ldquoI have a tendency to put on weight really fast For the past 15 days I have been gorging on Diwali sweets at parties But now that I have resumed to my fitness routine itrsquos only salads for all the three meals I try to alter the taste by using different sauces and dressingsAdhyayan rustles up the pizza in his kitchen PicsKhushnum Bhandari I start my day with a glass of green juice mdash it is dadrsquos recipe which is a mixture of apples bitter gourd garlic lemon and some other vegetables It is followed by oatmeal as it contains complex carbohydrates which is essential for the body I sometimes eat brown rice chicken and yoghurt for lunch In the evening I have a protein shake or a brown bread sandwich a salad again for dinner and a protein shake just before bedMaster chefsApart from eating the fatherson duo also indulges in cooking from time to time Quiz Senior Suman on what he likes to cook for his special guests and hersquos quick to reply ldquoI like to cook a nice continental meal mdash chicken breast with mushroom sauce garlic bread and a Caesar salad A fine glass of red wine goes well with itrdquoAdhyayan swears by his butter chicken ldquoWith no modesty whatsoever I can proudly claim that my butter chicken is a hit among my family and friends I am also fussy about making my own salads because I like to experiment with different ingredients and it also helps me keep a check on the calorie content of the dishrdquo he saysFood lsquocourtrsquoingThe selfconfessed foodie Adhyayan has a sweet tooth ldquoI love chocolates and pastries I am fine if it is not kept in front of me but if it is within my reach rest assured I will polish it off in no time I love all Indian sweetsrdquo he smilesShekhar enjoys his occasional chocolate pastry and rabdi The two also fancy the pani puri made by a local vendor Adhyayan says ldquoWe sometimes drop by in the evenings for a quick round of pani puri I once ate about 37 of them in one gordquo he says ldquoItrsquos not too much is itrdquoThe actorrsquos late night cravings are quite varied ldquoFrom an egg bhurji to a cheese pav bhaji even some chips with an aerated drink would do I am quite unpredictable when it comes to food Luckily I have friends who are big foodies like me for companyrdquo he saysThe special flavourAdhyayan remembers the time when he almost died eating ldquoThere is this place called The Halal Guys on the southeast corner of 53rd Street and 6th Avenue in New York where they serve meal boxes mdash chicken lamb and rice with a white sauce topping You go there any time of the day and you will find a serpentine queue to pick up the exotic boxes served at their food carts The quantity served in one box is good enough for an average person to finish in one go But I got so carried over by its heavenly taste that I ended up eating three boxes After that I couldnrsquot move because of overeating and I thought I would die After taking long walks and several digestive pills finally I could breathe normallyrdquo Adhyayan also digs the yellow dal at Urban Tadka and the Galouti Kababs and Mutton Biryani at Dum Pukht ITC Maratha in MumbaiFor Shekhar the best dining experience is definitely the one he had in the Middle East He remembers ldquoIt was an awesome experience to dine at the underwater restaurant at the Burj al Arab in Dubai The restaurant gives one the feeling of being underwater and being surrounded by marine life It is known for its exotic seafoodrdquolsquoTworsquo many cooksItrsquos not a rare sight to find Shekhar and Adhyayan whipping up new dishes in their kitchen But what they really like to bond over is biryani Shekhar admits ldquoWe sometimes get together to cook we can make some delicious mutton biryanirdquoAdhyayan refers to his dad as his inspiration ldquoMom is not fond of cooking But I get my passion for food and cooking from my dad who loves to experiment in the kitchen He is very good with chicken dishes and his burnt potatoes and garlic bread are to die forrdquo he signs off