Share
An extremely versatile actor with an enduring career that spans over four decades, Anupam Kher dons many feathers in his hat. One of them is that of a foodie and his culinary adventures are all about relishing local and regional feasts. The veteran actor often takes to Instagram to share his foodie trails with fans and followers.
In a recent Instagram post, celebrated Chef Davinder Kumar can be seen holding up a copy of his 2021 book, Second Meals with Kher by his side following what seems to have been a conversation about culinary art and sustainable cooking. Recalling the actor's and his own task of performing diverse roles, the chef has written in the caption, "Like guest like host! Both adept at assuming a plethora of roles and emerging as the best in all."
The chef and actor appear to have been chatting at Le Meridian in Delhi where the celebrity culinary author and cook is Executive Chef and Vice President F&B. In the post, Kher appears to be engaged in deep discussion with the chef around his coffee table book and the recipes inside which explore the issue of reducing food wastage and putting vegetable scraps to good use.
Chef Davinder's Second Meals is a collection of nearly 150 recipes which can be prepared entirely using vegetable scraps to ensure that every part of a fruit and vegetable is being used, altogether eliminating waste. Keeping intact the idea that cooking is about preparing food mindfully to minimise wastage and maximise nutrition, these recipes present an alternative, environment-friendly approach towards navigating the kitchen.
The book consists of numerous delicious dishes like mushroom galouti, parsley stem tabouleh and celery and spinach salad, all of which make the most use of every core veggie ingredient. In a talk with Kher, Chef Davinder's focus has been on sustainability, with his book Second Meals, addressing the subject of food waste that has always concerned the veteran cook.
Cover of Chef Davinder Kumar's Second Meals
In writing Second Meals, the author iterates that scraps are unavoidable during food preparation but they are filled with nutrients and can be upcycled into an ingredient that can be made into a delicious dish. So, the book is filled with recipes made from peels, roots, seeds, stems, stalks and other items which we would normally deem as food waste. With this, the chef tries to introduce a sustainability into the way we approach food such that scraps no longer remain scraps but become useful ingredients that not only curb waste but also reduce the money we spend on green groceries.
Undoubtedly, the two celebrated figures appear to have had an interesting conversation around culinary processes. Tell us in the comments below how you make use of vegetable scraps and which are some of the environment-friendly practices you employ in the kitchen!
