Mother’s Day | Top chefs Sanjeev Kapoor, Ranveer Brar, Garima Arora and Kunal Kapur share their mummy’s handy tips-OxBig News Network

A mummy ka nuskha that I’ve imbibed since childhood was rolling a lemon before cutting it to get more juice. Later, I understood that it breaks down membranes and increases juice extraction. Also, I remember mummy saying hing add kar do daal mein warna pet phool jaayega. It’s true as hing reduces bloating and aids digestion. For bhindi, she always said, ‘Kapde se saaf karo, paani mat daalna’, as they become slimy and lose texture. Also, I often heard from her, ‘Garama-garam roti ko kapde mein lapet do’, as the cloth absorbs steam and prevents sogginess or drying out. Such golden tips. They continue to come in handy.

Chef Ranveer Brar

Humari mataji do-teen cheezein kehti hain jo humare bahut kaam aai hain humesha. The first one: Don’t use salt at one go. The key is to use it slowly, in parts. This helps you taste the food regularly, so there’s no fear of excessive salt. It helps you achieve the perfect taste. Another golden tip by my mother — cover the food and keep it for a while. This enhances the taste of the food.

Chef Garima Arora

The best nuskha my mum gave was a cheat recipe to make gajar ka halwa, my favourite dessert. She would grate 1.25 kg of grated carrots, to which you add 380 gms of condensed milk and put it in a pressure cooker. Two whistles and you’re all set. Open the pressure cooker up and then dry all the condensed milk up and you will have the best gajar ka halwa ever. It’s super easy and takes one-fourth of the time of the traditional halwa.

Chef Kunal Kapur

I have always heard her say, ‘Kunal, whenever you cook, you should always cook with complete honesty’. As a kid, I would never understand what that meant. But when I grew up, I realised that for a professional chef or anyone who cooks, it starts with getting the right ingredients. There is no adulteration, no cheap quality or unhealthy ingredients. It’s about making and serving food fresh. Her nuskha helps me build my restaurants, dishes and philosophy around food better.