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An appetite for melody
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The secret of Khayyam’s great music is good food
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Photo: V. Sudershan
seasoned with humour Khayyam spices up lunch with anecdotes at Pakwaan in Le Meridien
Eating out with a legendary music composer like Khayyam means getting to know the food secrets and culinary wisdom of many a film stalwart of yesteryear . Food, for these talented people, isn’t only a means of satiating the hunger but also o
f gleaning secret tips from their gurus.
As Khayyan enters Pakwaan, a multi-cuisine restaurant at Le Meridien, the staff rushes to welcome him. They obviously haven’t forgotten the songs they grew up with, from “Kabhie Kabie” to “Ai Dile Naadan (Razia Sultan), “Gapuchi Gapuchi” (Trishul) to “In Aankhon Ki” (Umrao Jaan), and innumerable others. Forgetting protocol, they touch his feet and make him and his wife (yesteryear singer Jagjit Caur) comfortable.
All smiles, Executive Chef R.B Roy and Restaurant Manager Navin Saggi choose for them the best corner, by the window. The ambience is a judicious mix of red and white blended into the tablecloths, napkins, chandeliers and flower decorations.
Trying yakhni (chicken) soup and tomato for starters, the veteran says, “Eating for me is like ibadat (prayer). I never tried to cook for myself but for my gurus, like Amar Nath ji, Baba Chishti and Husn Lal ji. I knew if they liked my food, they would teach me a thing or two about music that I might never know otherwise.”
The composer may not be cooking now but he knows the exact proportion of ingredients to be used in vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. Trying paneer tikka and crispy khaas khas ke kabab with red and green sauces, he reels out several ways of cooking bhuna gosht and peeli dal. “In our Punjab,” he says referring to his native region, “they say, ‘Dal jo nibhe naal’. It means those who can cook dal well, can cook anything.”
Tasting the lahsuni murgh tikka, he pronounces the food “delicious.”. Jagjit Caur chips in, “Kamal Amrohi (the filmmaker) was very fond of treating people with delicious food that he would get specially prepared. In Mumbai, we never used to get teetar and bater but whenever he hunted some, he would cook and send it to us. And whenever he came to our house, I would prepare his favourite fish for him.” Adds Khayyam, “Raj Kapoor’s family eat a lot. That’s why all of them grow so fat. They are great hosts too. Yash Chopra and his wife are also very fond of feasting people on the film sets. They feed all, from superstar to spot boy, with great love. On his sets, all eat at one place. There is no hierarchy.”
As the chef lays out mahi ajwaini fish tikka, handi gost, peeli dal with onion kulcha, pudina parantha and veg stuffed parantha in the main course, the veteran, all surprised, asks, “Abhi aur khana hai?”
Peanut problem
“All singers love me and respect me a lot. So I often take some liberty,” continues Khayyam. “Once Asha Bhosle came to me eating peanuts. I said, ‘Why are you eating peanuts? It will dry your throat. Throw it away right now.’ She smilingly followed. She is very fond of makke ki roti with fresh butter that we cook.”
Trying lazeez guchchi matar mushroom, Khayyam laughs as Jagjit recalls, “Sanjeev Kumar would often eat with us. Once, till 2.30 at night he kept on drinking. After that he had three full plates of biryani. I was scared kahin ye beemar hi na pad jaye.
Time for dessert. Khajoor anjeer ka halwa arrives on the table. “It seems rare. I never ate such a delicious halwa,” the veteran seems delighted. As he readies to leave, he blesses the staff saying, ‘You treated me like a family member. I will never forget the love you bestowed on me.”
Not that they are likely to forget him in a hurry either!
RANA SIDDIQUI
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