Young at hearth

Teenagers like Gupta are part of an increasing group who have dumped two-minute noodles for gourmet meals that they cook themselves.

It’s interesting. Gupta says he used to watch his mum,Dolly Gupta,a homemaker,spend Sunday mornings baking cakes at home. As a little boy,he would sit on the counter and relish the experience. “I was quite enamoured with the whole process,” admits Gupta,who slowly graduated from being able to put jam on a slice of bread,to making himself a bowl of Spaghetti Bolognaise.

“I love Italian cuisine. It’s fairly easy to learn and I like using herbs,” says Gupta,who also maintains a small herb patch along with his mother in the family garden.

The first time his parents realised his flair for cooking was when he would rustle up midnight snacks for cousins during their stay over. “My mother thought I was being bullied but I quite enjoyed trying my hands at new dishes,” he chuckles.

Gupta now spends his free time browsing for recipes or watching TV shows like Nigella Express and Take Home Chef. “Nigella’s cooking style is so charming and it seems effortless,” says the 17-year-old,putting together a snack for us to taste.

“I like Tacos and though I buy readymade tortillas,the other ingredients are all made by me,” says Gupta,gently placing lettuce in the tortilla,followed by a generous portion of herbed boneless chicken and topping it with his “speciality” — the homemade salsa dip.

While Gupta,whose father is a senior advocate,has no plans of putting his culinary skills to professional use,his contemporary,Aseem Bhatti dreams of opening up his own cafe or restaurant some day.

In-charge of the day’s breakfast and all the “fancy” meals at home,he’s getting all the practice.

“I took to cooking not too long ago mainly because I wanted to help my mother in the kitchen and wanted to eat junk food prepared in a healthy way,” says the diet-conscious 17-year-old. While he has already perfected the art of cooking Spanish omelettes,Lebanese Shawarma and thin crust pizzas,Bhatti is now putting together his own list of coffee recipes.

Offering us a cup of cinnamon-flavoured mocha,he talks about his recent trip to Dubai. “I wanted to bring back so many ingredients but my mother thought I was going overboard,” says Bhatti,who did manage to sneak in a bottle of Zatar. “It’s an aromatic spice mixture used in the Middle-East. It can be used with meat and vegetables. When I mix it with olive oil,it makes a good dip,” says Aseem,whose favourite show on television includes Highway On My Plate and Nigella Express. “I enjoy experimenting and I like healthy cooking. I love chocolate mousse but my version is made from silken tofu and digestive biscuits,” says Aseem,pulling out a bowl of mousse from the refrigerator.

Though a tad gooey,it tasted good. But when Bhatti revealed that it has got just three spoons of icing sugar,we felt absolutely guilt-free. “I am not sure if I will be a professional chef but I do want to open my own place someday,” he says.

His mother,Kanwal Singh,an entrepreneur,is very encouraging towards his passion. “I have never discouraged him from entering the kitchen. He would always observe me cooking. Now,he makes better pizzas than me,” says Singh.

Seeing the rising eagerness among youngsters to try their hands at cooking,Page 3’s Café Amor recently hosted a cooking class for students of Ashiana Public School,Sector 46. The event kicked off with students planting herbs such as basil,oregano and thyme in the park right outside the complex.

That was followed by a fun talk on the importance of healthy eating by the chefs at Cafe Amor,who taught the younsters how to make healthy pizzas by using wheat bases and Italian herbs with vegetables. “The event was timed with our anniversary celebrations and activities were designed in such a way so as to catch the fancy of both young in age and at heart,” says Kushagra Nagrath,COO of Alchemist Hospitality,the group that owns Page 3.

The recent baking workshop by pastry chef,Vibha Pahwa also included space for youngsters. “Children are showing a lot of enthusiasm in the kitchen and our cupcake class was just for them,” says she.

With families dining out more than ever before,children aren’t just settling for French fries. “The first time we realised Niharika’s flair for cooking was when she rustled up Thai red curry on her own at home,” says Neha Saxena,mother of a 15-year-old. A student of Carmel Convent,Niharika loves watching Masterchef Australia and has created her own recipe book. “I try new cuisines,though Thai is a favourite,” she says,adding that she is going to host a meal for her friends over the weekend. Bon Appetit!