Chef Saransh Goila Tells You How to Become a Better Cook in Self-Isolation

After bringing about a butter chicken revolution, Chef Saransh Goila is all set to make sure we learn an important life-skill by the end of the quarantine - cooking. The gourmand and his bevvy of culinaire extraordinaire friends from across the globe join forces on his social media channels to give their tips and hacks to ace your kitchen skills and eat healthily. 

Here's what he told Cosmo about his latest foodie-revolution:   

Cosmo:  How are you coping with self-isolation?

Saransh Goila: I am coping with self-isolation by keeping myself busy and I have a strict schedule that I follow. I wake up at about 7 - 7:30 in the morning post which I start prepping for my #MorningsWithGoila initiative. It is an Instagram lives series that I am doing daily at 10 am so, I prep for my breakfast for that. I am also documenting a few healthy and easy-to-do recipes from whatever you have available in your pantry in times of self-isolation. I am editing those recipes, doing voice overs for those recipes, I am keeping myself busy while I am generating content. 

 

 

 

 

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The rest of the free time that I have, I am chatting with my friends, catching up with my family and friends from across the globe. We are participating in virtual games night where we are jamming on our laptops and having fun. 

Cosmo:  Are you guilty of bingeing during this time?

SG: We are in self-isolation for a 3-4 weeks span minimum and I don’t believe in bingeing. I eat tasty food! I cook for myself and I make it so tasty that I don’t have to binge then. The idea is to treat it like you are not on a holiday but you are still working from home.

Cosmo: Do you think quarantine will make us all better cooks?

SG: Yes, I definitely think that you can use quarantine as a time to enhance your cooking skills. It is as important as driving or swimming, it is a skill that everybody should have and this would be just perfect to enhance your cooking skills. There are a number of great YouTube channels or you can just join us on #MorningsWithGoila where we are teaching you basics of cooking. This might be a perfect time to learn to cut, chop, clean and also to understand quick fire things that you can do in your kitchen. For example, the base gravies that you can make and freeze it in your refrigerator and more such things like that.

Cosmo: How do you combat over-snacking urges?

SG: I am drinking a lot of lemon water, the desi Khada... I am drinking a lot of liquid so that satisfies my craving to binge on salt and sugar. So, when I am craving something savoury then I eat a ghee-roast Makhana or a light snack that I have at home. I am substituting my snacking urges with healthy Khadas and ghee roast Makhana.

Cosmo: How are #MorningsWithGoila?

SG: #MorningsWithGoila is an Instagram live series about spending your mornings with me and other friends, chefs, creators. In this interactive initiative, I speak to them about their food habits and how are they managing self-isolation. We also share ideas and speak to fans, share some easy, quick tricks and tips as to how can I make their cooking lives easier while they are at home for these 3-4 weeks. It is also about just generally collaborating and jamming with people. It is to see how mornings can be in different parts of the globe.

I am now going to go live with chefs from different parts of the globe where we have a celebrity chef named Rohaya. Rohaya and I are going live tonight and that’s another very special sort of moment. I have also gone live with a Chef from LA. I think #MorningswithGoila is sort of getting people together – adding joy to their lives, making sure that there is this note of positivity while everyone is mentally also battling this by being self-isolated in their homes. 

Cosmo: Whats is your #QuarantineCraving?

SG: I am really craving chaat, to be very honest. I would love a Dahi Bhalla or a Bhel Puri or a Jhal Muri. I have not been able to make these at home because I don’t have the ingredients! So, I am really craving them and I would love to get some of that!