She sure knows the short cut to a human heart. Mumtaz — magician P.C. Sorcar Jr’s youngest daughter — cooks to destress and pamper her family members. “I bake whenever there’s a family get-together or whenever I am free and have nothing to do. I love cooking. It’s as good as magic... and therapeutic too,” says Mumtaz, who invited t2 to her kitchen and served us a yummy nutella cheesecake before spilling out culinary and gastronomic secrets.
MY COOKING DISASTER: We were in school then... Mou (elder sister Moubani) and I had baked a cake one afternoon and made Baba the Guinea pig! The cake was as hard as a tyre and we forced Baba to eat it. Well, he did, but we of course threw it out when we tasted it.
I enjoy cooking though I don’t cook on a daily basis when I am in Calcutta. But when I am in Bombay (where she has shot for her debut Hindi film Saala Khadoos, directed by Sudha Kongara Prasad and co-starring Madhavan), I have to cook. I have rented a flat in Sundarnagar and when I am there, Ma (Jayashree Devi) becomes my walking, talking cookbook. I like cooking fancy stuff. And I love making sweet dishes. Next on my list is to learn how to do fondant icing on cupcakes. Last time I tried, it was a disaster! (Laughs)
MY COMFORT FOOD: Is chanachur. The sweet-sour-spicy chanachur.... I can finish packets of it in minutes. I munch on chanachur whenever I am angry, happy or sad.
My magic cooking: Sponge cake. I can bake it like magic, within minutes! It’s the easiest and the fastest.
MY ROMANTIC DINNER: I would make a proper non-vegetarian meal, maybe a chicken roast. Desserts are a must too, and lots of cocktails and mocktails. My favourite cocktail is Bloody Mary; I like the tangy, spicy taste. Otherwise, gin and tonic... it’s not a cocktail though. I also like Mojito.
MY MOST ADVENTUROUS FOOD: We had a show in Marseilles, France. The organisers had arranged for a gala feast after the show to celebrate the success. We spotted white sticky rice and a big bowl of soup, which was jet black on the spread! We got curious and took the soup in a bowl. We were told it’s a delicacy and must-try. We poured the sticky rice in the soup and took a spoonful. The next moment we were all staring at each other! It was Squid Ink. It’s an acquired taste. I can’t tell you how horrible it was!
MY MOOD REFLECTS MY COOKING: When I am bored, I bake. When I’m happy, I make doughnuts. When I am sad, I munch on chanachur!
Text: Kushali Nag
Pictures: Rashbehari Das
