Actress Sonali Bendre, the new face for German F&B brand Dr. Oetker, lets t2 into her kitchen. 

Do you love cooking?

I don’t cook at all. For me, it is not therapeutic. It is not for me. Though I don’t enjoy cooking, I can give really detailed instructions. My sister-in-law is a chef, so a lot of baking happens at home all the time. 

Are you a foodie though? 

(Laughs) I am not a foodie but I am married into a Punjabi household. I live by lists.
What kind of lists? 
My weekly menu comprises various breakfast, snack and dinner options. I put up three to four menu options in the kitchen every week. Every weekend, I come up with a fresh menu. I collect a lot of recipes and I write them down. 

What does your son Ranveer love?

Ranveer’s preferences keep on changing. He loves salmon. Right now he wants salmon in everything.  
With Goldie (Behl, husband), he is a Punjabi, so any good food is good for him. 

Is Ranveer a fussy eater? 

See while we were growing up, we were not so exposed to pizza and pasta. Now look at the exposure!

You can’t keep denying all the time. Kids will hide from you and eat it. 

With Ranveer, the bargain is he won’t eat outside food and I will make it for him. The pizza bread is from wheat. I use brown bread. Then I pick up good quality cheese, add mayo, broccoli, seafood, carrots and various other healthy vegetables. You pop it in the oven and a healthy snack comes out. He is happy that he is eating pizza. With kids, it is just about making things interesting. It is not too tough. 

What do you rustle up for surprise guests?  

Most of the house parties are organised at the last minute. Goldie will call me at the last minute and say: ‘I am coming home in another hour with people’. So, I have certain formula things ready at home. I am trained by my mother-in-law, not by my mother in these cases.

My fridge is always stocked with enough food. There will always be some extra Kali Dal in the fridge. It anyway tastes better the next day! I keep things mixed like aloo and keema. I often serve potato wedges with mint mayonnaise. Some grilled mushrooms can also be prepared. By the time your guests tuck into the starters, you have enough time to arrange the main course. We are a Punjabi household, so we love feeding people.  

Sonali’s snackbook for kids

• Make a mayonnaise dip and serve it with little toasties. Add seafood and veggies and it becomes a bruschetta.
• Potato is great as long as it’s not deep-fried. 
• Put tandoori mayonnaise, chicken keema and sauteed veggies in a roti and you have a wrap!

For surprise guests

My fridge is always stocked with enough food. There will always be some extra Kali Dal in the fridge. It anyway tastes better the next day! I keep things mixed like aloo and keema. I often serve potato wedges with mint mayonnaise. Some grilled mushrooms can also be prepared. By the time your guests tuck into the starters, you have enough time to arrange the main course