Eating Out

Puri’s accents may vary according to his screen nationality of the moment, but hisstomach’s decidedly Hindustani. Actually, Punjabi. It all started when he won acooking competition as a boy scout in Punjab with his aloo matar and pulao. “I’ma fabulous cook,” says he. “I can be a perfect househusband. Jharu, pocha, roti,daal. I can also stitch on buttons. For me cooking is relaxing, like therapy.”

So, he always packs a “packet of masalas”, and often a rolling pin when hegoes abroad for long shooting stints. This master of Indian spices is also a Houdini ofimprovisation. One day in a Halifax hotel while shooting for a Gopi Desai film, Puri andUdayan Prasad (director of My Son...) wanted to eat desi khana. They orderedIndian food from a takeaway. But Puri wanted raita. “We had yoghurt. I just took thejeera, pressed a hot iron for about five minutes and then crushed it with a winebottle.”

Now you know why he takes along a rolling pin. Puri got tired of using a wine bottle.Once while shooting for Wolf (with Jack Nicholson), he cooked an elaborate mealin Roland Joffe’s house. Everything was ready for aloo paranthas. “The potatoeswere boiled and mashed. I was ready to roll them out when I realised there was no rollingpin, so I picked up a wine bottle and made them.”

It’s time for the rolling pin again: Puri will soon be off to film a mini seriesfor the bbc in which he co-stars with Julie Walters and may also act in the film versionof Zadie Smith’s novel White Teeth. To return to our meal: none of us haddinner that night.