’I am the world’s best cook! - Hanif Hilal

Hanif Hilal lived in Kuwait, Rajasthan, and Pune before calling Mumbai his home, but his favourite cuisine is Chinese. He was first noticed in the first season of Jhalak Dikhla Jaa. Nach Baliye followed soon after, and now, life has come full circle with his stint in the latest season of Jhalak Dikhla Jaa. Hanif’s chiseled, toned body makes us want to ask him to reveal the secret to his fitness. And he answers. Read on. Personal fitness mantra: I have a very simple fitness mantra; be healthy, work out healthy. Personal diet mantra: I eat whatever I want. But as far as fatty items go, I eat them only for taste and not for satisfaction. Exercise routine: I work out very religiously. Four times a week. For an hour-and-a-half at least. I do yoga as well. Dance also keeps me fit. And the one thing that I do every single day of my life is stretching. I do it both before and after a work out. I stretch my arms, legs, back and neck. Favourite cuisine: Chinese. And Indian. But I absolutely love Chinese. Favourite dish: Butter chicken. Favourite restaurant: There are several, actually. Of late, I have discovered Aromas of China. I also like going to Mainland China and The Taj. A must at my breakfast table: Boiled eggs and chicken sausages are a must because they are high on protein. Breakfast: Breakfast mostly comprises eggs (omelette or scrambled). It could also be muesli or oats. Lunch generally consists of: Chicken. I eat a lot of chicken because it is high on protein. Dinner generally consists of: Mainly chicken. Sabji, salad, and dal could be accompaniments. Dessert delights: I have an extreme sweet tooth. I love ice creams and I love chocolate cake. I am also a very ‘vanilla’ person. So, vanilla ice cream and chocolate cake would top my list of favourites. My favourtie drink (non-alcoholic): Vanilla milkshake. Apple juice and mixed fruit juice come close second. My favourite drink (alcoholic): I’m not an alcohol person. One dish I would not touch: I have a reservation against karela. My body cannot take it. For a date I usually prefer: To go with the flow. Personally, I would love to go on a long, long drive. My dream date would be on a yacht, sailing into the sea, sipping a drink on the deck while watching the dolphins play about. That would be so perfect! At parties, I usually eat: Whatever is served. Most unusual dish I've tasted: Chicken Chinese bhel. Can you believe someone concocted a dish like that? Strangely, I liked it. On the streets, I love to have: As a kid, I would love to have pani puri on the streets. When I grew up, I gave up on eating street food, but yes, it would be pani puri again. One place I would never eat again: Any place that’s low on hygiene. Do you cook? Of course. I love cooking. In my opinion, I am the world’s best cook. I can make lovely burnt chicken! And its effortless. All you have to do is cut the chicken up, toss the pieces into a pan, shut the lid, and forget about it for a couple of hours. There, it’s ready!