Beauty and the Feast

By Lavina Melwani

Indian-model Padma launched her low-fat recipe book.

 

Ask the Italians and they’ll tell you there’s only one word to describe her. Bellissima!

When she walks the streets of Manhattan in her sexy black outfits and her reams of legs, heads turn, traffic slows and hearts beat faster. With her flashing eyes, pouting lips and a walk as lithe and undulating as a black panther’s, the stunning 5-foot 9-inch Padma Lakshmi, known simply as Padma, has been splashed across the pages of Elle, Depeche Mode, Amica, Donna and Italian Vogue.

She has been a runway model for some of the biggest names in haute couture, including Sonia Rykiel, Ralph Lauren, Lorenzo Riva, Versus by Versace, Marina Sapdafora and Byblos. Her circle of friends in Milan and New York includes rock stars like Simon Lebon and John Taylor of Duran Duran, journalists, photographers and models.

Padma could pass for Italian or Spanish, but she is hundred percent Indian, a Tamil Hindu Brahmin from South India. Padma, who is with Ford Modeling Agency in Paris and with Riccardo Gay in Milan, jets between the various countries on assignment. She makes big bucks and even a two hour photography stint on just her feet (while she’s relaxing with a sandwich) fetches her $3,000.

Her interest in modeling probably started at the age of six, when she was fascinated by the beauty rituals of the women in her family. She laughs: "When I was very small everyone used to call me Alangari - someone who likes to make herself up. I was stealing my grandmother’s lipsticks and trying on bangles and earrings. By the age of nine I could pluck my mother’s eyebrows!"

Padma came to the United States as a child with her divorced mother, who was pursuing a career in nursing. Although she went some years with her grandparents in Chennai, Padma had her education in California. She graduated with a B.A. in Theater Arts from Clarke University. She got her first modeling assignment in Madrid, where she happened to be studying during her last semester of college.

Padma has walked down the runway for Ralph Lauren in New York, flanked by Stephanie Seymour and Christy Turlington, and has worked with such celebrity photographers as Helmut Newton, Aldo Fallai and Fabrizio Ferri.

The new globalization has certainly made it easier for Asian models. Says Padma: "I think if I had started out 15 years earlier, it would have been a lot more difficult. Now, I think the world is becoming more aware of the diversity of beauty that’s out there. There are many faces of beauty and I think I represent one very strong face of beauty. There are many beautiful women in Asia and the Middle East, and the West is just learning to discover that."

Padma lived in Milan for several years, and co-hosted Domenica Is, the No. 1 Variety Show on Italian television, in the aftermath of which she was mobbed by fans and paparazzi alike.

So what does she do for an encore? She writes a book!

It all started when Harvey Weinstein, the head of Miramax Films, heard about the wonderful meal she had cooked for some actor friends. He sent her off to meet the editor of Hyperion Books, which is also owned by Miramax. Padma recalls she typed up three recipes, a few essays about her food experiences and also cooked up a recipe and took it along in a Tupperware container for the editor to taste. The dish was rajma, the editor loved it and the deal was done.

The result is Easy Exotic: A model’s Low-Fat Recipes from around the World. One would think food and models can’t be mentioned in the same breath, but Padma a rarity - a model who not only eats but enjoys food. She jokes: "If a man wants to get to me, instead of sending me flowers he should just send me a box of samosas!"

As a young child, Padma was sent back to India by her working mother from California for a few years to live with her grandparents - and the colors and sounds of the south have remained with her. As they say, you can take the girl out of India but you can’t take India out of the girl. In fact, a stop at the chaatwalla in her hometown is a must.

Growing up in Chennai in a large joint family, she hung around the women of the family as they cooked and pickled. She recalls, "During my childhood, I remember the women chattering as we sat on the cool marble floor shelling peas, grating coconut, or stealing every third piece of sour mango from my aunt’s rations for chutney."

She adds, "There were always secrets told in the kitchen, and I felt very privileged to be there. I really think food and cooking are the basic elements of life."

A passionate foodie, she has adapted the rich cuisine of her childhood to her non-fat lifestyle and also added in dishes from her travels across the world. Everyone wants to know what a model eats - and Padma reveals her secrets in this 115 page book which is loaded with international recipes adapted by her so that models can eat and still squeeze into their Prada outfits. In fact, Padma has fed many a hungry model on location.

Her recipes call for non-stick utensils, fresh ingredients and lighter substitutes like non-fat yogurt and lowfat coconut milk. A lot of them are India-inspired — Couscous Upma is a concoction of Moroccan and South Indian favorites. The book has recipes from Italy, France, Spain and South East Asia, and Padma explains: "It’s all a mixture because nowadays we don’t eat the same cuisine every day. You may have a Korean neighbor or a Peruvian baby-sitter — so we are all influenced by each other’s cultures, especially in this country where there’s such a mix of people."

Padma’s book is geared towards today’s hectic lifestyles and uses lots of shortcuts to create exotic dishes like Mi Goreng and Chicken with Mango Chutney, all made in less than 30 minutes.

She says; "It’s easier to eat well if you cook, rather than ordering out because you have control over what’s going into your mouth." Dieting is a no-no for Padma, who says she eats like a cow and yet has a 23-inch waistline. Although she has a personal trainer, she hates to go to the gym or sit on an exercise bicycle going nowhere. She admits, "When I’m in Manhattan, I’d rather wear comfortable shoes, take a friend to the upper streets and then walk all the way down to the Village, chattering."

This model has an insatiable appetite for reading and writing, as the wry stories behind the recipes prove. The book is sprinkled with quotes on food from the Bhagavad Gita to Ernest Hemingway. Perhaps the most down-to-earth observation is the one from Padma herself: "Never underestimate the power of a good bowl of warm food."

What next for the model chef?

She is looking to go back to her first love — acting. Padma recently played the lead in two European co-productions. Caribbean, an action drama shot in Cuba, in which she plays a Native American woman warrior. This action film was quite an experience in which she had to ride, duel and romance, and wear a hefty headpiece too. In The Son of Sandokan, which took her to Sri Lanka, she plays an Indian princess.

Padma has now moved from Milan to Los Angeles, all set to be an actress in Hollywood. After trying out her finger-licking recipes, you can get all set to see her on the silver screen!

Around the World in a Cookbook

These are some of Padma’s innovative dishes made in minutes with easily available ingredients. Spain: Chick peas and Spinach Tapas; France: Potage aux Legumes; Italy: Porto Vine Pasta; India: Tandoori Chicken Salad; Asia: Mi Goreng; Morocco: Couscous Upma

 

 

 

BALI BAKED FISH

Prep. Time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 to 25 minutes

2 pounds red snapper fillets

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 onion, quartered

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped ginger-root

1 tablespoon tamarind paste

1 tablespoon Oriental sesame oil

1/2 tsp ground cumin

2 tablespoon water

Fresh lemon juice to taste

3 tablespoons minced fresh mint, or to taste.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F

2.Pat dry the fish fillets, season with salt and pepper, and arrange in a

shallow baking dish.

3. In a blender or food processor combine the onion, garlic, ginger root, tamarind paste, sesame oil, cumin, salt to taste, and 2 tablespoons water

and blend until smooth. Pour mixture over fish, coating both sides.

4. Bake fish, covered with foil, in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or

until it flakes easily with a fork.

5. Transfer fillets to a serving dish, correct seasoning, adding more

salt if necessary, and drizzle with lemon juice. Garnish with mint.

Serves: 4-6

Calories per serving: 191.

Couscous Upma

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 20 to 25 minutes

2 tblsps vegetable oil

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp minced gingerroot

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, minced

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

2 cups green beans

4 firm, ripe tomatoes cut into 1 inch pieces

salt to taste

2 cups water

1 Knorr chicken bouillion cube

1 2/3 cups couscous

fresh lemon juice to taste

Minced fresh cilantro to taste.

1. In a deep nonstick skillet set over moderate heat, warm the oil until it is hot. Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds, and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the ginger root and garlic, and cook, stirring, 1 minute more.

2. Add the onion and green bell pepper to the seasonings and cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.

3.Add the green beans, tomatoes, salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes more.

4. Add the water, bouillion cube, and salt to taste, bring to a boil, stirring, and add couscous. Simmer, quite occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, or until liquid is just absorbed.

5. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 5 minutes. Before serving stir in lemon juice and cilantro.

Serves 4 to 6. Serve with Raita

Calories per serving: 285

RAITA

Prep. Time: 10 Minutes

3 cups plain nonfat yogurt, drained well with cheesecloth or a strainer

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated

1/2 cup minced fresh mint leaves

1 hot green chili, seeded and minced, if desired

Salt to taste

In a bowl combine all the ingredients. Serve with Couscous Upma.

Makes about 4 cups.

Calories per serving: 78