``I have an instinctive love for cooking,'' says Ketan Kulkarni. A busy industrialist, Ketan specially makes time when he is in the mood to rustle up some exciting dishes. ``When I was a child, I would observe my mother and grandmother in the kitchen and that's when I got interested in cooking.'' Following a trial-and-error method, Ketan was soon surprising his delighted family with Chinese and Continental dishes.``It's only in recent times that restaurants offer Continental cuisine, so my dishes were quite a novelty at the time. I would consult my mom's recipe books - she has a big collection of them - and try out these dishes. Of course, there were the usual minor mishaps but there was always someone around to supervise my cooking,'' he remembers.Not for him the routine and run-of-the-mill dishes or the ubiquitous Moghlai cooking. Ketan likes experimenting with different combinations of Chinese and Continental cuisine, with a preference for non-vegetarian dishes. ``I especially enjoy cooking Continental dishes with chicken, macaroni, salami and fish. I also experiment with cheeses,'' he says.``Ketan's really good at these dishes. It was he who taught me how to prepare them,'' asserts wife Yogita. Among Ketan's personal favourites is chicken in red wine, and in the desserts department, rum-based chocolate cake with coffee liqueur tops the list. ``I really make that one well,'' he says with conviction. Another dish Ketan loves to rustle up is a preparation of macaroni with chicken, mushrooms, corn and cheese. ``This is my own creation,'' he says.Usually the preserve of his wife, the kitchen is Ketan's domain at least once a week. ``I find it very relaxing. Here's something that I can concentrate on without thinking about my business or any work-related problem. Cooking is a way of chilling out''.Of course, it is the clearing away after the grand meal that he detests most. ``My wife usually takes over then,'' he laughs. ``He may not cook very often but he's forever interfering with my cooking and insists on knowing what went into a particular dish and if it was made just the way it should be,'' adds Yogita.
