Vishwaroopam actress Pooja Kumar is a major foodie who especially loves making Desi food!

Pooja was crowned Miss India USA and has been a VJ for Channel V, a newsreader on the show Namaste America and has starred in such feature films as Kaadhal Rojave, Night of Henna, Flavors, Hiding Divya, Park Sharks, Bollywood Beats, and Anything For You.

Since she's got to keep fit being a Hollywood and Bollywood actress she makes healthy desi food. The varli culinary awards has asked Pooja for one of her healthy recipes, different chef's will cook Pooja's dish, and Pooja will pick out the one that made it best at the event. Pooja is also a co-host at the awards show that will be held in NY on November 15th.

We recently caught up with Pooja, "As far as I can remember, I would always follow my mother around in the kitchen as she prepared dinner for our family or made exotic dishes for the numerous get togethers we were invited to almost every weekend while growing up.

My passion for cooking and my love for food developed at a very early age. I insisted that my mother write down all her recipes so that I could one day reciprocate and make her a meal with as much grace, zest and love as she did for us every day of her life. She made cooking an art and I have always prided myself in making cuisines that are tasteful and different.

Now as an actor, I tend to eat very little outside and focus on creating my own magic at home and dabble with the many recipes I've come up on my own. My meals are extremely healthy and usually take less than 30 minutes to prepare.

However, when I host dinner parties I spend hours on creating dishes that my guests have never tried. The Varli culinary awards show will be a great forum for chefs to share their secret recipes and excite the crowd with mouthwatering appetizers and entrees. I share their passion and love for food but also in the way it is presented.

I've always wanted to have my own cooking show and share my most prized recipes with the rest of the world. I have the flare for the unexpected when it comes to cooking and I'm sure the chefs at the awards show will not disappoint us either. I look forward to sharing my passion for food and cooking with everyone on November 15th!"

Pooja Kumar is also featured in this month's issue of Filmfare magazine.

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