R Madhavan swears by this desi breakfast which keeps him fit at 55 and it can be made under just 5 minutes!

Actor R Madhavan is not just an actor of substance but also a human who leads a sustainable and healthy life. In an interview, he once mentioned that eating healthy, light food, and following a disciplined fitness routine is his secret to happiness and living a healthy life. When asked about his favourite breakfast, he said that during summers he swears by the traditional Rice Kanji, a one-pot meal that is light on the gut and keeps him full for a longer duration. Scroll down to read the details and his other favourite vegetarian dishes.

It refers to a porridge-like dish made with overnight fermented rice, seasoned with onion, green chilli, curd, and a tempering of ghee, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, hing, and curry leaves. According to Madhavan, it helps cool the body, satisfies the stomach, and calms the mind during excessive heat. While it provides steady energy, he admits that it sometimes leaves him feeling relaxed enough to become slightly drowsy afterward—an effect he associates with its soothing properties.

Ingredients: 1 cup left over rice, 2 cups water, 1 tsp oil, 1 cup curd, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 4-6 curry leaves, a pinch of hinf and salt to taste

Method: Soak rice overnight in water and keep it in a dark place. Next morning, add the tadka of oil, mustard seeds, cumin, curry leaves, and hing to it. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy.

In the interview, he highlighted his love for Indian vegetarian dishes that are part of his regular meals. Scroll down to read his other favourite dishes.

It is a type of savory steamed rice cake made from a batter consisting of fermented rice and urad dal and is commonly eaten for breakfast with coconut chutney and sambar. The traditional style is made with idli rice and dal, but one can also make them with sooji, oats, or a mix of both with lots of veggies like carrot, capsicum, and peas.

Pongal is made with lentils, rice, and a lot of ghee. It is available in both spicy and sweet versions. Sweet or Chakkara Pongal is loaded with roasted dry fruits, while savoury or Melangu Pongal is a little spicy with a rich garnish of powdered pepper.

It is a type of savory pancake or crepe made from fermented rice and lentil batter and is best served with sambar and chutney.

Puttu is a traditional steamed South Indian breakfast dish made from rice flour and grated coconut. Puttu is typically served with a variety of accompaniments, such as chickpea curry (kadala curry), banana, or grated coconut mixed with sugar.

It refers to a variety of dosa made with rava or sooji, curd, rice flour, salt, ginger, chilli, pepper, coriander leaves, and oil.

Also known as Ulunthu Vadai, Ulundu Vadai or Medu Vada, it is a deep-fried dish made with urad dal, onion, green chilli, ginger, curry leaves, salt, and hing. In some places, people also add moong dal in 1:3 ratio to make it even more easy to digest. All you need to do is, soak the dals overnight, blend along with green chilli and ginger, ferment for 10-12 hours and then add salt and deep fry to perfection.

Also known as Paddu, this dish is made with a batter of black lentils, fenugreek seeds, and rice and is made in both sweet and spicy versions.

It originated from Mangalorean cuisine and is made with fermented rice batter and is mostly served with coconut chutney and sambar.

It refers to the traditional coconut chutney made with grated coconut, ginger, green chilli, chana dal, and curd.