Taran Kaur Dhillon aka Hard Kaur is a pucca Punjabi kudi who does not believe in dieting. Her fitness 'regime' is unique in that there is no regime at all! She does not believe in starving and hates the word 'diet'. "I did not have a fitness regime until Jhalak Dikhla Ja came my way," she admits.

Tellychakkar caught up with her to find out how she keeps herself fit.

Personal fitness mantra:I have always been a very active person. So, my mantra is "Be active; stay active".

Personal diet mantra: Eat lots of good food. Avoid junk. Personally, for me, good food means lots of fish. I love fish.

Exercise routine: Until Jhalak, there was none. Since I have been part of the show, I have been doing stretching exercises and yoga. It has made me so much stronger. Dancing itself is good cardio. My cardio workout happens on stage; we perform non-stop for nearly two-and-a-half hours. And that's enough exercise! Another aspect to fitness is the difference in lifestyle. In England you have to do stuff yourself, unlike in India, where you have people to do them for you. So, you end up running up and down stairs lots more times over there than here in India. That contributes towards activity and, therefore, fitness in a big way.

After Jhalak, I think the dance steps and the regular yoga routine have toned my body. I have never been bulky, but never skinny either. But now, I think I have a body that's toned more.

Do you think of food as the elixir of life?
Of course! Nothing or no one can exist without food. To me, it's exciting to look forward to what I am going to have for dinner. I get bored of having the same things everyday. I love all kinds of cuisines -Indian, Jamaican, Chinese, Mexican... yum yum yum...

Favourite cuisine: Punjabi food. Balle balle.

Favourite dish: Any kind of fried fish.

Favourite restaurant: Cafe Rouge. It's a French-based restaurant in UK

A must at my breakfast table: Eggs are a must; good old andaa bread.

Breakfast: Breakfast can vary from typical Punjabi fare, such as aloo paranthas to eggs (plain omelettes).

Sugar or sugarfree for my tea/coffee: Sugar please....we don't believe in diets.

Lunch generally consists of: yellow daal, chawal, pan-fried bhindi, and baingan.

For high tea I have: Blueberry muffins

Dinner generally consists of: Some kind of meat. Protein is important. Plus, I am a Punjabi. I want meat! I try to have dinner before 8 PM. When I eat after 8.00, it is usually low-calorie food, such as soups, fish with salad, or wholesome vegetable salad.

Dessert delights: I love rasmalai, chocolate cake, cheese cake, jalebi, malai sandwich.

One thing I can't resist: A tasty cold coffee

My favourtie drink (non-alcoholic): Cranberry juice

My favourite drink (alcoholic): Cosmopolitan

For a date I usually prefer: For him to cook and give me a candle light dinner in the garden (simple and cheerful).

At parties: I usually eat: Nothing. Can't always trust it.

Do you experiment with food?
All the time. Crisps with ice creams is quite nice.

Most unusual dish I've tasted: A mousse. And I mean a real mousse - not chocolate mousse. I had it when I was on my way to Russia. I didn't like it much.

On the streets:I love to have: Chole kulche from Ludhiana.

One place I would never eat again: Pizza joints.

Do you cook? Of course. I love cooking.

Your favourite recipe: Here it is!

West Indian Mutton Soup
Cut boneless lamb into square pieces (and don't be stingy), cook it half way through in a very hot pan with a teaspoon of olive oil. At the same time, boil sliced carrots, yam, calla loo, sweet potato in a pot of water.

Once the vegetables are almost boiled, toss the lamb pieces in along with lots of black pepper, salt according to taste, dry ajwain seeds and one packet of Knorr chicken soup. The last and the most important ingredient is fresh sweet bonnet peppers ( I usually add plenty).

Bring it all to boil, make sure the meat is cooked, and you will get a nice, thick, healthy, and yet delicious (yes, healthy and delicious can coexist) home-made soup.