Everybody loves food. And most of us would like to know about the food choices of our favourite celebs. With the Chennai Super Kings being in the news with their peformance in Champion's League 2010, meet the man who was the main chef for the Chennai Super Kings team during IPL season one.
Chef Amit Dash began his career with the Sheraton group just as the group bagged a three-year contract for the IPL. With the necessary information on calories and nutrition for every player Chef Dash and his team worked to satisfy the stars' palates.
Skipper's special
His interactions with the players included dining with and cooking sessions as well. One special order was Dhoni's Butter Chicken. The skipper's special instruction: Don't tell my nutritionist. I'll have it every day; lunch and dinner. “He loved the extra dab of butter,” the chef recalls.
“Hayden was extremely friendly. He called one day and said he wanted to dine with me. I asked him to come to my cabin. When asked what he wanted to eat, all he said was ‘bring on the sea food'. Since he owns a sea-food restaurant in Sydney, he loves to binge on them. Albie Morkel surprised me once by coming into the kitchen with his wife. He wanted to learn how to make garlic naan so that he could do so back home!”
Though Amit Dash has moved to Courtyard by Marriot he still fondly recalls the signature dishes he cooked up for the Chennai Super Kings.
Butter chicken (M.S. Dhoni)
Ingredients
Roasted chicken 500 gm
Makhani gravy 350 ml
Chopped garlic 10 gm
Cumin powder 10 gm
Deggi mirch 1 tbsp
Salt As required
White butter 80 gm
Cream 20 ml
Kasoori methi A pinch
Makhani gravy
Tomatoes 1 kg
Cashew nut paste 500 gm
Ginger 50 gm
Garlic 20 gm
Deggi mirch 30 gm
Bouquet garni (clove, big cardamom, cinnamon, green cardamom and peppercorn)
Butter 100 gm
Kasoori methi 10 gm
Method: For Makhani gravy, melt butter in a handi. Add bouquet garni and sauté for two minutes. Add ginger garlic paste, cook for few minutes. Add Deggi mirch and fresh tomato paste, and cook for 20 min on slow heat. Add cashew nut paste, cook till the oil separates. Finish with Kasoori methi.
Marinate chicken with Deggi mirch, ginger and garlic paste, salt, lemon juice and kasoori methi, and hung curd. Cook in tandoor.
To make butter chicken, heat butter, add chopped garlic and sauté. Add Deggi mirch and Makhani gravy and cook. Add roast chicken and cook till chicken is well cooked. Add cumin powder and kasoori methi. Check seasoning and finish with butter and cream.
Lobster Chettinad (Matthew Hayden)
Ingredients
Lobster 200 gm
Ginger paste 10 gm
Garlic paste 5 gm
Curry leaves A few
Chopped onion 80 gm
Chopped tomatoes 50 gm
Coconut paste 20 gm
Chettinad powder 1 tsp
Green Chilli 3
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tbsp
Tamarind pulp 2 tbsp
Fennel seeds 2 gm
Oil 80ml
Salt - as required
For garnish
Fresh Chopped coriander
Fried curry leaves
Method: Heat oil. Add fennel seeds. When it crackles, add sliced onion, green chilli and curry leaves and sauté till it turns light brown. Add ginger and garlic paste and sauté till raw flavour is gone. Add spices, tomatoes and tamarind pulp. Mix and sauté till oil separates. Add lobster flesh in even sized pieces so that it cooks evenly. When half done add half the Chettinad powder and check seasoning. When almost done add rest of the Chettinad powder. Garnish with fried curry leaves and chopped coriander.
Home Style Mutton Curry (Suresh Raina)
Ingredients
Mutton 500 gm
Sliced onion 250 gm
Chopped tomatoes 150 gm
Ginger paste 20 gm
Garlic paste 10 gm
Slit green chilli 5
Chilli powder 10 gm
Coriander powder 15 gm
Turmeric A pinch
Salt As required
Mutton stock 700 ml
Oil 120 ml
Garam masala powder
Fresh chopped coriander
Whole spices
Green cardamom 3
Clove 4
Bay leaf 2
Cinnamon stick 1
Method: Heat oil and add whole spices. When they crackle add sliced onion and sauté till it turns light brown. Add ginger and garlic paste, green chilli and salt. Add mutton and sauté until it is slightly brown. Now add spices and tomatoes and sauté. Add mutton stock and bring it to boil. Cover it and cook on slow fire until mutton is tender and soft. Add garam masala powder. Garnish with chopped coriander and ginger.
Garlic Naan (Albie Morkel)
Ingredients
Maida 200 gm
Eggs 20ml
Salt A pinch
Milk 10ml
Curd 5gm
Sugar A pinch
Water 450 ml
Chopped Fried Garlic As required
Butter
Method: Add salt to maida. Mix in egg and curd. Add milk and water and mix till water is absorbed. Knead well, cover with muslin cloth and leave for some time. Knead once more and then divide dough in 80 gm balls. Flatten dough balls, spread fried garlic and fold in triangles. Bake in tandoor. Apply butter on top and serve.
Spanish Omelettes (Jacob Oram)
Ingredients
Eggs 2
Sliced onion 2 gm
Sliced zucchini 2 gm
Sliced Mushroom 2 gm
Sliced olives 2 gm
Sliced potatoes 2 gm
Salt As required
Butter 10 gm
Accompaniments
Hash brown potatoes
Grilled tomatoes
Grilled mushroom
Ham and bacon
Method: Heat butter, add sliced onion, zucchini, mushroom, olive, and potatoes, sauté lightly. Add salt and mix well. Add beaten eggs, cook on medium flame until eggs take a fluffy soft texture. Serve with accompaniments.
Chocolate Milkshake (Manpreet Singh Gony)
Ingredients
Milk 120 ml
Chocolate ice cream 2 scoops
Sugar syrup 15 ml
To Garnish
Melted chocolate 10 ml
Choco chips A few.
Method: Take two scoops of chocolate ice cream, add milk and sugar syrup. Blended well in mixer. Check sweetness as per taste and adjust it. Garnish topped with melted chocolate and choco chips.