When Hyderabad-born youngster Sai Harsha Chittajallu did a Master’s in Hospitality and Tourism Management in Australia a few years back, little did he know that he would one day serve the Indian cricket team with scrumptious desi recipes.
Describing how he got the opportunity to serve Team India during their recent stay in Sydney, Harsha, who did his Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management from the Institute of Hotel Management in Hyderabad, says, “I have been working as a Chef for the last four years in Delaware North, the catering provider at the Sydney Cricket Ground. And I have a proven track record in making Indian delicacies.”
Apparently, Executive Chef Stuart Webb and Harsha discussed the menu in advance along with the Indian team management. Given that most of the players are vegetarian and diet-conscious too, Harsha was asked to prepare recipes that included more seasonal vegetables while avoiding fried and oily food.
The team stayed in Sydney for around 20 days (playing 1 Test Match, 1 ODI, 1 T-20 and practice games), and Harsha apparently had to prepare a comprehensive menu for them.
He admits that he was initially apprehensive about how the players would feel about the recipes. “But after the team tasted the dishes on the first two days, they felt happy and that gave me the confidence,” he reveals, adding that masala omelettes were served for breakfast, apart from home-style breads, fruit platters and smoothies.
Apparently, Indian head coach Ravi Shastri asked Harsha to prepare rogan josh while Hardik Pandya and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar savoured tadka dal rice with ghee and Rishab Pant enjoyed the egg bhurji.
“We served broccoli soup, garden salad with sliced boiled eggs, kadai paneer, mutton curry, sambar, roti, phulkas etc. apart from light snacks during tea,” reveals Harsha, adding that the team really loved the masala tea.
Sharing that he used to work from 7 am to 10 pm to get the menu right, the Telugu lad says he feels gratified. “When the likes of Kohli, Ravi Shastri and Rohit Sharma compliment my culinary skills, there’s a sense of pride and happiness,” he signs off.
