THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When it comes to sports, food habits matter. With this in mind, Malayali executive chef of Leela Raviz, Kovalam has prepared a rich yet healthy spread of Kerala, North Indian and continental cuisine for the Indian and West Indies team. India and West Indies are all set to play the fifth day and night One Day International at the Sports Hub at Kariavattom on Thursday.
Earlier, the team which had arrived for the T20 match against New Zealand in the city was treated to a special seafood dish ‘Kohli Prawns’ prepared by Leela Raviz, Kovalam. This time, the players were served special seafood dishes like ‘Avaduthura Kizhi Njandu Perattu’ with fresh crabs that were caught from Eve’s beach, Kovalam. This lip-smacking dish was prepared using coconut milk.
Other freshwater fish like karimeen, poomeen, all freshly caught from Ashtamudi Lake, Kollam. Other seafood varieties include seer fish and lobster from Vizhinjam. “ The Indian team is fond of Kerala cuisine especially fish molly. Captain Virat Kohli prefers seafood items. The West Indies team players prefer the continental dishes so we have included Thai dishes in our cuisine,” said R Srijith, director of Sales and marketing, Leela Raviz, Kovalam.
Captain Virat Kohli, Ajay Jadeja and Ravi Shastri had asked for the Kerala Sadhya which was served to them for lunch. The menu is being served to both the Indian and West Indies team after being approved by executive chef Sanjay Thomas. Several discussions are held with the officials of Board of Control for Cricket in India and the West Indies Cricket Board prior to preparing the menu. Dessert included payasams varieties like ada, wheat and semiya to Gulab jamun, cheese cakes and puddings.
Two menus in place
On the match day, two menus have been prepared considering the food preferences of the members of both teams. The first part of the menu includes five types of juice, four types of yoghurts, nuts, regular salads, spaghetti and lasagne in small portions. Along with these, a protein bar will also be available for the teams. Two separate menus have been decided for the Indian and West Indies team.
For the Indian team, the cuisine will include fish molly, local prawn dishes and Thalassery Biriyani. “We have decided the menus based on the preferences of the teams. If the Indian team prefers food that is ‘spicy but not hot’, the West Indies prefer more ‘continental than spicy’,” said Prakash Krishnan, assistant food and beverage manager. Special barbeques, grilled chicken and continental thali will be available for West Indies team.