15 August,2011 07:25 AM IST | | Fiona Fernandez
The Guide caught up with former Australian cricketer, opener Matthew Hayden, who was the mainstay of the national team for over a decade and is now donning a chef's hat. A self-taught cook, he loves Indian food and has even made a mean chicken curry for cricketer Parthiv Patel!
Fast bowlers feared his imposing, gladiator-like pose as he strode out to open the Australian innings. Spinners would lose their rhythm and loop as he stepped out of the crease to hoist them. Matthew Hayden, the cricketer, rode like a colossus but his passion for cooking has finally got the better of him,u00a0 after retirement from professional cricket. Today, as his life gets ready to be showcased in Home Ground, a six-part television series that goes beyond cooking and interviews, he takes time out to throw light on his love affair with food, his Indian culinary exploits and MS Dhoni's interest in visiting his backyard kitchen, in an email interview.
When did the cooking/farming bug bite you? Was it centered on a particular incident, person or a meal you savoured?
The progression was natural as we grew up on a beautiful farm. We had red soil, like really deep, rich, basalt soil. So, pretty much the moment you added water to it, it grew anything. I used to manage the plot. I would study the seasons, when things grew well, when they didn't; heritage seeding as well, collecting seeds of tomatoes and things like that and learning how to store them and then learning how to propagate and plant them. So it was really natural.
Being an international cricketer, you would have had the opportunity to travel and taste numerous world cuisinesu00a0-- which are your favourite two and why?
I think Indian culture celebrates food and it's certainly a culinary destination, which I really admired whilst I was travelling for an entirely different business and that's cricket. As a culinary destination, India would be my number one choice specifically because the regions within India are vastly different to each other. So, there's a real cross-section of cultures, whether that be from Turkey and the imports of the north or whether that be the imports of the south. In fact, even the East and West are really different.
Who usually wins the battle of the chefs in the kitchen at home, your wife or you?
Well, I don't think I would want to answer that! My wife's favourite food is Indian and so I've become quite a gourmet of healthy tasty Indian food. I really enjoy spicy food and we have natural, healthy products, which I grow in my backyard. I have galangal, ginger,u00a0 turmeric, curry leaves and kaffir lime leaves. So, I can really do a nice dish straight from my backyard.
Are there any fellow cricketers who surprised you with their cooking talent?
Not really, but many of them are interested in visiting the garden. In fact, I've had many of them over here. I was talking to Suresh Raina as well and I know that he's very keen to come over with MS Dhoni. I'll cook them up a beautiful Indian meal straight from my garden. I can make a really great curry and I don't have to go anywhere. I've also had Parthiv Patel over.
Do you have any fond memories of your Indian culinary experiences?
It was funny. I had Parthiv over when he was here for a young Indian tour. So I made him a Chicken Curry. It's a bit nerve-racking making a curry for an Indian considering that's what you guys eat. But, he said, "Oh, it was amazing." He loved it. So, I hope I've inspired him to cook.
Home Ground premiers on TLC on August 15, at 10.30 pm
