What’s cooking, chef?

Delzad K Avari

Eat on the go

Chef Delzad K Avari, chef and founder of Del'z Kitchen
During service when you're sending out food or at the stove, there is no time to eat. But we remember to keep hydrating. Post service, we move to comfort food, something that's easy to pick up or cook. When I was in the Caribbean, post service, I would pick up a doner kebab or shawarma from street-side stalls. They would sell a chole puri-like dish called doubles, which had a flat puri topped with imli chutney and hot pepper sauce; another favourite was aloo pie, an oblong dough with aloo and jeera that was filled with chana masala or chowmein. And if I was eating at home, it would be a simple sandwich of cold cuts, or my secret guilty pleasure, ramen. When I was working at the Taj Mahal Hotel, I would head to Bademiya nearby. After 12 to 14 hours of cooking, tasting and service, you don't really want to spend time making anything. You want to just plonk yourself in front of the television, eat and sleep!
Pro-tip for a quick filling meal: Stock salad leaves in the refrigerator. Keep a pre-made salad dressing of honey, mustard and balsamic. You can toss it together with a protein like boiled eggs and your favourite veggies.

Watch that sugar count

Chef Dean Rodrigues, executive pastry chef, The Academy of Pastry and Culinary Arts, Andheri
We go through an entire day eating sugar. Often, I have to control the amount of sugar I have through tastings and need to stop. Sometimes it's just mid-day and I realise it has been too much. Because this is pure sugar and its effects are very evident, you'll just be jumping around the kitchen exhausting yourself. So, lunch and dinner is just simple ghar ka dal chawal or sabzi-roti.
Pro-tip for a first-rate dessert at home: A baked yoghurt takes five minutes to make and has just three ingredients - yoghurt, condensed milk and cream.

Family meals together

Chef Hitesh Shanbhag, executive chef, Neuma, Colaba
Most of our meals are tastings of sauces, marinades and other parts of the dishes. But at the restaurant, we have great staff meals planned for the week which includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and midnight snacks. Our midnight snacks are street food bites like misal pav, and family meals include vegetables of the day. Everyone on the staff has the same train to catch at night, so we might as well eat a meal together and then leave. Since we do a lot of specials at the restaurant, we also have the habit of ordering the entire specials menu once or twice a week, where the kitchen is unaware that it is [an in-house] order; this makes for a good meal. We also do a lot of tarts, similar to biscuits. To this, we add a nice piece of cheese and meat and that's it.
Pro dinner tip when pressed for time: Make fried rice. Scramble some eggs and add seasoning. You don't need any sauces other than a bit of ketchup and chilli; that will do the trick. Toss in old rice lying in the refrigerator and add veggies. Finish it with a bit of herbs and that shouldn't take you more than four to five minutes.

A balanced meal

Chef Ravraj Chandhok, head chef, Juliette Ristorante Bar, Andheri
After an exhausting day, it's best to eat light and simple fare like dal khichdi that's easy to digest, or chicken breast. After tasting food from 12 pm to 12 am, these days I've just been eating plain salad with lemon and salt and some olives and vegetables. I think consumers are more health-oriented with their food choices and chefs have followed suit.
Pro-tip for a restaurant-level meal at home: Your meal must consist of flavour, texture, appearance and protein. For texture, add a fresh salad, crunchy multigrain cracker, roasted pumpkin puree or fresh berry compote, etc. For appearance, add colour and plate it well. This is important since we eat with our eyes. Create the flavours you love, and add a protein of your choice like paneer, tofu, lentils, chicken or eggs.

Nutritious end to the day

Chef Montage Dias, head chef, Maai, Goa
As chefs, we hardly eat on time or don't eat at all, since we're tasting through the day. I prefer a comforting and filling bite at the end of the day like a burger; or something wholesome that feeds the soul and nourishes the body, like a compound dish of rice and curry in a bowl with a salad at the side. I usually eat lunch at 4 pm and dinner at 12.30 am, and I would say it has been like this over the last 14 years.
Pro-tip for a nutritious and tasty meal: A nutritious meal should be balanced with carbs, protein and fibre. Dal khichdi is a good option; it's also quick to make. I love eating bisi bele baath for breakfast since it's nourishing and filling. You can always keep a protein par cooked and stored. Don't forget to add nuts, veggies, and salad to your meal.