Hardik Pandya’s health secret: Moong dal khichdi, tempered good by his travelling chef

A easy moong dal and rice khichdi. Tempered with some gentle spices and ghee. Semi-dry, however all the time served heat. The homely perfume of this humble consolation meals invariably has been wafting from an condominium near the motels in Australia the place the Indian crew with Hardik Pandya has been staying.

Packed right into a tiffin, this straightforward soothing gas of vitality lands wherever India’s most vaunted all-rounder Pandya – ‘HD’ to his private chef Aarav Nangia – goes to play, retaining him content material and revved up for the sport.

Ferrying Nangia, his private chef, internationally to cater to his particular dietary wants was one of the vital choices Pandya took in direction of levelling up his health within the sport. It prices, however Pandya determined fairly early that it was a requirement he couldn’t do with out, and was able to spend from his pocket for his meals.

The Indian crew doesn’t journey with a private chef, and gamers are normally paid each day allowances for his or her meals. However, Pandya who digs the meals he grew up on, usually has his chef journey alongside to make sure his dietary wants are completely met.

“For me it was important as a professional athlete to tick all boxes available in life and to make sure my body gives everything to this sport and never compromises on anything. It was important for me to tick boxes from fitness to travel to having the right chef and having the right sleep. I hired a chef who will make sure that till I play the sport, he will look after my meals,” Pandya advised The Indian Express.

Chef Nangia largely travels on the identical flight because the Indian crew – he has been put up on the nearest condominium to the crew lodge in Adelaide.

“I have to make clean food, for me which means no preservatives. I have to keep it very simple. I have to take care of his macros. On a regular day, I have to give him (Pandya) 3000 calories and on match days, he has to put in so much effort and spend a lot of energy. He needs energy. So on match days, I give him 4000 calories,” Nangia mentioned.

When enjoying domestically, he prepares meals on the crew lodge. “When in India, hotels are kind enough to accommodate me in their kitchen and when we are flying internationally and playing outside India, I have to take an apartment nearby and I carry my ingredients, cook in that apartment and head to his hotel room,” Nangia mentioned.

There is an induction set-up in Pandya’s room as effectively. The chef prepares, packs and rearranges meals earlier than serving it to Pandya.

So what sort of meals does Gujarat Titans captain and Team India linchpin like? “He loves vegetarian food and the food which he has grown up on in Gujarat. So that is his comfort food. There is a khichdi I make which is made of simple moong dal and rice. It’s a semi-dry one and it’s tempered with some low spices and some ghee which he likes to have.”

Pandya additionally likes jeera rice. However, the timing of his meals is essential in sustaining his weight loss program.

“We need to keep the timing of his meals in mind. Because if his meal is delayed, then we don’t want to risk him having a bad stomach day or feeling a bit unwell. We just want to keep the timing on point. Even if he is travelling abroad, we try to keep his menu as fresh and inventive as possible,” Nangia mentioned.

What if he desires to have one thing and isn’t appropriate for his physique? He says Pandya could be very clear about his weight loss program and doesn’t compromise a lot. “He is very mindful of what he wants and what he likes. His choices are very clear, very neat and he doesn’t like to indulge anything that he knows won’t suit him well or he won’t like. If there is something which he wants and is craving, for that we try to adjust his macro levels for that day. He has a pretty determined mind on what he wants to eat and it’s pretty clean. He doesn’t want to go out of the way (to experiment) and he is very conscious in that way.”

Pandya has been taking his health very significantly, particularly after getting back from an harm. He has rejuvenated himself and beneath his captaincy Gujarat Titan gained their maiden IPL title. And to stay match and eat proper, he isn’t taking any probabilities.

“I have to keep things hygienic and maintain strict quality control as far as the ingredients are concerned,” Nangia mentioned.

Gentle moong khichdi, spiced good, with ghee, and HD is sweet to go.