Playing a sport stresses any athlete. This stress makes them give into their evolutionary patterns of eating what they desire. The attitude towards eating right, in my opinion, determines a CHAMPION! This sustained displace is what allows Shubhankar, Viraj, Sharmila, Anirbhan, Trishul and so many other golfers I know to accelerate themselves and stay at the top of their game.

As a sports nutrition coach, I am not mean. I am not a taskmaster that does not allow a cheat meal or a rewarding dessert. I do. Here is a glance of some of the better creations that deliver both taste and performance. I have selected a few based on my athletes' love for the same.

Shubhankar Sharma’s fave is Chana/Rajma Chaat

Working with Shubhankar is difficult. He is a vegetarian. Shubhankar lives out of a suitcase and travels more than anybody else I know. So getting veg food everywhere on time and what you need is difficult. So his diet is difficult. Shubhankar, on the other hand, is a sweetheart! Tell him what to do and he will do his best and that is reflective of his wins this year. My goal with him next year is to probably plan a heavier suitcase for his travel. When customs open his suitcase they will find Rajma and Chana smiling back at them. By the way, travelling with a Rice Cooker helps as these dishes can be made in your hotel rooms.

Chana/Rajma Chaat

Rajma Chaat:

• ½ cup Rajma
• 1 Tomato (Tamatar)
• 1 Onion(Pyaaz)
• 1 Green chili (Hari Mirch)
• ½ Lime
• ½ Tbsp chaat masala
• Fresh coriander (dhaniya)
• Salt- as per taste

Directions

• Soak Rajma in water for 6-8 hours. (When he is back from the course soak for next day or before leaving in the morning he soaks them and then leaves and cooks it in the evening).
• After Rajma has soaked, drain the water and put beans in pressure cooker.
• Add 3 cups of water & ½ tsp of salt and pressure cook till beans get softened. (Timing would differ for different varieties of Rajmas)
• Once Rajmas are softened, drain out the water from the cooker but don’t discard it as it can be used in making steamed rice or dal at the hotel (yes he can carry pulses also).
• Take out boiled Rajma into a bowl.
• Finely chop Tomato, Onion and Green chili and add them into the bowl.
• Add chaat masala and squeeze a lime in the bowl.
• Mix all the ingredients well.
• Rajma chaat is ready

Chana Chaat

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup chana
• ½ cup Onion (Pyaaz)
• ½ cup tomatoes (Tamatar)
• ½ green chili   (Hari Mirch)
• ¼ cumin powder (Jeera)
• 1/3 cup cucumber (Kheera)
• ¼ tbsp chaat masala
• ½ lime
• Coriander leaves (Dhaniya)
• Salt- As per taste

Directions

• Soak chana in 4 cups of water for 4-6 hours.  Chana gets double in volume post soaking.
• Put chana in the pressure cooker; add 2 cups of water, a little salt and pressure cook it for a while.
• Once the above process is complete, drain out excess water but don’t discard it as this water is high in protein and can be used to make other dishes such as soups.
• Put boiled chana into a bowl.
• Finely chop onion, tomato, green chilli, cucumber and add them in the bowl.
• Add jeera powder and chaat masala to the dish.
• Squeeze half a lime in the bowl.
• Mix all the ingredients well.
• Garnish the prepared dish with chopped coriander (dhaniya).
• Chana Chaat is ready.

Anirban Lahiri’s pet food is the ubiquitous Rasgulla

Anirban was my first client when I opened my Qua Nutrition clinics back in 2011. A Bengali at heart and armed with an infectious sweet tooth, Anirbhan never had qualms about eating simple food but ate heartily. Some athletes need food for the soul. Muscles come second. It’s important for every nutritionist to heed to this behaviour.

For me, a happy food would be Rasgullas. Casein is the protein in it and it is a slow release protein. The only request I had for him was to keep it to 3 Rasgullas and squeeze the excess sugar out. Best consumed at night, it helps preserve muscle breakdown and speeds up healing during the night due to the casein content.

Ingredients 

• 1 litre milk (cream)
• 1 litre water
• 1 ½ -2 cups sugar
• 2-3 tbsp lemon juice
• 2-3 Cardamom (ilaayachee)
• 1 tsp sooji

• Boil the milk and add 1-2 tbsp lemon juice along with 1-2 tbsp water in it.
• Stir the mixture continuously.
• As soon as the milk curdles, the solid milk portion and liquid whey portion will separate out.
• Transfer the mixture in cheesecloth and drain the whey.
• Rinse the mixture (chhena) in running water.
• Drain out excess water from chhena.
• Tie chhena in a cheese cloth and hang it for approx 30-40 mins.
• Once this is done, untie the cloth and transfer chhena into a bowl/plate.
• Add 1tbsp of sooji into the mixture. It helps in binding the mixture.
• Knead the mixture with hands, until your palms get greasy. It’s an indication that the mixture has started to release some fat.
• Roll chhena mixture in your palm to make small round balls.
• Note that these balls would expand in size after boiling in sugar syrup. Try to keep the size of the balls small.
• To make a sugar syrup heat 1 ½ -2cup sugar with 1 litre of water. Add cardamom in it. Use large vessels/utensils for the purpose.
• Once the syrup starts to boil, drop prepared chhena balls in it.
• Cover the vessel with a lid and let rasgulla cook. Use medium flame.
• If you are preparing it in a pressure cooker, remove the whistle while putting up the lid.
• After 4-5 minutes remove the lid and stir the mixture gently.
• Let rasgulla cook for another 5-7 mins on a medium flame.
• Rasgullas are ready.

Sharmila Nicollet vouches for Khichdi with beans

Sharmila could easily script a page for Hollywood. A powerhouse of an athlete with only her looks to match. She is one of my first athletes to do the nutrition gene test and we found her Gluten intolerant. Over the years Sharmila has lived more out of a suitcase like most golfers and my only request to her every time we speak is to not have bread. Having French genes in her does not help one bit in the wheat department. So I decided this Indian dish be called the Sharmila conundrum. Khichdi with beans!

Rice cooker khichdi with beans

Ingredients

• ½ Cup Rice
• ½ Cup Moong dal
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1 tomato (Tamatar)
• 1 potato  (Alu)
• 1 onion    (Pyaaz)
• ¼ cup coriander leaves (Dhaniyaa)
• 5-6 beans (Phaliyaan)
• ½ cup green peas (Matar)
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder (Haldi)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 2-3 clove (Laung)
• 2-3 cardamoms (Ilayaachee)
• Salt as per taste
• 2-3 cup water

• Finely chop tomato, potato and onion.
• Cut down beans into slices.
• Heat up ghee in pressure cooker and add cumin seeds, cloves, cardamoms, chopped onions & tomatoes, coriander leaves and garlic paste. Fry on the medium flame.
• Add rice and dal to the cooker and roast them for 2-3 minutes.
• Add chopped potatoes, sliced beans, green peas, turmeric powder, chili powder, water and salt to the cooker and pressure cook it for 5-6 whistles.
• Once pressure is released, open the cooker and mix well.
• Kichdi is ready!

Viraj Madappa: Beetroot Juice WHOLE IN ONE RYANS style!

One of my most disciplined eating athletes, Viraj is there on the course with TERMINATOR looks and discipline. It’s a joy to work with athletes that follow a plan to the tee. Beetroot in my book enhances vasodilation and reduces exercise exhaustion. So Viraj is really belting some balls on the driving range post this beverage.

Ingredients

• 1 small Beetroot (Chukandar)
• 1/2 Pomegranate (Anar)
• 1/2 Apple (Seb)
• 1 small Guava (Amarood)
• 1/2tsp of Coconut sugar
• 1/2 Lime
• 1-2 tsp of Chia Seeds
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder (Daalcheene)
• 1/2 tsp of Apple cider vinegar

:

• Wash all the food items.
• Peel and cut beetroot into small slices. Cut a pomegranate into half and squeeze a little to release the seeds. Cut apple and guava into small pieces.
• Put all the above ingredients into the juicer and add coconut sugar, chia seeds, cinnamon powder and apple cider vinegar syrup.
• Turn the mixer on and process all the ingredients.
• Add lime to the prepared juice and stir it well.

Trishul Chinappa’s heart beats for Dry Fruit Laddoo

He is our wonder boy at the QUA NUTRITION Clinics. I have been working with this young man for over 6 years. A Coorgi warrior at heart, he loves dry fruit laddoo that his mom makes for him. We even have this on the course but is packed in cupcake wrappers so that his hand does not get sticky and they are perfect bite sizes as one will pop straight into your mouth. Portion control on the course plus effective delivery mechanism!

Dry Fruit Laddu

Ingredients

• ¼ cup cashews (Kaju)
• ¼ cup almonds (Badam)
• 6-8 seedless dates (Khajoor)
• ¼ cup pista
• ¼ cup raisins (Khishamish)
• 4-5 dried apricots (Khubaanee)
• 3-4 figs (anjeer)
• ¼ cup ghee

• Chop all the dry fruits.
• In a grinder add chopped dates, anjeer & pistas and make into a coarse paste.
• Put ghee in a pan; melt it, add cashews, almonds, raisins, apricots and roast it for 1-2 min.
• Add earlier prepared dates, anjeer & pistas paste in the pan and mix it well.
• After turning off the flame, allow the mixture to cool down for few minutes.
• Remove the mixture to a plate and divide it into equal parts.
• Bind the laddoos with your hands. Apply some ghee on your palm for effective result.
• Dry fruit Ladoos are ready

Ryan Fernando is an award-winning celebrity sports nutrition coach & Chief Nutritionist at Qua Nutrition Signature Clinics. Visit www.quanutrition.com and www.ryanfernando.in.