World Cup 2023: City chefs share recipes of their favourite match-day munchies

Charred grilled vegetables

There is nothing more exciting than watching a cricket match with friends. But sometimes, the excitement of getting together is dampened by the hassle of preparing food. If you struggle to come up with ideas for a menu, take a leaf out of these time-saving recipes from three city chefs.

Stock up on your veggies and dips
Hitesh Shanbag, executive chef, Neuma

When watching matches in restaurants, we often opt for pizzas, wings and nachos to go with beer. Personally, I always keep chicken wings handy for a gathering. If you are at home, you cannot go wrong with a simple chip and dip. Simply purée an avocado, add spices of your choice and serve it with any assortment of regular chips.

Fried sausage with cheese

My quick fix: My favourite meal on a game day is a sausage fry. Pick any leftover frankfurter sausages - chicken, pork or other meat; cut them up in vertical quarters. Coat them with corn flour or potato starch. Then, simply deep fry them. Sprinkle cheese or some peri peri, and serve. If you have leftover vegetables - tomatoes, cauliflowers, broccoli - toss them in a pan with a little bit of garlic and your favourite spice seasoning. Char them in the oven for about 15 minutes, and serve.

Rice to the occasion
Chef Irfan Pabaney, country head, Sodabottleopenerwala

I am not a huge fan of cricket, but I have been watching the tournament regularly. India looks in perfect form. The team looks head and shoulders above the rest. For me, the perfect combination for a match would be chilli chicken and chicken lollipop. It is filling, spicy and good fun to have with beer.

My quick fix: I don't have a secret recipe per se, but I love a good masala bhaat, especially when you have leftover mutton or chicken. The twist is adding some pav bhaji masala to it. It is a very Indian solution. I simply add the leftover chicken and vegetables to the mix. Fry them with some haldi and add pav bhaji masala. Perfect for any match-day evening.

Bread and butter for the win
Bhakti Mehta chef and founder, Little Food Co.

Usually, chip and dips are the perfect munchies to snack on when watching television. If you have some yoghurt lying around, or cream cheese, I would recommend puréeing it with some coriander and sautéed onion to create a simple salsa. The pantry often has a lot of things lying around, and we never really use them all. If you have some time, use leftover bread to make homemade pizza. The process is the same, with some tomato, basil or hummus to spread over the toast. Garnish it with some chilli oil and it's good to go.

Bruschetta. Representation pics Courtesy/Wikimedia Commons

My quick fix: I always have tomato sauce handy at home. I tend to whip up quick pasta, with a sauce made of puréed tomatoes, sautéed with some spices and garlic. The other option is to make a salsa using puréed tomatoes, garlic, coriander and onion spread on leftover bread with some feta cheese; like a bruschetta.

Masala bhaat

Ingredients
>> 1 garlic chopped
>> 1 onion (sliced thinly)
>> 1 tomato (chopped)
>> Leftover chicken
>> Leftover rice
>> 1 tsp curry powder
>> 1 tsp pav bhaji powder
>> Salt to taste

Method
Sauté the garlic and onions in a little oil, till they are golden brown. Add some pepper or cloves as you wish. Add a touch of haldi and chilli powder to the pan, and throw in the leftover vegetables and chicken into the mix. To this, add the pav bhaji masala. Once the vegetables and chicken are done, add rice in and stir fry till ready. Add salt to taste, and serve.

Recipe courtesy: chef Irfan Pabaney