What PM Modi eats has always been a big news. But he always had light food which had some health angle also. Before dashing out of Hyderabad after the all-India Director General Police meet at the National Police Academy in Hyderabad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi relished about three cups of kadak adrak wali chai prepared by Chef Shankar Krishnamoorthy, of Voila F9 Gourmet.
Even before becoming PM and when he was campaigning in AP, Modi did not have anything for the day, but in the evening he asked the TDP chief Chandrababu for a Chai. It was arragned immediately and he left Hyderabad after having that Tea. He can just live on that Chai for a day. He like tea so much.
Krishnamoorhty and his team were on toes preparing, arranging and serving the Prime Minister besides the 150 delegates. This stress is something we all can reminisce about happily,” says Shankar. PM Modi like all the dishes but the adarak Chai was his favorite . He had three cups of it before moving to Delhi.
alking about the menu and preparations, Shankar says that it was an assignment which couldn’t be taken or treated lightly, so he gathered all the chefs and restaurant managers from his restaurants and put them on this one task. Recalling the brief, Shankar says instructions for the food was simple,
‘PM likes simplicity and light food and anything with high drama was to be strictly avoided’. The menu mostly comprised Indian dishes and desserts with a lot of fresh fruits. The regular hungama of Hyderabadi Biryani was missing.
A mix of Indian and Western dishes constituted the breakfast menu, while lunch was a simple mix of North and South Indian dishes. “After the brief, I worked on the menu for three meals apart from two tea breaks. I made a presentation of the menu at the PMO. After the PMO passed it, we all had to undergo strict security checks. This was a security drill I have never experienced before.”
Explaining how things worked in the kitchen pre and post-presentation, Shankar says the food needed to be ready two hours in advance of the stipulated time so that the the forensic team could test the food. Even the sugar was tested. After the forensic test, Shankar was made to taste samples of the cooked food personally.
That done, “The food was sealed and taken to the dining facility with about 6-7 cops of various ranks. Our job inside was to serve and get out and clear later. Everything about this event was strict and protocol-driven; it makes us wonder how we pulled it off so perfectly.
Our team is excited and happy that PM Modi thanked us and praised the food after every meal,” says Shankar excitedly.
