Khunti Korai

Shawkat Osman

A Tara TV Presentation

Khunti Korai

Bangladeshi Cuisine

Shawkat Osman

The theme of this book is aappayon or entertaining the Bangladeshi way. Aappayon is essential to the spread of food which will greet the guests. Getting together to share good food is at the centre of aappayon—and everything that you need to entertain the Bangladeshi way is here in this book. It will help make the food on your table pleasurable for both—your guests to enjoy, and for you to prepare.

The menus are designed to steer you through the procedure of planning a party, selecting the recipes and finally preparing the food. The book gives a rare insight into the life of the Bangladeshi people and explains various rituals and traditions.

Each menu has an opening section detailing its essence and most of the recipes provide detailed information about their main ingredients and any other item of special interest. In addition, the book contains a comprehensive introduction to Bangladeshi cuisine and an exhaustive glossary. The spices and ingredients uncommon outside Bangladesh are explained and their substitutes have been suggested.

Shawkat Osman

A Tara TV Presentation

Shawkat Osman

Bangla Television in association with Mapin Publishing

A Tara TV Presentation

First published in India in 2008 by Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd. for Bangla Television Pvt. Ltd.

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Text © Shawkat Osman

Photographs by Rukhsara Osman

Cover illustration by Shamsu Mia Illustration on page 81 reproduced by courtesy of the National Museum

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�reface

Preparing a meal, even as each ingredient is cut, diced and ground and the oven heated to the right degree, is an incredible task. Preparation time is perhaps the least talked about, but is treated, nonetheless, as the most enjoyable part of the chore by my family.

A beautiful array of onions, chillies, garlic, ginger and vegetables are arranged on the kitchen table. My knives, korai (wok), and deghchis (woking pots) are kept within easy reach. Usually one or more of my family members stand a few feet away, setting up the desert and salad stations. The family cook is organizing the moslas (spices) Conversation among us merrily ebbs and flows.

I love cooking; it also gives me the rare opportunity and contentment of having my family around. Usually they assist me when I’m in my kitchen. A fine kitchen is comforting and should be the most cheerful room in the house.

Good food laid out beautifully is an aesthetic experience, one of the joys of living. Careful shopping, fresh ingredients and an unhurried approach are what you need to reach this goal. But of course there is one more ingredient: love—one’s love for food and the guests invited to one’s table.

This disposition means that if we are to cook considerably well, it cannot be just for personal satisfaction at being able to replicate a recipe ‘correctly’. The art of cookery is a gradual evolution from the earliest and simplest styles to the most complicated and refined. Cooking is not chemistry; it is about instinct and taste rather than exact measurements.

There is something really comforting about the fact that if you heat oil and add some spices and herbs and then vegetables, it becomes a torkari (similar to a curry) Cooking has a visible finality about it that in a world where those of us who long for some kind of certainty are forced to settle for half-baked politics and watered-down doses of culture.

But why bother protesting against assembly-line productions set up by our lawyers, politicians, bureaucrats, and traders. Ultimately it is home cooking that I believe in celebrating. Like a true gourmet, I’m sold on the concept of gastronomical freedom, even if it means an ever-expanding mid-riff. Bear in mind, though, that cooking helps to hold back dark thoughts, for most other obsessions can create bitterness and pain.

But enough talk from me. It’s time to do some cooking, with recipes that will make the world seem a more cheerful place to live in. A carefully prepared meal can help make the man who has worked hard at it retain his sanity and be happy. Cheers!

Shawkat Osman

�

angladeshi �uisine

Bangladesh’s geographic location, climatic conditions, social conventions, and religious customs have moulded the food habits of its inhabitants. A deltaic plain, watered round the year by perennially rain-fed rivers and abundant rainfall, the terrain is ideal for fish and rice farming. Numerous varieties of rice are produced both in the dry as well as wet seasons. Similarly, hundreds of species of fish are available in rivers, canals, flood plains, ponds, lakes and estuaries in the Bay of Bengal. Not surprisingly, rice and fish is the staple diet of the people.

A typical Muslim Bangladeshi meal consists of three to five dishes eaten in a certain sequence, depending on the flavour of each. All dishes are placed on a madur (mat) or pati (mattress), or if guests are attending, on a dastarkhan (floor spread). Diners sit around the food and help themselves, experiencing a procession of tastes, from a bitter start to a sweet ending. For formal dinners, the dishes arrive course by course.

A Bengali Hindu meal, on the other hand, may follow the same sequence but the items are served separately in small kasha (bell metal) bowls to each guest. Every individual is invited to sit on his or her single aason (mat) and eat from a large kasha plate.

Rice is the only item that is common throughout the meal. The sequence starts with a teeta (bitter) entrée, followed by shak-bhaji (lightly sautéed leafy vegetables) or sobjibhaji (shallow-fried seasonal vegetables) or bhorta (spicy vegetable mash). The next course is a niramish torkari, usually made of various pulpy vegetables.

A fish/prawn course follows. If two kinds of fish or prawn are served, the smaller must be eaten before the larger one. The choice of fish is almost unlimited as the waterbodies of Bangladesh provide more than 2500 varieties of fish! Add to this seafood from the Bay of Bengal, favoured by those living along the coast. Another distinctive characteristic of south-western coastal cuisine is the malaikari (cream of coconut) dishes.

A significant aspect of the seafood is shutki (dried fish), the archetypal Bangladeshi food, eaten both as a dish as well as condiment. In some regions, of course, shutki may never be served, as coconut may not be used in cooking in other parts of the country.

Indeed, shutki is intensely disliked in some regions of south-western and north-western Bangladesh, but passionately loved in the rest of the country, indicating the enormous range of Bangladeshi gastronomic tastes.

Spicy meat dishes, perked up by gorom mosla (mixed spices), follow the fish preparations. The use of gorom mosla and the growth of the number of meat-based recipes in Bangladeshi cuisine are both a cultural and political development, set off by the arrival of Islam in the region.

Finally, the meal is cleansed down by a watery dal, usually tempered with ghee. Dal is a good dish to end your meal with; it gives a distinctly refreshing feel to the palate.

�bout Bangladeshi Dessert

Boiled hot milk (sweet-yogurt on special occasions) served with fruits such as banana, kathal (jackfruit), mango, or a khondo (forerunner of the English word candy) of gur (jaggery) is served in affluent houses as dessert. The end is marked by chewing paan (betel leaves). Although this item seems to be losing its popularity by the day, it is still considered the ultimate digestive.

�

ypical Day in an Affluent Household

Breakfast on a regular day usually includes bhat (steamed rice) or atta ruti (wheat bread), served with mumlet (omelette), Aaloor dom (curried potatoes), shobji bhaji, (stirfried mixed vegetables) or leftovers from the previous night’s meal. Otherwise you might have to be content with jaau (gruel) and patali-gur or simply a burnt dry chilli for comfort! A leisurely breakfast on special days could comprise chita ruti (rice bread) with spicy scrambled eggs, chitol pitha with mustard paste or hidol shutki (dried-fish) bhorta, mayra pitha with chicken bhuna or khuna bhichuri/porota with egg korma.

The other option is to buy luchi (fried bread) and mohonbhog (sweet semolina) from the misti dokan (sweet shop) around the corner. The presence of luchi makes our breakfast truly distinctive.

Lunch, the main meal of the day, is an elaborate affair. It starts with an item of korolla (bitter gourd) cooked with prawn and several vegetable-based bhaji and bhorta

dishes, followed by a number of fish preparations and terminates with the traditional dal. Dessert is usually misti doi.

Dinner always excludes bitter and sour items; also avoided are leafy vegetables. If the household can afford it, fish will be replaced by a bird or meat item.

Every meal is accompanied by a small side dish featuring, depending on the family resources, a little salt, a wedge of lemon, a few green chillies, a peeled onion, and an assortment of aachars (pickles), chutneys (relishes) and salat (salad). In addition, especially during the mango season, a bottle of kasundi (a sharp mustard and raw mango sauce) joins this motley group of condiments.

�ood for Special Days

Rainy days are an occasion to tuck into patla khichuri—a potpourri of rice, mosur dal (red lentils) and potatoes, cooked to a mushy consistency and served with baygoon bhaja (fried aubergine slices), dim bhaja (fried eggs) or deep fried hilsa, i.e. dishes cooked with readily available ingredients, as ‘Bangla rain’ can be quite intimidating.

On special occasions, such as Eid, weddings, Puja and bara khana, special baburchis professional cooks taught by master chefs who hand down their trade secrets only to the chosen disciples as part of a time-honoured tradition—are hired. The recipes, even the ingredients, are part of classified information. Some of these special dishes include katchi biryani, rezala and morog pulao

In Chittagong, when a large number of guests are invited, usually a special beef dish called mejbani gosht is served. It is a mildly hot salon (gravy preparation)—one or more fattened bulls cooked with dry red chillies and flavoured with radhuni (wild celery) In greater Mymensingh they serve a similar dish on special occasions. Pitali gosht is a preparation of beef flavoured with the stems of the boz plant, a flavouring agent used prior to the advent of the garam masala (gorom mosla) from India.

�ays of Eating

Whether one consumes three dishes or seven, a special dish or an everyday one, the most important part of ingestion is eating each dish separately, with a little rice, in order to savour its unique flavour. Bangladeshis normally use their fingers to eat. This

way not only is it easier to pick the fish bones, but one also gets a feel of food texture, which is almost as important as the distinct quality of each item felt by the tongue. The fingers feel the various parts of food items before they go into the mouth. They also make sure that one has mixed the rice and gravy in the right proportions. Using one’s fingers is also a sure way of rolling the food items into one lokma of food.

In the Bangladeshi ethos, each kind of food has its own distinct temperament or ghoon (quality). Some dishes, such as the easily digestible singh fish jhol (gravy), and soups made with pulpy vegetables, such as lou (bottle gourd), are considered light. Goat-meat and fish are considered to be uttejok (ardour-arousing). Egg, onion, garlic, and rice wine are also termed as passion foods. Foods which are dark in colour, such as pork, beef and scaleless fish, are treated with caution, as these are ‘hot’ (gorom i.e. arousing). Traditional values, therefore, still play an important part in Bangladeshi cuisine.

Experts who cherish the different qualities of food have worked out combinations from different food groups on the basis of mutual compatibility. If the different ingredients assembled together compliment each other, the food will augment one’s mental as well as physical health. Similarly, there is also a list of non-compatible food items.

The freshness of the ingredients is of utmost importance in Bangladeshi cooking. The vegetable used is inevitably seasonal; fish and meat are procured as fresh as possible, and cooked for immediate consumption. Since the ancient times, vhaidhas (physicians dealing in herbal medicines) have recommended the intake of different food in different seasons (Bangladesh has six), more specifically a different herb for each of the baaro mash (twelve months). For example, the eleventh-century Khonar Bochon (Khona’s aphorisms), recommends eating the herb nalita in Vaishakh, matha (buttermilk) in Jaistha, doi (yogurt) in Aashar, khoi (popped paddy) in Shravan, taal (palm fruit) in Bhadra, shwasha (cucumber) in Aashin, kochu (yam) in Karthik, bael-fruit (wood-apple) in Agrahayan, panta bhat (sour rice gruel) in Pous, making a liberal use of mustard oil in Magh, ginger in Falgun, and korolla in Chaitro.

�

re-Cooking Practices

The preparatory rituals leading to the cooking are truly distinctive. The size and shape of various vegetable ‘cuts’ depend on the nature of the preparation. The ubiquitous potato, for example, is shredded into julienne to make a chorchori, cut into full-length quartered wedges to go into a salon, boiled, peeled and broken to make aloor

dom, cubed into very small pieces (5mm x 5mm) when put in mince meat, halved or quartered for making kormas and kalias, and just peeled and used whole in a biryani.

Similarly, a fish, depending on its size, is either used whole or sliced into steaks for frying or cut into cubes to make a salon. Though the meat is not cut as elaborately as in European cuisine, the size of the pieces depends on the preparation, such as eight boti (piece) per kg to make a biryani, 12 to 20 pieces per kg for a salon or 40 pieces for a tehari.

�

pices Used in Daily Cooking

The foundation of Bangla cooking is based not so much on special techniques or expensive ingredients, but on the flavourings: especially, the use of locally-grown herbs and spices. In addition, the role of spices and herbs goes far beyond pleasing the palate and soothing the senses. Each herb and spice used in Bangladeshi cooking has medicinal and beneficial qualities, known even to ancient scholars. Ayurvedic literature, which is two thousand years old, lists the preventive and curative powers of various spices, herbs and roots in treating common physical ailments.

Kala jeera (nigella), radhuni, dhonia (coriander seeds), mouri (aniseed), methi (fenugreek), lal sorisa rai (red mustard), holud (turmeric) and lal morich (dry red chilli) are the most commonly used dry spices. A bona fide Bengali spice combine is the famous panch phoron (five spices), made with a balanced quantity of radhuni, fennel, fenugreek, kala jeera, and red mustard seeds. A pinch of panch phoron sautéed in hot fat for a few seconds and added at the start or end of cooking a vegetable, fish or meat dish is a typical example of Bangladeshi tempering.

Among the fresh condiments and herbs used, by far the most common is the payaaj (red onion), followed by roshun (garlic), dhoney pata (cilantro), aada (ginger), katcha morich (green chillies), payaaj pata (spring onions), rochun koli (garlic shoots) and pudina (mint).

Among these spices, the chilli is of New World origin, introduced by the Portuguese to the region around the 16th century. The Bangladeshi palate took to its red-hot flavour so readily that the chilli has long been considered a local spice. So what did we use before the chilli reached us? The fruit of the pipool tree (Bengal pepper), and choi (root pepper) were originally used to lend the loved peppery taste to our cuisine. Such ‘hot’ stuff lost their place to the ubiquitous chilli. The main group of ‘foreign’ spices

such as gorom mosla (cardamoms, cinnamon and cloves), nutmeg, mace, cubeb pepper, black pepper, and cumin is, however, sparingly used for cooking fowl and meat dishes.

Like our spices, our much-preferred cooking mediums—ghee and mustard oil—are equally distinctive. Ghee, to be more precise, golden gawa ghee which has a unique smoked flavour, is basically clarified fat from the butter churned from cow’s milk. Mustard oil is sharp when used raw, as in a bhorta; it turns docile and sweet when heated. This lends the aroma and flavour of Bangladeshi food an unmistakable tang.

Mustard seeds are also used to temper food, and have an effect similar to mustard oil but when the seeds are heated and allowed to pop; they turn nattily sweet. Ground to a paste, these make a delicious, nose-tingling pungent sauce. Some Bangladeshi dishes require mustard seeds to do triple duty, first as oil, second as a popped seed for tempering, and last as a fiery paste to make shorse jhol (mustard gravy).

The best Bangladeshi cooks prefer using a minimum amount of spices and additives such as yogurt, coconut milk, cream, milk, sugar, and herbs. They avoid an overdose of these items, and, in fact, use them with discretion, only to make their creation more appetizing. A minimal use of spices and additives helps accentuate the special flavour of the main ingredients.

Artificial colour and perfume are hardly ever used in Bangladeshi food, unless it’s a commercial enterprise. The use of tomato as a taste enhancer is occasional and restricted to only a few dishes. The use of cilantro, similarly, is restricted. It is used sparingly.

�hronicles of Bangladeshi Cooking

Bangladeshi cuisine has evolved through several stages since the pre-Vedic times. Past traditions have imbued Bengali cooks with an understanding of both the culinary and medicinal properties of food. People from different nations visiting eastern India have enriched the food culture of Bangladesh, each of them introducing new ingredients, methods and culinary techniques. Over time, layer upon layer of influences have been laid down on this base.

Since Bangladesh is largely a Muslim country, the influence of Turkish, Arabian, Persian, and Mughal cuisine on Bangladeshi food culture is quite noticeable. Their influences have given the Bangladeshi kitchen different varieties of korma, kalia, pulao, biryani, porota and alfresco cooking. In addition, meat has become the all-important dish in festivals and special occasions. The Muslim influence is particularly felt in

urban areas. The so-called Mughlai khana (Mughal food) remains, notwithstanding its prestige, distinct only as a loved alien entity, and is seen as quite distinct from the main body of Bangla khabar (Bengali food)

The arrival of the Europeans on our shores further enriched the repertoire of Bangla cuisine. Certain European dishes provide the foundation for many of our snacks and tea-time food. The clubs originally founded by the British became institutions where brown sahibs could cultivate their taste for one more novel cuisine at their leisure.

Bangladeshi food culture, therefore, has a dual heritage: on the one hand, we have everyday food habits based on indigenous traditions and on the other there is festival food and food for special occasions, influenced by imported ideas of food and eating.

�he Philosophy of Bangladeshi Food Customs

The present Bangla Songskiti, or Bangladeshi cultural movement aimed at recreating an ‘authentic’ Bangladeshi culture, has led to something that is both novel and antique at the same time. The customs and ways of life evolved during the ‘Golden Bengal’ period (1850–1911), resurfaced and in a much altered version, came to be regarded as the authentic Bangladeshi culture of today.

Bangla cuisine comprised the cooking traditions of both Bangladesh and West Bengal. But after the partition in 1947, Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) was isolated from the rest of Bengal, by an international boundary. As a result, Bangladesh developed its own distinct cuisine.

Bangladeshi diasporas spread around the world, (including West Bengal) are known for their culinary expertise. Their gastronomic conventions are quite different from that of West Bengal. Although the debate as to which of the two Bengals has a better line-up of culinary expertise is not easy to resolve, there is no denying that through the ages we have influenced each other for better or worse, and must consider ourselves blessed because of this time-tested tradition of cultural exchange.

A Note for Readers

1. Use level measure; heaped measures are not reliable, as a heaped teaspoon can hold anything from two to three times as much as a level one. In a level spoon or cup the contents are levelled off at the rim of the spoon or cup when you run the straight edge of a knife along the top.

2. Most of the recipes are meant to serve six persons, unless otherwise stated.

3. The given recipe can be made to serve half or double the number of people for whom it is meant by manipulating the volume of ingredients proportionately; just remember while making jhol (gravy), the amount of evaporation will be proportionately greater when the volume is less. Conversely, when you double the volume of ingredients, use a little less liquid to get the desired effect.

4. Preheating the oven (10 minutes) is necessary.

5. You can use a good thick wok instead of a korai and solid pans and a casserole in the place of a deghchi if you prefer. Thin pans make food stick to it. This is a very important point to remember when it comes to Bangladeshi cooking, as it involves a lot of bhuna (frying)

Maan Kochu Malaikari

Bilashi Baygoon

Machr Kofta

Morich Mangso

Khuska

Moong Dal

Lettuce and Fruit Salat

Narkol Biroin

Lebu Aachar

�riends and Family

A Bangladeshi dowyat or party (brunch/lunch/dinner/banquet) is most often informal and does not require planning and cooking for days together. It is normally a relaxed and casual occasion, requiring no formal dress code or stuffy etiquettes.

The items chosen are all hassle-free, in terms of preparing, serving and eating. Items on the menu feature taro root cooked in a mild coconut milk for starters. Fish is usually avoided at dinner time; so we selected a fish kofta, sans the bones. Goat meat cooked with chillies is meant to titillate the taste buds. The meal is rounded off with a special dal. All the items are eaten with rice; a salad, lemon preserve and a mint tall-drink are served on the side.

The maan kochu or pani kochu, (taro root) is a tropical root also known as colocasia or alocasia, the corm of which is edible.

Amlokis (gooseberries) are available during the hot summer months, from July to September. Packed with nutritional value , it is used as a diuretic, laxative, and antacid.

1. With a sharp knife cut out the rough outer rind of the maan kochu. Slice it into 4 pieces.

2. Bring water to a boil in a deghchi (pot). Boil maan kochu, 4 teaspoons salt, amloki and tamarind pulp until maan kochu is slightly tender.

3. Strain maan kochu out of the water and cut into 2.5cm-long pieces. Discard the water along with amloki and tamarind pulp.

4. Heat ghee in a korai (wok); add the kochu pieces, and sauté. Add turmeric powder, red chilli, ginger paste and gorom mosla powder. Sauté, stirring for a minute.

5. Pour coconut milk. Mix well and bring to a boil.

6. Sprinkle 4 teaspoons salt. Mix well and simmer, stirring occasionally until kochu is spongy and ready to eat.

Maan Kochu Malaikari

SERVES

6

1/2kg or 1 large maan kochu (taro root)

8 teaspoons salt

10 amlokis (gooseberies)

2 tablespoons tamarind pulp

2 tablespoons ghee

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoons red chilli powder

3 teaspoons ginger paste

2 teaspoons gorom mosla powder

2 cups coconut milk

Taro in CoConuT Milk Gravy

auberGines in yoGurT and PoPPy seed Gravy

Bilashi Baygoon

SERVES 6

2 cups yogurt

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon tamarind pulp

1 tablespoon posto (poppy seeds)

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

5 green chillies

2 tablespoons water

1 kg aubergines

1 cup corn flour

4 eggs

2 tablespoons soya oil

1 tablespoon ghee

Aubergines come in egg-shaped, round, or tubular varieties. The berries vary in colour from dark purple to light striped green or white. The long, slim light purple ones with a thin skin and fewer seeds are slightly sweeter than the rest. The white variety, about the size of an egg, lends the vegetable its English name, eggplant.

1. Put yogurt, turmeric powder, red chilli and sugar in a mixing bowl.

2. Whisk using a manually operated mixer to get a smooth fusion. Transfer mixture into a bowl and set aside.

3. In a food processor put tamarind, poppy seeds, mustard seeds and green chilli, add 2 tablespoons water and grind. Transfer mixture into a separate bowl and set aside.

4. Slice the aubergine diagonally into 1.5 cm thick slices.

5. Spread out the corn flour on a flat platter, make its surface level, set aside.

6. Lightly whisk the eggs in a bowl.

7. Douse the aubergine slices in corn flour (# 5), dust off excess flour, dip in the egg wash (# 6), and coat again with corn flour.

8. Shallow fry the aubergine pieces in hot oil, on both sides, until cooked, and arrange on a serving platter.

9. Heat ghee in a separate saucepan, pour mixture 1 (# 2). As soon as little bubbles start forming at the edges of the mixture, stir in mixture 2 (# 3). Mix up and gently lead it to a boil.

10. Cook for 2 minutes and pour this cooked sauce over the shallow fried aubergine pieces (# 8).

Fish koFTa

Here’s a recipe from Nahid Osman’s cookery show on Tara TV, Khunti Korai. However, on the show she did not roll the fish paste to form balls. As the minced fish she used was more moistened than this recipe suggested, it was difficult to roll out balls that would not fall apart while cooking. So Nahid scooped up a tablespoon of the mince mixture and using a second spoon gently pushed the paste directly in the boiling gravy. Her method is an easier and less messy version than the given recipe, but try both methods, and adopt the one you feel comfortable with. You may add some minced shrimps to the fish mince to give the koftas an extra flavour.

1. In a mixing bowl, combine fish mince, minced onion, 1/2 tablespoon ginger paste, 1 teaspoon garlic paste, black pepper, nutmeg grate, green chilli and 1/4 cup of cilantro.

2. Work the ingredients with your fingers, and shape into golf-ball sized spheres. Chill them in a fridge for 2 hours so they firm up.

3. Heat soya oil; lob in sliced onion, sauté until golden. Pour 3 tablespoons fish stock, and cook to soften the onions.

4. Add 1/2 tablespoon ginger paste, sauté, stirring vigorously for a minute and then add 1 tablespoon garlic paste. Mix well and sauté, stirring for another minute.

5. Toss in red chilli powder, turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, 2 tablespoons water. Mix together and sauté, stirring until the spices release their flavour.

6. Add chopped tomatoes, sauté, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes disintegrate and the oil separates from the mosla.

7. Toss in the fenugreek leaves and after a few moments pour 4 cups fish stock. Bring it to a boil.

8. Gently drop the fish balls, cook until they are ready (they will begin floating in the gravy when done).

9. Sprinkle chopped cilantro leaves and serve hot.

Machr Ko�ta

SERVES 6

1 kg bhetki (red shapper fish) mince (raw)

1/2 cup onion, finely minced

1/2 + 1/2 tablespoon ginger paste

1 teaspoon + 1 tablespoon garlic paste

1 teaspoon black pepper, ground

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, grated

5 green chillies, finely chopped

1/4 + 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 cup soya oil

1/2 cup onion, sliced

3 tablespoons + 4 cups fish stock

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

2 tablespoons water

1 cup tomatoes, skinned and chopped

1 tablespoon kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)

Morich Mangso

SERVES 6

1 kg goat meat, cut into 10 pieces

1 tablespoon garlic paste

2 + 1 teaspoons salt

1 cup yogurt

1 cup ghee

20 Hathazari dry red chillies or paprika/Kashmiri dry chillies

See photo on p.33

SERVES 6

2 cups kalijira (fragrant) rice

3 and 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons ghee

1/2 teaspoon salt

Chilli Chevon

Since it is rather difficult to tenderize meat by air-drying in the moist Bengal weather, the traditional method of doing this is by marinating meat in yogurt. Papaya, a meat tenderizer used more commonly elsewhere, was not grown in ancient Bengal and not used much for this purpose even after its arrival. Papaya tends to turn the meat into a mush, by breaking down the muscle tissues, hence its lack of popularity as a tenderizing agent. Plain yogurt is mostly employed for cooking and making noni (butter); the residual liquid, matha, is then drunk as a yummy breakfast refreshment.

1. Place the meat pieces in a mixing bowl. Smear them with garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and yogurt. Cover the bowl tight and keep overnight in a refrigerator. Return to room temperature before cooking.

2. Heat the ghee in a deghchi (heavy pot). Put the meat in (along with marinade), and add dry red chillies and 1 teaspoon salt.

3. Cook stirring occasionally until all the moisture evaporates and only the ghee remains. The gravy will be thick and creamy.

To break the monotony of having plain bhat day in and day out, once in a while we pour some hot ghee over steaming rice to get a mock khuska prepared. This is a cross between bhat and pulao

1. Wash and drain rice twice, pour it into a deghchi (pot). Add water, ghee, salt and mix.

2. Bring the water to a boil over high flame.

3. Let the water boil until its level sinks to just below that of the rice.

4. Cover the pot with a lid and cook over low flame for about 15 minutes or until rice is al dente and fluffy.

Pulao riCe

Green lenTil dal

Moong aka moog dal or sona moog is a de-husked (skinned) and split green bean. The segments are flat, yellow, and they cook fast. Compared to other lentils/pulses, these are the most flavourful.

1. Pick over the dal, removing the odd grit. Heat a tawa (griddle) and roast the dal. Moong has a tendency to scorch, so dry roast them, stirring continuously or shaking the griddle.

2. After about 5 minutes or so, when the dal turns reddishbrown and shows brown spots releasing the aroma, transfer immediately to a flat tray and spread out to cool.

3. Once the dal has cooled down to room temperature, put the grains between two clean cotton napkins to get rid of the dust. Set aside.

4. Place pot over flame and add water, onions, ginger paste, garlic paste, coriander, cumin, turmeric, red chilli, cardamom, cinnamons, cloves and bay leaves. Stir several times to merge the spices with the water. Bring to a boil.

5. Slowly pour the dal in the form of a drizzle, a thin flow, stirring constantly, maintaining the high boil. Cook until the dal gives off a flavour and aroma.

6. Lower the flame, sprinkle salt and stir a few times, using a dal ghootni (swizzle stick).

7. Heat ghee in a saucepan, toss in the cumin seeds, sauté until they stop sizzling.

8. Mix ghee and cumin seeds with the dal and remove from the heat.

Moong Dal

SERVES 6

1 cup moong dal (split green bean)

4 cups water

2 red onions, sliced

1 teaspoon ginger paste

2 teaspoons garlic paste

3 teaspoons coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

3 cardamom pods, cracked

2 cinnamon sticks, 2.5cm-long

6 cloves

2 tejpata (bay leaves)

3 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon ghee

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Lettuce and Fruit Salat

SERVES 6

1/2 head iceberg lettuce

1 small bok choy (Chinese cabbage)

1 red capsicum

1 bunch spring onions

4 kamranga (star apples)

4 amra (hog apples)

1 cup jambura (pomelo)

3 tablespoons mustard oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 bunch loose-leaf lettuce

a few sprigs of tender lal sak (red spinach) leaves

leTTuCe and FruiT salad

Lettuce is without doubt the world’s most popular vegetable for making a salad. According to Herodotus, lettuce was served on the tables of the Persian kings of the sixth century B.C.

Lettuce requires a relatively cool climate to grow a healthy bunch of leaves and head. Hot weather causes it to become bitter and hastens the elongation of its stem into a tall seed stalk. Looseleaf lettuces are popular in Bangladesh because they are easy to grow. However, the loose-leaf form is highly perishable, and best consumed while fresh. Gourmets eagerly await its arrival in winter.

1. Finely shred the following: iceberg lettuce, Chinese cabbage, capsicum and spring onion (both white and green parts). Place them in a mixing bowl.

2. Cut the star apples diagonally into 1cm-thick slices. Peel the hog apples and cut out thin slices, discard the spiny centre stone. Loosen the pomelo sections. Add fruits to the mixing bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the following: mustard oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour this mixture into the mixing bowl and toss.

4. Arrange loose-leaf lettuce on a serving dish and pile the vegetable and fruit mixture on it. Top with red spinach.

riCe PuddinG wiTh GraTed CoConuT

1. Wash and soak rice overnight.

2. Drain the water and transfer rice to a mixing bowl. Add half the grated coconut and sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt. Mix well.

3. Place the rice mixture in a piece of muslin cloth. Gather the ends of the cloth on top and tie a knot to form a neat parcel.

4. In a steamer/rice cooker bring some water to a boil, place the rice parcel on its rack and steam the ingredients for 15 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, in a deep pan, boil milk to reduce it to a third of its volume.

6. After 15 minutes, remove rice parcel from the steamer/rice cooker, and take out the rice, which will be quite gummy. Transfer rice to a deep serving bowl.

7. Add sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and the remaining coconut to the simmering milk. Cook for 2 minutes. Reduce the flame to its lowest setting.

8. Whisk eggs until frothy. Gradually pour the egg in trickls, stirring the milk continuously.

9. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt; and take the pan off the flame. Cover pan with a lid and let stand for a minute.

10. Pour the milk over the rice and mix thoroughly.

11. Once the preparation cools down to room temperature, cover it with cling film and chill in the refrigerator. Serve cold.

Narkol Biroin

SERVES

6

500g binni rice (biroin or sticky rice)

1/2 coconut, grated

1 + 1/4 teaspoon salt

1.75 litres milk

1 cup sugar

5cm-long cinnamon stick

5 cardamoms, gently cracked

10 cloves

4 eggs

sPiCy leMon Preserve

Lebu Aachar

20 lemons

1 cup salt

SERVES 6

5 tablespoons red chilli powder

1/2 litre sesame seed oil

1/2 teaspoon hing (asafoetida)

1 teaspoon methi (fenugreek seeds)

1 Rinse the lemons and pat dry. Cut these into 4 vertical wedges and place in a sterilized jar.

2. Sprinkle salt over the lemon wedges. Drape a piece of muslin cloth folded twice on the mouth of the jar and secure with a cotton twine.

3. Keep the jar in sunlight for 15 days.

4. Drain and discard the liquid that has formed. Transfer the pieces of lemon into a bowl; mix well with red chilli powder.

5. Heat the oil to a high temperature, add in asafoetida and cook undisturbed for a few seconds. Pour this oil over the lemons.

6. Sprinkle fenugreek seeds.

7. Transfer the lemons with all the spices to sterilized jars, cover with muslin and cure in sunlight for another 15 days.

Jamai Shasthi

It is a long-standing tradition among the Hindus to entertain friends and family in the time of plenty; which usually coincides with the mango season. This is when the countryside is lush green with various foliage and flowers in bloom. The cattle are well fed and deliver copious amounts of foamy milk. The pond is full of fish. It’s the perfect time for the shoshur bari (in-laws) to invite their daughter and jamai (son-in-law) to celebrate Jamai Shashti.

The event of Jamai Shashti was originally celebrated as Aaronno Shasthi to thank the gods for the plentiful growth of vegetation; on the shasthi (sixth day) of the Sukla Pokkho (bright fortnight of the lunar month) in the Bengali month of Joistha. This is when families invite married daughters to come and stay with them for a week. This is a big annual occasion for the son-in-law. A tika (mark, made with turmeric and mustard oil) is put on his forehead as a welcome gesture and an anspicious band pleated with six threads tied on his right wrist. Finally, a set of new clothes is gifted to him. In return, the mother-in-law gets a sari from the jamai. This is an occasion for the jamai to be cared for, and acknowledged as a son of the family.

Achor Doi

Rui Bhaja

Doodh Aam Bhat

Golda Chingri

Katla Moorighonto

Serve with bhat (steamed red rice), pickle and green chillies on the side.

Achor Doi

SERVES 6

1/2kg achor (green jackfruit)

6 + 1/2 cups water

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 + 1 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons ginger paste

2 cups yogurt

1/2 cup ghee

3 teaspoons coriander powder

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

1 teaspoon gorom mosla (spice combine made out of cardomom pods, cinnamen sticks and cloves) powder

See photo on p.34

1 Using a greased sharp cleaver or chef knife, peel off the hard spiky outer rind of the jackfruit and slice into four wedges.

2. Chop the wedges into 2cm-by-2cm pieces.

3. Put the jackfruit pieces in a pot; pour 6 cups of water, add turmeric powder and mix. Add 2 teaspoons salt.

4. Bring to a boil and cook until jackfruit is slightly tender but firm.

5. Drain the liquid from the pot, and reserve the jackfruit pieces.

6. Squeeze the ginger paste as hard as you can to extract juice, discard the fibre.

7. Mix the juice of ginger with yogurt and pour over the jackfruit pieces. Rub with your fingers to coat the pieces evenly with the yogurt mix.

8. Heat a wok over high flame; pour ghee. Add coriander and red chilli powder dissolved in 1/2 cup water when ghee is hot.

9. Mix well. Bring to a boil, and reduce gravy partially

10. Now pour 3 tablespoons water, add the jackfruit pieces (# 7) and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir and cook until done.

11. Add gorom mosla; stir to mix well and serve.

Green Jackfruit in YoGurt GravY

Deep frieD rohu fish

1 Trim the steaks on all sides, leaving the skin on. Rinse the steaks under running water.

2. Dust the steaks with turmeric, red chilli powder and salt.

3. Heat the oil in a wok for deep-frying, until the surface starts to form ripples.

4. Slide the steaks gently along the curve of the utensil and cook in batches. Turning the pieces at regular intervals with a latticed spoon, fry until the surface of the steaks turn golden brown.

5. Strain the steaks out, drip off excess oil and spread these out on an absorbent paper towel.

6. Cover with a mesh lid. Any other covering will make the steaks soggy and its main appeal, its crunchiness, will be lost.

7. Serve at room temperature.

fresh ManGoes with warM Milk

For the majority of Bangladeshis a fistful of steamed rice in a cup of steaming cow’s milk, sweetened with seasonal fruits, such as aam (mango), kathal (jackfruit) or kola (banana), makes a good dessert. If fresh fruits are not available, a sliver of dried aam shotto (mango pulp) or a khondo (piece) of gur will do for the sweet-toothed Bengali.

1. Boil the milk, stirring it frequently, until it is reduced to 6 cups.

2. Pour milk into individual bowls.

3. Serve with peeled mangoes in another platter. Serve salt on the side.

Rui Bhaja

SERVES 6

6 pieces rui fish steaks

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoons red chilli powder

1 teaspoon salt soya oil for deep-frying

See photo on p.34

6 ripe mangoes pinch of salt Doodh

SERVES 6

10 cups of fresh milk

See photo on p.34

prawns in toMato GravY

Golda Chingri

SERVES 6

1 cup soya oil

1 cup onion, sliced

1 tablespoon ginger paste

3 tablespoons onion paste

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 tablespoon red chilli powder

1 tablespoon coriander powder

1 tablespoon cumin powder

2 tablespoons garlic paste

1 cup fresh home-made tomato puree

4 teaspoons salt

6 giant prawns

5 fresh red chillies

5 green chillies

1 cup cilantro, finely-chopped

photo on p.34

Golda Chingri is the king of all preparations—the piéce de résistance of Bangladeshi cuisine. It marks occasions that are indeed very special. The prawns are bought fresh and alive the same day they are served. The head of the golda with its deep orange brain is its tastiest part, while the legs and succulent body are equally delectable. The claws are cracked open at the nodes and the meat pulled out. The tough sinew in the leg muscle is discarded and the meat consumed with great relish, preferred only next to the head in terms of taste. Make a fresh tomato puree for this dish. However, please do not use the ready-made ones—not only to show deference to the king but also for the sake of savouring a superior taste!

1. Heat oil in a large wok, lob in the sliced onion, and sauté till translucent.

2. Add ginger paste and sauté for a minute, stirring vigorously Add the onion paste and cook for another minute, stirring all the time.

3. Toss in turmeric and red chilli powder. Mix and sauté, stirring for 2 minutes.

4. Add coriander, cumin powder and garlic paste and stir. Keep stirring until the mosla emits its aroma.

5. Pour the tomato puree, sprinkle salt and sauté, stirring occasionally until oil separates from the mosla

6. Gently slide the prawns into the wok, scoop up some mosla and coat the prawns, using a spoon. Turn the prawns over as the underside starts to turn pink.

7. Scatter the red and green chillies all over and cover with a lid. Reduce heat to minimum, cook for 10 minutes.

8. Take off the lid—sprinkle with cilantro, cover again and take wok off the flame. Do not reheat this dish.

Fish head Cooked wiTh lenTils

Katla of the carp family is a tasty fish with a disproportionately large head. Its meaty head and protruding lower muscular jaw makes it ideal for moorighonto preparations.

1. Roast moong dal on a heated griddle, until a beautiful roasted aroma rises from the pan.

2. Wash and boil dal with enough water until tender. The cooked dal should contain 2 cups of water. Keep dal aside.

3. Heat oil in a korai (wok); sauté the fish-head, turning it often for 5 minutes, set aside.

4. Heat ghee in the same wok and add bay leaves, cumin seeds, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves, all together. Sauté for a minute.

5. Lob in the sliced onions and sauté until these are translucent.

6. Next, add garlic paste, ginger paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and 2 tablespoons water and stir. Sauté stirring constantly until the mosla releases its flavour.

7. Add the fried fish-head (# 3), heat thoroughly. With a metal spatula hack the head into 3 or 4 pieces.

8. Pour 1/2 cup water, sprinkle salt, mix to coat the fish-head pieces well with the mosla and cook for a minute.

9. Pour the cooked dal along with its liquid (# 2). Bring it to a boil.

10. Add green chillies and 1/2 cup cilantro and stir. Cook for 10 minutes.

11. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cilantro and remove from the heat. Serve with a few gondho lebu (flavourful lemon wedges) on the side.

Katla Moori�honto

SERVES 6

200g sona moong dal

1 tablespoon oil

1 katla head 300g or rinsed

1 tablespoon ghee

2 tejpata (bay leaves)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

5 cardamom pods, gently cracked

2 cinnamon sticks, 5cm-long

8 cloves

3 red onions, sliced

2 teaspoons garlic paste

1 teaspoon ginger paste

2 teaspoons red chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoons coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

3 teaspoons salt

10 green chillies

1/2 cup + 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

See photo on p.34

Baygoon Mosla Bhaji

Mumlet

Machh Kawra Bhaja

Deshi Khichuri

Morich Bhorta

Aada Cha

�ainy Days

Rainy days mean khichuri, fried aubergine slices, spicy omelettes, and deep-fried hilsa steaks. On a warm summer day the simple miracle of cool water falling from the sky makes one feel romantic. For many it is a signal to slow down and contemplate about life.

A rainy day spent indoors can be delightfully elevating. As the rain pours down, it fills your home with sound and comfort—you begin to fully appreciate the loveliness of being snug and dry in a wet, wet world. You may even feel compelled to cook a minimal meal with whatever you have in your pantry and be happy. That’s when a shower, that seems to have confined you to your home, will seem more beautiful and wondrous than ever. The pitter-patter sound of rain will soothe you. Trust me, every cloud that appears in our lives has a silver lining to it. Enjoy the rain.

sPiCy shallow Fried auberGine

This is my mother’s recipe. It is important to cook the dish unhurried. It requires skilful handling to get the desired results. Even if the vegetable absorbs all the oil while cooking, do not panic; just add some more to help the frying. Soon the baygoon (aubergine) will release the excess oil back in the korai. A baygoon is a bit like a sponge in terms of soaking liquid. When heated past a certain point, though, the sponge structure breaks down and releases back all the liquid it soaked up.

1. Slice the aubergines diagonally into 1.5cm-thick large round pieces. Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon salt and let these drain (macerate) in a strainer for an hour. Wipe dry, using kitchen towels.

2. In a mixing bowl, put onion paste, garlic paste, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and 1 teaspoon salt and blend well.

3. Add the aubergine slices to the mixing bowl; coat them evenly on both sides, with this spice mixture Set aside for 10 minutes.

4. Heat ghee and oil in a non-stick wok or saucepan. When fat is sufficiently hot, take the wok or saucepan off the flame and toss in the nigella.

5. Set the flame to its lowest point, and return the wok or saucepan back to the flame.

6. As soon as the seeds stop sizzling, slide in the aubergine pieces in twos and threes and cook slowly, turning the pieces very gently, 3 to 4 times.

7. It requires long, slow cooking for the mosla (spices) to become dark brown. Be careful not to char the mosla

Baygoon MoslaB�aji

SERVES 6

2 pear-shaped aubergines

1/2 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons onion paste

1 tablespoon garlic paste

1 tablespoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoons red chilli powder

1 tablespoon ghee

4 tablespoons soya oil

1 teaspoon kala jeera (nigella)

Note

See photo on p.35

To test the ripeness of the deep purple aubergine, gently press with a finger or thumb. If the surface is too hard, the baygoon is not ripe. If you are able to make a dent but the flesh does not bounce back once you remove your finger, it is overripe and may have mushy spots inside. If you can make a little indent that lasts for a second then fills out again, the vegetable is just right for cooking. Do not buy any that sounds hollow inside if you knock on them, or the ones that have bruised and soft or have brown spots.

sPiCy oMeleTTe

Mumlet

SERVES 6

2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 green chillies chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon ghee

Often, a mumlet (omelette), though well-cooked on the surface, remains runny inside. While a regular omelette is set by having the egg scrambled, the Bangladeshi version is rolled, as opposed to flat, and ideally ought to have a completely smooth, deep golden surface, well done in the middle. The egg mixture used to make an omelette contains herbs and spices. However, you can add cream or milk if you like to make them fluffier. Remember to cook omelettes just before eating them. Make 3 omelettes to serve 6 persons. This recipe is for making one omelette.

1. Break eggs into a bowl, whisk well with a fork. Add salt, chillies and onions, and blend in. Mix well, using a fork.

2. Place a large non-stick 20cm saucepan over a medium flame. The bigger the pan, the thinner the omelette and the faster it will cook.

3. Pour ghee into the pan. Once it heats up, tip in the eggs, and let the mixture set for about 30 seconds.

4. Stir continuously with a wooden or rubber spatula.

5. Cook until the eggs are at a runny scrambled egg stage; brush the uncooked egg towards the edge of the pan so that it cooks evenly.

6. Spread the egg out evenly over the surface of the pan, stop stirring and let it set over low heat (stop stirring when the egg mix spreads out and solidifies into a smooth omelette, without turning brown). Don’t cook the eggs too long, or they tend to go rubbery. About 1/2 minute per side is enough.

7. When the edges of the omelette turn light and opaque, fold these over into itself, tilt the pan and lightly tap the handle so that the omelette comes off the pan.

8. Roll the omelette using a khunti (spatula) and place on a serving dish, seam-side down. Slice the omelette into two and serve.

Morich Mangso

� Chilli Chevon (PaGe 20)

Jamai Shasthi

1. doodh aaM bhaT � Fresh ManGoes wiTh warM Milk (PaGe 27)

2. kaTla MooriGhonTo � Fish head Cooked wiTh lenTils (PaGe 29)

3. rui bhaJa � deeP Fried rohu Fish (PaGe 27)

4. aChor doi � Green JaCkFruiT in yoGurT Gravy (PaGe 26)

5. red riCe

6. Golda ChinGri � Prawns in ToMaTo Gravy (PaGe 28)

Rainy Day

Machh Kawra Bhaja � CrisPy Fish (PaGe 41)

1. deshi khiChuri � riCe and MunG bean dish (PaGe 42)

2. bayGoon Mosla bhaJi � sPiCy shallow Fried auberGine (PaGe 31)

3. MaChh kawra bhaJa � CrisPy Fish (PaGe 41)

Winter Break�ast

1. ChiTol PiTha � ThiCk riCe bread (PaGe 45)

2. ChiTa ruTi � Thin riCe bread (PaGe 45)

3. diM Chawra � sPiCy sCraMbled eGGs (PaGe 47)

4. kheJur Gur � daTe PalM syruP (PaGe 48)

The Glass JuG ConTains kheJur Gur FroM a boTTle

Bhapa Elish Sorshey � hilsa Cooked in MusTard PasTe (PaGe 52)

Elish Mosla Bhaja

� hilsa shallow Fried in sPiCy Gravy (PaGe 51)

Elish Pulao � hilsa Pulao (PaGe 53)

Hilsa Fest

1. bhaPa elish sorshey � hilsa Cooked in MusTard PasTe (PaGe 52)

2. elish Pulao � hilsa Pulao (PaGe 53)

3. boroi aaChar � JuJube PiCkle (PaGe 56)

4. elish Mosla bhaJa � hilsa shallow Fried in sPiCy Gravy (PaGe 51)

5. Fried onions For Garnish

CrisPy Fish

You can use any fish, though the favourite on a rainy day is the hilsa If you have no way but to cook a large fish, just slice it into small bite-size pieces. If you have access only to small fish, cook them after dressing. The process is similar to the one given below. Kawra bhaja (crispy fried) small fish is full of calcium, as they are eaten along with the bones. The fish bones get brittle with the frying and crush easily in the mouth.

1. Rinse the fish pieces or small fish under running water.

2. Dust the fish with: turmeric, red chilli powder and salt.

3. Heat the oil in a korai (wok) for deep-frying until the surface starts to form ripples.

4. Slide in a handful of fish pieces or small fish and cook in batches. Fry until crisp, turning them over regularly with a latticed spoon.

5. Strain out the fish pieces, drip off excess oil and spread them out on an absorbent paper towel for further oil removal.

6. Cover with a mesh lid. Any other covering will make the fish soggy and its main appeal, its crunchiness, will be lost.

7. Serve at room temperature.

MachhBhajaKawra

1 kg fish

SERVES 6

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoons red chilli powder

1 teaspoon salt soya oil for deep-frying

See photo on p.35

riCe and MunG bean dish

Deshi Khichuri

SERVES 6

500g moong dal

500g aatop rice (rice kernel)

4 tablespoons mustard oil

4 sticks of cinnamon, 2.5cm long

5 whole cardamom pods, gently cracked

5 whole cloves

2 tejpata (bay leaves)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

4cm ginger, finely chopped

1 + 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

hot water

2 teaspoons salt

6 green chillies

1 tablespoon ghee

See photo on p.35

This is the most basic recipe of our common khichuri (keelgeree). If you want a watery gruel (patla khichuri), add more hot water in the end. Adding a lot of water at the beginning will make a mishmash of the grains. Keep stirring the mixture and scraping the bottom of the pot thoroughly with a wooden spatula (khunti) from time to time so that the cooking does not get stuck to it Even the slightest burning of the bottom layer will ruin the flavour. If the gruel starts sticking to the pot, add 1/4 cup hot water and stir vigorously. The earlier you put the chillies, the hotter the khichuri will be. As chillies disintegrate they release pungency into the gruel. Generally, it takes about 12 to 15 minutes for the khichuri to be ready.

1. Heat a tawa (griddle), dry-roast the moong dal until it releases fragrance.

2. Rinse the rice and dal separately under running water and drain in a sieve. Drain separately and dry for 15 minutes.

3. Heat the mustard oil in a pot. Add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and bay leaves. Cook for a couple of minutes, undisturbed until fragrant.

4. Toss in cumin seeds and chopped ginger. Sauté for 2 minutes and then add the rice and sauté again for another 2 minutes.

5. Now add the moong dal. Add turmeric and mix well. Sauté, stirring for another 2 minutes.

6. Pour hot water. The water level should be 4cm above the rice and dal.

7. Once the water comes to a boil, add salt and green chillies. Reduce the flame to low and partially cover the pot with the lid, to let some steam escape.

8. Check the grains of rice and dal every 5 minutes; stir often, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spatula.

9. When most of the water has evaporated and the surface of the rice becomes “pitted”, sprinkle with ghee and place the lid back on tight. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes.

Chilli Crush

A common relish made with dry chilli, onion, and oil.

1. Heat a griddle, dry-roast the red chillies until they release a pungent smoke.

2. Shift the chillies to a flat surface, let them cool and turn crunchy.

3. Transfer the chillies to a mortar and pound them to form rough grits.

4. Place the chilli grits in a small bowl. Add salt, oil and onions. Mix the ingredients together without working a fine blend and serve.

Morich Bhorta

SERVES 6

12 dry red chillies

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon mustard oil

3 red onions, chopped

GinGer

Tea

Aada cha or ginger tea is believed to be a good antidote for common cold. The hot spicy drink helps relieve the drinker of a sore throat on damp rainy days.

1. Put water, cloves and ginger in a pot and bring to a high boil.

2. Cover the pot, set the flame low and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Next, toss in the tea leaves, remove pot from the heat and cover.

4. Let the leaves steep in the water for 3 minutes. Strain the liquid into individual cups. Serve with sugar and milk in separate pots.

Aada Cha

SERVES 6

7 cups of water

4 cloves

5cm-long piece of ginger, sliced thin

6 teaspoons of Sylhet or Assam tea leaves

Winter Breakfast

Sometimes the day itself is like a cherished guest—especially in early winter, when the air is crisp and the sun makes you want to sit outside and enjoy it. Breakfast can be the most exciting meal of the day, whether consumed in the company of those you love, or eaten alone. It can also be delayed to that charming social hour called brunch. Be it a spur of the moment decision or a pre-planned event that you are planning to host, the menu given below will help you break your fast well on a winter morning. What we have in mind is a simple meal, starting with ’sprayed bread’ and spicy scrambled eggs; followed by the Bangladeshi pancake with khejur gur. The syrup made from the sap of the date palm is at its best during winter.

Chita Ruti

Chitol Pitha

Dim Chawra

Khejur Gur

Black Tea

GENERAL

Khunti Korai

Bangladeshi Cuisine

Shawkat Osman

144 pages, 25 colour photographs

8 x 10” (203 x 254 mm), hc

ISBN: 978-81-89995-25-6 (Mapin)

ISBN: 978-1-890206-02-4 (Grantha)

₹750 | $25 | £15

2008 • World rights

Shawkat Osman, a passionate lover of Russian novels and Suchitra Sen films, once loved to go out on hunts, but only to accompany his friends. He had not yet discovered his culinary skills then but volunteered to cook for the group.

Cooking became one of his passionate hobbies ever since. Not soon after, people began to admire his skills and appreciated his delicious indulgence. One such admirer, Neema Rahman, a performer/ director/producer, invited Osman to host a television cookery show. Sometime later Sara Zaker arranged a cookery show on Kolkata-based Tara TV. He fondly named his show Khunti Korai (the two essential utensils needed by a Bengali cook). He has since published his recipes in many magazines.

Osman is a businessman living in Dhaka. This is his first book.