A lunch like no other with Kishwar Chowdhury, courtesy Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation
It's an extremely hot and humid Saturday afternoon in the capital and we enter the 23rd floor of the Westin Dhaka with huge anticipation. The crowd is welcoming, everyone is in their best attire, looking elegant in white and florals. As the guests kept pouring in, one couldn't help but wonder where the star of the occasion, Kishwar Chowdhury was.
Right at that very moment, as if to pacify the enquiries or surge the anticipation, specialty drinks along with a very unique dish, 'micro herb' Fuchka (semolina shell) filled with beetroots and whipped feta, were served to the guests. The taste was incredible and the flavours erupted with each mouthful, relying heavily on the rich creamy flavours of cheese, trifling garden beet and crusted semolina. Something magical happened right then and there, and the guests immediately realised that the experience ahead would be a memorable one. The 'Kishwar Magic' had already begun.
After half an hour of the mingling session, the invited list of 115 were guided into the coveted Prego restaurant and Kishwar Chowdhury was right there in the kitchen— busy prepping with the staff, to get lunch going. While our hearts were pumping faster than usual, the chef in the open kitchen seemed all calm and composed. Last minute plating was up and running, a déjà vu for Kishwar, transporting back to the sets of the MasterChef kitchen, trying her best to nail the décor before presenting them to a room full of guests, instead of a handful of judges, this time around.
As we settled down to enjoy the rest of the five course degustation curated by Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation (DBF) and prepared by Kishwar, the hosts of the occasion Durjoy Rahman, and his better half Sania Ahsan, of the DBF fame are quite candid with their intentions.
"I am sure all of you are going to enjoy Kishwar's culinary skills today, she brought Bangladesh to the world map once again with just that, and it is with pride that we present her creativity to the Dhaka crowd," said Rahman.
While the conversation flowed and guests remained mesmerised with the celebrity chef up close, Kishwar headed over to the kitchen once more to help her team. The second course was finally out.
Yellow tail ceviche, starfruit & pepper berry in green water. This sensational item, inspired by authentic Japanese cuisine, kept Bangladeshi sensibilities in mind as well. A major ingredient being the famous local fruit kamranga (starfruit), helped to add on natural acid to the sashimi style Japanese Hamachi, whilst playing with the exotic colours of spring and incorporating a wild touch to the menu.
After serving the super-light, summer appropriate dish, Kishwar shared a small anecdote about the menu.
"While creating this menu, we were unable to find the starfruit in any of the kitchen-markets around town or any of the grocery shops. We had to get it from a private farm…," which speaks a lot for the integrity of the chef.
For the third course, Kishwar presented Scallops with Yuze infused melon. While the name may sound very complicated to the novice, the ingredients list spoke otherwise. The entire dish was a play on the senses and highlighted a very common local ingredient namely the lau (winter melon/water gourd). Another major attraction of this specific menu was that it was drawn based on the concept of no-waste ecological kitchen, where the entire dish used the water gourd from its head to the tail, a concept common to Bengali heritage and culture.
For the fourth dish Kishwar brought out, Foie gras, bone marrow, osso bucco and native jam, which was an exploration of textures through three different parts of the bovine protein. To play with the taste were added European truffles and Australian native jam, celebrating the best of the rare and highly sought-after ingredients sourced from around the globe. After two courses of light vegetarian-based meal, came the protein pack: trust an international chef to please every guest. That's hospitality on point.
Last but not the least in fact the best part of the meal, the dessert was presented. Kishwar calls it the Love letter to Dhaka. And on an instant the guests were transported back to the specific MasterChef episode where she presented 'the unique item' to the judges. And Melissa Leong exclaimed with an ear-to-ear grin, "It's as if Kishwar dedicated a love letter to Bangladesh," and instantaneously goosebumps formed on the other side of the screen, amongst the millions in our beloved country.
The magic was recreated again with the mishti paan (the sweet betel leaf). Components of this menu included fennel ice-cream with toasted coconut, dates, candied fennel and jaggery caramel all sitting on a fresh betel leaf. The item looked 'too big' to be eaten at once, as intended with paans, but the Dhaka crowd didn't care. Everyone was smiling and dived into the dish in the most traditional way; gulping it all at one go. If goodness ever took shape and form – it would have been this.
The event ended with the star-chef sending out more love by signing menu cards and taking multitudes of selfies with the eager guests. It was indeed a moment of epiphany; how thankful we were to have a Bangladeshi represent us seamlessly, on the world stage.
On Saturday, March 19, a private menu by Kishwar Chowdhury had been hosted by the famed couple Durjoy Rahman and Sania Ahsan, to an invited list of 115, which, included dignitaries from all spheres of the society. The lunch was hosted at the Prego Restaurant at the five-star hotel, The Westin Dhaka.
Durjoy Rahman, the founder of Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation (DBF) promotes all kinds of artists and arts including culinary delights of South Asia and beyond, and Sania Ahsan, senior consultant radiology and imaging department at Evercare Hospital Dhaka, is his spouse and also the co-host of the luncheon. The couple is famous for promoting all things that uphold Bangladeshi arts and crafts onto the world stage.
Participant: Kishwar Chowdhury
Location: The Westin, Dhaka