FOOD for thought

NUSRAAT FARIA

What's your favourite cuisine?

I love Japanese food the most.

What's your favourite food?

I absolutely love having any sort of maki rolls.

What do you prefer, sweet or savoury?

I prefer savoury food because I eat a lot of spices.

Which dish do you cook the most?

I bake a lot and cook the everyday Bangladeshi food at home.

Can you share your favourite easy recipe?

I recently discovered a very quick and easy brownie recipe which you can make in a mug. You can also make a full size. You can make it in an oven or in a stove. First, you have to mix two bars of any type of chocolate, butter, sugar, salt, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and a very small amount of regular flour or oat flour for a healthier version. For the mug version, microwave it for three minutes. For a larger version, you can cook it on the stove in a pan with a lid on medium low heat for one hour.

Why do you like to cook?

Cooking helps me get relief from stress as it is a creative process. It removes all negativity from my mind. Also, it's like a physical exercise because it involves movement. Finally, I love to feed people.

Do you prefer eating out or do you prefer cooking?

I mostly eat at home. I love making my own food and experimenting with different ingredients. I watch a lot of cooking and food videos on YouTube. Cooking at home and having it with my family is a special experience.

What's your favourite spice?

When I'm cooking Bangladeshi food, I love to use garam masala. When I'm cooking Asian cuisine, my favourite is chilli flakes. I also love a Korean spice.

What's the secret to creating an amazing dish?

The secret is patience. Cooking isn't everyone's cup of tea. You also have to pay attention to the smallest things.

Irfan Sajjad

What's your favourite cuisine?

I love eating all sorts of food, so I can't really choose a specific cuisine.

What's your favourite food?

I love pudding, custard and kunafa.

What do you prefer, sweet or savoury?

Sweet all the way because sugar gives you energy. My favourite foods are all desserts.

Which dish do you cook the most?

I love cooking pan fried chicken steak with vegetables.

Can you share your favourite easy recipe?

The pan fried chicken steak is super easy. First, I marinate breast pieces of chicken with spices of my choice, like oregano, parsley and rosemary and mustard oil for forty-five minutes to an hour. The marinade can be adjusted to taste. Then I fry it in a pan along with some vegetables. This recipe is easy and healthy at the same time.

Why do you like to cook?

I find cooking quite difficult which is why I like doing it. It's like an adventure to me. Different people have different ways of cooking. They know what to put where to make a dish taste good. With YouTube now, we can create so many dishes and have a good time.

Do you prefer eating out or do you prefer cooking?

Definitely cooking at home. I don't eat out too often. Home cooking is the best.

What's your favourite spice?

I think that Mejbani beef spice mix is the best spice out there. Nothing can top it in my opinion.

What's the secret to creating an amazing dish?

I don't think there is a secret to that. I think interest, concentration and dedication are the most important things needed to make a good dish.

Photo: Tasin Zulkernain

Shakib Chowdhury

What is your favourite cuisine?

Bangladeshi food without a doubt.

What is your favourite food?

It has to be rice with beef and Shutki Bhorta.

What do you prefer, sweet or savoury?

I have always preferred savoury over sweet. I think the reason I always lean towards savoury food might be genetic. Another reason I prefer savoury is because I'm not really a big fan of the taste of sugar.

What do you cook the most?

I mainly cook beef and chicken.

Can you give us an easy recipe that you make?

I don't exactly have any specific recipes. I just use Radhuni's ready mix and add the amount of onions and other spices to it and cook beef or chicken in it. I love to cook like that.

What makes you interested in cooking?

Before the pandemic, I had never cooked in my life. But due to the pandemic I had to start cooking myself. When I started, I realized that the process of cooking is also a very creative process. I love working hard to create something and that's what I loved about cooking.

Do you prefer eating out or do you prefer cooking?

You can't compare the two. It's like if you try to compare listening to music with creating music. Eating out is a social experience for me because I can spend time with my friends and family. However, cooking is a much more intimate experience for you and your family. Cooking also gives you the joy of creation. Both of these give two very different thrills, so you can't compare the two.

What spice do you like to use the most?

I love to use cumin a lot.

What is your secret to creating an amazing dish?

I'm not very experienced in cooking so I don't have any secret to creating an amazing dish. All I can say is that you should try until you can make something good.

Bidya Sinha Mim

What's your favourite cuisine?

I like the typical Bangladeshi cuisine.

What's your favourite food?

I have a lot of favourite foods. I love chocolates and ice cream. I also like sushi.

What do you prefer, sweet or savoury?

I like both. I don't like anything too sweet or too savory.

Which dish do you cook the most?

I don't cook many dishes. I cook pasta dishes among other things.

Why do you like to cook?

I haven't really cooked too much to answer that. However, the little cooking I do, I like it.

Do you prefer eating out or do you prefer cooking?

I mainly eat at home, but eating out once a week is nice.

What's your favourite spice?

I don't know yet since I haven't been used to cooking it's many different spices.

What's the secret to creating an amazing dish?

Since I don't cook too often, I don't know any secret to make a delicious dish.