Photo: LS Archive

Nothing beats the feeling you get from a fresh home-cooked meal after time away from your home.  Large cuts of rui fish (grass carp) swimming in a broth of red chilli and chunks of cauliflower garnished with fresh coriander, each morsel bursting with flavours of the clean cuts of fish, leave me looking for more. That is when I dive in to the chicken curry which is cooked with 'deshialoo' (local variants of potato) and packed with spices, giving a jarring kick to my tongue as I eat the curry with fluffy steamed white rice. The meal finally ending with 'mishiti doi' (sweet curd).

Does all this catch your fancy? If you are visiting this country where everyone is a food connoisseur do not miss the opportunity to bag yourself a home-cooked meal. Get in touch with your business partner or friend you are visiting in Bangladesh to allow you this unique opportunity to get an insight into the Bengali way of life and food.

The choice for dishes is infinite. Fancy some royal cuisine? Go for Mughal dishes such as Korai Gosht -- meat cooked in a wok-like dish (korai) thus earning its name; or biriyani: a one stop wonder, where succulent pieces of meat hide under blankets of long grain rice that is flavoured with all the choicest blend of spices …and finally, kulfi to end the meal.

Another regional cuisine to die for is Chittagong cuisine. The coastal belt gives it an abundance of sea-food; the large juicy shrimps both fried and cooked in a curry are heavenly. Then there is koral (grouper family) a meaty fish that is superb simply shallow fried. The fare does not end here -- ilish is a must-have cooked either in mustard paste, fried or steamed. Finish all this with a betel leaf and some 'roshogolla' and this will be a meal you will remember for a while!

Photo: LS Archive

A tourist visiting this country will surely embark upon many adventures -- be it by trotting along the historical premises and buildings or simply by experiencing the buzz and air of festivity of everyday life. Additionally, culinary adventure is not to be missed, and beyond the famous and heavily branded eateries, is the mesmerising simple dishes cooked at home.

Every home has at least one expert chef, bestowed with uniqueness that has been developed through training from older generations and the recipes they have passed through time. In our country, the process of cooking may at times seem madness -- having no proper set of guidelines or uniformity among different people making the same food.

The method behind madness is different for each cook, and a lot depends on his or her rough estimates of the amount of ingredients used, the level of cooking required, etc. And hence, a simple, common dish will not taste the same in two homes.  

Typical Menu's that you can suggest:

Mughal dishes--

Beef Biriyani: tender cuts of beef, in a bed of basmati rice that is spiced with garam masala. A complete meal by itself.

Korai gosht: Chunks of beef cooked in a wok with a blend of jarring spices leaving you salivating for more.

Kebabs and kofta curry: this is diced and minced meat that has been marinated in yughurt, chilli and garam masala and cooked on skewers.

Rezala: mutton in thick gravy of nuts and cream.

Kulfi:  Milk boiled until becomes dense and creamy, then spiced with sugar, cinnamon and nuts to be frozen in cups.  A typical end to a Mughal meal.    

Chittagongian dishes--

Loitta fry: Fresh loitta fish (Bombay Duck) cubed, battered in chickpea flour and deep fried.

Churi shutkir bhuna: dried fish which has a distinct aroma and an acquired taste; this is cooked with a thick gravy, red chilli powder, split green chillies and small potatoes.

Prawn curry: Large fresh prawn's sautéed in onions, tomatoes and loads of green chilli.

Koral fish fry or curry: deep fried with the head intact is a delight to eat with hot rice, onions and whole green chillies.

Typical dishes cooked year round --

Bitter gourd bhaaji: Bitter gourd or korola, diced and sautéed with a lot of onions and potatoes has a uniquely bitter after taste.

Bhorta platter: Basically anything can be made into a 'bhorta'. Mashed potatoes, with mustard oil, salt, diced onions and pan-roasted red chillies make 'aloo bhorta' (mashed potato). Then there is snap beans, dried fish, aubergine, green bananas -- all can be made into a 'bhorta'.

Daal: Lentils boiled and spiked with hot oil and spices to give a soup like dish.

Fish curry: Rui fish (glass carp) in hot gravy -- a typically Bengali fare.

Beef curry: Chunks of beef cooked in a thin gravy spiced with garam masala, turmeric powder, cumin powder and red chilli powder.

Mishti doi: The meal is finished with sweet curd usually store brought but at times made at home as well or you could ask for betel leaf to end the meal and be surprised!

By Abida Rahman Chowdhury