Bangladesh: An autumn feast so good it'll make you go "Fatafati!!"
Brrr, is it cold in here or what? After the long, glorious days of summer, it’s become clear to even the most fervent haters of all things winter-related that the inevitable is upon us - autumn is in full swing. But don’t worry summer lovers, it’s not all bad. Yes, autumn does mean casting aside those light breezy clothes and balmy nights out in favour of thick woolen winter wear and finding reasons not to venture outdoors. But! It also offers a chance to take advantage of the plunging temperatures by staying in and explore some exotic cuisines together with us (hurrah)!
This week’s flavour adventure takes us to the bustling streets of Bangladesh. Known as the land of “Maach aar bhaat”, which translates to fish and rice, Bengali cuisine makes good use of its fertile land (perfect for growing delicious rice as well as mix of delicious fruits and veggies), as well as its abundance of rivers, including the Ganges, Padma, Teesta, and Damodar (just to name a few), ponds, and lakes - all sources of a rich variety of fish, shrimp, prawns and crabs. Apart from that, Bengali cuisine is also known for its multitude of diverse flavours, stemming from a number of foreign influences - everything from Turkish to British to Chinese. Another fun fact: it is the only cuisine from the Indian subcontinent to have developed a traditional “multi-course” serving style, where dishes are served one at a time instead of all at once. Spoiler alert: we didn’t follow this tradition.
As Lisa told us about the exciting story of what brought her parents on the long journey from Bangladesh to Sweden, we couldn’t help but pile our plates high with every single one of the delicious dishes our delightful guest had prepared for us. And in our humble opinion, the rich flavours from these three dishes served as the perfect complement to one another, and should be enjoyed together. The subtle, fragrant spices will delight your senses and keep you warm all through this chilly Fall. So if you’re wondering what to make for dinner this weekend, you’re welcome. Check it out!
Enjoy with: Mango lassis, because what else is best to enjoy life with?
Listen to: some Bollywood Blast to really get into the swing of things (spontaneous dancing may occur)
Parathas with Bengali eggs
Serves 6 people
Ingredients:
6 eggs
1 red onion
1 tomato
10 leaves fresh coriander
½ tbsp curcumin
1 tsp chili powder
Salt
Canola oil
Frozen parathas
Instructions:
Chop red onion and tomato into small pieces. Finely chop the coriander leaves
In a large bowl, mix together eggs, onion, tomato, coriander, curcumin, chili powder and salt
Fry together in a large pan in some canola oil and stir, to make it into a scrambled mix
Heat the parathas
You are ready to serve!
Dahl lentil stew
Serves: 6-10 people
Ingredients:
1 cup lentils (red)
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp curcumin
1 bay leaf
4 garlic cloves, crushed
½ yellow onion, chopped
2 cups of water
1-2 tsp salt
1 tomato, sliced into clefts
1 green chili
A few leaves of fresh coriander (for serving)
Instructions:
Chop the onion and fry in some canola oil until browned. Set aside
Rinse the lentils until water becomes more clear
In a medium sized pot, pour in all ingredients and bring to a boil
Let boil according to instructions for lentils, but keep stirring, ensuring that the dahl gets a “mushy” texture
Serve with some fresh coriander
Bengal chicken
Serves 6 people
Ingredients:
1 package of frozen chicken legs (make sure to thaw)
2 yellow onions
5 cloves of garlic
1 whole fresh ginger
3 bay leaves
5 pieces of cloves
4 whole cardamoms
1-2 pcs of cinnamon wood/bark
1 tbsp dried cumin
1 tbsp dried coriander
½ tbsp curcumin
½ tbsp chili powder
½ tbsp salt
4 potatoes
Canola oil
Instructions:
Rinse the chicken legs and remove the skin
Mix together onions, garlic and ginger in a blender for a thick mixture
In a large pot, pour about 1 dl of canola oil and turn to medium heat. Add in the bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon wood, and cardamom. Wait for the smell of loveliness to spread all over the kitchen.
After a few minutes, add the mixture of onion, garlic and ginger as well as the remaining spices. Pour in about 1 dl of water and stir
Add in the chicken and turn the heat to the highest. Add in more water to cover the chicken
Peel and slice the potatoes in half
After the chicken has boiled for about 10-15 minutes add in the potatoes. Make sure to add more water and let boil until potatoes are cooked and chicken is thoroughly cooked (about 10-15 more minutes)
Serve with some basmati rice
Bengal fish stew
Serves about 6 people
Ingredients:
5-6 frozen filets of cod (thawed)
1 yellow onion
1-2 tbsp of curcumin
Salt
2 green chilies (adjust to tolerance for spicy)
1 tsp of chili powder (see above)
2 cloves of garlic
2 tomatoes
Canola oil
Water
Fresh coriander (for serving)
Instructions:
Slice the onion into very thin half-circle slices
In a large pan, add some canola oil and turn to medium heat. Add in the onion
Slice the garlic into thin slices, and tomatoes into clefts
Slice the fish filets into about 4x4 cm cubes
Add in fish into the pan and sprinkle the curcumin, salt, chilies and chili powder over together with the garlic. Add in clefts from one of the tomatoes
Carefully mix together, using hands or a large spoon
Boil some water in a kettle and pour into pan. Increase the heat and let simmer
Let simmer for about 10 minutes, and regularly (and carefully) stir and turn the fish over
After the fish is ready add in the rest of the tomatoes and some fresh coriander
Ready to serve (can serve with some basmati rice)
Interview Time!
Kryddhyllan: What’s your favorite food from home? Or when we say “from home”, we mean from the Bengalese kitchen?
Lisa: Oh wow, that’s a tough one. I have to think a little. Wait a sec, I know. I really like these Bengalese sort of dips/spreads. You take tomatoes and then crush them, sort of like mashed potatoes. And you can do it with spinach, chickpeas, mackerel. It’s super traditional and very delicious.
Kryddhyllan: How did it become your favorite?
Lisa: I mean people usually say that it’s a bit weird. Because normally you eat the type of meals that we’re eating now. But people eat those spreads sort of as tapas dish with rice. I think I prefer those more. There’s no meat in them either, which I like.
Kryddhyllan: Yum! So you were born here, but why did your parents decide to move to Stockholm?
Lisa: It’s kind of a funny story. So my dad’s dad (my grandpa) was the head of police in Bangladesh, so he was able to smuggle my father out, and he knew that Sweden was a good country because there weren’t too many people, so it was easily to get citizenship. And then my father met my mother, and she came to Sweden as well. But he didn’t smuggle her out of Bangladesh – that time it was legit *laughs.
Kryddhyllan: Thanks dad! And what are some of your favorite Swedish foods?
Lisa: I mean I love anything chicken. But now I’ve really gotten into salmon. I love these fish tacos, they’re super easy, with mango and coriander and parsley.
Kryddhyllan: That doesn’t sound super Swedish…
Lisa: No, I guess not *laughs. Maybe it’s more…. Fusion? I was thinking that the fish is pretty Swedish though?
Kryddhyllan: Fair enough! Did your parents know anything about Swedish food before coming here?
Lisa: Not a thing! I mean I was raised on French fries, meatballs, fish sticks. So we’d eat that, and we didn’t think it was weird. It was what we had at home. But we’ve learned, as we got older we were like “mom we can’t be eating this!” and she was saying “sure, why not?!”
Kryddhyllan: What do you think is the best and worst thing about Swedish food?
Lisa: I would say that the worst thing are the small portions, or it feels like that at least. Say you’re gonna make salmon. It’s four pieces and everything is finished in one day pretty much. Maybe two. But when you’re cooking Asian food, it always feels like you have a lot left over, because it’s hard to make smaller portions of a lot of Asian dishes. Then I’d also argue that it’s cheaper to cook Asian dishes in some ways – but we do use a wider variety of ingredients.
Kryddhyllan: Is there anything you like about Swedish food?
Lisa: We usually eat Swedish food at home. But when we go home to my mom, she cooks traditional Bengalese food.
Kryddhyllan: And if you had to eat one type of food to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Lisa: Can it be a fruit?
Kryddhyllan: Sure.
Lisa: Mango! It would be mango. I could eat mango every single day of the week.
Kryddhyllan: Just mango?
Lisa: Just mango. I could live off of mangos. Have you guys tried Pakistani mangos? They’re amazing. It’s insane how good they are. They’re super yellow. Once you’ve tried them, you won’t be able to go back.
Kryddhyllan: They’re so, so good.
Lisa: We have a grocer friend that sells them. I’ll hook you up next time.
Kryddhyllan: We’ll be waiting! Okay, next question: What’s your “spice of life?”
Lisa: Hmmm it would be turmeric. In Bengalese food you need turmeric. When you mix it with chili and cumin it enhances the flavor.
Kryddhyllan: What’s the best meal you’ve ever eaten?
Lisa: Okay so I don’t really like food in that sense… What I mean is that I’m super picky when it comes to food. But have you ever eaten biryani? You mix rice with chicken and potatoes and spices. It’s so good, that’s one of my favorites.
Kryddhyllan: Yum! We’re making that next time. What’s your favorite restaurant at the moment?
Lisa: Shanti! It’s Bengalese.
Kryddhyllan: We have to go!
Lisa: Yes! And you order a bunch of different dishes and share.
Kryddhyllan: It’s a date! Thank you Lisa!
