News flash

dyes that never die

Aranya's latest collection for this season has been created from a wealth of blended fabrics in silk, endi, tusshar, cotton and cotton khadi. Using traditional techniques of kantha, jamdani and block prints alongside shibori, bahaus and other processes. The collection presents an extensive range of stylish clothes that include vivid new natural dye shades of purple, pink and teal.

Saris range from Tk 550 to Tk 8,000; kameez, salwar and dupatta sets from Tk 600 to Tk 6,000; men's panjabi and shirts from Tk 650 to Tk 2,200. Prices of scarves, dupattas and shawls range from Tk 550 to Tk 3,500, while skirts, blouses and jackets are from Tk 450 to Tk 3,500.

Executive Fashion Shoes

Bata launches ‘ReDiamond’

Bata Shoe Company (Bangladesh) Ltd. recently launched a range of men's footwear from a leading European Fashion Brand “ReDiamond”. These shoes are made with exclusive genuine leather uppers with a very trendy and stylish look, long lasting TPR soles with leather inserts plus cushioned, padded linings which give all day long comfort.

At this stage, ReDiamond shoes are available at selected Bata shoe stores at price Tk.3000. Due to advanced design and technology, flexibility and lightness, ReDiamond shoes have already received excellent responses in the market.

ReDiamond shoes are targeted for quality and cater to fashion oriented customers. These styles will be suitable for executives in the office as well as for outside formal and informal wear. The shoes are available in black & tan in selected Bata Shoe Stores.

By Ekramuzzaman

Sesame Chicken Wings

Ingredients:
20 Chicken wings (about 4 pounds)
2 tsp Margarine or butter - melted
1 1/2 c baking-mix
½ c Sesame seeds
2 tsp Paprika
1 1/2 tsp Dry mustard
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
2 tbs Milk
1/4 c Margarine or butter - melted

Method:
Preheat oven to 425F.
Separate chicken wings at the joints; discard tips.
Spread 1 tablespoon margarine in each of 2 13x9x2" pans.
Beat eggs and milk with fork in the first bowl.
Mix the sesame seeds, paprika, mustard and salt in the second bowl.
Soak chicken in egg mixture in the first bowl; then coat chicken with sesame seed mixture in the second bowl.
Arrange close together in pans.
Drizzle the margarine over the chicken.
Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes or until brown and crisp.

Spicy BBQ Shrimp
Ingredients:
½ c Butter; or margarine
3/4 c BBQ sauce
2 tbs Lemon juice
2 lb Medium to large shrimp; unshelled
½ c Dry sherry
Cayenne pepper to taste
Black pepper
Garlic powder

Method:
Turn on broiler and melt butter in a 13x9-inch broiler pan. Remove pan from oven and stir in BBQ sauce and lemon juice. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Spread out in pan. Sprinkle cayenne, black pepper, and garlic powder over the shrimp. Broil five inches from the heat source for four minutes. Turn the shrimp over. Add sherry and broil for four minutes longer. Makes 4-6 servings.

Zucchini Chilli
Ingredients:
6 tbs Olive oil
1 1/2 c Zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 small)
1 c Onion, yellow; coarsely chopped
2 Garlic cloves; crushed
1 c Green pepper; cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 c Tomatoes, canned; crushed
1 tbs Chilli powder
1 1/2 tsp Cumin
1 1/2 tsp Oregano; dried
1/4 c Parsley, fresh; minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 c Beans, canned (kidney and/or garbanzo); drained

Method:
Heat olive in a large skillet. Add zucchini, onion, garlic and green pepper. Sauté for 10 minutes until softened. Transfer to a saucepan and add tomatoes, chilli powder, cumin, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in the beans and cook for 10 minutes more on low heat. Adjust seasonings. Serve chilli rolled up in a warm flour tortilla or on a bed of brown rice.

Baked Fresh Salmon or Betki
Ingredients:
3 lbs Salmon or Betki
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper, black
1/2 tsp Thyme
3 tbs Butter
1 1/2 c Cream, light
3 Onions, sliced
3 Parsley sprigs
1 Garlic clove, quartered
1 Bay leaf
2 Cucumbers, peeled and cut into strips

Method:
Combine salt, pepper and thyme, then rub all over the salmon. Melt butter in a baking dish. Add salmon and coat with the butter. Add light cream, onion slices, parsley, garlic, and bay leaf. Arrange cucumber strips around the salmon. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes or until center bone can be removed easily. Remove and discard bay leaf, onion, parsley and garlic before serving.

For the Love of Food

I am back

By Kaniska Chakraborty

I have not had any serious food epiphanies lately. Trip to a five star dinner buffet have failed to impress me. After all, we do pay through our nose at such fancy establishments and we certainly reserve the right to expect certain high standards there. Nor did a lunch at a fancy shmancy Chinese restaurant. The squid was soft and had a fishy smell. Fishy, I said. Very fishy! Even my trusty roadside dives have become uninspiring lately. Maybe I have become too used to them. Or am I just too finicky?

Don't know. Don't care. But there is one thing that I wanted to find out. After a long hiatus, what with work breathing down my neck constantly, can I still cook like I used to? Will friends still admire my culinary skills, albeit modest? Do I still wield some amount of mastery over the pots and pans and knives and such? I just had to find out.

As an experiment, I called a few friends for lunch. Just a close band of people who would understand my plight in case of a miserable failure. That done, I settled to my favourite pastime- menu planning. Know what? This is the part that my better half despises with a passion. This is where I pretend to be creative, I bend all rules, I take risks. Her adage: if you have guests, play safe.

We struck a balance: some time-tested recipes. One surprise. She agreed to that.

My coup d'état was going to be prawns steeped in garlic olive oil. I thought this will be challenging enough as opposed to the expected prawns sautéed in olive oil with garlic.

Extra virgin olive oil was heated. Garlic thrown in. Prawn marinated in salt. Chopped red chilies went into the oil. And then, the surprise. Smoking hot pan was removed from heat and prawns tipped in. Quickly sprinkled with parsley and covered. The raw prawns were allowed to steep in the highly flavoured oil and cook in the heat.

Lunch was a success as the prawns flew off the serving set in a flash. Friends were smiling. Bread was passed around to mop up the oil infused with garlic. Wine was poured to wash it all down. All in all, a good day's work.

It has all come back. I still have not lost it. I can still cook up some magic once in a while. Relieved, I sat back and quietly thanked the prawns. Glory be to them. I am back.

Fighting bad cholesterol

Anti-cholesterol statin drugs, eat your heart out (no pun intended). Who needs fancy pills when cholesterol busters can be found right inside your own kitchen? Garlic and onion have an international reputation as remedies for lowering blood pressure and generally improving the health of the cardiovascular system, but recent research that supports the lore about garlic reducing cholesterol is so impressive that research scientists advocate its daily use for this purpose.

-LS Desk