Check It Out

Diners' delight

DHAKA has no dearth of restaurants to offer; a wide range of cuisine from the four corners of the world to suit every palate. When it comes to creative dining, now, that's another story.

With most eateries offering a fixed menu, their expert chefs are reduced to the role of mere cooks as they are compelled to stick to the boundaries. The diners too, are robbed of a chance to experience creative cooking.

All that is about to change, and how. On Thursday, 23 October, the Westin, Dhaka is hosting a special tasting dinner event titled Aficionado, featuring a ten-course menu by Chef Ray Leiw of Prego.

Featuring such tempting treats as Salmon Confit, Lobster Raviolo, Baked Taleggio Cheese Brioche, just to name a few, the menu offers sample-sized servings to tickle the taste-buds with some serious fine dining.

Organised by BETTS, the event is for 100 invited guests. For more information, please contact bettsevents@gmail.com

By Sabrina F Ahmad

Brides @ Woman's World!

AT Woman's World, Aesthetician Kona Alam is offering a wide range of bridal packages for all tastes and budgets. Counselling is also provided on pre and post marriage skin and beauty care.

Woman's World has three different bridal makeover packages. The first package includes relevant services for a bride, e.g. threading, waxing, facial, fair polish, manicure, pedicure, hair treatment, bridal mehendi and bridal make-up. Another package includes make-up for gaye holud, bridal make-up & make-up for the reception program. The third package includes all the three programs & all the relevant services mentioned above.

Besides, you can get an opportunity for pre & post marriage photo sessions at Women's World's latest venture- The Image, which is a photo studio located at the Dhanmondi and Uttara branches of Woman's World.

A true taste of Asia

By Tommy Miah

Lau kofta (bottlegourd)
Ingredients:
For the kofta:
4 cups lau (bottlegourd), peeled and grated
½ tsp ginger paste
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp plain flour
oil for deep-frying
For the gravy:
2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
¼ cup yoghurt, beaten smooth
¼ cup poshto (poppy seeds) soaked in milk
for 1/2 hour
1½ tsp dhania (coriander) powder
1½ tsp salt
¼ tsp chilli powder
green coriander chopped for garnishing
Method:
Wash the lau and drain; mix in salt, ginger and black pepper. Sauté over high flame, to dry up excess liquid and leave to cool.
Add flour, mix well and shape into walnut sized balls.
Deep-fry koftas to a golden brown over high flame and keep aside.
Heat ghee; add cumin followed by ginger and sauté to a light brown.
Grind the poshto into a paste. Add coriander powder, salt and chilli powder and sauté till oil separates.
Add 2-3 cups water and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes. Add koftas and yoghurt; simmer for another 2 minutes, and serve hot. Garnish the lau kofta with freshly chopped coriander.

Stuffed bhendi
Ingredients:
1 lb okra (bhendi), washed and dried
3 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 medium sized onion, chopped
2 green chillies, seeded and chopped
3/4-inch ginger, finely chopped
a pinch of Asafoetida powder (hing)
1 tomato, chopped
For the stuffing:
3 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp ground fennel (mouri)
2 tsp dried mango powder (amchur)
½ tsp chilli powder or to taste
salt to taste
Method:
Cut the stalk of each okra and make lengthwise slit.
Combine stuffing ingredients and mix well. Stuff each okra with the mixture.
Sauté cumin with the little oil until it starts to crackle.
Add onions, green chillies and ginger. Sauté till onion turns transparent, then put in asafoetida and cook for a few seconds.
Add tomato and cook until it turns pulpy.
Add the okra and cook for 5 minutes until tender and well coated with the sauce (masala).
Serve stuffed bhendi hot with chapati, paratha or rice.

Cleaning Ceramic Tiles

W Ceramic tiles on the floor is a big hit nowadays ands has long since replaced the mosaic floor. However, as with all things worth taking care of, maintenance is of the utmost importance.

When floor cleaning ceramic tile floors, use a simple solution of soap and water. The trick is to use a rubber scraper.

You can also find specialty cleaning products that whiten grout and tiles to give your bathroom that sparkling shine.

Writer’s Block

Fahmeena Nahas

To salaam or not to salaam

EVER since I was very young, my parents taught me to touch the feet of elders as a mark of respect. So when I got married, I tried very hard to be a good bou ma and touched the feet of all the senior relatives of my in-laws. When we went visiting, I touched the feet of all the elders of the house, much to the chagrin of my friends, colleagues, and of course, my sister-in-law, Ninkoo.

Ninkoo used to be so annoyed with me as she had to follow me and do her paye dhore salam kora as well. She absolutely hated it, especially the day we went to a wedding where I introduced her to a niece telling her that she was a cousin-in-law; Ninkoo had to bend down and pay her respects! And the poor niece, who is much older in age than us, almost jumped out of her skin and at the same time tried to convince Ninkoo that she was a bhagni and not bubu.

One day when Ninkoo was expecting her younger son, Sameer, I went with my brother-in-law to check out a clinic close to our house. In those days there were not many clinics in Sylhet and a new section of air-conditioned cabins were being built at this one. Since Ninkoo needed a Caesarean section, we wanted to check out how the cabins were before the baby was due. In fact, the owners of the clinic, who are like our family, even got one cabin ready for Ninkoo before the others were completed.

After we looked around, my brother-in-law and I started chatting with Saleem bhai, one of the owners of the clinic, on the landing of the first floor. Suddenly I saw a man climbing the stairs and recognised him as one of my mother-in-law's cousins. I rushed forward grinning like a Cheshire cat and without really looking at his face, squealed in delight, “mama bhala ni? (how are you, mama?) Then I did the inevitable....I quickly bent forward and salaamed him. The poor man was totally flabbergasted and didn't know where to run to. So he just departed the way he had come up; down the stairs. The “mama” I mistook this man for was a relative of Saleem bhai's family as well; and he at once knew that I had fouled up. He grinned and said, “He's not the one you think he is and you've just driven out my patient!”

This man was not my mama shoshur at all. He was a patient's driver!