My Dhaka: The city’s vegetarian eateries

Indubala Bhaater Hotel -- a web series on the OTT platform Hoichoi -- is the current craze. I will not discuss the storyline in detail but let's just say that it leaves you with a nostalgic pull for lost worlds and makes you realise how a woman can evolve through troubled times.

I would, however, discuss the vegetarian dishes that played a supporting role in the series. A taro root mash or "kochu bhorta" in coconut shavings -- mixed with mustard oil -- is the recipe that saves Indubala and popularises her hotel. How a small portion of this special kochu bhorta and piping hot rice fills both the hearts and stomachs of the castaways and the regular people is what captured my imagination.

I took it upon myself to find restaurants like Indubala Bhaater Hotel in Dhaka, serving simple no-fuss vegetarian dishes like aubergine burnt in a coal fire and mixed with "aam tel" or mango pickle oil. It's hard to find an exact match of the drama setting but there are a few restaurants in equally dreamy locations.

One is Jatra Biroti on Kemal Ataturk Avenue in Banani. It is a multi-purpose event space/art lounge and vegetarian restaurant serving exotic dishes like eggplant korma, cauliflower rezala, and wood-apple drinks. Give their vegetables a try and eat mushroom tehari, niramish (veg), and begun bhaji -- their specialities.

Faiza Ahmed, food visionary and vegan chef, owner of Shanchayita, a restaurant in Mohakhali DOHS, has the most amazing vegan spread in town. Her popular meals are vegan dam biriyani served with cabbage pakora, a comfort runny veggie khichuri platter served with sour eggplant and lentil fritters, boukhudi or broken rice dish with three local mashes of lentil, dry red chilli, and yummy peanut.

The most popular snack is batata puri (batata means potato in Portuguese). This is one of those classic mashed potato, onion, chilli, and cilantro concoctions topped with a tamarind sauce. This is served on crispy wheat chips.

The desserts available are vegan peanut laddu with no oil and no dairy, semolina halwa with date jaggery, and narikel (coconut) puli.

Faiza's pickles are to die for and add that much-needed oomph to the food -- dry jujube pickle, mango rasya, and Kartik jaitun pickle. She has a private dine-in facility, where you need to make reservations first and enjoy a cosy meal. Faiza also takes 8 to 15 takeout orders a day. A very niche clientele is attracted to this beautiful restaurant.

There are a few more options of vegetarian and vegan eateries in town, but ISKCON Dhaka at Swami Bagh and Vishnupriya Vojanalay -- a vegetarian restaurant in Kowtali Road, old Dhaka also has their loyal vegetarian regulars.

So, during this scorching Dhaka summer time do yourself a favour and have organic vegetarian dishes for a change. Popularise greens in Dhaka especially after coming out of the Eid food coma.