... that is the question :-)
Lychees (photos)
Lychees have ripened. They are selling for between Tk 160 and Tk 200 per hundred (1 USD = Tk 70 approx.) Here are some pictures.
Yummy baby!
They are all over the place. Above you...
and behind you...
... there are doubledecker lychees...
...and lonely lychees.
Adults love them...
... and so do kids!
"You toucha my lychees I puncha your nose!"
Lychee leaves and anchor.
The sellers were out in force. "They are Kora (extreme) sweet!"
"Here, try a sample if you don't believe me."
"Heck, they'll even grow hair on your chest!"
Tormooj (Watermelons)
The heat is on. Watermelons are in season.
It's a sweet antidote to the heat.
Boats coming into Dhaka are loaded with melons.
Unloading from the lower deck...
...and loading into a boat...
Boys who helped unload show their reward.
This boy had to swim ashore with his one.
Man taking melons home to village.
Melons on display after rain.
A more attractive display.
Another way to show off.
Boroi Season
Boroi season is in full swing here in Dhaka. Kids are having a blast, with the vendors posted strategically outside school gates. I have tried at least four varieties, though I am sure there are many more. Prices are high. If you buy from the posh side of town, you can pay a ridiculous Tk 100/kg for the premium Oval and Aapel Borois. In other places, the minimum is still a high Tk 60/kg.
That said, the Borois I tried were absolutely delicious. The Aapel (Apple) Boroi was the sweetest, but the oval one was the best overall because of its extra crunchy texture. And the round deshi boroi had great flavor with just a little tartness.
Here are some pictures.
Aapel Borois
Oval Borois
Deshi Borois
Incidentally, I tried a Boroi off of a tree in Ayutthaya, Thailand, recently and it tasted just like our Deshi Borois.
Long Live Siddiqua Kabir
Siddiqua Kabir's (no relation) "Ranna Khadyo Pushti" is a famous Bangladeshi cookbook. When we were living in the US, it provided us recipes for many standard Bangla dishes.
Funny - after we returned to Bangladesh, the book has enabled us to recreate many "foreign" dishes. This is a great help, particularly for our kids, who grew up with Western food.
For example. our children like pancakes for breakfast. Back in the US I used to make them buttermilk pancakes from a mix. But how to find the mix here in Bangladesh? No problem! Mrs. Kabir's book has a recipe for pancake using locally available ingredients. All you need are flour, egg, baking powder, salt, sugar, milk and oil. In 30 minutes or less you will have pancakes that taste as good or better than the ones in the States.
Her Chinese recipes have also turned out to be accessible and tasty.
So... if you are contemplating returning home from the West, and are worried about what your kids will eat, worry no more because Mrs. Kabir's book covers a lot of territory.
Local Delights
One of the most delightful things about coming back to Bangladesh is the access to second-tier local fruits. The top-tier ones, such as mangoes and lichis, were available in the US. But the smaller ones (such as "Lotkon" (Bhubi in Sylheti), Orboroi (Leboir in Sylhet), Guavas (specially the small ones with red inside, called "Syedi Shofri" in - guess where? - Sylhet), Kamrangas, Jamruls, Amlokis, Koromcha, Panifol, Makhna, etc etc - parade through here during the year, one after another.
These fruits played a bigger role in my childhood than the top-tier ones because they were more easily accessible.
They are not just eaten fresh, but some in Bharta, others as "Tok", some in Jelly, and yet others in Aachar (eg, Leboir makes an excellent sweet achar.)
I tasted a Bhubi after 30 years. The taste and flavor were as exquisite to me as they had been years ago.
The Sweet Month
It is the middle of the Bengali month JoisTha, also known as the "modhu" month. "Modhu" means honey in Bengali.
So why is JoisTha the sweet month? Because our favorite fruits have ripened.
Sweet, fragrant lychees are in full swing. Of the many varieties floating around, I have tried three. The "deshi" ones have slightly fatter seeds and thinner layer of flesh around it. The "bombay" ones have thinner seeds but just as juicy - the preferred way to get these is to "book" a tree in Rajshahi and then share it amongst a group. Someone from work had done this and so I got a few hundred. The third variety I tried was much bigger than the other two with larger grains on them. This one was also delicious.
Another fruit that I did not taste in many years has also ripened - Jaam. These black ovals have an intense sweet-tangy taste and are extremely refreshing. The best way to eat them is to smash them up with some salt which softens the tang. Black outside and purple inside, Jaams tasted just as good as they had years ago.
KaThaals - Jackfruits - have also started arriving in the markets. Two main kinds - the soft, chewy kernels and the crunchy kernels (Khaja KaThaal) - have their own fanatical followings.
And the king of them all, mangoes - the early varieties from Rajshahi are available, including Gopalbhog, but the sublime Lengra is not here yet. Maybe in a couple of weeks...
(I do miss the California summer fruits, specially the incredibly sweet white nectarines and babcock peaches bought from farmer's markets - the grocery store ones were no good.)
courtesy by...
SAGAR RESTUARANT
 |
Sagar Restaurant offers an extensive choice We provide 100% halal meat.of traditional Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian cuisine together with new mouthwatering recipes, but if you have a preferred dish that isn't on the menu, please don't hesitate to ask the management who will be more than happy to have our chef specially prepare it for you. |
Jamaica, New York 11432
PHONE: 718-298-5696
718-657-2855
718-213-4338(for catering only)
Web Site: www.sagarfood.com
