APPETIZERS AND BEVERAGES

To begin the Bangladeshi meal, it is always good to have some light starters and cool drinks. There are many available, out of which we have a few to provide:

CHEESE STRAWS 1cup flour ½ cup grated cheese 1½ tbsp butter 1 tsp cumin seed powder Oil for frying Salt to taste
Method Mix the butter in the flour, add salt, cumin seed powder and cheese and knead well to make a stiff dough with cold water. Make four balls out of the dough. Then roll out each ball thinly and cut into thin straws. Heat oil well and deep-fry the cheese straws till golden brown. Cool and store in an airtight jar. Serves four

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NIMKI 250g flour ½ tsp black cumin seeds 2 cups oil 1 tsp salt
Method Knead the dry flour with a tbsp of oil, black cumin seeds, salt and water. Roll out into10-12 rounded pieces, as big as purees. Then fold in half and roll gently. Fold again in half, do this thrice carefully. Heat the oil and deep-fry one by one. It must not turn deep brown. The color should be light brown. Store in an airtight container; it will keep for days. Serves at least twelve

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COCO JUMBO 150ml coconut water 50ml pineapple juice 4 tbsp vanilla ice cream ¼ tsp lime juice 5 ice cubes For garnishing: 2 slices pineapple 2 sprigs mint leaves 2 cherries
Method Blend all the ingredients in a mixer for 2 minutes. Pour into a goblet glass. Serve decorated with pineapple slice, cherry and mint leaves Serves one

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SPICY LASSI 100g chilled curd/yogurt A pinch of beet salt (hydrogen sulfide) A pinch roasted cumin powder Salt to taste
Method Churn the curd/yogurt till it becomes smooth and consistent. Pour in 1½ cups of water and mix till blended. Add the salt and beet salt. Pour into a glass and serve garnished with roasted cumin powder. Serves one

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VEGETABLE SALAD WITH YOGURT 250g cauliflower 2 carrots ¾ cup green peas 2 potatoes 2 green chilies, finely cut 1 cup yogurt 2 tbsp honey ¼ cup fresh cream 2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped Salt to taste

Method Clean and separate the cauliflower into small florets. Peel and dice the carrots into small pieces. Cook the cauliflower, carrots and green peas in salted water and then refresh in cold water, drain and keep aside. Boil, peel and dice the potatoes into small pieces and allow to cool. Whisk yogurt, salt, honey and green chilies with fresh cream. Mix all the cooked vegetables with the yogurt dressing. Chill and serve garnished with coriander leaves. Serves four

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CAULIFLOWER PAKORA 2 cups gram flour ½ kg cauliflower 1 ginger, sliced 1 tbsp pomegranate seeds, crushed ½ tsp coriander seeds, coarsely ground 1 tsp cumin seeds A pinch of baking soda Chili powder to taste 2 tbsp butter or ghee Oil for frying, as required Salt to taste
Method Blend flour, ginger, baking soda and all the seasonings together by adding little water to form a batter of medium consistency. Then stir in the ghee/butter and keep aside for ½ an hour. Break the cauliflower florets and parboil them. Once cool, dip them in the pakora batter and deep fry till golden brown in color. Serve hot with chutney.

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MANGO LASSI 1 cup thick curds 5 cups milk or water 1 cup mangoes, pureed Sugar to taste Crushed ice as required ¼ tsp kewra essence A pinch of roasted and ground cumin seeds
Method Beat the curds with the milk or water until very smooth and the surface turns bubbly. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and beat again. Serve chilled with crushed ice.

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COLD COFFEE WITH ICE CREAM 4 tbsp instant coffee 2 tbsp hot water 2 tbsp sugar 2 cups milk Ice cubes as required Vanilla ice cream as required
Method Dissolve the coffee and sugar in hot water. Then add the milk and enough ice cubes to make three glasses. Serve in tall glasses topped with ice cream.

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ALUR BORA (POTATO SNACKS) 250g potatoes 1 onion, finely chopped 2 green chilies, chopped 1 egg 1 tbsp coriander, chopped Oil as required ½ tsp salt
Method Boil the potatoes and mash well. Add in finely chopped onion, coriander, chilies, salt raw egg and mix by hand. Form into small balls and deep fry. Serve hot preferably with chutney.

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GINGER LEMONADE 1¼ cup sugar 600ml water ½ tsp freshly ground ginger paste ½ cup lemon juice Crushed ice as required
Method In a pan mix the sugar, water and ginger. Stir on a medium flame till it forms into a syrup. Add the lemon juice, strain and keep aside. Cool and store in bottles. To serve add 2 tbsp of syrup to a glass of chilled water and add crushed ice.

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PANEER PAKORA 250g cottage cheese (paneer) 1 tsp red chili powder Oil for deep frying For the batter: 8 tbsp chick-pea powder 1½ tsp red chili powder A pinch of baking soda Water as required Salt to taste
Method Cut the cottage cheese into square, thick cubes. Sprinkle red chili powder on each piece. Make the batter by mixing the gram flour with red chili powder, salt, soda and sufficient water to make a slightly thick batter. Dip each piece of cottage cheese into the batter and deep fry in heated oil till it turns golden brown. Serve hot with green chutney.

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PRAWN COCKTAIL 400g prawns or shrimps peeled 5 tbsp mayonnaise 1 tbsp tomato ketchup 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 onion finely chopped 1sp celery finely chopped 1 bunch lettuce shredded
Method Mix together all the ingredients except lettuce, and chill. Take a cocktail glass and place the finely shredded lettuce at the bottom of the glasses. Place little of the chilled prawn mixture on the lettuce and garnish with lemon and prawn. Serve as cold as possible.

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