Embracing Traditions
In this week’s edition of Saa Nastsa, I share the story of Jannat who discovered her love for cooking and is bringing you unique dishes with a touch of Bangladesh.
We also have a list of places collecting Ramadan donations for people in need.
If you’re new to Saa Nasta, check out my previous posts about Bangladeshi food and culture here. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @thesaanasta.
“Taste of Jannat” explores Bangladeshi foods
By Nargis Hakim Rahman
Jannatuj Khan moved to Michigan with her family from Sylhet, Bangladesh when she was 18-years-old. Khan is completing her master’s degree from the School of Social Work at Wayne State University.
Khan began cooking after she got married in Bangladesh in 2016. At the time she stayed in Bangladesh for a month and experimented with cooking.
“Sometimes even if you are Sylheti, different families cook in different ways,” she says.
She especially enjoyed foods made by her mother-in-law.
“I cooked a lot with my mother-in-law just to try whatever she is trying,” she says.
After cooking for her family and learning how to make many dishes, her family encouraged her to cater. She says she didn’t think of catering as an option as she didn’t see many people doing that from home, however decided to give it a chance. She launched her Instagram page @tasteofjannat in February 2020 and started getting orders.
“Everyone liked my food. I never thought my food would be good,” Khan says.
One of Khan’s favorite recipes is making kala bhuna, a popular fried beef dish made in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Bhuna is a style of cooking, which often begins like a curry without adding additional water.
Kala bhuna, tandoori chicken, biryani, and this mango frullata, a mango-based smoothie, were some of the most ordered items. Now she says she’s taken a step back to focus on her classes. She still takes orders whenever she has the time.
Another item she sells are pitas or pithas, commonly made in Bangladesh during colder seasons. They can be made with rice flour, flour, with added spices and flavors. Some of the most popular ones are soy pita, which Khan says is among her favorite to make.
While oftentimes pitas are commonly made by the elder women in families, Khan says she enjoyed learning recipes from her mom.
“I have to be picky. The measurements have to be perfect,” she says, but her mom guesses amounts for the pitas and they come out perfect, she laughs. She can eyeball and tell if more ingredients are needed. So she trusts her judgment.
Khan says she also likes to make a popular food from Bangladeshi, Bakarkhani, a layered roti which is not easily found in stores or restaurants in Metro Detroit, and kachi biryani, a Dhaka-style beef biryani.
At the moment Khan is taking a step back to focus on school and running an online clothing store O.Ngkon with her husband. She is taking preorders of frozen goods like samosas and aloo chop, a potato culet fritter made of boiled, mashed potatoes and mixed with various spices.
For orders visit her Instagram page @tasteofjannat.
The art of pitha-making in the Bangladeshi diaspora
Guest post by Nushrat Rahman
In the kitchen of our Detroit bungalow, I remember my dadhu (dad’s mom) leaning over a cast-iron skillet and dropping dollops of guror handesh batter into sputtering oil. Hand on hip, she waits for the masses to puff up, frill, and turn a deep shade of bronze. Today, she’s older and unable to make pithas but still offers her two cents. These days, she’s playing food critic as she samples the ones my mom or aunts prepare. Along the way, she complains about the texture, sweetness, asks how long they were kept in the oil, and throws out suggestions for the next batch. By her standards, guror handesh batter must have a pinch of salt and, most importantly, be mixed by hand.
Guror handesh is a type of pitha, or traditional rice cake. Pithas are found across South Asia, in India and Nepal, but have a distinct presence in Bangladesh, where my family emigrated from to Detroit in the mid-1990s. Versatile and practical, pithas are eaten as full meals, snacks, or dessert. Some are complex, resembling flowers and are overwhelmingly sweet, while others are sturdy and compact, perfect for dipping into stew.
While pitha-making has always been a staple in my household, it’s not a tradition that I’ve personally taken part in, aside from helping out here and there. So for research and a broader perspective, I sought the insight of others within the Bangladeshi diaspora who do make them.
This story was originally published in Tostada Magazine.
Ramadan Fundraisers:
Desi Taste - Ramadan food packages for families in Bangladesh
Food Packages for Ramadhan - Food sponsorship in Bangladesh
Muslim mamas Ramadan Collection - Ramadan food boxes for Michigan moms
Sharmin’s Ondaal - Bangladesh fundraiser
Global Charity Teams - Sponsor a family
Vaccines available for older adults in Hamtramck:
Free COVID-19 vaccines for people 60 and up and those who are 50-59 with comorbidities or disabilities. Address: 11945 Conant St., Hamtramck, MI 48212
Appointments: Call 313-448-9850 Online: https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/9040b4baba723abf85-covid198
Hamtramck Health Center is giving out vaccines to seniors 65+, and others who need it. Address: 9021 Jos. Campau St., Hamtramck, MI 48212
Appointments: 313-871-1926
More info: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/0,9753,7-406-98178_103214---,00.html
Nominate a woman for #WomensHistoryMonth
Saa Nasta is a community of people coming together. That’s why we want to honor the important women in your life for #WomensHistoryMonth.
Email nominations to thesaanasta@gmail.com with the Subject: Women’s History Month nomination. One entry per person.
Include:
Your name.
Name of the woman you want to nominate.
2-3 sentences on why you’re nominating her.
A picture of the woman to share (optional).
I’ll be sharing some of these stories in March.