From Sharminara's Kitchen to yours
In this edition of Saa Nasta, learn about Sharminara Haque, who is dishing up Bangladeshi food for TikTok and Instagram, and check out one of her favorite recipes.
Sharminara Haque goes viral cooking Sylheti foods
TikToker Sharminara Haque was bored at home when she launched her TikTok @sharmineats in April 2020, which now has 84.3k followers.
Her page features Bangladeshi homecooked foods like curries and American favorites seafood shrimp boil.
“I feel so overwhelmed. I didn’t think my recipes and videos would go viral,” she says.
Haque is notably known for her comedic commentary in the videos – sometimes speaking to her husband, son, or sibling in the background – and other times telling stories about being young, or answering people’s questions about her life.
She also tells people to salt their food generously.
“I get a lot of nice and kind messages saying how strong I am, how open-minded and kind I am… and how my recipes help newlywed women to impress their mothers-in-law,” she says.
Her father is the owner of Star of India in Ferndale, who previously worked as a chef. She says she learned to cook from both parents.
Haque was born in Detroit and grew up near Nur Masjid off of Mound Road and Caniff. When she was five, her father moved the family to Bangladesh for three years to learn and experience the Bangladeshi culture – including learning how to read and write Bangla. Haque has two older brothers and two younger sisters.
“A big chunk of my childhood took place in Beani Bazar in Bangladesh… [in the Sylhet village of] Kasba,” she says.
While in Bangladesh, Haque would observe chefs, called baborsi, cooking for waaz, Islamic lectures at the mosque and melas, or bazaars. She watched everything from the butchering process to cooking the final product.
“During Ramadan, my mom and everyone would cook all these types of food. I would watch and help if they needed help,” she says, like peeling beans for dishes.
When she returned to the U.S. in 2005, she watched shows on Food Network – like Chopped – and began experimenting with cooking by the time she was 11-years-old. She says she grew up in a joint family with uncles and cousins.
Haque says she was known for her Eid dishes.
“People would come over just to try my dishes,” she says.
She also launched a page on Instagram @sharmineats, meaning Sharmin’s Kitchen, for those not on TikTok. Sharmin is short for Sharminara.
“Out of nowhere one of my recipes blew up to 300,000 views and likes. I was just posting for fun and for people to know Bangladeshi recipes,” she says.
After seeing how her content blew up, she says she became ambitious to spread awareness about Sylheti Bangladeshi dishes, like hokoin sheera, Bangladeshi dried seafood stew, and goru mangsho with shatkhora, beef curry with citrus macroptera, lime-like citrus.
Haque says she loves cooking and hopes to cater someday. For now, she’s posting videos 2-3 times a week.
“Even moms and dads, and uncles in Hamtramck are watching these videos,” she says.
Mughlai Paratha Recipe
This popular street food is something Sharminara Haque says she grew up eating in Bangladesh. She says the first time she had it is when her grandmother made it for her, who would make it once a week. She passed on the recipe to Haque and her mother.
Update: This story was updated on December 29, 2021, to reflect Sharminara Haque’s updated TikTok handle to @sharmineats.