Naga wings? Yes, please!
Adding fire to the flame #ghostpepper #nagamorris #saanasta
While 2020 was a time for people to adjust to the new norms of doing things virtually, it was also an opportunity for many to pursue their passions from home. With more people at home, cooking and eating, small business owners like catering companies had a chance to experiment with homecooked foods that are not readily available at local restaurants. Such was the case for Sadya Chowdhury of Zafreen’s Kitchen, one of the newest entrepreneurs in Detroit’s food scene.
In this edition of Saa Nasta, I spoke to Chowdhury about what led her to begin her catering business, and how it has evolved over the past year. Chowdhury’s story is like that of many who, because of the pandemic, had an opportunity to finally pursue their dreams.
Hi, I am Nargis Rahman, a Bangladeshi journalist who’s been writing about Bangladeshi food culture since 2018. My stories have been featured in WDET 101.9 FM, Civil Eats, Eater Detroit, Feet in Two Worlds, Tostada Magazine, and more. Learn more at nargisthewriter.com.
With Saa Nasta I hope to bring you stories and recipes of Bangladeshi food and culture. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @thesaanasta. Email me your ideas at thesaanasta@gmail.com.
Share your stories using the hashtag #SaaNasta.
Pandemic closures inspire small business creation
Zafreen’s Kitchen catering Sylheti food with a twist
When the pandemic started Sadya Chowdhury lost her job at Greektown where she worked as a cashier. She stayed at home to care for her child and naturally, was cooking more.
“I just started working in September of 2019 and in March 2020 they shut down our hotel,” she said.
Meanwhile, a cousin who knew how much Chowdhury liked to cook asked if she could cook food for a friend who contracted the coronavirus. That became Chowdhury’s first customer, who she served solely for three months.
“I never thought I'd do food catering. I knew I wanted to do something with food,” she said.
During that time Chowdhury began taking pictures of the foods, custom and posting them to her Instagram page @ZafreensKitchen in March. Zafreen is her dhaknam, or nickname.
The page which now has more than 1,000 followers took off with the help of family and friends sharing and tagging her page of Sylheti Bangladeshi cuisine - from sweets like “egg pudding” or flan, to savory chicken roast served at special occasions and parties.
“The kitchen is my favorite part of my house,” she said.
Chowdhury was born in Bangladesh. She moved to the United States when she was 16-years-old, living in Maryland for five years, and then five years in Virginia before moving to Michigan in 2018 to live closer to her family.
She says growing up she always had a passion for food and cooking. That passion is something she carried with her throughout her life. But it never became anything more until this year.
“Since I moved from Bangladesh, for the last 13 years I worked in restaurants... everything was related to food. I am so satisfied with working with food.”
Sometimes people call her and make orders, saying they will come to pick up the order in 30 min. She has to correct them and tell them that, “that will take two days,” she laughs.
She says her chicken roast and naga wings are crowd favorites. During the winter holiday break, she made about 150 naga wings. One day she was cooking from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Chowdhury is working on using different ingredients and techniques to make healthier options while retaining or making richer flavors.
“I add things to my recipes and watch videos to improve myself. I am not perfect. I learn every single day. I like to mix things up,” she said.
For now, she takes pre-orders usually available for pickup in two days.
“One of my dreams is to have a restaurant to make authentic Sylheti food,” she said.
To learn more about Chowdhury, visit her Instagram page @zafreens_kitchen_or Facebook page. (P.S. She also began an online South Asian women’s clothing shop at Armario Collection.)
Flan: Bangladeshi pudding
Courtesy of Sadya Chowdhury
Flan or as Bangladeshis often call pudding is a popular dish served on both Eids, Muslim holidays, parties, and get-togethers. Chowdhury says it’s a dish people order often from her catering company Zafreen’s Kitchen.
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
6 egg
1 carnation milk
1 condensed milk
1 and 1/2 regular milk
1/3 vanilla extract
Method
Brown the sugar in a cooking dish until caramelized.
Mix the remainder of the ingredients.
Pour into the dish.
Bake it in the oven at 370 degrees for 50 mins.
Cool it down for 15 mins.
Then put it in the fridge for 4-5 hours.
Once it’s cold take it out. Loosen the edges and flip it over onto another dish or plate and serve.