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Dhaka Day by Day

A Master Cook in Her Own Right

by Raffat Binte Rashid
Masala dosa. idli sambar. chicken stew, baked potatoes, piasam. coconut ladoo. kulfl — a whole range of delicacies. The mere mention of them Is tempting for some, while others experience a nostalgic detour In the past. But there Is hardly any way of practically enjoying the taste of these dishes in Dhaka. But this may no longer be the case. For Jainab Mueen. a south Indian by birth, comes to your aid. She Is offering you an opportunity to actually try these dishes in your own kitchen. How about that?
Mueen's father settled In Dhaka In the fifties when she was . still a child. Brought I up In Bangladesh Mueen mastered the, cooking styles of I both the countries I But It was only after her n^arriage that she began to show any interest In her culinary speciality. I was never Interested in my mother's kitchen. cooking was her business." she recalls sweetly.
As her husband was a connoisseur in the delicacies of the table, -she had to go through her mother's recipe books and other books as well, for his sake at least. It was at these times that she attended fnany cooking classes and ultimately decided to start her own courses. "I started this | course in '91 when my youngest son left for the States. Just to occupy my time. 1 arranged this lesson of 30 exclusive South Indian dishes for a maximum of ten students at a time, in my own kitchen." Mueen explains.
This month-long course is only for ladies for a fee of Tk 1500. Her students are mostly from Zonta Club, the Agakhani community, from Pakistan embassy. "I also had a Swiss student who was in Madras for a year, she was very keen and learned very rapidly." she evaluates one of her best students. Her classes which are held In a homely atmosphere are liked by all her students. "They specially like my spick and span kitchen and the utensils I use. My kitchen is my favourite place in my home." she says.
She fs also nto catering services. "If anyone asks for any dish I prepare it for them, but when it comes to masala dosa. which is a hot favourite here. I cannot supply a fully prepared dish, because If you do it beforehand. It tends to become soggy, it should be eaten hot and instantly." she,explains.
Her dosa, vaHapam (hopper). idU sambar are the only dishes that need an overnight fermentation.'otherwise all the Items can be com
pleted within hours. Idli. which resembles our vapa pitha in shape is actually filled with dal (pulse) and vegetables and hopper is like rolls served with curries, either of fish or mutton, her rice purls are stuffed with chicken of beef as you like it. She also has a sponge cake. South Indian style, called pola. Besides, her regular beef, chicken, prawn, fish curries and stews, her course includes desserts like pi-asam. made with dal (pulse), egg jelabi. coconut ladoo and few achars (pickles) and chut-nles. made from dales nncf coconuts.
"These dishes tn South India are preferably made ip coconut oil but 1 use soyabean oil. As is the tradition In my part of the world we use coconut, either in grated, grinded or liquid (milk), from, In most of the items" she points out, while at the same time gives tips to a better health. "Coconut Is rich In cholesterol, to reduce its level and . balance the diet, we have garlic and tamarinds chutnles In almost every meal." she says with a confident smile. South Indians also use mustards (the granules). All her ingredients used for these dishes are available in local markets and bazars.
Jainab Mueen is originally from Kerala and speaks Malyalm at her home, but her fluent Bangla and friendly nature won her . students. So far she trained 11 batches of enthusiastic cooks, but interestingly she herself received no such formal training.
But Mueen's teachers — her mother.- the recipe books and the magazines, prove their worth, when you see her standing in her stalls, at almost all WVA and Gulshan Ladies Club meene bazars "I have been hiring stalls in these mecna bazars for the past ten years. They have always been a success and my dosas were the most wanted number on the menu chart." she reports happily. "My mother Is undoubtedly the Mst cook in the world, I love all her dishes," says her daughter, who prefers tasting them to making them though.
But certainly if you have a mother from South India and if she-is a good chef, it's only ’ natural that you'll exploit her talents and Jainab Mueen loves such sweet demands.
Mueerfs hobbles are cooking and reading. Married at the age of 17. she has now become a master cook. But of course, as the saying goes, seeing IS believing', of will It be tasting is believing'! I^t's settle for 'learning' In this case.