Festival of the Sacrifice
“On the holiday, we eat meat,” says Tazul Islam, Bangladesh-born owner of Surmagate restaurant in Sherman Oaks. “You pass it around. I give some to my friend, he gives some to me.”
Tazul is referring to the Festival of the Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha), also known as the Pilgrimage Festival (Eid al-Hijja), which falls on Sunday this year. The names refer to the culminating event of the Mecca pilgrimage, when the pilgrims sacrifice a sheep or other animal to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son at God’s command. Muslims everywhere in the world--including the 6 million Muslims in this country--are expected to do the same (in practice, most buy the meat from a butcher) and share it, particularly with the poor.
The food of Bangladesh uses much the same ingredients and cooking techniques as Indian cuisine. It has a distinct preference for mustard and mustard oil, and Bangladeshis are great fish-eaters.
“We eat fish curry 365 days a year,” Tazul says, “and fish kebab, even fish kofta [meatballs].”
But particularly on the Festival of the Sacrifice, Bangladeshi food looks quite un-Indian, not least because of the centrality of meat. “The preferred meat is beef,” Tazul says, “or if you can’t afford that, goat. Some people can only afford to sacrifice a chicken.”
Tazul presents a sample Bangladeshi menu for the festival: a dry beef curry (bhuna gosht), fried in Bangladesh’s beloved mustard oil, and a fish curry (mach bhuna); a plain basmati rice pilaf with some of the grains brightly dyed with saffron; a relish of chopped tomatoes and onions, and Indian pickles.
If you can afford it, of course, you can throw in more dishes, as he does: biryani (meat and rice flavored with cinnamon, coriander, clove and cardamom) and samosas. Tazul also serves tandoori bread, which is not really characteristic of Bangladesh, where the diet is based on rice, rather than wheat.
“We get up at 8 a.m. and go to morning prayer,” he says. “The rest of the day we cook and eat and visit our friends’ houses. We cook dry beef curry and for extra luxury also maybe fish curry. The following day, the leftover meat goes into samosas.
“But on the Festival, very little vegetable is eaten.”
DRY STEWED BEEF CURRY (Bhuna Gosht)
Unlike the usual curry, which is stewed in a spicy sauce, a bhuna is sauteed with no added liquid. This gives it a concentrated flavor, but it means it’s worth uncovering the dish and stirring it two or three times during cooking to make sure no scorching develops.
1 1/2 onions
4 cloves garlic
1 (1-inch piece) ginger root, peeled
1 tablespoon mustard oil
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon crushed black pepper
1 pound beef or lamb, chopped into stew-size pieces
1 teaspoon salt
2 tomatoes, chopped
Mince onion, garlic and peeled ginger. Fry in mustard oil over low heat until onion is light brown. Add tamarind, coriander, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and pepper. Cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add meat and salt, cover and cook until done, about 30 minutes.
Add tomatoes and cook to taste, 10 to 15 minutes, uncovered. Serve with Saffron Pilao.
Makes 4 servings.
Each serving contains about:
186 calories; 644 mg sodium; 46 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 20 grams protein; 0.91 gram fiber.
DRY STEWED FISH CURRY (Mach Bhuna)
1 1/2 onions
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon mustard oil
1 teaspoon tamarind paste
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 pound fish, such as salmon or white-fleshed variety
1/2 teaspoon salt
Water
Mince onion and garlic. Fry in mustard oil until medium brown. Add tamarind, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, coconut, sugar and lemon juice; cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add fish and salt and cook, covered, until done, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove cover and add enough water to make gravy. Serve with Saffron Pilao.
Makes 4 servings.
Each serving contains about:
172 calories; 364 mg sodium; 34 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 20 grams protein; 0.86 gram fiber.
SAFFRON PILAO
2 1/2 cups rice
Water
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground saffron or few threads saffron, crushed
Wash rice thoroughly in 3 to 4 changes lukewarm water. Drain.
Put 2 quarts fresh water and salt in large pot and bring to boil. Add rice and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally to keep grains from clumping, until rice is nearly done but still very slightly chewy.
Drain excess water. Reduce heat to very low. Cover pot with clean towel and set cover on top of towel. Steam 30 minutes. Remove from heat.
Dissolve saffron in 2 teaspoons water. Before serving, remove 1/2 cup cooked rice and mix with saffron to color. Toss colored grains with pilaf.
Makes 4 servings.
Each serving contains about:
361 calories; 1,180 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 79 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0 fiber.