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‘Fish cooked until the bone melts’: Aberdeen kitchen takeover puts hidden Bangladeshi food in frame

Khalis Miah, left, and Tommy Miah are on a mission to raise the profile of Bangladesh.
Khalis Miah, left, and Tommy Miah are on a mission to raise the profile of Bangladesh.

Do you like Indian food? Are you sure?

There is a good chance the curries you love are cooked by chefs from Bangladesh, the often-overlooked South Asian country that has heavily influenced the Indian culinary scene in the UK for decades.

That’s the message from Bangladeshi food and culture ambassador Tommy Miah, who was in Aberdeen last week to launch a kitchen takeover at a city restaurant that aims to finally put Bangladeshi cooking on the map.

Khalis and Tommy have devised a very special menu for the event this month at Shahbaaz Tandoori.

It is a message he is delivering with passion and excitement.

“Ninety percent of so-called Indian restaurants in the UK are owned and managed by Bangladeshi,” says Tommy, who is on a global tour in his ambassadorial role on behalf of the Bangladeshi government.

“I want to show the whole culture, the history and especially the food. Not many people know what Bangladesh is all about.”

To educate Aberdeen, Tommy has linked up with the Miah family (no relation), who own Rose Street restaurant Shahbaaz Tandoori.

The menu will feature dishes such as Bangladeshi Haleem.

Brothers and co-owners Anis, Khalis and Jab have strong Bangladeshi connections through their family, and share in Tommy’s ambition to bring the country’s cooking to the fore.

They recently took over Shahbaaz Tandoori after leaving Union Square restaurant Riksha with a plan to lean more heavily on their Bangladeshi heritage in the kitchen.

And over two days on September 29 and 30, Shahbaaz Tandoori will host a festival of Bangladeshi culture and food inspired by a menu from Tommy and overseen by the restaurant’s head chef Khalis.

“What is happening is that Bangladesh is becoming more known,” says Khalis. The chef adds that while Aberdeen’s curry house scene was at one time 90% Bangladeshi, the past few years have seen a number of Nepalese-owned venues come in.

“We are trying to promote the Bangladeshi culture.”

What is on the menu at Aberdeen event to highlight Bangladeshi food?

The menu is a showcase of the best Bangladesh has to offer.

There is the traditional welcome drink of burhani, which manages to be both sweet, savoury and spicy all at the same time.

What about a tea-smoked chicken kebab that is glazed and served on a bed of rice? Or Bangladeshi Haleem, a slow-cooked stew soaked in spices.

Then there is Tommy’s favourite dish – the sorshe ilish fish cooked for 15 hours until its bones melt.

Sorshe ilish is Tommy’s favourite Bangladeshi dish – a fish cooked for 15 hours.

“That’s going to be one of the highlights of the menu,” Tommy says with clear relish.

The two-day event will link Aberdeen with Bangladeshi restaurants across the world that are also taking part in the promotion.

Tommy is visiting cities including Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Paris, Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei and Kolkata in India.

“We will have images around the place that explain Bangladeshi history, as well as music and classical dance,” Tommy explains.

“It’ll be a bit different from the usual.”

A burhani is a traditional welcome drink.

Shahbaaz Tandoori is accepting bookings for the food and culture event on September 29 and 30. Proceeds will go to charity.

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