With guest chefs, Fareena and Abders (my sister and brother-in-law) visiting from London, the first Khana Commune that took place last Thursday night, after a whole month’s break, was a blast to say the least. We had a spectacular menu of completely new dishes (and I say this because I only cooked one of them) made at the hands of almost all my family: myself, my mother, sister and brother-in-law! It was also in celebration of the end of Ramadan and the Eid feast…so of course, the menu had to be commemorative.
Piyajoo (onion fritters) (above) and Chola (chickpeas curry) below — are both items we Bengalis traditionally break our fast with.
Next, we served Haleem — another popular Ramadan dish. This dish is my favourite, warm, thick, and comforting, it is both a thick soup and a hearty lentil and lamb stew. We served it with a garnish of chopped onions, coriander, lime and ginger.
“Las Maas” — an opulently rich Rajasthani lamb curry made by my brother-in-law. Will be posting up pics of the cooking process on Facebook too!
Served with…..
Pomegranate ‘raita’ with a hint of mint — my first time making raita, a yogurt-based dip that helps to cool the fire and intensity of curry dishes like the Lal Maas.
my sister made her lovely spicy mango salad with mustard oil (creating a very unique Bengali taste…this is no Thai mango salad)
Begun bhartha (aubergine mash) — this was a surprising hit. I don’t actually like aubergine myself, but my family love it. This is a very traditional way of making it with onions, coriander and mustard oil.
We served dessert finally, a dish called Semai, a sort of sweet milky vermicelli — which I seem to have forgotten photographs of!
Qish coffee husks boiling with spices
The night ended off with some Yemeni Qishr coffee brewed by my brother-in-law.
Big thanks to my sister and brother-in-law for being a vital part of this homecoming dinner. They are hoping to start a semi-regular London edition of Khana Commune, and having shared two communes with them, I know ‘Khana Commune: LONDON’ is going to be rockin’ Whitechapel once it starts.
And of course, thanks to my lovely guests for being a part of such a magical night. We are planning our next dinner on September 1st, so visit http://www.apesnap.com/org/khanacommune to book your tickets now.
Please publish a recipe book – because I’d definitely be the first in line to buy it!!!