APPETITE by P. Paramita is described as “prep-cook grind meets pro wrestling fandom meets an extremely online almost-situationship that spirals fast.” And when P suggesting sharing some recipes inspired by the book I could not resist! I mean… APPETITE, c’mon!
What would YOU cook for your situationship? Do you have a questionable celebrity friend? P. is here for you.
Bangladeshi food is an underrated cuisine in the grand scheme of the gastronomical world. However, anyone who has tried Bangladeshi food will tell you that the dishes from the country are some of the most memorable flavor bombs they’ve ever had. When I started writing my debut novel, Appetite, I knew I wanted the main character, Zarina, to be a chef because I wanted to spread the good word of Bangladeshi food. You might be wondering what makes it special or different from other South Asian cuisines. What separates Bangladeshi food is its heavy reliance on freshwater fish, rice, and mustard oil, alongside dinner tables regularly featuring beef. (Sidenote: If you haven’t heard of mustard oil, run don’t walk to your nearest South Asian grocery store and grab a bottle. It will change your life—and the life of the person you’re cooking for.)
In the novel, Zarina also gets sucked into the world of professional wrestling and her parasocial relationship with her favorite wrestler becomes very real, and very confusing. Speaking of, if you’re trying to have a dinner party for friends you want to impress, or you have an ambiguous friendship-situationship-hardtolabelship that you want to take to the next level, Bangladeshi food can be a welcome surprise. The combination of ingredients, whether fish, vegetables, or meat, alongside the classic spices and the occasional coconut milk or mustard oil creates mouthwatering delicacies. So take a look below and get cooking!
ALOO BHORTA
(Savory Mashed Potatoes)
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
6 russet potatoes
One large red onion
3-4 dried red chilies
4 cloves of garlic
2-3 green chilis (thai chili pepper)
Ghee to your liking
Mustard oil
Directions:
Peel and boil potatoes
While the potatoes are boiling, chop the red onion and fry them in mustard oil along with chopped garlic & dried red chilis
When the potatoes are done, cool them, and then mix in the fried onion/garlic/chili mixture along with more mustard oil and ghee. You can use a masher, but Bengalis use their hands to mix it with love. To quote Appetite, “The mashed potatoes can reach optimum deliciousness only if the love is transferred directly from the chef’s hands.”
Add in chopped green chilis
Add salt to taste
Serve with warm rice. Ideally with daal, ghee, and an omelet
GORU BHUNA
(slow-cooked beef curry)
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
2 lbs Beef chuck/stew meat
4 tbsp garlic & ginger paste (you can get this in any South Asian grocery store)
3 cardamom pods
3 cloves
3 bay leaves
1 large cinnamon stick
1 tbsp chili powder (less if you like it less spicy)
1/2 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
salt (to your liking)
1/2 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp oil
1 whole onion
1 tsp garam masala powder
Optional green chilis (Thai chili pepper)
Directions
Marinate the beef in all the ingredients (except the onions & garam masala powder) for 4-6 hours in the fridge. Mix them all really well together so the spices all coat the meat.
Chop the whole onion into thin medium slices. In a pot with depth, add the onions in 1/2 cup oil, until it starts to show hints of brown. Add the marinated meat. Add 1/2 cup water. Stir for 2-3 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup more water and stir for 2 more minutes. Cover with a lid and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes (come check and stir once after 7ish minutes so that the meat doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan, keep adding a little bit of water as it evaporates).
After 20 minutes, the oil should start to separate from the meat. Add 1 cup of water (depends on how much you like sauce, it might seem soup-y now but it will evaporate). At this point check salt, if you think you need more add more. Once the water starts boiling, cover the pot, turn the heat to low (could be one above where it says low on the stove) and cook for 1-2 hours. The longer you cook the meat, the more flavors you pack in.
Check in to stir every 20 minutes, adding water as needed. After 40 minutes, take the lid off, add a few drops of garam masala powder. Throw in a few green chilis for additional heat.
Cook for 5 more minutes on low and serve.
SALMON COCONUT CURRY
Serves 4
Ingredients
Salmon:
2 Salmon fillets (I like skin on, but if you prefer skinless, that also works)
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Curry:
1 can Coconut milk
4 clovesGarlic
Chili powder - to your liking of spice
2-3 tsp Ginger powder
1 tsp Paprika
½ tsp Tumeric -
½ tsp Cayenne
Chili flakes
Directions
Cut the salmon into small pieces/cubes. Cover in salt and pepper and fry on medium high heat in oil until the pieces are no longer pink on the outside. Put the salmon aside.
In the same pan, saute chopped garlic. Add the can of coconut milk (less than the full can if you’d like it less saucy), chili powder, ginger powder (I love adding many sprinkles of this), paprika, turmeric, and cayenne.
Once the sauce has achieved your desired level of thickness, add the salmon back in and turn the heat down to medium low.
Simmer the salmon in the sauce. Add more salt and pepper if necessary. Finish with chili flakes.
P. Paramita is a Bangladesh-born, New Haven-based writer, professor, and pop culture enthusiast. Paramita’s work has appeared in Teen Vogue, them, Color Bloq, Autostraddle, Southampton Review, and Dogwood Journal, where she was a finalist for the Dogwood Literary Award in Nonfiction.
