Mint Cucumber Salad

Here is the menu for the day’s event:

APPETIZERS

Mint Cucumber Salad
Roasted Peanuts, Fresh Coconut, Toasted Mustard-Cumin Vinaigrette
Based off the fresh, light cucumber salads, this dish combines the delicious savory spices of Bangladeshi cuisine with the earthy flavor of roasted peanuts and coconut.

Warm Spiced Chickpeas
Chopped Cilantro, Garlic Infused Yogurt, Crushed Puchka Shells, Tamarind Sauce
An upscale interpretation of the puchka – a staple of  Bangladeshi street food. The crunch of the shell, the tang of the yogurt, and the sweet of the tamarind sauce is played with in a healthy way in this course.

ENTRÈE

Grilled Rui Packet
Coconut Cilantro Chutney
This dish exemplifies the core values of Panigram Resort and Spa. Made from fresh ingredients that can be found at the site, the course is both light and sustainable.

Spiced Pumpkin Shobji
Cinnamon Clove-Infused Pumpkin
Shobji is a staple of  Bangladeshi cuisine, consumed at most meals. This classic dish was reinterpreted for a luxury audience, playing with the spices to add complexity and bring out the core flavors of pumpkin.

DESSERTS

Banana Cake
Warm Ghur, Diced Banana
Bananas are ubiquitous in Bangladesh and are used in both savory and sweet dishes.  The banana cake is a modern take on banana donuts, a common household snack. The dough is transformed into a fluffy cake, topped with ghur (date molasses), a preferred sweetener in Bangladesh.

Mishti Doi
Toasted Coconut
The earthy, nutty flavor of cocunuts is used to compliment the sweet creaminess of the traditional sweet yogurt.

Mango Slices
Red Chili Powder, Lime Juice, Rock Salt
Inspired by the mango trees on the site, this dish combines lime, chili, and salt to bring out other layers of flavor in the sweet fruit.

DRINKS

Mint Iced Tea
Mango Lemonade
Spiced Tea

Warm, Spiced Chickpeas with Yogurt Sauce

Grilled Rui Packet with Spiced Pumpkin Shobji

Banana Cake, Mishti Doi, Mango Slices

Pumpkin Spice Shobji

Delicious Pumpkin Spiced Shobji

As a rule, culinary artists rarely achieve perfection with recipes on the first attempt. Today, however, Janine hit the bull’s eye with her Pumpkin Spice Shobji. The simple taste of the pumpkin and the savory flavors of the shallots and garlic complemented the spicy harmony of cinnamon and clove.

“It’s the start of the monsoon season in Bangladesh, the harvest time for pumpkin,” explains Janine,  ”I believe that Panigram’s menu must embrace fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients, so pumpkin was a natural choice. The earthy textures and tones completment the spices and flavors of  Bangladeshi food. I played around with the traditional shobji recipe to make it lighter and healthier while still maintaining the complexity needed for a luxury menu item.”

Delicious with rice, Pumpkin Spice Shobji is a hit with all the interns. Chi Chi, Jonathon, and myself all give the dish a two thumbs up rating. Ever the perfectionist, Janine feels the dish needs a tad more fresh chili to add another dimension – and a little attitude – to the already flavorful dish.

Banana Cake

Moist Banana Cake with Cinnamon Honey

With one savory recipe under her belt, Janine next offered us her dessert: banana cake topped with cinnamon-infused honey. The spicy honey overwhelmed the mellow banana and vanilla flavors of the cake. Janine, recognizing this issue with the recipe, plans to replace the cinnamon honey with Bangladeshi ghur (molasses from date palms).

“I conceived the idea for my recipe after trying banana cake at our neighbor’s home,” continues Janine. “The dish I had was essentially a deep-fried banana dumpling; I tried to make the dessert lighter. Instead of using the ubiquitous deep fry method, I modified the recipe  to make an actual cake. Also, I believe the ghur will make the dessert more sophisticated while still maintaining its Bangladeshi origins.”

With two new recipes, Janine is ready to tackle other culinary challenges. This upcoming week she hopes to perfect a chilled yogurt soup, a steamed hilsha fish entrée, and coconut mishti doy (sweet yogurt). I look foward to sampling more of Janine’s delicious creations.