This week, we speak to Tas about finding a home in Bangla Town coming from Bangladesh, her first trip to Sainsbury’s and her delicious Tuna Kebab recipe.
At just 20 years old, Tas left Dhaka, Bangladesh and moved to a foreign country.
“When I first moved to the UK from Bangladesh, it felt claustrophobic. I lived in Southend. There's not really a Bangladeshi community there, so I had no one to speak Bengali with. I didn't understand the English-Southern accent either. There was no one to have a real conversation with.”
She thought the food would comfort her but she struggled to get ingredients she was familiar with.
“I remember my first trip to Sainsbury’s when I moved to the UK. Most vegetables are different from the ones my mum used back home. So getting the right ingredients for Bangladeshi recipes was quite hard.”
The closest thing Tas could find in Southend was a Pakistani shop, but the ingredients aren’t the same.
“Bangladeshi people are fish eaters and Pakistanis are more meat-eaters, so there weren’t that many ingredients in common. Sometimes, I’d ask him for specific types of fish or ingredients. He’d buy them just for me in London.”
After 6 months in Southend, Tas moved to London and had a huge surprise.
“One day, I bumped into a classmate from Dhaka in front of my local grocery store. I heard she got married to someone and was living in London. Bumping into her made a big difference in my life because I could really connect with her.”
Tas’s friend told her about Bangla Town and she started to feel at home.
“My friend told me about Brick Lane. Now I always do my shopping there: the products are fresh and I feel at home.”
“When I first moved, I had no one from my culture to talk and relate to, I felt very homesick. The community in Bangla Town is precious. Even though new generations are relocating to new areas, having a community to go back to and connect with is important. It helped me a lot to get adjusted to my new life in the UK."
Tas shares her journey from Bangladesh to Bangla Town through the food she makes. Her recipes are a unique blend of nostalgia and modernity; as she tries to balance the palettes of her London-born kids with her desire to preserve familial recipes.
“Going to Brick Lane is like going home. The relationship you have with your trusted shop owner, the voices of the people, the smell of curry when you walk past the residential area. Everything is like Dhaka.”
Tas’ Recommendations
Beyond going to Bangla Town, Tas shares 3 things that remind her of home:
To listen: Gazals by Kaji Nazrul Islam - he's our National Poet
To watch: Raj Mahal - the film my Dad worked on
To read: Deyal by Humayun Ahmed - my favourite Bangladeshi Novelist
Tas’ Tuna Kebab Recipe
"When I first moved to the UK, my mum would send me her recipes by post. Back then, there was no internet and phone calls were expensive."
Ingredients: (serves 4):
2 cans Tuna
1 Egg
½ cup Cornflour
1 ½ cup Finely Chopped White Onion
1 tbsp Chopped Coriander
2 tsp Chopped Green Chili
2 tsp Ginger Paste
1 ½ tsp Garlic Paste
1 tsp Garam Masala ( ready-made can be used)
1 ½ tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Coriander Powder
½ tsp Chili Powder
1 ½ tsp Salt
Steps:
In a small frying pan:
(1) Add 1/2 tbsp of oil and fry the white onion until soft.
(2) Add the ginger, garlic paste & all the dry spices.
(3) Cook for a minute or so.
(4) Leave to cool down.
In a mixing bowl:
(5) Add the tuna (breaking any lumps), the mashed potatoes, egg & fried onion mixture.
(6) Slowly add cornflour, depending on the consistency of the mixture. It should have a 'moldable' consistency.
(7) Put some oil on your palm and shape round and flat kebabs.
In a frying pan:
(8) Shallow fry until golden brown on both sides.
(9) Enjoy and tag us @joindiaspo