The Recipe Never Gets Old

Duck Egg Omelette, Biryani, and Bhorta in Dhaka’s Historic Quarter

- Reema Islam

My dada bari, or paternal grandfather’s house, still stands on a corner of Taher Bagh Lane in Kaptan Bazaar in the old city of Puran Dhaka. My family was based in Libya when I was young, but we visited annually. I have a dominant memory from that time, which is waking up to the distinctly unfamiliar sounds of women shouting orders to servants, a cacophony of crows, and the ringing of rickshaw bells.

Mornings also meant decadent breakfasts of parathas and tiny omelettes made of duck eggs; mishti doi or sweet yoghurt with bakarkhani bread, and achars that my elder sister would sneak out of our home and buy for me. There was however, no sneaking around for the resident monkeys, who would calmly walk into homes, grab the largest bunch of bananas, and walk out with equal composure.

Puran Dhaka was always redolent with the smells of decay and crumbling, with greying walls and red floors. Beneath the layers of grime and dirt, however, were tales of foreign invasions, revolution, famine, floods and earthquakes. Once brightened by dhak—the flame of the forest trees, which possibly gave it its name—the city emerged during the rule of Sher Shah Suri in the 16th century and grew during the Mughal era.

With Buriganga River serving as its lifeline, Dhaka grew around factories or kuthis, churches and schools. Now over 400 years old, the old city is still the busiest part of this capital of 15 million people. Its chaotic streets are also the setting for an exciting culinary journey.

BIRYANI FOR BREAKFAST