NEW USE FOR CENTURY-OLD DRINK
Edinburgh
restaurateur and hotelier Tommy Miah has hit on an effective and money-saving
way to use a long-established healthy, energy-giving, drink used throughout his
Bangladesh
homeland and other countries in the sub-continent.
Rooh
Afza syrup, created in Delhi in1906
from a variety of natural ingredients, is now made by separate companies in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, where
it is a must-have standby product for millions. It can also be found in the
kitchens of virtually every Bangladeshi, Indian or Pakistani household in Britain.
It is particularly in demand during Ramadan, as its
energy-giving properties give an immediate boost when used to break the daily
fast.
With a million pound turnover, the Hamdard (Companion in
Pain ) Trust -- the sole producer whose profits are devoted to charitable an
community projects - faced Tommy Miah with a challenge to devise of using Rooh Afza other than just as a drink.
His long experience in the restaurant trade led straight to
cookery. The result is a new cook book of some 250 recipes, covering every
stage of a meal from a pre-dinner drink to a refreshing final cup of tea, all
of them using the syrup as an ingredient.
"It's quite simple," Tommy says. "Our ethnic cuisine draws heavily on recipes
involving sugars and spices and Rooh Afza just replaces or supplements them.
"It simplifies cooking in many ways - it's easier to blend in a liquid than a spoonful of sugar or
spice -- and it speeds up preparation and makes a subtle difference to the
taste."
Tommy put his ideas to the test with a full meal for a small
group of media friends at his Raj Restaurant.
Every item, ranging
from a welcoming Lassi drink, through kebabs, shashlik, lamb and chicken
curries, to banana fritters and masala tea, used Rooh Afza as an ingredient. The group was unanimous
in proclaiming the results a success.
The new bi-lingual
recipe book will be launched in Dhaka at Tommy Miah's huge International
Festival at the end of November.
t:0044 (0)131 554 9437 f: 0044
(0)131 555 3646 e-mail:
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