Bhabi Rashida's Hotel

Khilgaon

In Chittagong, a 'hotel' does not mean a place with beds — it means a place with food so good people travel for it. Rashida's father ran one such hotel in Pahartali, and she grew up stirring enormous pots of mezban beef over wood fires. The smell of that slow-cooked beef, rich with whole spices and onion paste reduced to near-nothing, is the smell of her childhood. Rashida brought that tradition to Khilgaon when she moved to Dhaka. Her mezban gorur mangsho uses a spice blend of 22 ingredients, ground fresh every week. The beef cooks for five hours minimum, until each piece falls apart at the breath of a fork. She serves it with plain white rice and a side of dal — because the beef needs no competition. Her kitchen also serves Chittagonian shutki bhorta made with loitta fish, and a prawn malai curry that uses coconut milk from freshly grated coconut, not the canned stuff. Rashida is blunt about her food: it is not pretty, it is not light, and it is not for anyone counting calories. It is Chittagong food. Take it or leave it.

Signature dish: Mezban Beef (22-spice wood-fire feast)