Tasnim's Home Kitchen

Bashabo

Tasnim grew up in Cox's Bazar, where the beach meets the kitchen and seafood is not a luxury — it is breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Her mother could prepare a whole pomfret in fourteen different ways, and Tasnim inherited every one of those recipes along with an instinct for balancing coconut milk with the fierce heat of Chittagonian chilies. In Bashabo, Tasnim focuses on the lighter side of Chittagonian cooking — the coconut-based curries, the steamed fish preparations, and the delicate prawn dishes that the coast is known for. Her coconut prawn curry, made with fresh prawns from Teknaf and hand-extracted coconut milk, is the dish that built her reputation. She also makes a grilled pomfret marinated in green chili and garlic paste that her regulars call the best fish in Dhaka. Tasnim takes only fifteen orders per day to maintain quality. She says when a kitchen tries to feed everyone, it feeds no one properly.

Signature dish: Coconut Prawn Curry (Teknaf-style)