Saleha’s

Some dishes we will enjoy
on the farm

Much of what we eat at Saleha’s comes from the farm and surrounding village, from fish pulled fresh from our ponds and vegetables harvested from the fields to eggs, poultry, and livestock raised nearby.

A table of biryani, fried eggplant, boiled eggs, curry and tomato salad
A cook in an apron lifting the lid off a pot of curry
Three whole tilapia, scored and stuffed with garlic, in a spice paste

Whole tilapia tilapia

Whole tilapia are scored, stuffed with cloves of garlic, and coated in a spice paste before cooking over an open fire.

Bowls of curry set out for the mezban

Mezban: A Traditional Chittagong Feast

Mezban is a centuries-old communal feast rooted in the traditions of Chittagong, bringing together entire villages over a shared meal. At its heart is beef, prepared in enormous pots over wood fires and served alongside steaming white rice. The preparation begins the night before, when a cow is slaughtered according to halal practice and butchered before the cooking begins, continuing through the night so the feast is ready by midmorning.

As part of this experience, you’ll have the option to witness the halal slaughter the night before the mezban.

This is entirely optional, but it offers a glimpse into a longstanding village tradition and an opportunity to better understand the journey from farm to table, and the care and cultural significance behind a meal shared by an entire community.

Stirring a steaming pot of rice over the fire
Pieces of fish rubbed with turmeric in a red bowl
Open sacks of lentils, chickpeas and turmeric at a market stall
Crimped fried pastries on a plate
Rice tipped from a pot into bamboo baskets for the mezban
Green papaya salad with tomato in a white bowl
A paratha maker at his table, with diners behind him
A fruit seller beneath hanging bunches of grapes
Singara broken open on a blue and white plate

Singara shingara

Singara are crisp, golden pastries filled with potatoes, onions, and fragrant spices. During Ramadan, they are a favorite at iftar, the evening meal that breaks the fast, often enjoyed alongside piaju (lentil fritters) and dates. Throughout the rest of the year, they are a popular afternoon snack best enjoyed with a cup of tea.

Men drawing a net through the pond on a misty morning
Dough rolled out beside the clay oven

Paratha tandoor paratha

Each morning, paratha and roti are rolled by hand and baked in the clay oven, served fresh and warm alongside omelets, vegetables, and tea. During our visit to Dadu in the neighboring village, we will be treated to her homemade roti, a special part of breakfast at her home.

Fish cooking with tomatoes in a pot

Rohu carp curry rui maach

Rui is a type of carp raised in the farm’s own ponds. Seasoned with turmeric and salt, the fish is first fried, then simmered in a gravy of onions, tomatoes, and green chilies. A staple of Bangladesh home cooking, it’s typically enjoyed with rice.

A boy tending a wood fire under a stack of pots at night
Steaming pots beside a haystack on the day of the mezban
Family and guests eating together at a long table
A woman scaling a fish with a curved blade
Pastries frying in a wok over a wood fire
Eggplant bhorta on a white plate

Eggplant bhorta begun bhorta

Bhorta is made by mashing vegetables, fish, or lentils with mustard oil, raw onions, and green chilies. For eggplant bhorta, the eggplant is first roasted over an open flame, providing a rich, smoky flavor.

An omelet frying in a black pan
A steaming pot over the fire at night, lit by a headlamp
A bowl of salad with coriander
Slices of fried eggplant on a plate
A fruit stall stacked with oranges and apples
Crab curry with coriander, beside fried rice and curry
A man casting a net over the pond
A cook laughing beside his frying wok
Beef curry stirred in a pot over the fire
A woven basket full of fish from the pond
Biryani in a large pot
A long table set with plates and dishes, seen from above
A carp held up beside the pond
A paratha in a white bowl
A white bowl of thin yellow dal with split green chilies and herbs

Dal daal

A thin, golden lentil dal with split green chilies and fresh herbs.

Pots cooking over wood fires under the trees
Family preparing onions and spices on the veranda floor
Two women preparing garlic and ginger for the mezban
Radishes, beans and greens in crates at the market
Bread baking inside the clay oven
A helper carrying bowls of rice up the drive
Paratha rolled out on a board in the kitchen
An omelet on a plate

Omelets

A breakfast staple, these omelets are made with eggs, onions, green chilies, and fresh coriander, then fried in mustard oil for a distinctive, savory flavor. They are served hot alongside freshly made paratha.

What else you might find on the table

  • Rohu carp curryrui maach
  • Catla carp currykatal maach
  • Fried tilapiatilapia bhaja
  • Ilish in mustardshorshe ilish
  • Prawn currychingri
  • Dried fish bhortashutki bhorta
  • Pomfret, when the market has itrupchanda
  • Chicken currymurgir jhol
  • Mezban beefmezbani gosht
  • Goat currykhashir mangsho
  • Biryani
  • Eggplant bhortabegun bhorta
  • Papaya salad
  • Spiced potato pastriesshingara
  • Lentil and onion fritterspiyaju
  • Chickpeas and puffed riceboot piaju, muri
  • Paratha from the clay oventandoor paratha
  • Omelets
  • Lemongrass tea
  • Green mango juice
  • Sweetsmishti
Men peeling a basket of red onions for the mezban
A village market street with vegetable stalls
Men hauling a net through the pond
Eggplant, tomatoes and carrots in a bowl
Dough balls and rolled bread on a floured board
A man carrying a pot on his shoulder past a steaming fire
Curry served into bowls from the big pots
Buying vegetables at the market
A home lunch of fish curries, dal and rice, seen from above
A bag of green mangoes
Fish in green woven baskets at a market
A large pot stirred over a wood fire
Carrying a basket of fish up the pond steps
A woman cooking at the clay stove
A plate of singara
Onions, ginger and vegetables set out before cooking
A man carrying a fish basket on a pole