Busy time for cooks at Rashtrapati Bhavan
Cooks at the Rashtrapati Bhavans kitchen in New Delhi are having a hectic time. They are busy preparing food for the visiting Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina. Indian newspaper Anandabazar Patrika has reported that the food for Sheikh Hasina is being prepared at the family kitchen of Rashtrapati Bhavan. There are six kitchens at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The food at the family kitchen is prepared only for the Indian presidents family, close relatives and friends.
The current president, Pranab Mukherjee, is a very close friend of Sheikh Hasina. She calls him her kaku (uncle). The president himself has directed the kitchen officials to prepare Hasinas favourite food. This is Sheikh Hasinas first visit to the Rashtrapati Bhavan during Mukherjees tenure as President. She has visited Mukherjees (while he was minister of finance, defence and external affairs) other houses many times in the past.
Anandabazar Patrika reported that there were 32 chefs in the kitchen of Rashtrapati Bhavan and they have begun the preparation over the past week.
The Indian president, who hails from West Bengal, wanted to treat Hasina to hilsa fish, but the kitchen officials could not find large hilsa at this time of the year. They will prepare bhetki paturi, prawn malaikari and large chitol er peti (chitol fishs belly). For dessert, Sheikh Hasina will be treated with special raajbhog. The raajbhog will be brought from sweet-makers of West Bengal. The kitchen officials are also getting ready to treat Sheikh Hasina with Mughlai dishes. Mughlai dishes like raisana kofta, murg darbari and gosto yakhani are delicacies of Delhi. Sheikh Hasina will stay at the Rashtrapati Bhavan for three days. She will also attend dinners hosted by the Bangladeshi high commission in New Delhi and Hyderabad House, New Delhi.
