Born to famous parents, Fazlul Haq, a journalist and director, and Rabeya Khatun, a novelist, Ferdousi started her TV career back in 1984. She received the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards for her book,
'Sastho Sacheton Ranna.' Showtime recently sat with the culinary artist to learn her side of the stories behind the exciting recipes she comes up with on her TV shows.
When did you first start cooking?
I have been cooking since I was in class five. I used to help my parents while cooking, especially my father who has the talent to make any dish delicious. I ended up learning to cook various dishes during that period.
Do you think it’s important for parents to teach their children how to cook?
I think kids learn by example, so showing them that the kitchen isn’t a terrifying place should be taught from an early age. I love to teach others. If the government helps to run a project for teaching school kids how to prepare their breakfast, I will gladly work with them.
Do you think it is possible to learn the art of cooking by watching culinary TV shows?
Cooking isn't easy. In order to become a good cook, one has to possess certain skills like being economical, understanding different food types, measurement and finally, being organised.
Keka Ferdousi
How many culinary books have you written till date? Do any of the recipes have stories behind them? Could you tell us about one?
You'll find six culinary books of mine in bookstores and a lot of DVDs featuring my TV shows. It was my culinary TV shows which were recorded in the form of cassettes for the first time in the country. Most of the recipes in the books have a story or a memory behind it. When I lived abroad, I learned a lot of recipes from different cuisines of foreign lands. I've learned a lot form rural women in our country, too.
When was your first TV show aired?
In 1994, I cooked a mushroom recipe in Shykh Seraj's
Mati o Manush on BTV. Afterwards, I worked in various TV programs. I can remember some of them -- Monohor Ifftar, Amader Kotha, Desh Bidesh er Ranna and others.
Where do you find inspiration for new dishes? How do you deal with the backlash on your experiments?
I love to experiment without making the recipe difficult to follow. It’s funny because I think those who tend to have negative comments about my recipes, have never tried out the recipes at all. It does not concern me, I just like to ignore them. I think, these days, more people are willing to try out new recipes. New ingredients and innovative methods of cooking are being discovered every day. All I have to do is keep up.
How do you develop interesting recipes, do you test them on anyone?
When I am developing a new recipe, I tend to focus on the nutrition value of the food, the availability of ingredients and price. Whenever I develop one at home, I ask my family members to taste the dish. I know that they always provide an honest opinion on my experiments.
What is Keka Ferdousi's favourite dish?
I've tasted food from all around the world but I still prefer local dishes.