The never-ending love affair between Cooker’s-7 khichuri and Karwan Bazar office-goers

If you earn enough to order lunch from restaurants regularly, and your workplace is located someplace in Dhanmondi or Gulshan, then your options are limitless. But for those whose workplace is located in Karwan Bazaar, for many years, the options were very limited. Basically, you had to make do with different variations of rice, meat, vegetables and the occasional biryani and khichuri.

You would think it would get very monotonous after a while. Luckily, however, there was one small eatery tucked away in a corner of a building on the Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Cooker's-7. It has been around for 30 years now. Not only do they serve a range of items during lunch, their one item – the bhuna khichuri - was the stuff of legend. You could never tire of it.

If two people who worked at different offices at Karwan Bazar met for the first time, the conversation would eventually make its way to Cooker's-7 khichuri. If you've switched jobs and happened to drop by Karwan Bazar for some work, then you always make a quick stopover at Cooker's-7. 

"Every Monday, we colleagues used to have a feast in my previous work place and the entrée had to be from Cooker's-7," says Farhan, who worked at a software company located in Karwan Bazar.

"We started off swapping items each week. Some days it was bhuna khichuri, sometimes it was their Chinese set menu, on occasion the beef sandwich or cutlet. All of them were good. But more often than not, we settled for their beef khichuri. It was to die for," he adds. 

Like Farhan, every fan has a fond memory of Cooker's-7. In the last one decade or so, Dhaka's food scenario has witnessed the emergence of multinational cuisines and a mushrooming of restaurants of all tastes and colours. But Cooker's-7 always has a special space in people's hearts and stomachs. It has been their saviour during lunch time. 

During a recent conversation, Mohammed Kamal Uddin, the owner of Cooker's-7, shared how the place still manages to hold its charm. 
 

From snacks to fresh food

"I started Cooker's-7 in 1991.  At the beginning it was a snack shop where we used to serve club sandwiches, chicken cutlets and burgers. Later, I installed a fully equipped kitchen to serve fresh foods as the demand for full meals during lunch hour started to increase," said Kamal.

He said the nature of the locality prompted him to bring the change. Karwan Bazar being one of the busiest commercial districts has a lot of office goers who require a meal during daytime. "To cater to their needs, we incorporated Khichuri and fried rice in our menu. They became very popular in no time."

Cooker's-7 also introduced a quirk which they call lump sum. It is a combination of noodles, khichuri, fried rice, shrimp, beef and chicken with some vegetables. 

"Soon after the launch, lump sum became a hot favourite. It still retains its popularity among the customer base," said Kamal 

After their success with freshly cooked food, Cooker's-7 introduced two types of lunch box. "The set menu that is popular to you these days was presented earlier to you in the name of lunch box. One portion of fried rice, two pieces of fried chicken and Chinese vegetables were in the box. The other type had two pieces of shrimp in it with the aforementioned item." 

"Those were no 31 and 32 items on the menu. The items became so popular that 31 and 32 became their identity." Kamal added.

Khichuri—the best seller 

While set menus consist of a major share of Cooker's-7's sales, its Khichuri is probably the most famous dish. Cooker's-7 serves one of the best khichuris in town.

A regular restaurant usually cooks the khichuri where rice, lentil and meat are cooked together. But this is where Cooker's-7 stands out. Their specialty is the thick bed of meat and gravy, spread on top of a layer of khichuri. Then it is concealed with another layer of khichuri. When you take the first spoon in your mouth, you will revel in the spicy khichuri first, then come the juicy tender pieces of meat to complement your satisfaction. 

"We try to procure the finest quality meat for the khichuri. You will taste solid pieces of beef when you try it.  The beef is totally boneless and fat free. There usually remains only a 500 gram of meat from one kg beef when you separate bone and fat from it," Kamal told The Business Standard.

He said that their bhuna khichuri was a massive hit from the onset. "It was first named as Begum Bahar. I got the recipe from one of my chefs, Jyoti, who first introduced it. Jyoti could use any type of rice to cook it, but we decided to use the premium quality chinigura chaal which brings extra flavour and aroma to the dish. "

Kamal said they don't source rice from the same supplier for too long. "Here in Bangladesh, if you purchase from the same dealer, there will be a deterioration in the quality afterwards. Switching suppliers is my key to maintain the quality. Also, it creates competition among the traders and binds them to preserve excellence."

Kamal said they also use specific spices and three types of pulses for the khichuri. The meat is usually cooked the night before. "When you cook it a day earlier, it creates an aroma which is more delicious than cooking it instantly. When mixed with khichuri it thus enhances the taste," said Kamal.  

While beef bhuna khichuri remains their signature item, one can also go for their Ilish Khichuri. Their Ilish is thoroughly fried to give it a crunchy punch. Then it is garnished with fried onions and dried chilies. 

What's my favourite?

My favourite meal in Cookers-7 however is their nun roti and chicken jhal frezy. The jhal in the frezy does justice to the name. Small pieces of chicken fine-ly curried with mushroom, capsicum and onion create a sublime texture. With the triangle pieces of soft buttery nuns, jhal frezy and a little bit of raita is how I appease my gustation. 

"The story of bringing jhal frezi in the menu will fascinate you. Even though it's a dish mostly found in the subcontinental cuisine, the regular thick sauced jhal frezy could never attract me. Interestingly, I once tasted a similar dish in Australia and I liked it there. After that I introduced the dish in my menu with a little bit of twist."

"My recipe has lots and lots of capsicums. The exceptional flavor of capsicum is the game changer here. A handful of chunky onions combined with capsicums and mushrooms create a thick substance. This provides an intense taste to the chicken. The show stopper is the further added green chilies." 

Aside from jhal frezi, my other favourite is their lacchi.  I can assure you Cooker's-7 serves one of the best lachhis in town. 

Cooker's-7 uses pure handmade curds for their lacchi. The curd is blended with adequate sugar, a pinch of salt and drops of lemon. While served, a pinch of coriander powder is sprinkled on top. 

"I first got to experience this curd in India. Intensely whisking the milk with hand, they create a cream out of it. A tiny amount of sugar and salt is added to it. Fascinated by the concept,

I started making it here. You need full cream milk to make this curd; half milk cream won't do," Kamal said.