What is your favourite food?
It has to be kacchi biryani, the kind where the mutton and rice are cooked together slowly in one big pot. I mostly have it at weddings or on special occasions, which probably makes it taste even better. A plate of fuchka from a street stall comes a close second, though.
Did you eat different food when you were younger?
Yes, quite different. As a child I was a very fussy eater and lived on plain rice, dal and fried eggs. I refused to touch bitter gourd or most fish because of the bones. Now I'll eat almost anything, and funnily enough, shutki, which is dried fish, has become one of my favourites.
Do you prefer eating at home or eating out?
Eating at home, most of the time. My mother is a brilliant cook, and home-cooked food is lighter and far less oily than what you get in most restaurants. That said, I really look forward to going out with friends once a month or so, usually to try some new burger place in Dhanmondi.
Can you cook? Who taught you?
I can manage the basics, like rice, dal, an omelette and a simple chicken curry. My mother taught me, mainly during the pandemic when we were all stuck at home and she decided I'd run out of excuses. I still call her into the kitchen halfway through, though, to ask how much turmeric to add.
How often do you cook for yourself or your family?
Not as often as I should, honestly. During term time I'm hardly ever home before evening, so my mother does most of the cooking. On Fridays, though, I make breakfast for everyone, usually parathas and egg bhaji, and on rainy afternoons I'll sometimes fry a batch of piyaju, those crispy lentil fritters.
Is there a dish you would like to learn how to make?
I'd really like to learn my grandmother's beef kala bhuna. It's a very dark, slow-cooked dish from Chittagong, and hers is incredible because she roasts her own spices. The trouble is she never measures anything, so I'll probably have to stand next to her and write down every step.
Sample answers written by Abroadway as models of natural, high-band speaking (not official IELTS samples).
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