Gnocchi with Bengali Tomato Sauce
Fateha Khanom brought the flavors of her Bangladeshi heritage to MasterChef UK Season 20, competing in Heat 1's Back to Basics challenge. A 41-year-old IT teacher from Birmingham, Fateha's culinary journey began as a teenager learning Bengali curries from her mother. Her greatest inspiration was her late father, a chef who ran his own Indian restaurant in Wolverhampton for over 25 years with his famous tagline: 'nothing beats Bengali food.' Faced with gnocchi—an ingredient she'd never encountered—Fateha followed the instructions precisely while boldly transforming the dish with a tangy Bengali tomato sauce. John Torode praised her 'very good, light, fluffy gnocchi' and 'sweet, slightly sharp tomato sauce.' Gregg Wallace's observation that it 'tastes like a spicy tomato Italian sauce' inspired this enhanced version, which amplifies the Bengali identity through mustard oil, panch phoron, and traditional jhol-style brothy consistency. Chef's Notes: Addressing the Critique "Tastes like a…
Source: Relaxed Recipes
Ingredients
- Prepare the Gnocchi
- Preheat oven to 400°F . Pierce potatoes several times with a fork and bake direc
- Cut potatoes in half and scoop flesh immediately into a potato ricer or food mil
- Gather cooled potato into a mound on a clean work surface. Make a well in the ce
- Divide dough into 4 portions. Roll each portion into a ¾-inch rope on a lightly
- Prepare the Bengali Tomato Sauce
- Heat mustard oil in a large deep skillet or kadhai over medium-high heat. When t
- Add ginger and garlic, stirring constantly for 1 minute until golden and aromati
- Add chopped tomatoes, turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, and gochugaru. S
- Add sugar to balance the tomato's acidity , lemon juice for tanginess, salt to t
- Cook and Serve
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a gentle boil. Add gnocchi in batches
- Gently toss the cooked gnocchi in the Bengali tomato sauce over low heat for 1 m
- Drizzle each serving with a small amount of raw mustard oil , scatter with fresh