A Bangladeshi expatriate in Singapore, whose biryani is a big draw among gourmands daily, says he learnt cooking only by watching her mother back home. The Strait Times reported.

"I never asked anything, I learnt by only watching her cook. She used to say boys don't need to cook," says Bepar Sharief, who runs the successful biryani stall in Singapore.

"In Bangladesh boys don't cook, only housewives do," says Sharief, sitting in his small outlet "Biriyani 47" at Yishun Block 343 Avenue 11.

Hailing from Uttar Khamer village, around 60 kilometres from Dhaka, Sharief crows with delight that he longer feels like a foreigner in Singapore.

"Singapore has accepted me, I do not feel like a foreigner, I feel like a Singaporean," he says.

Sharief loves the way customers come up to him with words of praise for his preparations.

"In Bangladesh everyone cooks at home and we do not buy food. Most Singaporeans don't cook at home. People here normally buy food and appreciate it. Customers come up to me and compliment me for my food."

 It was eight years back that Sharief came to the sovereign port city. He started off by working in the construction sector.

Then he went back to Bangladesh and on his return, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) transferred him to Rubens Food Company.

"Ruben asked me what my skills were. I told him that I was good at cooking. Now I am a shareholder of his biriyani shop.

“I did not contribute any money to start it and now I am paying him back slowly. We started the biriyani shop. This is my life in Singapore now,” Sharief chuckles.

The day begins early for Sharif.

"I wake up every day at 5 am and reach shop at 6:30am. After that I cook for about three-four hours. I prepare chicken, mutton, fish and tofu.

“I finish cooking by 11:20am and prepare to set up the shop. The shop opens at 11:30am. By 3:30 pm, the biriyani is sold out," a proud Sharief told The Strait Times.

(SAM)