By now I've already cooked a considerable number of countries, and that means I've equally already bought a considerable amount of spices and utensils. And while researching this week's dish, I realized that, precisely because of that, even though the list is a bit extensive, I only have to buy four of the ingredients on the list — and that makes my wallet breathe a sigh of relief for a moment. So without any further delay, let's start with this week's adventure: Bangladesh!

Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is the eighth-most populous country in the world and among the most densely populated, with a population of almost 176 million within an area of 148,460 sq km (57,320 sq mi).

Dhaka, the capital and largest city, is the nation's political, financial, and cultural centre.

The territory of modern Bangladesh was a stronghold of many Hindu and Buddhist dynasties in ancient history.

The Battle of Plassey in 1757 marked the beginning of British colonial rule for the following two centuries.

After a series of violent and tragic episodes for years, Bangladesh became a sovereign nation on 16 December 1971.

Nowadays, Bangladesh is a unitary parliamentary republic based on the Westminster system. It is a middle power with the second-largest economy in South Asia. Bangladesh is home to the fourth-largest Muslim population in the world. It maintains the third-largest military in South Asia and is the largest contributor to the peacekeeping operations of the United Nations.

It has one of the largest refugee populations in the world and continues to face various social challenges.

Bangladeshi cuisine, shaped by the nation's geographic location, climate, and history, is rich and diverse. The main dish is white rice, which, along with fish, forms the culinary base. Varieties of leafy vegetables, potatoes, gourds, and lentils (dal) also play an important role. Curries of beef, mutton, chicken, and duck are commonly consumed, along with multiple types of bhortas (mashed vegetables), bhajis (stir-fried vegetables), and tarkaris (curried vegetables).

Among the various spices used, turmeric, fenugreek, nigella, coriander, anise, cardamom, and chili powder are widely used.

This week I chose to prepare Beef Bhuna. It is a delicious, satisfying, and traditional Bangladeshi dish made with beef.

It is simple to prepare, with ingredients easy to procure, but at the same time it's rich in flavors and aromatic spices.

2 lbs (0.91 kg) beef chuck, cut into 1.5-inch cubes

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 large onions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon ginger paste

1 tablespoon garlic paste

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Salt to taste

2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

2–3 green chiles, slit

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)

1 cinnamon stick (2-inch piece)

4 green cardamom pods

4 whole cloves

One of the main ingredients of my last dish, from Bahrain, was Baharat, a mix of spices from the region. Well, this week something similar happens with garam masala.

Garam masala is an Indian spice blend. Garam means "hot" while masala means "spices," but it's not necessarily hot and spicy — the name refers to the warm flavors of its ingredients, such as cinnamon and cumin.

Same as Baharat, you can either buy it ready to use or prepare it yourself. And I think this is the better option since it is also easy to prepare.

There is no single definitive recipe for garam masala — there are unlimited versions since they change from region to region, chef to chef, and even from family to family, but after researching for a while, I chose this version:

Heat all the spices together until they release their aroma, then blend them together.

That's all!

I found bottles of garam masala available on Amazon with one-day delivery… but I opted to make my own, which makes it more authentic and personal — and one of the goals of this challenge is to prepare as much as I can from scratch.

And let me tell you… it's in these moments when I'd love to share not only my words and pictures, but also the amazing, mesmerizing smells in my kitchen.

1. In a large bowl, combine the beef cubes with Greek yogurt, ginger paste, garlic paste, ground cumin, ground coriander, Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric powder, ground black pepper, and salt.

2. Mix thoroughly to coat the beef evenly. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

3. Heat vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, green cardamom pods, and whole cloves. Sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.

4. Add the sliced onions to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until they turn deep golden brown. Adjust the heat as needed to avoid burning.

5. Add the marinated beef to the pot. Sear the beef on all sides for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat is browned and the spices are aromatic.

6. Add the chopped tomatoes and green chiles to the pot.

7. Cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring, until the tomatoes break down and the mixture thickens.

8. Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and let the beef simmer gently for 45–60 minutes, stirring every 10–15 minutes to prevent sticking. If the mixture becomes too dry, add a splash of water as needed.

9. Uncover the pot and increase the heat to medium-high. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the oil separates from the masala and the beef is coated in a thick, rich sauce. This bhuna process should take about 10–15 minutes.

10. Sprinkle garam masala over the beef and stir in the ghee. Cook for an additional 2–3 minutes to blend the flavors.

11. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.

12. Stir in chopped cilantro just before serving for a fresh finish.

After last week's not-so-amazing result, I'm so happy with this week's!

While cooking, my kitchen had a lot of different and strong smells due to the amount of spices this dish uses, so I was already expecting a spiced flavor — but when I tried it for the first time, I was still blown away.

It also amazed me how spicy it was and how that contributed to the final overall flavor.

I don't know what I was expecting since the ingredients call for two chiles, and when I was cutting them I realized they were super spicy. Because my girlfriend is not a huge fan of spicy food, I decided to use only one instead of two.

With the mix of spices and tomatoes I thought the spiciness would disappear — but it did not. However, I greatly enjoyed that it's not spicy for the sake of being spicy; it complements the flavor along with the rest of the spices, giving the dish a rich taste.

I really loved how this dish came out, both visually and in terms of taste — so much so that I'm actually very interested in trying it again, but prepared by a true Bangladeshi, so I can find out whether I nailed the taste and spices or what I missed. Hopefully someday not too far off.

Last week's dish also had a ton of spices, but as I already mentioned, it turned out not so great because of my rice… but with this week's, I was able to work again with so many different spices, some of them similar to what I used last week — and I loved the result so much that I now truly understand why, back in the 15th century, the Spice Trade became so important.

Back then, spices were used to add flavor not only to sauces but also to wines; they were even crystallized and eaten on their own as sweets.

In Mexico we also use a ton of spices. This dish actually reminded me a bit of the process of preparing Mole, a signature dish in Mexico that can sometimes have up to 100 ingredients. So I always took the use of spices for granted. But with this challenge I'm noticing that classic European dishes often use just salt and pepper, and that's it. And if I have a collection of spices and seeds, it's thanks to Arab and Asian dishes.

I'm not saying European dishes are bad — not at all. They're good and they reflect their culture. What I want to say is that spices can dramatically change a dish, and it is only now, when I'm closely working with so many of them, that I truly get why they were such a huge deal. So big, in fact, that they actually led to finding the route to our American continent ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I hope I'm managing to transmit the enthusiasm I have when cooking, tasting, and learning new stuff every week, because this challenge is making me so happy — I'm enjoying every part of it, and I have no plans to stop cooking anytime soon.

And that's a good thing, because coming up next: Barbados!