Episode 1 The Chronicles of Nadiya


Episode 1

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Transcript


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'I'm Nadiya Hussain.

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'Last year, I shocked myself, my family and the nation...'

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Oh, my God... I'd sooner have another baby!

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'..when my passion for baking took me all the way to the finals

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'of The Great British Bake Off.'

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The winner is Nadiya.

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CHEERING

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'The experience was life-changing.'

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I'm never going to say, "I don't think I can."

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I can and I will.

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'Now I'm going back to my roots...'

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This is like Bangladesh like I've never seen before.

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'..and I'm taking my love of food...'

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That is the best chanachur I've ever tasted.

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'..and cooking with me.'

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I'm on a moving boat cooking biryani.

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I didn't think I'd ever say that sentence ever in my life.

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'This is a journey that takes me home...'

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He's my favourite.

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'..to the people and places I've missed so much...'

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You're just like, "Oh, catch it!"

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Nothing like the wind in your hijab!

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'..and on an adventure I could never have imagined...'

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Love the lead singer.

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The lead singer sounds great.

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'..through a country I've never explored.'

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I'm feeling a little bit old, as a 30-something-year-old

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with three children. I don't feel like I fit in.

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I feel like a grandfather here. Yeah!

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David Attenborough, eat your heart out,

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because this is the thing of dreams.

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I was born and grew up in Luton,

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where my family were part of a big Bangladeshi Muslim community.

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I think, growing up,

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my dad always raised us to be really proud of our Bangladeshi heritage.

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You know, we had to learn our grandparents' names.

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We had to know the full address of our village in Bangladesh,

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so if anybody asked, we knew.

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As children, my parents took us to Bangladesh almost every year,

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but the last time I was there was to marry my husband Abdal

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over ten years ago.

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Where's Bangladesh? Well, firstly, hold on... It's near India.

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Yeah, but where's England? Where's England?

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Everyone knows where England is. Do they?

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I think I feel very British and sometimes I feel like...

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..I don't know the Bangladeshi side of me that much,

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or I've kind of almost lost what my dad

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so desperately wanted us to hold on to.

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So, obviously, I'm not from Bangladesh, I'm from here.

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But my parents are from Bangladesh

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and your dad's parents are from Bangladesh...

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'In a few days' time, I'm going back to Bangladesh

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'and I'm leaving Abdal in charge of our kids,

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'nine-year-old Musa, eight-year-old Dawud, and Maryam, who is five.'

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I don't know if going there and visiting out there is going

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to reinforce all the things that my dad taught me as a child.

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I'd be interested to see if it does.

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What's your favourite part of Bangladesh?

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I don't have a favourite part, but I think, by the end of it,

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I'll have some really favourite parts, because at the moment

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the only part that I know is the part that I've always been to.

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Every year that we used to go to Bangladesh,

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we'd always go to Sylhet.

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To think I've been to Bangladesh, if not every year,

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every other year of my life up until the age of 20,

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I never, ever saw anything past the boundaries of the village.

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It was always...

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We landed, we went to the village, we stayed in the village.

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So to say that I've seen Bangladesh is just a ridiculous statement.

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I don't know Bangladesh and I'm looking forward to finding out

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and seeing those parts of Bangladesh that, for me,

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are going to be an adventure.

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It's kind of dawned on me now, like,

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I have to actually go and I have to go without you guys... Dawud!

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Could you stay for two days?

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You count to 14 and I'll be back in no time, don't you worry about it.

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I'm making a chart. You're going to make a chart

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and then you're going to tick it off. We'll make a chart.

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Found the Bangladesh flag. Just Bangladesh?

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Before I leave, my older sister is hosting a get-together

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for our siblings and our families to send me off in style.

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And when we're together, there is always a meal involved.

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I'm bringing along the cod and clementine curry. That's one of our

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favourites to eat and it's one of my nan's, like,

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most favourite recipes to cook.

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It's one of those that, when you eat it, it's comforting.

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It's like, "Ah, that's good!"

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Being Bangladeshi, one of the best things I got out of being

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Bangladeshi was the food because, I tell you something, they can cook!

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And they can eat!

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Some of the best things I've eaten

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are the things that have come out of my mum's kitchen.

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First, it's in with the onion and garlic.

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I'll just slit the chillies.

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So, remember, you can de-seed these if you want to

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because that's where most of the heat is.

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I tend not to de-seed them because everyone would just laugh

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and say you're a wimp and you can't eat spicy food.

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So you add water.

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What you have to be careful not to do is, if I add too much water,

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it'll just boil the onions and it won't cook them down.

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You could add oil to stop it sticking,

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but oil is quite an expensive ingredient and, you know,

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why not just use a little bit of water just to stop it sticking?

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I'm adding a tablespoon of tomato puree,

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both for colour and a subtle sweetness.

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What's quite important is cooking out the tomato puree,

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because lots of people I think put tomato puree at the end of

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their cooking and don't cook it out, and then you get this kind of

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raw concentrated tomato flavour.

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Now it's time to add the ground spices - chilli,

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turmeric and curry powder.

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Add a bit more water to this, and the trick is just to leave this now

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and allow the spices just to cook through,

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because there's nothing worse than raw spices in a curry,

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and you can tell because, if it's still raw,

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there'll be a grittiness just under your teeth,

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or on your tongue, you can feel it.

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So I'll turn that down,

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add a little bit of water,

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and then start on the best bit...

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..the clementines.

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This is the best bit to get the kids here because they'll peel them

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and then eat the oranges.

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The combination of orange and fish is just out of this world.

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Whilst the clementine peel cooks down,

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I'm cutting the cod fillet into small chunks.

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I think when Bengali say that fish and rice are important, like,

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are one of the most important things in their diet,

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I'd absolutely agree, because that was what we were raised on.

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I'm trying to keep them in one piece, so I'll just cook it

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on a low heat and then hopefully the fish will firm up.

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I'll give it one more stir. And the trick is, you don't...

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Like, my dad hates it when I do this -

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you're not supposed to have a spoon in a pan with fish.

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My dad hates this. You're supposed to do this with it.

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That's the trick and, you know, for me it's like,

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"Oh, for goodness' sake, just use a spoon, Dad."

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My parents are both great cooks, and my sisters and I have all

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been encouraged to share their passion.

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My dad started us off really, really early.

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He was just adamant that we learn how to cook.

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I don't know if it was because it was a skill or if he thought

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that we would benefit from it, but he always said,

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"When you get married, I want your husband to know that we taught you

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"how to cook and we taught you well."

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So I think it was that pride thing that, "That's my daughter and

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"she really knows how to cook and she cooks as well as her mum does."

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Abdal's not disappointed, so that's good.

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I'm just going to add the coriander, turn it off.

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And that is that...

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done.

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Careful.

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'I'm one of six, and we all live close by.'

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Knock again. A bit louder. I'd like to say hi.

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'So, although tonight's meal is on my behalf,

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'family gatherings like this are a regular thing.'

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That is a mutton and potato curry that my big sister made.

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'Over the years, we've cooked and shared countless meals,

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'but the menu is always changing.'

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Taste it, it's really nice.

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It's actually not as bitter as you'd think. Oh! What do you think?

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Makhana seeds are really nice!

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I forgot to do the chips.

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'Family favourites are a must,

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'but it's also a great place to try out our new ideas.'

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I'm making parathas, so these are, like, Asian flatbreads

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but they're a flaky, buttery version.

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But I don't do any of the hard work.

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I just buy a packet of frozen puff pastry and then just pull

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chunks of it out and then just roll it up

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and just cook it on a non-stick pan and you get flaky parathas

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without any of the hard work or the mess.

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That is genius. Honestly, that is.

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'In our culture, cooking for a crowd is the norm, and a table laden

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'with dishes like this is what we're all brought up to expect.'

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This is definitely such a tribute to the way we eat.

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So, like, my sister has done shami kebabs, and the bitter gourd

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with the stuffed mincemeat.

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Jasmine's just made some meat and potato curry and some pilau,

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traditionally very Bangladeshi.

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That's my cod and clementine, and that's my sister-in-law's

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cauliflower cheese that we're going to have with chips.

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Hey, what did you make?

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I made you very happy, happy older sisters.

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That's all I can say! Guys, come and get your food. Not the men.

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Just the kids.

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Before Bake Off, I'd never even travelled on a train

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without any of the kids and, you know, Abdal would get me

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on the train with the children right up to that point

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and there be somebody who'd meet me, my brother would meet me at the end,

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so I was never, ever alone.

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When you come from sort of the culture that I've come from

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and the way that we've been raised,

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it's totally unusual for a woman to just get up

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and just travel on her own.

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I'm doing something that not everybody does.

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Deep down, I'm secretly kind of...

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quite anxious about the whole thing, but...

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I don't want them to be anxious for me, so...

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they're getting the strong, hard face.

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So I've got these, like, lists of, like,

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"I need this and I need that, edibles, medicine, clothes, shoes."

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Is there any advice that you guys can give me?

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Baby wipes. Baby wipes.

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Watch out for what you eat, and water is important.

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Filter the filtered water. That's what I did.

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Go out there, do what you're going for and enjoy your time

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and come back safe.

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I trust in you, that's why I'm happy to look after the kids

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and just let you go.

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Your passport, don't forget your passport! Don't forget my passport.

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It was only last year that I won Bake Off and I couldn't have

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predicted the impact it would have on my life.

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That point, everything changed for me, because I felt like I'd

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kind of left the old me behind and somebody new had just been born.

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This is the next step. It's a big step.

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I'm travelling almost 5,000 miles to Bangladesh,

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a small South Asian country bordered by India and Myanmar.

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My destination is the north-eastern region of Sylhet.

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This is where 95% of British Bangladeshis,

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including my own parents, originate from.

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Almost 24 hours after leaving home,

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I'm pleased that Dad is here to meet me off the plane.

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How are you? Hi!

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'I'm staying with my parents for the first part of my trip.

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'Luton is their permanent home,

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'but they've always spent as much time as possible returning to

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'our family village, where they've kept a house.'

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How many Bengalis does it take to get a suitcase in a car?

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Oh, go on!

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'It's about 40 miles from Sylhet City to my parents' house.

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'Time for some typically British small talk.'

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What's with the weather? You done it. I did it?

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Did I bring it with me? Yes.

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Of all the days, I come on the day when it's the rainiest.

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I can't believe this, you know that? It's actually really cold. It is.

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Let's hope it gets better while you're here. It's still beautiful.

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The air's just different. It still takes my breath away.

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We shouldn't be too far away from where you got married.

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Oh, the mina centre? Yeah.

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Isn't it on the right, on the way...?

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I know my stuff.

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After an hour on the road,

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we've arrived home to quite a welcoming party.

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It looks like my mum has gathered every relative to greet me.

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I feel like a returning hero.

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I'm not getting married!

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Mum aside, I haven't seen any of these relatives for over ten years.

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Hello! Oh, my God, he looks like Dawud!

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He came! You came.

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Hello!

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Nadiya!

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You've got a lot of other guests here.

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I did not think I was going to cry.

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They're all whispering, "We're really proud of you,

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"we're proud of you," so... It's a big deal for them.

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I thought I didn't miss them. It turns out I do.

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He's my favourite!

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'There's one really important person I haven't hugged yet -

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'my maternal grandma.

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'She lives a minute away and I'm desperate to see her.'

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The first thing I do is take these sandals off

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because there's nothing nicer.

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Oh, my God, this is so good!

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Nothing's changed.

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Everything's changed, actually.

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There's so many more buildings, but...

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it still feels exactly the same.

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My grandma lived with us in Luton for all of my childhood,

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but she always missed Bangladesh.

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She's almost 90 now and a few years ago, she moved back to live out

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the rest of her life in her own home.

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She's our glue...

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CRYING: She's our glue.

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'So many of my favourite dishes were cooked by my grandma

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'and, true to form, she's organised a big celebration meal

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'to welcome me back.

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'She doesn't cook so much herself any more,

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'but my mum and aunts have been busy cooking for hours.'

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We always say that cooking is a skill.

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And actually, your skills are really tested when you're put in

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this situation. To cook in here, you need to be quite tough.

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It's not your namby-pamby kind of cooking in England, you know,

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where you've got your dishwasher here and your microwave there.

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It's kind of... You've got to be, you know,

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a full-on kind of Hell's Kitchen kind of cook.

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You know when you come here, what you prefer?

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NADIYA LAUGHS

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She likes the mod cons!

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That is a feast, if ever I saw one!

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I love her so much!

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Word has spread that I'm staying in the village for a few days

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and so I've received a last-minute invitation to one of my

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distant cousin's wedding.

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I need a traditional outfit for the celebrations and

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so my first cousin Eva is taking me on a shopping trip to Sylhet City.

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It's weird, because you get to see Bangladesh very differently

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in the middle of all the traffic.

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You don't get to see that in England, do you? No.

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Sylhet is a bustling town that sits on the banks of the Surma River.

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It's not the biggest city in Bangladesh,

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but it IS one of the richest, due to money that's being ploughed

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back into the city by expats now living in the UK.

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How long have we got before we get there?

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I don't want this to end.

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Not long, sorry. Aw! Yeah!

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HORN TOOTS

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'Eva is a bit of a fashionista.

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'If anyone knows where to get the best clothes, it's her.'

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Nothing like the wind in your hijab! LAUGHTER

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Love it! I know!

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CAR HORN BLARES

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And we're here. Yup.

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'There are two parts to a Bangladeshi wedding -

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'the gaye holud, a celebration for the bride

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'that takes place a couple of days before,

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'and then the wedding itself.

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'I need an outfit for both occasions.'

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Ooh, that's fancy! Ooh, that is colourful.

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Would you? No! See, I'd be brave enough to wear that here.

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I don't like that. What is that?

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I'd give that to the kids to play with. Yeah!

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You feel braver here, don't you? You feel like, "Yeah, I can do this,

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"I can't wear print! Two types in one go!"

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'I'm going to look for something for this evening's gaye holud first.'

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It's like a... like a really sensible hen do.

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Like a very sensible hen do. It's always a red or a yellow.

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But you don't want to go too over the top, because you usually wear

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something quite fancy for the wedding,

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so you kind of tone it down... Yeah, yeah. ..for...

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you tone it down for the gaye holud, or the mehndi.

0:17:190:17:22

Oh, no, it's a bit stripy.

0:17:220:17:24

Obviously, everything is like a gown on me, because it's...

0:17:240:17:27

This is the problem I have.

0:17:270:17:29

That is meant for a five foot nine beautifully slender human being,

0:17:290:17:35

and then I'm, like, standing at a despicable five foot.

0:17:350:17:39

That's red and yellow. Yeah. Needs to be fancier?

0:17:390:17:42

Not fancier. Nicer. OK.

0:17:420:17:44

'As well as needing to find something either red or yellow,

0:17:440:17:48

'my religious beliefs also have an impact on what I wear.'

0:17:480:17:51

We have to make sure that the sleeves are long.

0:17:510:17:54

Yeah. Make sure that it's not too fitted. The scarf is nice.

0:17:540:17:56

And then, do we have a scarf to go with it? Go with it.

0:17:560:17:59

It's always the scarf to go with it. Yeah! You end up with

0:17:590:18:01

a monstrous collection of scarves! Yeah! I remember your collection!

0:18:010:18:04

So, for me, I've been wearing my hijab for...since I was 14.

0:18:040:18:08

14, yeah. So it's like, that's a long...

0:18:080:18:10

17 years! I've been wearing it for a very long time.

0:18:100:18:13

It's not specifically because I came from a religious family.

0:18:130:18:15

In fact, I think I came from quite the opposite.

0:18:150:18:18

It was something that I found myself

0:18:180:18:21

and, the first part of me finding religion,

0:18:210:18:24

that was the first act that I actually did, it was to cover

0:18:240:18:28

my hair, and I realised the importance, or the significance.

0:18:280:18:31

It's a sign of being a Muslim... Yeah.

0:18:310:18:33

..and it's a sign of practising Islam.

0:18:330:18:35

It's a sign of modesty. Yeah.

0:18:350:18:37

And it's just one of those things that you do do and I think...

0:18:370:18:40

Everybody finds it at different stages of their lives. Yeah.

0:18:400:18:42

I can't imagine myself just taking my hair out

0:18:420:18:44

and go out without my headscarf. No. I can't do it.

0:18:440:18:47

I'm sure your hair's desperate for air and sunshine. Yeah!

0:18:470:18:49

Mine is. Mine desperately needs some sunshine.

0:18:490:18:51

I feel uncomfortable without it now. It's your modesty.

0:18:510:18:54

It's covering your modesty, and hair is seen as something beautiful...

0:18:540:18:58

Beautiful. ..and you preserve that for only specific people.

0:18:580:19:01

It helps you not to attract... Attract people.

0:19:010:19:05

The only people who can see your hair are the people you can't marry,

0:19:050:19:08

so... Marry. Apart from the person you do marry.

0:19:080:19:10

So your husband, your dad, your dad's brothers and, um...

0:19:100:19:14

Nieces and nephews. Your own nieces and nephews. ..your mum's brothers

0:19:140:19:17

and, erm, nieces and nephews... Yeah. ..and your own brothers. Yeah.

0:19:170:19:21

So these are the people you can't marry. Grandad! And Grandad. Yeah.

0:19:210:19:25

They keep us, like, as a jewel, don't they?

0:19:250:19:27

In Islam, that's what they call us. Yeah.

0:19:270:19:30

Like you don't let your queen out, like, on the street.

0:19:300:19:32

When something has been sort of polarised by the media,

0:19:320:19:35

or an event, there is fear of,

0:19:350:19:37

"Oh, my God, I'm wearing something that everyone's going to look at

0:19:370:19:40

and say, 'Well, we blame you,' " and that fear of being chastised

0:19:400:19:44

or being, you know, just being criticised...

0:19:440:19:47

Criticised, yeah. ..or, you know, being blamed for something

0:19:470:19:50

we're not responsible for. We haven't done anything wrong.

0:19:500:19:53

No. So why should we change ourselves? Yeah.

0:19:530:19:55

I think it strengthens my belief in who I am... Yeah.

0:19:550:19:58

..and the choices that I make.

0:19:580:19:59

That's quite nice. I don't like that. I like that. No, I like that.

0:19:590:20:02

Get lost! I don't like that.

0:20:020:20:04

That's orange. Yeah, that's orange.

0:20:040:20:05

'After some deliberation,

0:20:050:20:07

'I've chosen a red outfit for the gaye holud

0:20:070:20:09

'and something pink and elaborate for the wedding.'

0:20:090:20:11

We don't wear red for the wedding, cos the bride will most likely...

0:20:110:20:15

Yeah. ..be wearing red, and nobody wants to upstage the bride.

0:20:150:20:18

Yeah! It's like wearing white to a wedding.

0:20:180:20:21

'I need to take a gift for this evening's gaye holud

0:20:250:20:28

'and I'm thinking of baking a cake.

0:20:280:20:30

'If we can make it across this treacherous road,

0:20:300:20:32

'we're heading to the sweet shop for some inspiration.'

0:20:320:20:35

Wait! Wait! Ooh!

0:20:350:20:36

THEY LAUGH

0:20:360:20:37

'Bengalis are famous for their sweet tooth,

0:20:370:20:40

'and there are hundreds of varieties of these traditional Indian sweets.

0:20:400:20:44

'I can't resist trying a few myself now I'm here.'

0:20:450:20:48

Put a few on both plates, right?

0:20:480:20:51

'They're mainly made from milk and sugar and then flavoured with

0:20:510:20:54

'anything from spices and fruit to nuts and coconut.

0:20:540:20:57

'There's a much bigger selection here

0:20:570:21:00

'than I'm used to finding back in Luton.'

0:21:000:21:02

They're already tempting as it is, when they're not adorned,

0:21:020:21:05

and then they stuff them, fill them and cover them

0:21:050:21:07

and they just suddenly become even more tempting!

0:21:070:21:10

Which one are you going to try?

0:21:100:21:11

You know what that tastes like? Cookie dough.

0:21:110:21:14

Yeah! It tastes like cookie dough, doesn't it? Yeah, it does.

0:21:140:21:17

That's a shock! That's different.

0:21:170:21:19

Mmm! Isn't that like a Milkybar?

0:21:220:21:23

It's like marzipan.

0:21:230:21:25

But just harder.

0:21:250:21:27

What does the other end taste like? That's... Is it just sweet?

0:21:270:21:30

That tastes like fudge.

0:21:320:21:34

I'm the worst person in the world to take anywhere new,

0:21:340:21:37

because the first thing I do is I dissect everything.

0:21:370:21:40

I sit there like a rabbit and go...

0:21:400:21:43

I totally want to put that one in an ice cream.

0:21:430:21:46

I want to know how to make that,

0:21:460:21:47

cos I have never thought of putting lemon in an Indian sweet.

0:21:470:21:51

I would totally do that!

0:21:510:21:53

'The traditional gaye holud gift is a selection box of these sweets.

0:21:530:21:57

'But in my opinion, a celebration should include a big impressive cake

0:21:570:22:01

'and I regret not having one at my own wedding.'

0:22:010:22:03

I want to make use of some of the ingredients that I can find here,

0:22:030:22:06

rather than trying to make something that nobody knows about. Yeah.

0:22:060:22:09

Like use stuff that we've got here, so I was thinking of doing, like...

0:22:090:22:13

So... Um, red spin... Pumpkin? Red pumpkin.

0:22:130:22:16

I'll get a red pumpkin and I'll... You know like carrot cake? Yeah.

0:22:160:22:19

But instead of carrot cake, I'll use a red pumpkin. Wow.

0:22:190:22:22

And then frost it and then do tiers.

0:22:220:22:24

Oh! I'll hopefully find some nice flowers

0:22:240:22:26

and really decorate it, make it look really natural and nice.

0:22:260:22:30

We never tried that one. Let's try that. Yeah.

0:22:300:22:32

'Despite their love of sweets,

0:22:320:22:34

'it's still very rare to find a Bangladeshi who bakes at home,

0:22:340:22:38

'so finding a domestic oven is virtually impossible.

0:22:380:22:42

'I've asked around, and no-one in my family has or knows anyone

0:22:420:22:46

'who has an oven I can use.

0:22:460:22:48

'So, after a bit of lateral thinking, and a few calls,

0:22:500:22:53

'it turns out that my reputation as a champion baker can open doors.

0:22:530:22:57

'I've persuaded a local bakery business to make some space

0:22:570:23:00

'in their industrial ovens.'

0:23:000:23:02

Salaam-Alaikum. Nadiya? Yes. How are you?

0:23:040:23:06

'Shahriar is the manager of the factory

0:23:060:23:09

'and he's organised a workspace for me in the main bakery.'

0:23:090:23:13

'The bakery is open 24 hours a day and has an all-male staff of 180.

0:23:160:23:22

'This shift is responsible for bread, toast and biscuits

0:23:220:23:26

'and the factory produces over 250 different products every week.

0:23:260:23:30

'I have a feeling my baking skills are going to be put to the test.'

0:23:300:23:34

Is this the oven? This is a traditional oven. Traditional?

0:23:340:23:37

They are all traditional. You could do pizza in there.

0:23:370:23:41

Or pizza. Yeah! Yeah, yeah. THEY LAUGH

0:23:410:23:43

I'm worried, because I have to bake a cake today, so you have got modern,

0:23:430:23:46

new ovens? Modern. Shall we look? OK. Yeah.

0:23:460:23:49

Wow!

0:23:500:23:52

I didn't need a walk-in oven!

0:23:520:23:54

Ooh! I wouldn't need central heating any more!

0:23:540:23:56

Yes this is a hanger...a handle. Oh, so... And you...

0:23:580:24:02

That is the equivalent of an oven glove. An oven glove, yeah, yeah.

0:24:020:24:06

I'm pretty lucky, right, I'm baking a cake in a bakery in Bangladesh

0:24:070:24:11

that people actually bake in!

0:24:110:24:13

I'm slightly daunted, I will not lie.

0:24:130:24:15

I'm slightly daunted by the amounts of people and how hot it is.

0:24:150:24:19

Suddenly, I feel a bit competitive,

0:24:190:24:21

cos these guys know how to bake, clearly.

0:24:210:24:24

'With all this skilled labour on hand,

0:24:240:24:26

'it feels silly not to make use of it,

0:24:260:24:28

'so I've given Mohammed here the pumpkin to prepare.'

0:24:280:24:31

So I am making a classic carrot cake recipe,

0:24:310:24:35

but I figured, seeing as we're in Bangladesh,

0:24:350:24:38

let's use some of their local produce and I want to use pumpkin,

0:24:380:24:41

cos it's really juicy, really sweet

0:24:410:24:43

and it's got that vibrant colour, like carrot.

0:24:430:24:46

'In this cake, I'm using vegetable oil.'

0:24:460:24:48

I chose to do it with oil here,

0:24:480:24:50

because I figured butter would start melting

0:24:500:24:53

if I did it in this environment, because it's so warm.

0:24:530:24:56

I'm going to go get some sugar from my massive vat!

0:24:560:24:58

'I'm adding caster sugar to the bowl

0:25:000:25:03

'and then it's straight in with the eggs.'

0:25:030:25:06

Nine whole eggs.

0:25:060:25:07

'I just need to beat the oil, sugar and eggs together.'

0:25:070:25:12

I'm just mixing it up,

0:25:150:25:16

just to get the mixture all mixed up together, before I add the

0:25:160:25:20

rest of the ingredients, cos the oil has separated from the egg slightly.

0:25:200:25:24

'This is going to be a gorgeously moist three-tiered cake.'

0:25:240:25:28

I wouldn't normally make three cakes at once.

0:25:280:25:30

Seeing as I do have a mammoth oven,

0:25:300:25:33

it makes sense that I put all three at once!

0:25:330:25:36

'Pumpkin has a delicious earthy flavour and a natural sweetness

0:25:360:25:39

'that tastes even better when paired with orange.'

0:25:390:25:43

The last wedding cake I did was four foot tall, so...

0:25:440:25:48

this should be easy, in theory.

0:25:480:25:51

It should be easy, but I've got lots of things against me,

0:25:510:25:54

like an enormous oven that probably gets as hot as hell!

0:25:540:25:57

I've got an audience.

0:25:570:25:58

SHOUTING

0:25:580:26:00

I think they've just all been chased off by the boss!

0:26:000:26:03

Like, "Get on with your work!"

0:26:030:26:04

'Mohammad has grated half a small pumpkin

0:26:060:26:08

'and that goes straight into the mix.'

0:26:080:26:11

He's doing the washing up later as well.

0:26:140:26:16

So we add the pumpkin in. It makes for a lovely yellow cake.

0:26:190:26:22

Perfect for a gaye holud.

0:26:220:26:24

That was completely unintentional, but it will work.

0:26:240:26:27

'Butternut squash would also work really well in this recipe

0:26:270:26:30

'and, for some added sweetness and texture,

0:26:300:26:32

'I'm throwing in some raisins.'

0:26:320:26:34

You can add raisins, you can add sultanas, you can add...

0:26:340:26:38

If you don't like dried fruit, you can add nuts.

0:26:380:26:40

'Next, in goes the self-raising flour.'

0:26:400:26:44

It's a quick all-in-one recipe, so you can just put it all in,

0:26:440:26:46

mix it all up, stick it in the oven, if you're short for time,

0:26:460:26:49

and it keeps really well.

0:26:490:26:51

'Pumpkin and spices are a match made in heaven

0:26:510:26:54

'and this combination works particularly well.'

0:26:540:26:56

I've got nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom and star anise.

0:26:560:27:00

Add those.

0:27:000:27:02

'Finally, three teaspoons of baking powder.

0:27:020:27:05

'That's the cake mix done

0:27:060:27:08

'and it's important to get them into the oven as quickly as possible.'

0:27:080:27:12

I figured, because it's a celebration cake,

0:27:140:27:17

let's go the whole hog and let's do three tiers.

0:27:170:27:20

Nobody likes anything more than something that's really tall.

0:27:200:27:23

Once you've had a taste of Paul and Mary,

0:27:230:27:25

you have to strive for perfection.

0:27:250:27:27

So, yes, I have issues and I like everything to be precise and exact.

0:27:270:27:32

'And just to add to my issues, I'm feeling anxious about trusting

0:27:320:27:35

'the success of these cakes to an unfamiliar oven.'

0:27:350:27:38

So, I'm putting these in the centre of the tray,

0:27:380:27:41

in the hope that they'll bake evenly.

0:27:410:27:43

I know I've got a massive oven, really high temperature,

0:27:430:27:46

so I'm just covering all bases I need to get the perfect cake.

0:27:460:27:50

It has to go right! I don't have a second chance! It has to go...

0:27:500:27:52

Thank God Paul and Mary aren't here!

0:27:520:27:55

I just feel like I've just doomed my cake to the incinerator,

0:28:070:28:10

like in a furnace, and they're just going to come out like charcoal!

0:28:100:28:14

'Thankfully, there's a man whose only job is

0:28:140:28:17

'to make sure things don't burn.

0:28:170:28:19

'45 minutes and several thousand slices of toast later,

0:28:200:28:25

'it's time to check on the cakes.'

0:28:250:28:27

Oh, let me have a look. Ooh. Thank you.

0:28:290:28:31

They look perfect. Oh, my goodness, they actually look OK!

0:28:310:28:34

I did not expect them to actually come out.

0:28:340:28:36

I'll get them on a cooling rack, get them cool, ready for icing now.

0:28:360:28:40

'Always make sure you've cooled the cakes before you decorate them

0:28:400:28:43

'or the icing will just melt.'

0:28:430:28:45

So I've made a simple vanilla buttercream,

0:28:450:28:48

and we're going to ice all three cakes with this,

0:28:480:28:51

but we are against the clock slightly,

0:28:510:28:53

because it is really warm here!

0:28:530:28:55

'To speed things up, Mohammed has offered to help me out again.'

0:28:550:28:58

It turns out he's really good at icing,

0:28:580:29:00

so I'm feeling very competitive at the moment. It's on!

0:29:000:29:03

See, he makes it look so easy.

0:29:120:29:14

Can we just get him off camera, please?

0:29:140:29:17

OK! I went up to 1,000 and he said, "Loads." Loads! Loads!

0:29:250:29:28

Oh, my God!

0:29:280:29:30

'All I can say is, thank God this isn't a real baking competition.'

0:29:450:29:50

'To make things worse, I haven't made enough buttercream.

0:29:570:30:00

'Mohammed to the rescue again,

0:30:000:30:02

'with the bakery's own-brand vanilla frosting.'

0:30:020:30:05

I think that'll go really well, and I'm going to get him to ice it,

0:30:080:30:11

because, you know what, he does a better job.

0:30:110:30:13

He's a professional and he's really fast.

0:30:130:30:16

I love watching him do it. I mean, look at his hands. He is so fast!

0:30:170:30:22

I mean, I can do it, but, like, at a third of the speed.

0:30:220:30:25

'After a whole afternoon of hard graft,

0:30:300:30:32

'all that's left to do is to make it

0:30:320:30:34

'look fit for a marriage celebration.'

0:30:340:30:37

So, that...is done.

0:30:370:30:39

I'm really, really pleased with that. I have a cake!

0:30:390:30:42

And I think it looks great for the occasion.

0:30:420:30:45

You'd traditionally adorn the bride and the groom with the marigolds,

0:30:450:30:48

and it just seemed a perfect fit

0:30:480:30:50

and I just think it works and I really hope they like it.

0:30:500:30:53

With the cake finished,

0:30:530:30:55

I've just enough time to head back to the village to join the party.

0:30:550:30:59

26-year-old Jasmine is my distant cousin,

0:31:020:31:05

but we've never met each other.

0:31:050:31:07

She's getting married in a couple of days

0:31:090:31:11

and tonight's gaye holud is the traditional way

0:31:110:31:13

to say goodbye to her female relatives before she leaves home.

0:31:130:31:17

With the lights, cameras and audience,

0:31:170:31:20

it feels a little like walking on to a film set.

0:31:200:31:23

'My marriage was arranged, and so is Jasmine's.

0:31:250:31:29

'One of the unspoken rules in our culture is that,

0:31:290:31:31

'as a bride-to-be, you must behave submissively and look downcast.'

0:31:310:31:36

I had something really similar to this, where I sort of sat here

0:31:360:31:39

and everybody came in, and I was an emotional wreck,

0:31:390:31:41

so I cried through the whole thing and I didn't smile very much.

0:31:410:31:45

'It's time to cut my cake.

0:31:450:31:47

'We give sweet treats to the bride at this occasion,

0:31:470:31:51

'because it's meant to add sweetness to her married life.'

0:31:510:31:54

She likes it!

0:32:040:32:05

I'm sure she would've howled about it if she wasn't getting married!

0:32:050:32:09

'I know it looks a bit odd, but this is all part of the ritual.

0:32:110:32:15

'And I figure, if I feed enough of them,

0:32:150:32:17

'surely someone will like my cake.'

0:32:170:32:20

It's a feeding-fest in general - you feed the bride,

0:32:320:32:35

the bride feeds you, the guests feed you, you feed the guests

0:32:350:32:38

and it just kind of goes on till about four o'clock in the morning.

0:32:380:32:40

Bangladesh is part of the world's largest delta

0:32:500:32:54

and one of the most fertile and waterlogged countries in the world.

0:32:540:32:57

This land, and the animals that thrive here, have been a rich source

0:32:570:33:00

of food and income for our village and way of life.

0:33:000:33:04

Unfortunately, this also means some rather exotic creepy-crawlies.

0:33:040:33:08

Look at that!

0:33:080:33:10

'My daughter would be screaming at this point.'

0:33:130:33:15

She said, "Can you just make sure you get rid of all the spiders

0:33:150:33:18

"and all the lizards, so I can come to Bangladesh?"

0:33:180:33:20

This is not going to help her.

0:33:200:33:22

It's odd, because, when I come here, I call back home "home"

0:33:220:33:26

and, when I'm back home, I call Bangladesh "back home",

0:33:260:33:29

so it's odd, cos I feel...I feel like a confused person myself,

0:33:290:33:33

because I don't know where home is, cos home's here and home's there,

0:33:330:33:36

and I'm always constantly fighting for home to be Britain,

0:33:360:33:40

and there's times when I'm back in England where, um...

0:33:400:33:44

I've had abuse just stood on a platform on the train station

0:33:440:33:48

and then, suddenly, I kind of question whether it is home.

0:33:480:33:52

And then I come here and I feel so out of my depth and I think,

0:33:520:33:55

"Well, how can this be home, then?"

0:33:550:33:57

You know, I do sometimes wonder

0:33:570:33:59

whether I'll ever discover where home really is, um...

0:33:590:34:03

But I don't know, I just quite enjoy the pull of the two,

0:34:030:34:06

I quite like being a part of two things.

0:34:060:34:09

'My dad's father once owned all this land

0:34:130:34:16

'and now it's shared by our extended family.'

0:34:160:34:18

All that, that entire edge of this land, the whole border,

0:34:230:34:28

that's the family graveyard.

0:34:280:34:31

That's the village mosque.

0:34:310:34:33

My grandad built the bottom half and, over the years,

0:34:330:34:36

that's been built up and it's gone up to two floors.

0:34:360:34:39

They started off with a very small mosque

0:34:390:34:41

and now it's a lot bigger now.

0:34:410:34:43

My grandad had 12 children

0:34:440:34:46

and his home was begin enough to house everyone.

0:34:460:34:49

This is where I used to stay when we visited as children.

0:34:510:34:55

This is the original house. That's the corner of it.

0:34:550:34:58

It was like an L-shape. Everything was exactly the same.

0:34:580:35:01

And it was all the way right down to the end,

0:35:010:35:05

and this end went all the way right down to the end.

0:35:050:35:07

It was quite a grand place to live.

0:35:070:35:09

After he died, they divvied it all up and gave each brother some land,

0:35:090:35:14

and so they've all built their own separate houses.

0:35:140:35:17

I have to say, I'm slightly disappointed at the fact that

0:35:170:35:20

it's not exactly as I left it, but of course, things change.

0:35:200:35:23

The uncle that lives here, he lives in America now,

0:35:230:35:25

so he just comes, stays here, shuts up and then leaves.

0:35:250:35:29

They get to use his washing line.

0:35:290:35:31

Maybe even a tractor!

0:35:310:35:32

DISTANT VOICES

0:35:340:35:35

That's the call to prayer.

0:35:350:35:37

That's one of those sounds I missed quite a lot when I was...

0:35:370:35:40

You know, cos we don't hear it when we're back home in England.

0:35:400:35:43

That's quite a nice sound to wake up to, if you're praying, of course!

0:35:430:35:46

If you're not, in that case, it's just annoying!

0:35:460:35:49

Um...

0:35:490:35:51

But they start off... In succession, you'll hear one,

0:35:520:35:55

then you're hear another one go off, then another one go off.

0:35:550:35:58

That one's just finished.

0:35:580:36:00

It's getting louder!

0:36:000:36:01

It's like when you were at school and you used to sing and it's like,

0:36:010:36:04

"You first, then you, then you," and you always think it's going to

0:36:040:36:07

sound great and, really, it just sounds a bit of a mess.

0:36:070:36:10

CALL TO PRAYER ENDS

0:36:100:36:14

Local fishermen have come to fish in my grandma's pond today.

0:36:190:36:22

Most rural homes in Bangladesh have access to a pond,

0:36:260:36:29

providing fish and a water source throughout the year.

0:36:290:36:33

This is my nan's pond.

0:36:360:36:38

We used to spend hours in here playing or swimming.

0:36:380:36:41

All the day's work used to get done

0:36:410:36:42

and we'd see it right in front of us.

0:36:420:36:44

Yeah.

0:36:470:36:48

Fish is so important to the diet here that, a few times a year,

0:36:480:36:52

fishermen are hired to do a stock take.

0:36:520:36:55

It's always a bit of an event

0:36:550:36:56

and, today, I've also been promised the best of the catch for a recipe.

0:36:560:37:00

I'm hoping one big one, at least. I hope.

0:37:000:37:03

NADIYA LAUGHS

0:37:050:37:07

He's telling them how to do their job.

0:37:070:37:09

And they're telling him he's wrong.

0:37:090:37:11

Normally, when we'd fish like this, at this point,

0:37:170:37:19

you'd have fish flying around,

0:37:190:37:21

because they know they're getting caught,

0:37:210:37:24

but there's none of that this time.

0:37:240:37:25

'Everyone's getting worried that

0:37:250:37:27

'there won't be fish for lunch today.'

0:37:270:37:29

We just saw one fly over the net.

0:37:340:37:37

That's one that got away. That could've been the only one!

0:37:370:37:40

'It's a slow process and the aim is

0:37:400:37:42

'to trap the fish inside the net by drawing the edges tightly together.'

0:37:420:37:46

Oh! Oh, they're flying out!

0:37:460:37:48

LAUGHTER

0:37:530:37:55

'The net is getting tighter

0:37:570:37:59

'and, finally, it looks like we might be in luck.'

0:37:590:38:03

We're waiting with bated breath now, just to see.

0:38:030:38:06

MAN SHOUTS What's come up?

0:38:060:38:07

SHE SPEAKS BENGALI Ooh, look at that!

0:38:070:38:10

Oh, they're quite big ones!

0:38:100:38:11

EXCITED SHOUTING

0:38:130:38:15

They're trying with all their might to save the fish that are escaping.

0:38:170:38:21

You're just like, "Oh! Catch it! Oh!"

0:38:220:38:24

I was expecting nothing. You know, you almost always expect...

0:38:260:38:29

You lower expectations, and think, "We're not going to get anything!"

0:38:290:38:32

I'm pleasantly surprised. There's quite a lot in there!

0:38:320:38:35

'This catch is big enough to feed the whole village.

0:38:390:38:42

'I just need a few.

0:38:420:38:44

'And some of the small ones are destined for the pot too.'

0:38:440:38:46

MEN CHATTER

0:38:460:38:48

'The rest of the fish can go back in the pond for another day.'

0:38:510:38:54

We've got four pretty good fish.

0:38:540:38:56

We've got loads more!

0:38:560:38:58

That's... I'm quite impressed with that, actually.

0:38:580:39:00

I can do a lot with this.

0:39:000:39:02

'Whilst the fishermen pack up for the day,

0:39:020:39:05

'I've got a meal to cook.

0:39:050:39:07

'I'm using my cousin Shumi's outside kitchen,

0:39:070:39:09

'and it's more basic than I'm used to.

0:39:090:39:12

'So, thankfully, she's also offered to lend me a hand.'

0:39:120:39:16

'When I've got fish this fresh, I cook it very simply.

0:39:210:39:25

'I'm going to stuff it with fresh herbs, bake it in a banana leaf

0:39:250:39:29

'and I'll serve it with a fresh green mango chutney.'

0:39:290:39:32

SOFT BLOWING

0:39:320:39:34

I'm going to get Shumi to do all the stuffing for me,

0:39:340:39:36

while I soften the banana leaves.

0:39:360:39:39

'I'm using classic Bangladeshi flavours,

0:39:390:39:41

'but it will be very different to the fish curries

0:39:410:39:44

'my family are used to.

0:39:440:39:46

'When I cook this at home, I wrap the fish in tinfoil.

0:39:470:39:50

'But here, I'm using banana leaves.'

0:39:500:39:52

When you burn it on the fire first, it releases some of the oil,

0:39:520:39:55

so there's almost a kind of green flavour on the fish

0:39:550:39:58

when you cook it.

0:39:580:39:59

Um, I can taste it, I think, because it's not...

0:39:590:40:02

It's not been crowded with lots of spices.

0:40:020:40:04

When you're doing something like this that's really simple

0:40:040:40:07

and then you use something like a banana leaf,

0:40:070:40:10

you can taste that one flavour, and that's quite nice.

0:40:100:40:13

And I'm so used to having fish with lots of spices,

0:40:130:40:15

this is quiet different, it's quite tasty.

0:40:150:40:18

So I've just smothered my fish in mustard oil.

0:40:180:40:21

That's the kind of oil of choice in Bangladesh.

0:40:210:40:24

Everybody uses mustard oil. It's quite potent.

0:40:240:40:27

I'm stuffing the fish with coriander stems,

0:40:290:40:31

slices of lime and red onion that Shumi's chopped for me.

0:40:310:40:34

I mean, if you were going to cook this at home,

0:40:360:40:38

I'd definitely use something like sea bass.

0:40:380:40:40

Trout's quite nice, actually, on this.

0:40:400:40:43

I've done trout before, so, yeah, just...

0:40:430:40:45

You don't want a big fish,

0:40:450:40:47

something small and preferably with a bone

0:40:470:40:49

that goes straight down the middle

0:40:490:40:51

so you can eat off the top and then eat off the bottom.

0:40:510:40:53

'They need about 10 to 15 minutes on each side.

0:41:010:41:04

'And while they're cooking,

0:41:040:41:06

'I'm going to help Shumi with the green mango chutney.'

0:41:060:41:09

It's not mango season right now,

0:41:090:41:11

so the only thing you're going to get is really green,

0:41:110:41:14

really firm mangoes, but not to say that it can't be eaten,

0:41:140:41:17

because we've got so many recipes that we use green mangoes for.

0:41:170:41:20

You can use them in a curry with fish, you can dry them.

0:41:200:41:23

'Chutney is a big thing in Bangladesh.

0:41:230:41:25

'I love it served with fish, but that's quite unusual here.

0:41:250:41:29

'It's usually eaten as a snack, and always freshly prepared

0:41:290:41:32

'using whatever fruit is available.'

0:41:320:41:34

'Garlic is an essential ingredient in chutney and I like to char

0:41:430:41:46

'the outside to give the cloves a delicious smoky flavour.'

0:41:460:41:49

This is going to be a lot quicker than when I do it at home

0:41:490:41:52

with a blowtorch.

0:41:520:41:53

I'm just going to have to put it in and see what happens.

0:41:530:41:57

Nothing like a bit of smoke in your eyes.

0:41:570:42:00

If you just press on it,

0:42:030:42:05

you can tell that the garlic's gone quite soft.

0:42:050:42:08

'I'm adding a couple of cloves to the rest of the chutney ingredients

0:42:080:42:11

'Shumi has already chopped.'

0:42:110:42:13

I've got some red onion, we've got some burnt garlic,

0:42:130:42:16

some coriander and some cucumber.

0:42:160:42:18

And then I'm going to add a little bit of sugar to all of that.

0:42:180:42:22

'A good chutney needs just the right balance of sweet and sour,

0:42:220:42:25

'and all the flavours need to be really well blended.'

0:42:250:42:29

That's the chutney part of making a chutney.

0:42:290:42:32

You cannot just toss it with a spoon.

0:42:320:42:34

It's getting your hands in a really...

0:42:340:42:37

You're almost cooking it in its own juices

0:42:370:42:40

but, by squeezing it, you're cooking it, so we're going to do that.

0:42:400:42:44

I have to taste some.

0:42:480:42:49

Mm.

0:42:510:42:52

She thinks it needs salt. I don't think it needs salt.

0:42:560:42:58

I mean, you could also use a really tart cooking apple

0:42:580:43:01

and then balance it out with the sugar and it just works really well.

0:43:010:43:06

To be honest, I've often used a ripe mango and then just put

0:43:060:43:10

a squeeze of lemon in and then you get the kind of sweetness and

0:43:100:43:13

the tartness, you get a bit of both.

0:43:130:43:15

'My fish is ready

0:43:150:43:16

'and by the sounds of it, in the nick of time.'

0:43:160:43:19

I think I saw some lightning.

0:43:190:43:20

THUNDER RUMBLES

0:43:200:43:22

That always scares me. Ohh...

0:43:220:43:25

People are running. Oh, yeah. There's a load going over there.

0:43:270:43:30

The skin comes away really easily,

0:43:380:43:40

especially when the flesh is just cooked.

0:43:400:43:42

Tasty?

0:43:580:44:00

This is big going for her.

0:44:000:44:02

When we cook fish, we cook it to death, so this is like JUST cooked,

0:44:020:44:06

so I can see this is like trying to give somebody oysters.

0:44:060:44:08

Yeah! She said she'd try it again.

0:44:180:44:21

I don't know if she's just being nice to me,

0:44:210:44:23

but she said she would try it again.

0:44:230:44:25

'Let's hope the rest of the family think it's been worth the wait too.'

0:44:250:44:29

It's the day of Jasmine's wedding. My parents are invited too.

0:45:240:45:28

The celebrations are all happening at our local community centre.

0:45:280:45:31

This is the same venue where Abdal and I were married

0:45:350:45:38

over ten years ago.

0:45:380:45:39

A Bangladeshi wedding is an all-day event

0:45:410:45:43

to which hundreds of people are invited.

0:45:430:45:46

Not only is it a marriage ceremony,

0:45:460:45:48

it's also a gesture of generosity by the bride's family to

0:45:480:45:51

the whole community, and everyone will be fed a good meal.

0:45:510:45:55

Before the bride and groom arrive, I'm going to head into the kitchen

0:45:550:45:59

to find out what goes into feeding this many people.

0:45:590:46:01

He's feeding 700 people today.

0:46:040:46:06

There's chicken curry, there's potatoes and there's lentils.

0:46:060:46:10

There's none of this spoons, it's like full-on bowls,

0:46:100:46:14

there's no time to mess around.

0:46:140:46:16

Goodness, they work so hard.

0:46:160:46:19

'Jasmine's groom is 29-year-old Suhail.

0:46:250:46:28

'And this ambush as he arrives is all very traditional.

0:46:310:46:34

'It's the job of the bride's younger brothers and cousins

0:46:340:46:37

'to try and embarrass the groom.

0:46:370:46:39

'I have no idea why.

0:46:390:46:41

'In sharp contrast,

0:46:410:46:43

'Jasmine's arrival is more low key and far more serious.'

0:46:430:46:46

It's a segregated wedding,

0:46:480:46:49

so men are on one section and women are on the other.

0:46:490:46:52

I almost guarantee they're going to start mixing in about three hours.

0:46:520:46:55

'In a Bangladeshi Muslim wedding,

0:46:550:46:58

'the bride and groom sit separately for the whole day.

0:46:580:47:01

'The most important moment is the signing of

0:47:010:47:04

'the Islamic marriage contract,

0:47:040:47:06

'which acts as a pre-nuptial agreement between the two families.'

0:47:060:47:09

Oh, she's done it, then. She's signed.

0:47:090:47:12

'On my wedding day, I was 21 and Abdal was 24.

0:47:120:47:15

'We had known each other for six months and had chatted on the phone,

0:47:150:47:19

'but we had only met in person once, when our fathers introduced us.'

0:47:190:47:24

I have to say, my wedding day, when I was sat there like that,

0:47:250:47:28

was one of the worst days of my life. I would never repeat it.

0:47:280:47:31

You are literally on show,

0:47:310:47:33

and it's something that I was always really uncomfortable with.

0:47:330:47:35

The bride will often keep her head down, kind of not look up,

0:47:350:47:39

not smile very much.

0:47:390:47:40

I've never fully understood it. It just seems bizarre that

0:47:400:47:43

a bride is unhappy on her wedding day

0:47:430:47:45

when, really, she should be happy.

0:47:450:47:47

But, like I say, it's one of those unspoken rules that you don't really

0:47:470:47:50

say much about, you just carry on.

0:47:500:47:52

I still did it because nobody else has really broken that rule yet.

0:47:520:47:56

If I was the person I am now, at 31,

0:47:560:47:59

I certainly would not have gone into a contract.

0:47:590:48:03

I wouldn't sign a mortgage contract without knowing how much money

0:48:030:48:06

I'm putting in and what my mortgage is,

0:48:060:48:09

so why would I sign a marriage contract where I don't know

0:48:090:48:11

what I'm getting myself into?

0:48:110:48:13

'Now witnessing this ceremony as a mother,

0:48:130:48:15

'I know I want something different for my own children.'

0:48:150:48:18

I wouldn't dream of arranging their marriages because

0:48:180:48:21

I feel like if I raise my children well enough,

0:48:210:48:23

I believe that they will make the right decisions in their life,

0:48:230:48:27

and I have to trust that and I have to trust my children.

0:48:270:48:29

That's such a big decision and I don't think that, as a parent,

0:48:290:48:33

I should be making that decision for them.

0:48:330:48:36

I stand here and I watch this, it actually almost brings me to tears.

0:48:360:48:39

I couldn't do this to my daughter.

0:48:390:48:41

Like, I just couldn't do it.

0:48:410:48:43

'Nobody should be on show because it's the done thing.

0:48:430:48:46

'They should be on show because they want to be.'

0:48:460:48:49

I love the sari.

0:48:490:48:51

'I have no idea how Jasmine is feeling,

0:48:530:48:55

'but I really hope her married life turns out to be as happy as my own.'

0:48:550:48:59

It's my last day in the village.

0:49:150:49:17

Tomorrow, I'm heading off on a journey to explore Bangladesh.

0:49:170:49:20

I want to visit and learn about places I've only ever seen on a map.

0:49:200:49:24

But before I leave,

0:49:300:49:32

I'm going to cook a very special dish to say thank you to my family.

0:49:320:49:35

Tusha shinni is one of those that you hand out

0:49:350:49:38

when you're celebrating something

0:49:380:49:40

or if there's something sad, like a death in the family,

0:49:400:49:43

and it's like an exchange for prayers -

0:49:430:49:45

it's like notification and for prayers.

0:49:450:49:48

Tusha shinni is unlike anything else.

0:49:480:49:51

It's a rich, sticky almost fudgy snack,

0:49:510:49:54

with a nutty, spiced-caramel flavour.

0:49:540:49:56

It's totally delicious and a real treat.

0:49:560:50:00

My mum has offered to give me a hand.

0:50:010:50:03

You have to say "Bismillah", which means in the name of God,

0:50:030:50:06

before you make it

0:50:060:50:08

because it's a blessing, it's kind of asking for prayers.

0:50:080:50:10

Everything. So we kind of say it with everything,

0:50:100:50:13

but this is kind of extra special.

0:50:130:50:15

'The first job is to make a spiced sugar syrup

0:50:150:50:18

'with equal amounts of sugar and water,

0:50:180:50:20

'a few cardamom pods and a couple of cinnamon sticks.'

0:50:200:50:24

If you add granulated sugar into the flour, it doesn't melt,

0:50:240:50:27

so you dissolve the sugar first in the water,

0:50:270:50:30

so it's all kind of mixed in and you don't get bits.

0:50:300:50:33

Shall we start browning the flour off, Mum?

0:50:340:50:36

'Now we need to brown off the plain flour

0:50:360:50:39

'by cooking it in a hot, dry pan.'

0:50:390:50:41

This is the most laborious task.

0:50:410:50:43

Browning that off just gives the flour like a toasted flavour,

0:50:430:50:49

but it also gives it a lovely brown colour.

0:50:490:50:52

'A kitchen assistant is useful for this job.'

0:50:520:50:56

No, Mum. That needs to be browner. More? Yeah.

0:50:560:50:59

I'd go browner, Mum. More browner? Yeah, more brown.

0:51:030:51:06

Like, really brown. That's not...

0:51:060:51:08

No? No.

0:51:080:51:10

She'd never be able to bake. She's way too impatient.

0:51:100:51:13

Like, "What?! No, no, just stick it in."

0:51:130:51:15

Recently, you've been experimenting more with recipes.

0:51:150:51:18

She got a Bengali cookbook. Didn't you, Mum? Hm.

0:51:180:51:21

She made something out of it, but she always adds something else or...

0:51:210:51:24

That's what I do, though, I don't follow recipes.

0:51:240:51:27

But she's definitely an instinctive cook. She knows... She's so...

0:51:270:51:32

Yeah.

0:51:370:51:38

Turn that down, Mum, slightly.

0:51:380:51:40

Oh, God! I just turned it up! Mum! Help!

0:51:400:51:43

Automatic cooker. What?

0:51:430:51:45

I don't know of any other recipes where you have to brown the flour.

0:51:450:51:49

But I always have a way of anglicising everything,

0:51:490:51:52

so I've browned flour before, cooled it down,

0:51:520:51:55

sieved it and put it into a cake, just a normal Victoria sponge.

0:51:550:51:58

And I'm telling you, it imparts the most beautiful flavour into a cake.

0:51:580:52:01

Nadiya? It's quite nutty.

0:52:010:52:03

'Now the flour is brown enough,

0:52:030:52:05

'we need to add an equal amount of melted ghee.

0:52:050:52:07

'You could also use melted butter.'

0:52:070:52:09

Do you want me to stir? Is your hand hurting?

0:52:090:52:11

'When the flour and ghee are mixed together,

0:52:110:52:14

'in go some plump raisins.

0:52:140:52:16

'And finally, the sugar syrup needs to be added very quickly

0:52:170:52:21

'so the mixture doesn't split.'

0:52:210:52:22

Quick. I'll hold it. You mix it.

0:52:300:52:32

'This is definitely a two-man job.

0:52:320:52:34

'We need to keep stirring until the mix has thickened up.'

0:52:340:52:37

If you don't stir it really quickly, you get clumps of flour that

0:52:370:52:40

don't get enough water, and then you just get lots of bits of flour.

0:52:400:52:45

Get a facial at the same time. Yep.

0:52:450:52:49

I do tend to just deploy the electric whisk at this point.

0:52:510:52:54

That's your workout done.

0:52:560:52:58

SHE GASPS

0:53:010:53:04

Now just rest.

0:53:040:53:06

Looks nice.

0:53:070:53:09

Hm.

0:53:110:53:13

We never do a recipe together, so it's really cool.

0:53:150:53:17

She never lets me in the kitchen, so this is nice, actually.

0:53:170:53:20

You don't let me in the kitchen?

0:53:200:53:22

Cos you so busy.

0:53:220:53:24

Aw, that's kind of cute.

0:53:240:53:26

No! You never let me in the kitchen before anyway.

0:53:260:53:29

You say that we don't cook that well.

0:53:290:53:31

Now you can. Now I can.

0:53:330:53:34

I got a trophy to prove it.

0:53:340:53:36

Shumi and I are dividing up the tusha shinni

0:53:410:53:43

so that we can deliver it around the village.

0:53:430:53:45

My family all prayed for my success in Bake Off,

0:53:450:53:48

and this is my way of thanking them for their love and support.

0:53:480:53:52

We've recruited a few kids to help us out, but I think...

0:53:520:53:57

I think it's going to chuck it down,

0:53:570:53:59

so we're going to have to go quickly.

0:53:590:54:01

Salaam-Alaikum. Salaam-Alaikum.

0:54:080:54:10

Thank you very much. Thank you.

0:54:110:54:14

Would you like any drink or anything? No, we're OK.

0:54:190:54:23

We have to go see lots of other people. Oh, right.

0:54:230:54:26

What I feared would happen, we've got lots to give out,

0:54:280:54:31

but he's like, "Come in, have a drink."

0:54:310:54:33

And I'm going to have to tell everybody,

0:54:330:54:35

"No, I've got to go. I've got to keep going."

0:54:350:54:37

And it's starting to pour.

0:54:370:54:39

Salaam-Alaikum.

0:54:400:54:42

THUNDER RUMBLES

0:54:420:54:44

My grandma is high up on the list of people I need to thank.

0:54:580:55:02

So when I'm giving it to them, I'm just saying,

0:55:030:55:06

"Please make dua for me," which means just please pray for me.

0:55:060:55:09

It's banana leaves wrapped with something inside of it,

0:55:090:55:11

and that's it, and it just makes everyone smile.

0:55:110:55:14

It's quite nice.

0:55:140:55:15

Salaam-Alaikum.

0:55:160:55:18

'It's wonderful thanking everyone in person,

0:55:210:55:23

'but I can't help remembering those who have passed away

0:55:230:55:26

'since my last visit...

0:55:260:55:28

'and thinking about our family's shared history.'

0:55:280:55:31

He's just saying that the camera doesn't see

0:55:540:55:57

what I see 25 years ago...

0:55:570:56:00

..when my grandma used to...

0:56:010:56:04

pick us up and hold us,

0:56:040:56:07

and the way he used to give us piggyback rides.

0:56:070:56:10

It really got quite teary, which I didn't expect.

0:56:160:56:20

And it's odd because I think...

0:56:200:56:22

..sometimes, when you live away from all of this,

0:56:240:56:28

you feel like you're the one who made you.

0:56:280:56:31

You forget that these are the people who quietly sit and pray for you

0:56:310:56:35

and think about you.

0:56:350:56:36

I think I'm taken aback a little bit by everybody's reaction.

0:56:400:56:44

When I was first coming back to the village, I was quite nervous about

0:56:490:56:53

how I'd feel, and a little bit anxious, actually.

0:56:530:56:56

And now that I'm here, I'm actually quite nervous about leaving

0:56:560:56:59

and getting back into the swing of things, it's like,

0:56:590:57:02

"Oh, I quite like this. It's starting to feel like home."

0:57:020:57:05

And now I have to go.

0:57:050:57:06

But I'm actually really excited about kind of leaving the village

0:57:060:57:09

because the one thing we never did when we came here

0:57:090:57:12

was ever leave the village.

0:57:120:57:14

And it's the first time I get to venture out of the village

0:57:140:57:17

by myself and experience Bangladesh as a whole.

0:57:170:57:20

I know you guys are really, really nervous about me going,

0:57:220:57:25

and I'm a little bit nervous as well.

0:57:250:57:27

I know you can look after yourself. And I hope you enjoy it, though.

0:57:270:57:30

I'll go there, I'll check the place out

0:57:300:57:34

and then we'll go together one day. Next time you come here. Inshallah.

0:57:340:57:37

Next time, I explore this amazing country for the very first time.

0:57:370:57:41

Where are you from? London! London! Ah!

0:57:420:57:46

I think I'm getting chatted up.

0:57:460:57:48

Every now and again, they get close and have a little kiss

0:57:480:57:51

and they go away, don't they? It's so sweet.

0:57:510:57:53

We're going for four chillies.

0:57:550:57:58

I did ask for hot.

0:57:580:57:59

If there is nothing new,

0:58:340:58:35

then the Court of Appeal aren't going to change their decision.

0:58:350:58:39

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