0:00:02 > 0:00:05I've grown up with food that says home.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08Dishes that mean a lot to me are part of who I am.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10But while it's comfortable to stick with
0:00:10 > 0:00:14what you know in the kitchen, I want to explore new ways of cooking.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16There you go, you can carry that.
0:00:16 > 0:00:17Are we going to cook in the garden?
0:00:17 > 0:00:19In the garden, yes, like it used to be!
0:00:21 > 0:00:25'I'm going on a tour to meet home cooks all around Britain...'
0:00:25 > 0:00:26Oh, look at that.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28'..who are mad about their food.'
0:00:28 > 0:00:30I'm just one boy who loves to cook.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33'To find out what culinary secrets they can teach me.'
0:00:33 > 0:00:36- Chicken soup?- Well, you need a chicken, don't ya?!
0:00:37 > 0:00:41This is my excuse to see what makes other cultures tick.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47And to meet distant cousins of my favourite recipes.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49It's home and abroad.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51Dishes that share the same basic idea,
0:00:51 > 0:00:55but with origins and ingredients a long way from our shores.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59My journey will take me around the world.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01The beauty is I won't even need a passport.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06And as a thank you, I'll invite everyone I meet to a meal
0:01:06 > 0:01:10that puts all their dishes on one table in a celebration
0:01:10 > 0:01:14of what makes us different, and what brings us together.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27One of the most ancient forms of cooking was to put
0:01:27 > 0:01:30everything in one pot and cook it very slowly.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33The hotpot.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39These steaming feasts of slow-cooked treasures allow individual
0:01:39 > 0:01:42flavours to mingle, making real one-pot wonders.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48Made across the world, many hotpots are much-loved family recipes,
0:01:48 > 0:01:52but before I meet the talented people who will show me
0:01:52 > 0:01:55their signature slow cooking, I want to make one of my favourites,
0:01:55 > 0:01:59that speaks of old-fashioned Britain, the Lancashire Hotpot.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02I can't think of anything more welcoming to come home
0:02:02 > 0:02:04to on a winter's night.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15There's something very easy about it, very good-natured.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18I think of it as a very uncomplicated thing
0:02:18 > 0:02:20in a complicated world.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24Traditionally, this could use any cut of lamb,
0:02:24 > 0:02:29but I like chops. Searing the meat intensifies the flavour.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32The real magic happens when all the ingredients come together.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37Celery, onions, carrot and swede just say Britain to me.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41This is OUR hotpot. It's the one that we're most famous for.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44SIZZLING
0:02:44 > 0:02:46So, when the lamb's brown on both sides, I'm going
0:02:46 > 0:02:48to put it into the pot.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56Brown the onions, followed by the celery and chunky carrot.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00With every hotpot, you look at the ingredient list
0:03:00 > 0:03:04and it's an ingredient list of the landscape, it's that area,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07it's totally connected to where it's come from.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11And that happens throughout the world.
0:03:18 > 0:03:23Just a couple of tablespoonfuls of flour, you really don't need much.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28I know it's unfashionable to use it but I like a thick, rich sauce.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32A couple of bay leaves in, a few sprigs of thyme.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37To pull everything together and make a gravy, you need liquid.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40I'm using a jellied beef stock.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42It will draw out the individual flavours,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45making it much more than the sum of its parts.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48And, yes, of course, you can use water if you want to
0:03:48 > 0:03:51because you've got masses of flavour there already.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Season it well, bring it up to the boil, then turn
0:03:54 > 0:03:57the heat down a bit and leave to simmer for ten minutes.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01When it's thickened a little, spoon into a deep casserole
0:04:01 > 0:04:03and leave on a lowish heat.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09This is the bit I really love. It's the topping.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Sliced potatoes that go crisp on top
0:04:13 > 0:04:15and underneath they soak up some of the gravy.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21So this has been simmering away for quite a while,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23it's got really thick,
0:04:23 > 0:04:26a lot of the flavours have come out from the meat into the gravy.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29There's no need to boil the potatoes or peel them,
0:04:29 > 0:04:31I like to leave them nice and rustic.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34A few thyme leaves, it's not particularly traditional, that's
0:04:34 > 0:04:38just me, and then, just so it gets really golden, some melted butter.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47It's now that the hotpot comes into its own.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52An hour or more to slowly cook in a low oven, allows the meat
0:04:52 > 0:04:54and veg to give it all they've got.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Patience isn't just a virtue, it makes the best hotpot.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07It's my Lancashire Hotpot.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10You know, there are some dishes that follow you throughout your life
0:05:10 > 0:05:11and this is mine.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14The simplest recipe imaginable.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16It has nothing to do with the cook,
0:05:16 > 0:05:19you just stir a few ingredients together, put it in the oven,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21and they all get on with things themselves.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26Sometimes, I think that that is actually
0:05:26 > 0:05:28the best dinner in the world.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33For me, this is a rustic classic for any day of the week.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40But hotpots vary across the globe and for some cultures, it's
0:05:40 > 0:05:42a dish for celebration.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49I've come to North London to find out about an Iranian hotpot
0:05:49 > 0:05:51made for very special occasions.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53- Yasmin, I'm Nigel. - Nice to meet you, Nigel.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55Lovely to meet you. What a fabulous shop!
0:05:55 > 0:05:56Isn't it gorgeous?
0:05:56 > 0:05:59'Born in Britain, Yasmin spent her early years
0:05:59 > 0:06:03'and summer holidays in Iran, and continues to cook dishes
0:06:03 > 0:06:05'celebrating ingredients of her ancestral home.'
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Now, you're going to tell me off about pomegranates
0:06:08 > 0:06:09because shall I tell you something?
0:06:09 > 0:06:11- I buy them ready done. - Noooo!
0:06:11 > 0:06:15- I know.- What you miss, Nigel, is the real joy.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18It's proper fruits of your labour stuff because actually what I
0:06:18 > 0:06:20love about a pomegranate is you kind of have to work at it a bit.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Do you know what I mean? It's not like biting into an apple.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25You have that little ceremony around opening it
0:06:25 > 0:06:27and getting the seeds out.
0:06:27 > 0:06:28How many do we need?
0:06:28 > 0:06:30I think two will do us.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35'We're going to use these pomegranates to make a dish
0:06:35 > 0:06:36'called fesenjan.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Fesenjan is an exciting duck or chicken
0:06:41 > 0:06:45hotpot often served on special occasions. It has a wonderful blend
0:06:45 > 0:06:50of sweet and sour flavours that melt together during hours of cooking.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55So, this is actually a very simple recipe, just a few ingredients.
0:06:55 > 0:06:56Just three.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Three is the magic number, pomegranate molasses,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02walnuts and chicken, cooked down in a casserole
0:07:02 > 0:07:04and that pretty much sums up Iranian food.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07- And tell me again - fesenjan. - Fis-in-joon.
0:07:07 > 0:07:08Fis-in-joon.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13- I'll get it. - You'll get it by the end.
0:07:13 > 0:07:14What's the first thing?
0:07:14 > 0:07:17OK, well first thing we want to do is grind up the walnuts.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23'Like pomegranates, walnuts are plentiful in Iran.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27'Finely ground, they're mixed with nothing but water to become the
0:07:27 > 0:07:31'backbone of Yasmin's rich hotpot, brought to a boil and simmered.'
0:07:31 > 0:07:34So, I want you to just have a look at the colour.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36This is something that's going to change over time.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Yes, this is porridge colour.
0:07:38 > 0:07:39It is, isn't it?
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Sort of colour of oatmeal right now.
0:07:41 > 0:07:42The longer you cook them,
0:07:42 > 0:07:45the more flavour is released and the more the oils are released.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49So, that's all you need to do, goodbye for now.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54'This dish comes from Northern Iran, where Yasmin spent long summers
0:07:54 > 0:07:57'and celebrated Iranian New Years in the 1980s,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00'a time when political unrest shook family life.'
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Gran cooking outside.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04You know, say if we were making fesenjan,
0:08:04 > 0:08:08she would get a local duck from the land, bring it up and we'd
0:08:08 > 0:08:13all help her pluck it, she'd have the walnuts from her walnut trees.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16She'd have the pomegranates from the pomegranate trees.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19- Eat local. - Eat local, and I love that.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25'Iran's revolution in 1979, saw the monarchy overthrown
0:08:25 > 0:08:28'and an Islamic regime take power.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30'It was a turbulent time for many people.'
0:08:30 > 0:08:36I remember being four years old and going to visit my uncle, who
0:08:36 > 0:08:40was in prison at the time for political activity,
0:08:40 > 0:08:45and we all went to visit him and the prison guards wouldn't let us in.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48It was a really, really painful thing for the family,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51My grandmother not being able to see her son
0:08:51 > 0:08:55and so I said I wanted to go in. And I was always a bit bolshy,
0:08:55 > 0:09:01and so the prison guards let me in, so all my family waited outside.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Because it was New Year, I really wanted to take my uncle
0:09:04 > 0:09:11something, and so I had a little bit of Iranian nougat,
0:09:11 > 0:09:14wrapped up, which is a very traditional Iranian sweet,
0:09:14 > 0:09:17made with rose water and pistachios, and I remember going in
0:09:17 > 0:09:20and obviously, you know, prison guards wouldn't search
0:09:20 > 0:09:22a four-year-old, they wouldn't think I had it
0:09:22 > 0:09:25and I was able to take that in.
0:09:25 > 0:09:26I was able to give it to my uncle.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28It felt really special.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32That little symbolic gesture of taking someone a special food to
0:09:32 > 0:09:34mark a special day, can mean so much.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Even in those troubled times.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Although it's been 30 years since Yasmin settled in Britain,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44she is more determined than ever to share the evocative flavours
0:09:44 > 0:09:48of her childhood, the essence of Iranian, or Persian, cuisine.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54For me, right now, one of the things I'm most
0:09:54 > 0:09:58enjoying about exploring Persian food here in the UK, sharing it with
0:09:58 > 0:10:01my friends, with people who've never had it before, people like you.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04It's because I get to connect to Iran through something positive.
0:10:04 > 0:10:09And a simple thing like having a cup of fragrant tea with a nice
0:10:09 > 0:10:12bit of saffron sugar just reminds me
0:10:12 > 0:10:15of all the positive experiences that one can have in Iran.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17- The good stuff. - The good stuff. Yeah.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Oh, glossy, really glossy.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28'Two hours on the heat has thickened the sauce,
0:10:28 > 0:10:32'intensifying the taste, ready for a fruity element.'
0:10:36 > 0:10:38- I know what that is - pomegranate. - It is.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Pomegranate molasses.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43That's...wow, two, three tablespoons.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47'The sharpness of the pomegranate is sweetened with cinnamon
0:10:47 > 0:10:52'and brown sugar, and enhanced by powdered angelica root.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56'A spoonful of tomato puree, and finally the chicken,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59'which will slowly take on these ancient flavours.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04'Preparing pomegranates the proper way is part of what makes
0:11:04 > 0:11:05'this dish authentic.'
0:11:09 > 0:11:13Grand! This is so much darker!
0:11:13 > 0:11:15It's rich and it's glossy
0:11:15 > 0:11:18and it's completely changed in the time it's been in the pot.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23'The rich, dark sauce of the fesenjan is bejewelled with
0:11:23 > 0:11:25'the gemstones of the pomegranate.'
0:11:28 > 0:11:32Oh, how absolutely gorgeous.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34And it is just walnuts and water?
0:11:34 > 0:11:37It's just walnuts and water, that's all that is.
0:11:40 > 0:11:45- Gorgeous. It's really quite fruity. - It's very fruity.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48And that lovely sweet, sour thing going on.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52Do you know what this tastes of to me? My Christmas.
0:11:52 > 0:11:53Oh, really?
0:11:53 > 0:11:58Yeah, I'm thinking nuts, pomegranates,
0:11:58 > 0:12:00slow cooking, chicken.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04It's got a very festive, festive taste to it.
0:12:04 > 0:12:09Yasmin's fesenjan is about so much more than its classic Iranian
0:12:09 > 0:12:12ingredients, it's full of a heritage she's proud of.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16Oh, thank you so much for this. It's just so beautiful.
0:12:16 > 0:12:21'This is an ancient dish, reminiscent of happy celebrations,
0:12:21 > 0:12:23'and it makes me think of another country where family
0:12:23 > 0:12:26'and friendship is at the very heart of their cooking.'
0:12:30 > 0:12:34Brazilian brothers Anderson and Andre moved to
0:12:34 > 0:12:38the UK as teenagers, but their love of Latin flavours came with them.
0:12:38 > 0:12:39- Cheers.- Cheers.- Chin-chin.
0:12:39 > 0:12:44'They're going to cook me THE national dish of Brazil - feijoada.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47'This carnival of a hotpot uses ingredients we're all
0:12:47 > 0:12:51'familiar with now, but which originated in South America.'
0:12:51 > 0:12:54And the most important part obviously is the black beans.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59- Ah, the black beans. - That's what forms the feijoada.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01These have been soaked overnight.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03And just to add a bit of Brazilian heat, we've got
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Grandmother's special chilli sauce.
0:13:05 > 0:13:06That's your grandmother's?
0:13:06 > 0:13:08Yes, she made that one.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12'These aren't just Grandma's ingredients - feijoada is
0:13:12 > 0:13:16'a recipe passed down through generations of Brazilian families.'
0:13:16 > 0:13:19That's the main inspiration for our cooking,
0:13:19 > 0:13:21our grandmother, she's a big part of our life,
0:13:21 > 0:13:25she was always around, helping my mum, raise both my brother
0:13:25 > 0:13:26and I.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30And we have her to thank for this recipe.
0:13:30 > 0:13:31We do, yes.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34There's my brother and I on the beach, enjoying ourselves,
0:13:34 > 0:13:40sporting the famous Speedos, as you do when you are on Copacabana beach.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42And that is the reason why my brother
0:13:42 > 0:13:44decided to learn how to cook.
0:13:44 > 0:13:45Yeah.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49The girls. Yeah, just to score some extra points with
0:13:49 > 0:13:51the ladies.
0:13:51 > 0:13:52It was one of the reasons.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54It's a good enough reason.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00'The word feijoada derives from the Portuguese for beans,
0:14:00 > 0:14:02'but, if anything, Andre
0:14:02 > 0:14:05'and Anderson's recipe seems to be an homage to pork.'
0:14:05 > 0:14:10I just can't believe how much you've got, it's awesome.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14So, a mixture really of both fresh meats and cured.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Yes, the cured meats give it a really nice flavour.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21When would you normally eat this, I mean traditionally?
0:14:21 > 0:14:24You will avoid eating this during the week because it's
0:14:24 > 0:14:30quite a heavy dish. I remember my father would eat this on the weekend
0:14:30 > 0:14:34and then he would go to the sofa and have a nap for a couple of hours.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38It is a heavy dish, but worth the time and effort you put in to it.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42What really intrigues me here is the size of the pieces.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44This is a seriously rustic dish, isn't it?
0:14:44 > 0:14:46- It is.- There's no finesse.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49- There's no finesse. - Oh, who wants finesse?!
0:14:49 > 0:14:51This is home cooking at its best.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58The pork ribs are caramelised along with a bit of chopped onion
0:14:58 > 0:15:01and garlic, to give a sweetness to the feijoada.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03SIZZLING
0:15:03 > 0:15:05Throw a little bit of water in.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Not much, and we're going to put the lid on and just let them
0:15:08 > 0:15:09sweat for a little bit.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11This is really quite a new method for me,
0:15:11 > 0:15:13I've not seen that before, adding water at that point.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15The way my mum cooks ribs at home,
0:15:15 > 0:15:19she'll do the same process and then she'll repeat these water,
0:15:19 > 0:15:23let the water evaporate maybe five, six times, and then at the end
0:15:23 > 0:15:26you have the softest ribs you've ever had in your life.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28- Yes, it's delicious. - I can't wait.
0:15:29 > 0:15:34Now the reason why we started cooking... In Brazil there's
0:15:34 > 0:15:38a macho feeling there, cooking is the women's job to do...
0:15:38 > 0:15:42- Oh, really.- ..so you don't get the men in the kitchen.
0:15:42 > 0:15:43Different school of thoughts.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46But we grew up cooking, my dad used to cook a lot
0:15:46 > 0:15:48so he influenced me a lot as well.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Do you miss Brazil?
0:15:51 > 0:15:55I do, but England has become my home now.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58I love it when I go back - it's fun, it's amazing,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01you just switch off for a couple of weeks
0:16:01 > 0:16:04and then, you know, believe it or not, I get homesick.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06I miss London, yeah, yeah, I do.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11'Once the mountain of pork is tender,
0:16:11 > 0:16:15'it's transferred to a huge casserole, with more chopped onions
0:16:15 > 0:16:19'and garlic and finally the essential black beans.'
0:16:19 > 0:16:20You know, I've got to be honest,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23I don't cook with black beans very often.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27All of the other beans I do cook, but not these and they're beautiful.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Yeah, very nice, and you'll see once the dish is done, it's like
0:16:30 > 0:16:34the sauce becomes not quite black, but it's a dark-coloured sauce.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38So we'll just throw the beans with the liquid that is left on,
0:16:38 > 0:16:39it doesn't matter.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44'It's only when these meats are cooked slowly
0:16:44 > 0:16:47'together that the real joy of this dish emerges.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51'Distinctive on their own, put together the flavours sing,
0:16:51 > 0:16:55'like a reflection of the cultural diversity in Brazil.'
0:16:55 > 0:16:58The thing about these hotpots, the thing that attracts me
0:16:58 > 0:17:02to them, apart from the fact that it's a whole load of flavours
0:17:02 > 0:17:04all mingling and getting to know one another,
0:17:04 > 0:17:08cooked for a slow time, is the fact that they tell a story.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10They do, yeah. It's beautiful, simple food.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15'Andre and Anderson's three-hour feijoada gives you that
0:17:15 > 0:17:19'uniquely comforting glow only a slow-cooked dish can deliver.'
0:17:19 > 0:17:21- Let's eat! - Let's eat!
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Look at that. Thank you very much.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28That is beautiful.
0:17:31 > 0:17:32This is good, guys.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
0:17:34 > 0:17:35It is seriously good.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37It's worth the wait!
0:17:40 > 0:17:43'The brothers may have brought this rich, smokey,
0:17:43 > 0:17:45'purple-hued feijoada to Britain,
0:17:45 > 0:17:47'but it's still Brazil's national dish.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50'There are however, some exotic hotpots,
0:17:50 > 0:17:54'so popular here, they've practically become our own.
0:17:54 > 0:17:55'I'm talking curries.'
0:17:57 > 0:18:00I've come to Cardiff, where there's a thriving Bangladeshi
0:18:00 > 0:18:04community, to meet Enam, who moved here as a three-year-old
0:18:04 > 0:18:08but has never lost his love for traditional Bangladeshi cooking.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12Enam's part of one of the oldest Muslim communities in the UK,
0:18:12 > 0:18:17and his family opened one of the first Indian restaurants in town.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21I adore a bit of spice, and I want Enam to show me his authentic
0:18:21 > 0:18:26curried hotpot, a special one-pot dish fit for honoured guests.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Tell me what we are cooking?
0:18:29 > 0:18:32Today, we're going to cook the traditional chicken korma.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36Kurma, we call it in Bengali, so it's a Bangladeshi korma.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40It's korma without the cream, and the milk and the sugar,
0:18:40 > 0:18:42so you get natural sweetness coming from the onions and garlic
0:18:42 > 0:18:46and ginger being slow-cooked over two hours.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49First thing, we're going to make the garlic and ginger.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Wash the ginger with the skin on the ginger.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54We're leaving the skin on? Because I've always peeled ginger.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56I don't know why you've done that,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59we've always kept the skin on the ginger.
0:18:59 > 0:19:00Now I love it when someone tells me
0:19:00 > 0:19:03I've been doing something wrong for 40 years.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05There's no wrong in cooking, really.
0:19:05 > 0:19:06Not really.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10'The korma we're making is to celebrate Eid, the end of Ramadan,
0:19:10 > 0:19:15'a month of fasting observed by Muslims across the world.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18'But that's not until tomorrow, and I'm already hungry.'
0:19:18 > 0:19:20This isn't the only thing we're eating, is it?
0:19:20 > 0:19:24- Um, no...- Actually, when are we eating?
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Because I'm, I'm confused here.
0:19:27 > 0:19:28When are we eating?
0:19:28 > 0:19:31When are WE eating or when are YOU eating?
0:19:31 > 0:19:32When are we all eating.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34I'm not going to eat without you.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37OK, normally, because it's the month of Ramadan,
0:19:37 > 0:19:41it's sunset, so today it's close to a quarter past nine, I think.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45- That's a long time to go.- I know.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48I mean it really is. And what about water? What about drinks?
0:19:48 > 0:19:51No, we're not allowed to have no water, no liquid.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53- Seriously?- It's a test.
0:19:54 > 0:19:59And korma, is, I mean is that the traditional dish for Eid?
0:19:59 > 0:20:00Do you always make it?
0:20:00 > 0:20:01Korma is not only for Eid.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04We are cooking it because the children love it as well.
0:20:04 > 0:20:05It's mild, its delicate flavours.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09I think of it as being quite a gentle, almost sophisticated dish.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11It is. You can't rush a korma.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13You can't rush a korma.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15- A little bit of oil. - And then a little bit of water, yes?
0:20:15 > 0:20:16Yes, that's right.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20'Like Yasmin's fesenjan, this is a special hotpot.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24'The invested effort from the cook making the dish that bit sweeter.'
0:20:25 > 0:20:29- Quite a soft, almost silky paste? - That's right, yes.
0:20:30 > 0:20:31Smells really nice.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34So as you're smelling that, it occurs to me
0:20:34 > 0:20:38that if you are cooking all day but you're not allowed to eat at
0:20:38 > 0:20:40this point, and I taste everything,
0:20:40 > 0:20:42all the way through when I'm cooking,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44but you can't?
0:20:44 > 0:20:46I know, but when you're fasting,
0:20:46 > 0:20:50your senses are heightened, especially your sense of smell,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53so everything seems more pungent, more aromatic.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59- So, we have onions. - That's right.
0:20:59 > 0:21:00Plenty of onions.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Now for the chicken. This is halal chicken.
0:21:03 > 0:21:04That's right, yes.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07- Are we cooking this on the bone? - On the bone.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10We're going to heat the pan, put the ghee in, just enough to cover
0:21:10 > 0:21:15the base of the pan. So we're going to put just over half of that in.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17- About like that?- Yes.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21'You'd expect to find spices at the heart of a curry, and in this korma,
0:21:21 > 0:21:25'whole bay leaves, cinnamon and my favourite, cardamom, are the stars.'
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Who taught you to make this chicken korma?
0:21:30 > 0:21:33My mother taught me and my nan,
0:21:33 > 0:21:35she taught my mother, so it's been passed on.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37So what age are we talking about?
0:21:37 > 0:21:40I used to help my mother out when I was probably ten.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42- I remember.- Me too.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46So was it a case of being encouraged to cook or did you feel you
0:21:46 > 0:21:47kind of had to?
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Not had to, I wanted to.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51In my house, I enjoy cooking.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53If I cook for you, if you're happy, I'm happy!
0:21:55 > 0:21:59'The intensity of this dish comes from the way Enam cooks his onions
0:21:59 > 0:22:05'and spices so slowly, nothing like the korma you get from a takeaway.'
0:22:05 > 0:22:08So all those little bits that have stuck on the bottom?
0:22:08 > 0:22:09Yes.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Now, this is actually helping to get them off.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13That's right, it just comes off easily.
0:22:13 > 0:22:14Is that enough?
0:22:14 > 0:22:16Yes, you can put the lid on it now.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21How come there was ever these westernised recipes?
0:22:21 > 0:22:23I think it was the original restaurants
0:22:23 > 0:22:25when they came it was more to suit the Western palate,
0:22:25 > 0:22:28as the Western palate at that time was more sort of roast dinners
0:22:28 > 0:22:31and fish and chips and nowadays, look at it, you just go on to
0:22:31 > 0:22:34- any high street, you've got Mexican, Thai...- It's great.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36..African - all sorts.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40I tell my children this, I say we're at a time where this country
0:22:40 > 0:22:43and maybe a few other countries in the world where you can go to
0:22:43 > 0:22:45the supermarket and get any vegetables
0:22:45 > 0:22:46from any part of the world.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48We're blessed and grateful for that as well.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Yeah, I'm with you there, definitely.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53It's time to put the chicken in now.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56I know that I've got a recipe that
0:22:56 > 0:23:00I call my quick korma, and I reckon you can do it in about half an hour.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03I mean, I think it's quite delicious.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Well, if yours is a quick korma, this should be called a slow korma!
0:23:08 > 0:23:11We put the lid on and put the heat up.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14'Enam's slow-cooked curry takes nearly two hours.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17'As I've learned, you can't rush a korma.
0:23:20 > 0:23:25'Ramadan gives Muslims a renewed appreciation of food
0:23:25 > 0:23:30'and when Eid finally arrives, a shared feast with family is
0:23:30 > 0:23:33'the best way to celebrate the breaking of the fast.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38'Taking some traditional sweet treats is the least I can do.'
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Yes, beautiful.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42- Bye-bye. - Thank you.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Thanks very much, come in.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50This looks to me like you've been cooking all day and night?
0:23:50 > 0:23:53This is just normal. You've got this fish...
0:23:53 > 0:23:55You've got cupboards full of stuff.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59Carp cooked with tomatoes, garlic, onions, coriander.
0:24:01 > 0:24:02Lamb chop bhuna.
0:24:02 > 0:24:03Meat or chicken pilau.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11This looks just completely awesome.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15This is family and friends and me. Thank you!
0:24:15 > 0:24:16You're most welcome.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21'Enam's traditional Bangladeshi korma couldn't be more
0:24:21 > 0:24:24'different to the takeaways I'm used to.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28'The intense and sophisticated flavours of those slow-cooked
0:24:28 > 0:24:30'onions have redefined korma for me.'
0:24:31 > 0:24:35These hotpots may have come from all over the world, but wherever
0:24:35 > 0:24:39they originated somebody discovered that if you cook what you
0:24:39 > 0:24:43have around you very slowly you will never be disappointed.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46These dishes share a common DNA,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49but each one has its own unique identity.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54As a contrast to their meat-rich recipes,
0:24:54 > 0:24:57but inspired by their slow-cooking techniques, I'm going to
0:24:57 > 0:25:01create a one-pot celebration of vegetables.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05Enam's onions, that he cooked down for so long with that little
0:25:05 > 0:25:08bit of water, and they became soft and translucent.
0:25:08 > 0:25:09Love that!
0:25:13 > 0:25:16See, just starting to go golden on the edges.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27I love the touch of velvet that aubergines bring to the party.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Big wide frying pan. Plenty of olive oil.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Aubergines adore oil, they just drink it up.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37I just want them to colour a little bit,
0:25:37 > 0:25:41so as soon as those are golden and soft, I'll whip them out.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45And I've got courgettes as well,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48and they'll be adding quite a bit of moisture to this.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52Tomatoes. Just chop these up.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55These will break down so you don't need to cut them
0:25:55 > 0:25:56into pieces that are too small.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58I've got these lovely little golden ones here,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00but you can use anything you've got.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03I've put quite a few of these in because they're providing us
0:26:03 > 0:26:06not only with the juice but also masses of flavour.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11So the onions are really soft, and into there, I'm going
0:26:11 > 0:26:12to put all these tomatoes.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Again, low heat and a lid.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22All of these dishes are about nourishment,
0:26:22 > 0:26:25they're about filling people, and I've chosen beans.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29Not the soaked and long-cooked beans that Andre and Anderson used,
0:26:29 > 0:26:31but canned beans, and I'm using a mixture.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35Some haricot beans and my favourite little beans, flageolet.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45Into that I'm going to tuck the courgettes and the aubergines
0:26:45 > 0:26:48and, you know, if you want to put garlic in now do.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50I'm not going to because I want these flavours to sing
0:26:50 > 0:26:52and garlic can be a bit of a bully.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03There's something enchanting about that moment
0:27:03 > 0:27:07when Yasmin broke the pomegranate over the top of her fesenjan
0:27:07 > 0:27:09and suddenly the dish came to life.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16We don't grow pomegranates here, but beetroots and carrots we do,
0:27:16 > 0:27:19and they are my jewels to adorn this dish.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23And there we are. That's my hotpot.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28There's a little bit of all my friends in that.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Every idea they've given me, from the jewelled crust,
0:27:31 > 0:27:34the slow-cooked onions and those boys' beans.
0:27:34 > 0:27:35It's all in there.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45An hour in the oven lets it soak up the heat and soften.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55Great things happen when ingredients meet
0:27:55 > 0:27:57and spend a bit of time together.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59No matter where in the world you
0:27:59 > 0:28:04go home to, it's like a hug waiting for you when you open the door.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08Hotpots are one of the simplest and most rewarding dishes to cook,
0:28:08 > 0:28:10you just have to take your time.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14- That's for you.- Lovely.
0:28:14 > 0:28:15Well, listen, thank you
0:28:15 > 0:28:18all very much for bringing your lovely food.
0:28:18 > 0:28:19I just cannot tell you what I've learnt
0:28:19 > 0:28:22and the pleasure I've had from cooking with you all.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24And, um, this is to you all. Thank you.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28- Cheers!- Cheers!
0:28:28 > 0:28:30MUSIC: Ho Hey by The Lumineers