0:00:19 > 0:00:22You can't beat home-cooked food.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27In this series, I'm going to make every meal you cook at home a real treat.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32Today on Home Cooking, I'm giving you a taste of the Middle East
0:00:32 > 0:00:36with my spiced lamb koftas with dips and spicy pittas.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39I meet award-winning Indian chef Vivek Singh
0:00:39 > 0:00:43and help him prepare a gorgeous family lunch.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46And I teach my cookery school family how to make a delicious,
0:00:46 > 0:00:50Mexican-inspired dish, perfect for the whole family to share.
0:00:52 > 0:00:57I love Middle Eastern food, with its Mediterranean influence and warm, spicy undertones.
0:00:57 > 0:01:04I'm going to make spiced lamb koftas with baba ghanouj and cumin and chilli-roasted pitta breads.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Baba ghanouj is an aubergine dip with yogurt.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10It's lovely and light. Going to cut the tops off the aubergines.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Split the aubergines in half.
0:01:12 > 0:01:17And I have an oven heated to about 180 degrees, or even 200 degrees,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19to roast the aubergines.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Drizzle them with a bit of olive oil.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26Spread it over the top. A few cloves of garlic. Sea salt.
0:01:26 > 0:01:27OK.
0:01:27 > 0:01:32This is going to go into the oven to roast. It'll take about 20 to 30 minutes,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35by which time the aubergines will be completely soft in the centre.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40Now, while they're roasting in the oven, I'm going to get started with the little pitta crisps.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42These are just little wedges of pitta bread.
0:01:42 > 0:01:47If the pitta bread is a couple of days old, if it's slightly stale, that's absolutely perfect.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51I want to coat all the pitta bread in olive oil. Not too much.
0:01:51 > 0:01:57And also some chopped red chilli, which is good for flavour but also for a bit of colour,
0:01:57 > 0:01:59and some toasted, ground cumin seeds.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05Some sea salt. I like to use a crunchy sea salt for this for little bit of texture.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07OK.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12Just pop those onto a tray, spread out like so,
0:02:12 > 0:02:14until I'm ready to cook them.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16I'll take the aubergines out.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19They've been roasting for half an hour, so should be soft.
0:02:19 > 0:02:25When you squeeze them, they should be lovely and tender, like that.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30So allow them to cool down for a couple of minutes, and just scoop out the centre,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34and the centre of the aubergine goes into a liquidiser or a food processor.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Put the little roasted cloves of garlic into the liquidiser as well.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43And then squeeze in the juice of a lemon.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47Juice of one lemon for two aubergines. I'm also using some tahini paste.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Tahini paste is basically the paste of sesame seeds.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52This is a light tahini paste.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55You can get light or dark, and I like to use the light one for this.
0:02:55 > 0:03:02So turn it on and just whiz it up to a nice thick puree.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07So...this needs to be allowed to cool at this stage,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10because all I have to do next is to season this,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13put in some chopped parsley and some natural yogurt.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19While I'm waiting for that to cool, I can make the spiced lamb koftas.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21In here, I've got the minced lamb.
0:03:21 > 0:03:27I've got some very finely chopped onion, or even grated onion, and it's not cooked before it goes in.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30Finely grate in the garlic, or you could crush the garlic.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38In with the lamb, onions and garlic I'm going to put cayenne pepper,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41just for a little bit of heat - not too much -
0:03:41 > 0:03:43some ground coriander seeds...
0:03:44 > 0:03:46..some ground cinnamon...
0:03:48 > 0:03:54..some turmeric, which is wonderful for the colour, and ground cumin.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58Mix this all together. Add in some salt and some pepper.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01Some salt...and some pepper.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05Keep mixing it until it comes together.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08It just needs a little bit of chopped, fresh coriander.
0:04:08 > 0:04:09Smells incredible!
0:04:09 > 0:04:12I've got the pan on the heat already, because I want
0:04:12 > 0:04:15to taste a little bit before I shape all of these.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17It's a good idea to fry a little bit off,
0:04:17 > 0:04:21taste it and then you can adjust the seasoning if necessary.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Mmm! Oh! It's absolutely delicious.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28I'm going to shape these into little fat sausage shapes,
0:04:28 > 0:04:30like that...
0:04:30 > 0:04:37and keep dipping your hands into the water, as it makes it easier to shape them with wet hands.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42Once they hit the hot pan, turn the heat down to about low to medium.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46You don't want to burn the outside before they're cooked inside.
0:04:46 > 0:04:52I'll turn them over a couple of times during cooking. They'll take about eight to ten minutes to cook.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54While the lamb koftas are cooking on the pan,
0:04:54 > 0:04:59I'll pop the cumin and chilli pitta crisps into the oven.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01They will take only four, five minutes to cook,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04200 or 220 degrees. Keep an eye on them.
0:05:04 > 0:05:09They tend to go from quite pale to too dark within about the space of half a minute, so just keep an eye.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12I'm going to finish the baba ghanouj.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14I've got the aubergine puree in here with the tahini paste,
0:05:14 > 0:05:19the lemon juice, and I need to add in some natural yogurt
0:05:19 > 0:05:21and some chopped parsley.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25Keep an eye on the lamb koftas. You might just want to turn them over.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Lovely.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31OK, so now the chopped parsley can go into the baba ghanouj,
0:05:31 > 0:05:33with some salt and some pepper.
0:05:43 > 0:05:44That's gorgeous.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49It's really light, it's really fresh-tasting, zingy, and citrusy.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52There is baba ghanouj.
0:05:54 > 0:05:59The koftas are cooked now. They're golden brown, and I know they're cooked through
0:05:59 > 0:06:02because when you press one, there is a firm spring.
0:06:02 > 0:06:08I like to just sit them for a little bit on some kitchen paper, just to drain them slightly.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Now it's time to get the pitta bread out of the oven.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17You see these are nice, golden brown and toasted.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19The koftas have cooled ever so slightly.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22It's quite nice to serve them on a satay stick.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30And...I've got the baba ghanouj in one bowl.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33In this little bowl, I've got some coriander and mint salsa.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36It's fresh coriander leaves and small stalks,
0:06:36 > 0:06:40and some leaves of mint whizzed up with olive oil and a little bit of garlic, which is fantastic.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44Lastly, the little pitta crisps.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48A few leaves of coriander scattered over the top, just to finish it off.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51So there are my spiced lamb koftas with baba ghanouj
0:06:51 > 0:06:53and cumin and chilli-roasted pitta bread -
0:06:53 > 0:06:56perfect for sharing with lots of family and friends.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14'Today's cookery school students are the Dudley family from Exeter.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17'They love experimenting with different flavours,
0:07:17 > 0:07:23'so I'll be showing them a tasty, Mexican-inspired dish they will have lots of fun making and eating.'
0:07:23 > 0:07:26- You like Mexican?- Fantastic.- Great!
0:07:26 > 0:07:30- OK, that's lucky.- Yeah!- Today we are going to make chicken tostadas
0:07:30 > 0:07:34with guacamole, tomato salsa, refried beans,
0:07:34 > 0:07:38and this is a really great thing to make with lots of friends.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40It's great kind of convivial eating.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43We're all going to do the chicken part first of all.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47We eat together every night. We sit down and have a family meal.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49And generally, I would say
0:07:49 > 0:07:51- about 50-50 with the cooking, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:07:51 > 0:07:56What I'd like to get out of today is the combination of food, how to put different types of food together.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59So we'll let the pans heat up a little bit.
0:07:59 > 0:08:04Then we'll just add into the pans a little drizzle of olive oil each and cook the chicken breasts
0:08:04 > 0:08:07all the way through, so they're golden on both sides.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12So season the chicken now, while it's cooking, with salt and pepper.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16When you're cooking something like this, make sure
0:08:16 > 0:08:20that you always cook it on one side completely, and then turn it over, cook it on the other side.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Don't keep tossing and turning it.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26If it's sticking a bit, that means it's not ready to turn.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30Once it kind of sears on one side, then it will turn.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34OK, this one's nearly golden. Turn it over. Lovely.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38So once you've turned it over, then turn the heat down to a bit lower.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41There's enough heat in the pan to colour the underside,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44but you don't want it to burn before the centre is cooked.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48Today I'd like to learn something I can cook for my friends when they come over,
0:08:48 > 0:08:50and just to improve my basic knowledge.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52How do you know when the chicken are done?
0:08:52 > 0:08:59This smaller chicken breast, I can feel it's cooked because it feels firm, but it's not bouncy.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Do you want to feel this one with a spoon?
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Can you feel there's quite a spring?
0:09:04 > 0:09:06- And actually... - It's softer.- ..if we put a spoon in,
0:09:06 > 0:09:10- can you see there how it's...? - Pink flesh.- Pink flesh.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14Once your chicken's cooked, it needs to cool down to room temperature
0:09:14 > 0:09:16before we mix it with the mayonnaise.
0:09:16 > 0:09:21So while the chicken is cooling, I'm going to make the tostadas, or the tortilla chips.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25I have a deep fryer heating up, so obviously, with younger children,
0:09:25 > 0:09:27that needs to be kept out of the way...
0:09:27 > 0:09:31and I'm just cutting the tortillas into little wedges.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33I'll pop them in. Lift the basket out first.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36You don't have to have a deep fryer for this.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40You could literally just toss these in olive oil in a bowl,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43lay them out flat on a tray and roast them in the oven,
0:09:43 > 0:09:45200, 220 degrees.
0:09:45 > 0:09:50- Once they're golden, take them out. - Just a couple of minutes?- Not even that. What was it, a minute?
0:09:50 > 0:09:55- I guess so. So they'll crisp up now, will they?- They will crisp up now.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58OK, so just toss those around like this,
0:09:58 > 0:10:01just to get rid of the excess oil.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04You could sprinkle salt over them if you like.
0:10:04 > 0:10:09So they're our tortillas. What I want to do now is shred the chicken.
0:10:09 > 0:10:14Essentially, what we want are just lovely little...shreds.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17- (Faster! We have to beat them.) - This isn't a competition, honey.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20- You're not competitive, are you, Alexander?- Very!
0:10:20 > 0:10:24Now, what we can do is just add in some mayonnaise,
0:10:24 > 0:10:28just enough to mix it all together, and some lime juice.
0:10:28 > 0:10:33Roll your lime and lean down heavily to really break up the membrane to make it more juicy.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36In we go with some mayonnaise.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38And then add the lime juice.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43A little bit of the crunchy sea salt will be nice, and some pepper.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45Now, let's see how this is tasting.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Mmm! Perfect!
0:10:47 > 0:10:54Later on, I'll show the Dudleys my recipes for some tasty Mexican dips to go with their chicken tostadas.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Coming up, chef Vivek Singh shares his tip for perfect pilau rice,
0:11:05 > 0:11:07cooked in a microwave!
0:11:07 > 0:11:10And the Dudley family make some delicious dips
0:11:10 > 0:11:12to go with their Mexican feast.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17Since first opening its doors in 2001, the Cinnamon Club
0:11:17 > 0:11:19has been redefining expectations of Indian cooking.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23- Service!- The man taking curry to new culinary heights is chef Vivek Singh,
0:11:23 > 0:11:28whose dishes fuse Indian flavours with high-end Western cuisine.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31New order - one goat kebab, one veg selection for starters.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Vivek puts the success of the Cinnamon Club
0:11:34 > 0:11:39down to the fact that he sources all his spices direct from Jaipur.
0:11:39 > 0:11:44'I wanted to know whether his home-cooked food enjoys that same attention to detail.'
0:11:44 > 0:11:46- Lovely to see you. - This is Archana, my wife.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49- Lovely to meet you. - Lovely to meet YOU.- Maya.
0:11:49 > 0:11:54- And Eshaan.- Hello. And how are you? - I'm fine, thank you.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57- Shall we go in?- OK. Thank you.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- Right.- OK.- Are we ready to cook?
0:12:00 > 0:12:03- Yes. What are we cooking? - Great.- Fish?
0:12:03 > 0:12:06I've got a spice-roasted sea bream, and we'll do
0:12:06 > 0:12:11- a really easy pilau rice, but we'll do it in a microwave, so quick.- OK.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15My wife doesn't eat meat and she was a vegetarian until very recently.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18- She's only just started eating fish, which is fantastic.- Yes.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22- Makes life easier for everybody. - I'm all for that.- Yeah?
0:12:22 > 0:12:28So we'll just score the fish very, very lightly, not too deep.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31What I'm putting on the fish is red chilli powder, turmeric,
0:12:31 > 0:12:36some salt, and I'm going to do a ginger and garlic paste.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40- So ginger, garlic and... - Just peel a bit of garlic and a bit of ginger.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43MACHINE WHIRRS
0:12:43 > 0:12:47And so we add a little bit of the ginger and garlic paste.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50All the spices go on the outside, none on the inside?
0:12:50 > 0:12:57Now we're going to smear it with a little bit of oil and lemon juice and leave it for ten or 15 minutes.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01- Shall I rub it in?- Please do, if you don't mind.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Yeah, just rub it in, both sides of the fish.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07- OK.- While you do that, I'm going to make the second marinade with yogurt.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10Just some plain, simple, sort of Greek yogurt.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14- Yeah.- A little bit more red chilli powder, a little bit more turmeric.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16- And...- Oh, and nigella seeds?
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Yeah, nigella seeds, yeah, nigella seeds.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21I think they work brilliantly with fish. And then...
0:13:21 > 0:13:27the last bit of the ginger and garlic paste that we just made - fresh ginger and garlic paste.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Squeeze of lemon.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33I'm going to chop some coriander. It doesn't have to be fine.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Again, it's quite sort of off the cuff.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Is that how you cook all the time, off the cuff?
0:13:39 > 0:13:42- Just adding in...- Yes, yes, I mean, you know, it's all about...
0:13:42 > 0:13:45- The feel for it. - The feel for it, exactly.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48- I am now going to add chickpea flour.- Why?
0:13:48 > 0:13:53The yogurt, as a marinade, is going to stick much better onto the fish.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56- Oh, that's really interesting. - It thickens it.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00- What sparked your interest in food? - I remember going to weddings,
0:14:02 > 0:14:06growing up in Bengal, and the spread, it used to be amazing.
0:14:06 > 0:14:11Such lovely food - loads of different dishes and people kind of egging you on to eat more.
0:14:11 > 0:14:18I have such fond memories of those sort of weddings that I think my love for good food
0:14:18 > 0:14:20started from there - Bengali weddings.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24Right, the fish is in the oven. It's going to cook for 20 minutes or so.
0:14:24 > 0:14:25- OK.- We'll get on with the rice.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28- Do you always microwave your rice? - Oh, yes.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31When we tried it out with the microwave, I realised it was very simple,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34because you don't have to do anything.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36That's some clarified butter or ghee I've got.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40You notice I'm using cardamom, cloves, a little bit of mace,
0:14:40 > 0:14:46- some cinnamon, bay leaf... - Smells fantastic already! - ..and also a little bit of cumin.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48And some salt.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50- Fair bit of salt, yeah.- Right.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53- And the onions.- Oh!
0:14:53 > 0:14:56The smell is amazing! Straight into the rice.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58- Straight into the rice.- Oh, wow!
0:14:58 > 0:15:00This must be an incredible flavour.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03- There we've got... - And some whole mint?
0:15:03 > 0:15:06- Yeah, just some fresh mint...- Ah. - ..into the whole thing.
0:15:06 > 0:15:07So that's done.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12- That'll go into the microwave for about 15 minutes.- This is so simple.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16The fish cooks for 20 minutes, it takes five minutes to prepare the rice,
0:15:16 > 0:15:21- that's in there for 15 minutes... - It's got to be simple, so we can spend some time with the kids.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Oh, it looks great!
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Oh, it's lovely out here.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42Oh, that looks gorgeous.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Mmm! Great food, isn't it? Yummy!
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Archana, what kind of food do you find yourself cooking for the children?
0:15:58 > 0:16:00Mixture of different cuisines, actually.
0:16:00 > 0:16:06We do cook Indian food as well, so, you know, really simple curry with some lentil soup and rice.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10That's a favourite with kids. And they are also very much into pasta.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14Sometimes I get lazy, and pizza, as well, ready-made.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18I work full time, so I don't have a lot of time,
0:16:18 > 0:16:20so whatever is easy and very quick-fix things.
0:16:20 > 0:16:26Rachel, when I was growing up, my mum used to cook three meals a day every single day.
0:16:26 > 0:16:31- And so eating as a family was a fantastic thing, but we almost took it for granted.- Mmm.
0:16:31 > 0:16:36I think now more than ever it's important to seize every opportunity
0:16:36 > 0:16:39and eat with the family, as a family, when one can.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42- So, Eshaan, would you like to be a chef?- Yes.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46- Definitely a chef.- Yes. - Oh, my goodness!
0:16:46 > 0:16:48- Wow!- Wow!
0:16:48 > 0:16:53- This is really delicious and it's been really interesting. - It's been a pleasure.- Thank you.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56- Thanks for coming along. - Thank you so much for inviting me.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58It's been lovely.
0:17:04 > 0:17:11'It's back to cookery school and time for the Dudley family to learn how to make some Mexican dips.'
0:17:11 > 0:17:15I'm going to show you how to make refried beans - a classic Mexican thing.
0:17:15 > 0:17:20I'm going to use a red onion and I'm going to chop the red onion.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22I'm using, for sheer convenience,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25- a tin of red kidney beans... - Right, OK.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28..which I've drained.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30So refried beans is literally kidney beans?
0:17:30 > 0:17:32- Yeah. - I would have never known that.
0:17:32 > 0:17:37If you didn't want to use kidney beans, you could use a black bean, like a black turtle bean.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39I've got a pan on the heat.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43- Right.- Add a little bit of butter and also some garlic.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46We need to cook the onions and garlic for eight to ten minutes
0:17:46 > 0:17:51until they're completely soft, and even a little bit golden around the edges is good.
0:17:51 > 0:17:57OK, I was going to season this with some...salt...and some pepper.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02I tend to be a little bit more adventurous - you know, try new recipes,
0:18:02 > 0:18:05maybe add something a little bit unusual to it.
0:18:05 > 0:18:11I really enjoy spicy food, which the kids complain about. They go, "Ho', ho'! Too spicy!"
0:18:11 > 0:18:14We also need to make a guacamole and a tomato salsa.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18- Chop up the tomatoes, but do make sure that you cut this bit out.- OK.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21The core there. I don't want it to be too fine.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24- Maybe a little bit chunky. What do you think?- Yeah! Great.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26So, tomatoes. And if you want to slice...
0:18:26 > 0:18:30- How are you at slicing? Want me to show you?- Yeah, yes, please.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Hold it so one part of the blade is always on the board.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Small slices, cos you wouldn't want to eat big chunks of onion.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39In Mexican cooking, you can never have enough coriander.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41Chop it really quite vigorously.
0:18:41 > 0:18:46Sean, I could give you a red chilli. So if you want to cut the top off,
0:18:46 > 0:18:50and then you can actually roll the chilli upside down, whole.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55- Like that?- Yeah! And you'll actually squeeze out the seeds. - That's a clever way of doing it.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Excellent, Isabella.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02- A good thing to do, though, is to taste a tiny bit of the chilli.- OK.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04Ooh! That's quite big.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07RACHEL LAUGHS I thought that was a tiny bit!
0:19:07 > 0:19:09- Is it hot?- It's OK.- Is it?- Yeah.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13Well, then you might end up using half, or all of it, even.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17- Do you want to chop it quite finely? - OK.- A little bit of garlic, too.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21- Isabella...would you like to add some salt and some pepper?- OK.
0:19:21 > 0:19:26- And also some sugar would be a good thing to add, just to help... - Why do you add the sugar?
0:19:26 > 0:19:30A pinch of sugar will help the tomatoes and balance all the flavours.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33- OK.- With tomatoes, I would always add a pinch of sugar.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35OK, the garlic's going to go in in a second.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39You could add a drizzle of olive oil into this if you like.
0:19:39 > 0:19:40I quite often add a pinch of salt.
0:19:40 > 0:19:46That helps create a little bit of friction, so it makes it more easy to crush the garlic.
0:19:46 > 0:19:47Some lime juice.
0:19:48 > 0:19:49Great.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53I don't really worry about what I eat. Um...
0:19:53 > 0:19:59I'm not too fussy. I just don't like red meats, or skin, or bones, or fat, or meat.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02I just need to finish the beans.
0:20:02 > 0:20:07The onions and garlic are completely soft and also a little bit golden,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09which will just add to a natural sweetness.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11So in go the cooked kidney beans.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14I'm going to just cook them in the pan here.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16And I have a masher.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Keep mashing them and cook them for about ten minutes,
0:20:19 > 0:20:21also adding in a little bit of stock.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24So what type of stock are we talking?
0:20:24 > 0:20:26You can use vegetable or chicken stock.
0:20:26 > 0:20:31Mmm! So I'm turning it down. Way down. While this is cooking,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33what we can do now is make the guacamole.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36- Cut the avocados in half.- Mmm. - Peel them.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41- Mash the flesh.- This is where we get really messy.- I thought the tomato was going to be messy.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44And then I saw that and I was just like, "Oh!"
0:20:44 > 0:20:48- Yeah.- But also, Alexander, you could make a lovely face mask.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50That would be quite messy.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53You don't need it cos you've got perfect skin, but...
0:20:53 > 0:20:57Do you want to stop messing and cut that lime in half?
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Careful of your fingers there.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03And juice it. If you want to start mashing the avocado with the fork,
0:21:03 > 0:21:05and then we're nearly there.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Some sea salt,
0:21:07 > 0:21:11some pepper and then lime juice, and that's it.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18So, we've got the refried beans. Fantastic. We've got the guacamole.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22And...a big, full bowl of tomato and coriander salsa.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24And then we can put the chicken in here,
0:21:24 > 0:21:29and, of course, the tortilla chips.
0:21:30 > 0:21:35OK. We can sit in the sun - pretend we're in Mexico.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Great!
0:21:38 > 0:21:41- Enjoy, everyone. - Mmm, thank you.- Fantastic!
0:21:41 > 0:21:46Mmm! Mm-mm! Are you enjoying this, Alexander?
0:21:46 > 0:21:49- Yes, very much, actually.- Good.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54I really enjoyed today and I realise that some complicated dishes weren't actually that complicated.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58Rachel was really nice, showing us and helping us through each step.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02- Would you children enjoy this if I made it?- Yeah. - I would definitely eat it again.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Today has been a fantastic experience.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10Learnt some great stuff about cooking - how simple ingredients can make some fantastic food.
0:22:10 > 0:22:11Thank you all so much for coming.
0:22:11 > 0:22:17- It's been a pleasure. Thank you so much.- You were great sports. - We had a wonderful time.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd