0:00:02 > 0:00:03For nearly three months,
0:00:03 > 0:00:07I travelled all over India, tasting curries,
0:00:07 > 0:00:12watching cooks in restaurants and trying to find out their secrets.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16And talking to so many people about what makes the perfect curry.
0:00:16 > 0:00:21It was a great gastronomic adventure, probably the best one I've ever had.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27This is my quest to understand Indian food in all its complexities -
0:00:27 > 0:00:31how the food of the Persians, with their love of robust meat dishes,
0:00:31 > 0:00:35is overlaid with the traditional vegetarian food of the Indians.
0:00:35 > 0:00:41It was also about the Indian respect for, and a sense of comfort from, home cooking.
0:00:43 > 0:00:48I wanted to travel everywhere for dishes deeply flavoured with chilli and spice -
0:00:48 > 0:00:51a delight to the eye in their rich colours -
0:00:51 > 0:00:55and to understand this fascinating country.
0:00:55 > 0:01:00CAR HORN HONKS Because when Indians talk of food, they talk of their life.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04- MAN:- First-class curry, Ricky!
0:01:31 > 0:01:34- MAN:- That's a mind-blasting curry, Ricky!
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Madurai, one of the oldest cities in South Asia.
0:01:41 > 0:01:47It's been an important trading place for Europe for over 2,000 years.
0:01:55 > 0:02:01This Tamil poem, written in the 2nd century AD, could also apply today.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06"Madurai is a city gay with flags waving over homes and shops
0:02:06 > 0:02:09"selling food and drinks.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11"The streets are broad rivers of people.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15"Folk of every race buying and selling in the bazaars.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21"Around the temple, amid the perfume of ghee and incense,
0:02:21 > 0:02:25"are stores selling sweet cakes, garlands of flowers,
0:02:25 > 0:02:28"scented powder and betel paan."
0:02:28 > 0:02:32CAR HORN HONKS Those are the folded-up leaves that you chew
0:02:32 > 0:02:34that can make you high as a kite.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45As you can see, Madurai is a delightfully colourful and busy city -
0:02:45 > 0:02:49lots of markets. Look at these beautiful flowers.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52These are all for religious ceremonial use,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55but I always think this
0:02:55 > 0:02:57adds so much to just an ordinary fruit and veg market,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01when people are buying flowers for religious purposes as well.
0:03:01 > 0:03:08It's a very busy city, and amazingly, 2,000 years ago, it was equally busy,
0:03:08 > 0:03:12and the Greeks and the Romans used to come here for the spices.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Particularly the pepper.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17Indeed, there's an account at the time
0:03:17 > 0:03:21that the Romans were increasingly worried about the drain of silver
0:03:21 > 0:03:26from Rome to here, to Madurai, paying for those spices.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29But I just picked up a little piece of information
0:03:29 > 0:03:32from an anonymous Greek, writing at the time,
0:03:32 > 0:03:37about what the Romans might have traded for those spices in addition to silver.
0:03:37 > 0:03:44And it says, "Madurai was rewarded for its spices
0:03:44 > 0:03:48"with Mediterranean eye shadow, perfume,
0:03:48 > 0:03:50"gold and silverware, fine Italian wines
0:03:50 > 0:03:57"and beautiful slave-girl musicians who doubled up as concubines."
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Looking across the Madurai skyline,
0:04:03 > 0:04:08I can see why the state of Tamil Nadu is known as the Land of Temples.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11These towers belong to the Meenakshi Temple -
0:04:11 > 0:04:13solid granite structures
0:04:13 > 0:04:17decorated with colourful characters from the Hindu divine texts.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21RELIGIOUS SINGING
0:04:25 > 0:04:31Around 15,000 visitors come here every day to pray and be blessed and also to eat.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33And it's the eating part that interests me.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36It's embedded in the Hindu religion.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39And Sala, who grew up here, is my guide
0:04:39 > 0:04:42to explain what these chefs are cooking for lunch.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Smells lovely, doesn't it?
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Smells lovely. They're still using wood fires, I can smell that.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50- I know, and these huge pots. - What's this, then?
0:04:50 > 0:04:54So this is tamarind rice. It's really easy to make.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58It's cooked rice and they toss it with a sauce that's made of tamarind and cumin
0:04:58 > 0:05:02and it's tempered with... You can see the little pieces of lentils.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05- Oh, yeah. - It gives a bit of crunch.- Yeah.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08And you just eat it on its own or sometimes with a mint chutney.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13And this is called appam.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15- Oh, appams!- Appam, yeah.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18It's sort of like a pancake, deep-fried. It's a sweet one -
0:05:18 > 0:05:22it's flour, sugar and it has a little bit of cardamom in it.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24And it's a very typical temple offering.
0:05:27 > 0:05:28- These are vadas.- Vadas. Oh.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Yeah, so you see the batter for the vadas here.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32- These are black lentils...- Yeah.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34..that are soaked and ground
0:05:34 > 0:05:36and they skin half of them and they leave the skin on the other half.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Hence the black speckles in them.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43So you can see he's using a piece of plastic or, like, clingfilm
0:05:43 > 0:05:48and some people will use a banana leaf to do the exact same thing.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Modern technology. SHE LAUGHS
0:05:52 > 0:05:54The food is blessed by the god
0:05:54 > 0:05:57and then it's sold to the people that come to the temple
0:05:57 > 0:06:00and they buy it to take home, and it's blessed food.
0:06:00 > 0:06:01That is so good.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05- I mean, I was just thinking about cathedrals back in Britain.- Mm-hm.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10The idea of going into a cathedral and buying some food made there,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13to help the funds, to preserve the cathedral.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16Exactly. And it's also... It's something special and something delicious
0:06:16 > 0:06:18that you take back from your trip to the temple.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20What a souvenir!
0:06:23 > 0:06:27Getting the right balance is crucial to all things spiritual,
0:06:27 > 0:06:31and food, I'm beginning to understand, plays a large part in that.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35Preparations in the kitchens here start shortly after daybreak.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41Sala, it's really amazing to me
0:06:41 > 0:06:45how important food, cooking, eating food is to temple life.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49Absolutely. Even all the rituals that they do for the gods at the temple
0:06:49 > 0:06:51is everyday life, you know?
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Bathing, eating, going to sleep -
0:06:53 > 0:06:57each one of these is a ritual for the god of the temple.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00That is very profound to me, because...
0:07:00 > 0:07:04I think, before you do anything else in life, you have to feed yourself.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Then you can start thinking about spiritual matters.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10- The body is the temple. - Your body is a temple.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19Just, I mean, it seems very important to them, eating in the temple.
0:07:19 > 0:07:20Is that the case?
0:07:20 > 0:07:23Right, I mean, they've queued up ahead of time to eat at the temple.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25SHE SPEAKS LOCAL DIALECT
0:07:25 > 0:07:27THEY REPLY IN LOCAL DIALECT
0:07:27 > 0:07:30- This is their first time... eating here.- Oh, really?
0:07:30 > 0:07:33SHE SPEAKS LOCAL DIALECT
0:07:33 > 0:07:38THEY REPLY IN LOCAL DIALECT
0:07:38 > 0:07:40They feel very fortunate that they're here
0:07:40 > 0:07:43and have the opportunity to eat at the temple.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45So it's more than just because they're hungry,
0:07:45 > 0:07:49it's the ritual, the celebration of food in the temple?
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Yeah, it's more the sentiment behind eating at the temple
0:07:52 > 0:07:54and not just the food itself.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00The temple's public dining room only holds about 200 people,
0:08:00 > 0:08:02so it's important to get there early.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Lunch is usually served just after midday
0:08:05 > 0:08:07and hungry worshippers flood the dining hall
0:08:07 > 0:08:10to enjoy the dishes that have been prepared by the chefs
0:08:10 > 0:08:14and served by the many volunteers who help out on a daily basis.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19These are the unlucky few that got there a bit too late.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Everything about to be served is carefully thought out
0:08:26 > 0:08:28and always considered sacred.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Around four to five varied dishes -
0:08:31 > 0:08:35always vegetarian and heavily dependent on rice -
0:08:35 > 0:08:37are traditionally served on banana leaves.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41Plain white rice and rice sweetened with jaggery -
0:08:41 > 0:08:44that's unrefined sugar - are common to all temples.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47But here they also like serving poriyal -
0:08:47 > 0:08:51potatoes and cabbage fried with a handful of coconut.
0:08:55 > 0:09:00We couldn't end the day without tasting one of Sala's most favourite snacks,
0:09:00 > 0:09:02the famous South India dosas -
0:09:02 > 0:09:06giant, crispy pancakes, cooked paper-thin on hotplates,
0:09:06 > 0:09:10drizzled with ghee to give it a golden glow
0:09:10 > 0:09:12and served with a variety of chutneys.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16Such is the love of this snack that it's become a street food favourite
0:09:16 > 0:09:18all over Northern India, too.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Wow!
0:09:21 > 0:09:23- SALA:- Oh, these are nice and crispy.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25RICK: This must be the sort of food you dream of
0:09:25 > 0:09:27when you're in the States, in Portland?
0:09:27 > 0:09:31Oh, yeah, absolutely. This is what reminds me of home,
0:09:31 > 0:09:34and when I arrive back home, this is the first thing that I eat.
0:09:34 > 0:09:35You know, I grew up with this.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38We had dosas with sambar or a good chutney
0:09:38 > 0:09:43almost every morning for breakfast or in the evening for dinner.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45- So it's very special.- It's so good.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48The South of India is famous for its dosas,
0:09:48 > 0:09:52because this is the rice growing region, so we have a lot of rice-based dishes
0:09:52 > 0:09:54and, you know, this is one of them.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Well, it's not exactly fish and chips,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59but I certainly know where you're coming from!
0:09:59 > 0:10:01THEY LAUGH
0:10:01 > 0:10:03CAR HORNS HONK
0:10:03 > 0:10:06Not far from the temple is The Modern Restaurant.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09I feel there could be a little touch of Indian irony there.
0:10:09 > 0:10:14Anyway, they purely serve vegetable dishes with lots of rice
0:10:14 > 0:10:17on these banana leaves, which they call sadya.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23There'll always be three to four different curries
0:10:23 > 0:10:27made from lentils, chick peas, spinach and potatoes.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31But the most popular is sambar, a spicy, rich vegetable stew.
0:10:33 > 0:10:38The main word in this particular recipe is "lots" -
0:10:38 > 0:10:40that's lots of tomatoes,
0:10:40 > 0:10:42ditto with the turmeric...
0:10:44 > 0:10:45..shedloads of salt...
0:10:48 > 0:10:51..huge fistfuls of jaggery...
0:10:54 > 0:10:57..and then tamarind water for freshness and acidity.
0:10:57 > 0:11:02Finally, asafoetida - very popular in India,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05especially in places where garlic is frowned upon.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10He's put two lots of asafoetida powder in here,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13first in the original masala and now this powder now.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17Now, they're Brahmins and they do not eat garlic ever,
0:11:17 > 0:11:21and I think asafoetida powder is the sort of closest thing to it.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25They say, when it's cooked, it tastes and smells really earthy,
0:11:25 > 0:11:29but when you smell it in the packet, it does...
0:11:29 > 0:11:32It is slightly reminiscent of garlic.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35And, of course, it stops... There's lots of lentils in here
0:11:35 > 0:11:38and we all know what lentils do to us,
0:11:38 > 0:11:42and asafoetida stops... What do you call it?
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Well, wind, I suppose.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Bit hot, isn't it? Can I try a bit?
0:11:51 > 0:11:54- Hot.- All right.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56OK, only salt and the tomato juice.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58- Oh, it's good!- Good.
0:11:58 > 0:11:59Yeah, really good.
0:11:59 > 0:12:00And it's already got chilli and the masala...
0:12:00 > 0:12:04- Just got the masala. - After, is the masala.
0:12:04 > 0:12:05Really nice. Great.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10Now, what they call a tarka -
0:12:10 > 0:12:12it's always added at the end to enhance the flavour,
0:12:12 > 0:12:17and in this case, it's made with fenugreek and coriander seeds, lentils,
0:12:17 > 0:12:21then curry leaves and dried Kashmiri chillies.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26Now that's poured into the vegetables, as I said, right at the end,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28and it really lifts the flavour.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33In keeping with tradition,
0:12:33 > 0:12:35the food is always served in a certain order.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39It's auspicious to place the sweet elements on first,
0:12:39 > 0:12:44followed by carbohydrates, which, in the South, has to be rice.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49Then proteins in the form of dhals
0:12:49 > 0:12:53and, finally, nutritious vegetables, and then curd.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00This is the only thing they serve here but everybody loves it.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03Everybody has the same thing.
0:13:03 > 0:13:09I imagine probably half of India eats like this, all vegetarian.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13And, certainly in Southern India, everybody eats off a banana leaf.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17It's the most perfect vehicle for eating off,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20because when you've finished, you just fold the banana leaf up
0:13:20 > 0:13:23with anything that's left and throw it away.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26But you don't throw it away into the garbage -
0:13:26 > 0:13:28you throw it away for the cows.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36I'm getting very much more used to eating with my hands.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39I still find it very difficult,
0:13:39 > 0:13:43because one's unfamiliar with eating with one hand
0:13:43 > 0:13:47and it's very difficult to stop from getting extremely covered,
0:13:47 > 0:13:51not only all over my hands but all over my shirt and trousers.
0:13:51 > 0:13:56The technique, apparently, is not to get the rice too wet
0:13:56 > 0:13:59and definitely you sort of roll it round a bit like this.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03Then you use your thumb to sort of fire it into your mouth.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05And I'm beginning to get it.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08And, I think, as you begin to get it...
0:14:08 > 0:14:11you begin to enjoy it.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13A thought comes into my head -
0:14:13 > 0:14:15it's a bit like eating jellied eels.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19Most people don't like jellied eels cos they don't like the bones.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23Once you get used to it, you think... "Piece of cake."
0:14:27 > 0:14:29So, to cook.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33And, I wonder, has there ever been a better location
0:14:33 > 0:14:36for a television chef to cook his heart out,
0:14:36 > 0:14:41surrounded by lovely birds and animals on the edge of this beautiful lagoon?
0:14:42 > 0:14:45Well, this is just the most famous dish, I would suggest,
0:14:45 > 0:14:47in the whole of Southern India.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51It's called sambar and it's a celebration of vegetable markets everywhere.
0:14:51 > 0:14:56It reminds me of walking down a long street quite near the temple,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59just with one side, loads and loads of vegetable shops -
0:14:59 > 0:15:01some large, some small
0:15:01 > 0:15:06and some just with a woman with a couple of vegetables in from the country -
0:15:06 > 0:15:08and just marvelling at the variety.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12And, of course, you've got to have a dish that uses all those vegetables,
0:15:12 > 0:15:14and sambar it is.
0:15:14 > 0:15:15And here's the vegetables.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18Just a selection that we got from the market this morning.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21We've some okra there, carrots. We've got some pumpkin.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24We've got some tomato, chillies.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27You name it, it's there and I'm just going to add this to the boiling water here.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29BEANS CLATTER IN PAN
0:15:29 > 0:15:31Oh, I've just heard that tip-tap-tip.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34I've forgotten one really important ingredient
0:15:34 > 0:15:37that goes into every sambar - that's mung dhal,
0:15:37 > 0:15:41those tiny, little dhal, which actually cook so quickly
0:15:41 > 0:15:45that they will soften just as quick as the other vegetables cook.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49I've used green mung, but over here they prefer to use yellow.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53Now a teaspoon of turmeric and a teaspoon of sugar.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Well, I'm just going to leave that to boil and simmer away
0:15:58 > 0:16:01and now I'm going to make a masala to pour into this.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05So, into some oil, I add a teaspoon of chana dhal,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08some fenugreek and coriander seeds
0:16:08 > 0:16:11and three to four vibrant Kashmiri chillies,
0:16:11 > 0:16:16a good handful of curry leaves and the obligatory asafoetida.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21Now comes the fun bit and the thing I look forward to the most -
0:16:21 > 0:16:24turning the fried masala into a smooth paste
0:16:24 > 0:16:27using my trusty first-class wet spice grinder.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31GRINDER WHIRRS AND RATTLES
0:16:32 > 0:16:36Just make sure that the lid of your liquidiser is securely on,
0:16:36 > 0:16:41otherwise hot oil could go over your shirt and your face,
0:16:41 > 0:16:45or in my case, WILL go over your shirt and your face!
0:16:48 > 0:16:50"Mental note," I was thinking,
0:16:50 > 0:16:53"in the final recipe,
0:16:53 > 0:16:58"let the masala ingredients cool before blending!"
0:16:58 > 0:16:59There we go.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02So now what I'm going to do is make a tarka.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06Now, a tarka is what you stir into quite a few dhals right at the end.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10And it's normally things like really quite hard-fried onions,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17but if you stir that into something like this sambar or a dhal at the last minute,
0:17:17 > 0:17:23it just gives it a real sort of flavour lift. It's called a tarka, hence tarka dhal.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29Before serving, add a final handful of curry leaves
0:17:29 > 0:17:34and enjoy with a plateful of idlis and some coconut and tomato chutneys.
0:17:34 > 0:17:35It's really nice.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39INSECTS CHIRP AND BIRD CAWS
0:17:45 > 0:17:51Now for a relatively short road trip to the coconut heaven which is Kerala.
0:17:54 > 0:17:59This is a lovely opportunity to drive through the beautiful, spice-laden hills
0:17:59 > 0:18:05that form the border between Tamil Nadu and the holiday destination of Kerala.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08These famous hills are known as the Western Ghats -
0:18:08 > 0:18:14mile after mile of fertile plantations producing a fantastic array of spices
0:18:14 > 0:18:16like vanilla and cinnamon.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20We're travelling west, heading for the town of Thekkady.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Look at all these shops selling spices - cheek-by-jowl.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28I'm reminded of when I first came to the Costa Brava in the '60s,
0:18:28 > 0:18:34when practically every shop sold the same thing - straw donkeys and sombreros!
0:18:34 > 0:18:37Well, here it's hot and tasty spices all the way.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41CAR HORN BLARES
0:18:41 > 0:18:43We've just driven through Thekkady a few miles back.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46I was just astonished by the number of spice shops.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50There must have been 20, 30, 40, all next to each other
0:18:50 > 0:18:52and all in the high street.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55Well, that's not for the locals, that's for sure, it's for tourists
0:18:55 > 0:19:00and I think it's testimony to how important food has become in tourism.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03I mean, you come to Kerala, as somebody from Europe now,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05and you don't just go for the beaches,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08you go for the trip into the hills and the spices.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13Well, Kerala's known to have the best cardamoms and pepper in the world,
0:19:13 > 0:19:15but I wouldn't be surprised if that wasn't true
0:19:15 > 0:19:18for such things as cloves and cinnamon, too.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34The Keralan Highlands are so fertile that practically anything grows,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37a fact that the British cottoned on to
0:19:37 > 0:19:40when they planted millions of tea bushes here.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42They remind me of a sea of jade -
0:19:42 > 0:19:46a series of great rolling waves of deep green -
0:19:46 > 0:19:50or even a giant, well-manicured Hampton Court maze,
0:19:50 > 0:19:52stretching for ever over the hills.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06Just outside Thekkady is a plantation growing cardamoms and pepper.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Do you know, I've been a chef for over 30 years
0:20:09 > 0:20:13and I didn't have a clue - until now, that is - how cardamoms grew.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19There's something so tantalising and special about them,
0:20:19 > 0:20:22a sweet scent that transforms all curries.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29Well, I was sort of wondering, when I came here this afternoon in the minibus,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32I was sort of thinking, "I wonder what a cardamom is?
0:20:32 > 0:20:34"It must be like a sort of tea bush,
0:20:34 > 0:20:36"probably hanging from under the leaves."
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Not a bit of it.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41These are cardamom... Well, you can't call them bushes.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45They're rhizomes, they're like a ginger or galangal or turmeric
0:20:45 > 0:20:50and the cardamom pods actually grow right down near the ground,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53and the flowers pollinate, they have bees to pollinate them,
0:20:53 > 0:20:55and then they have these little green pods.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59Now, tasting them, I suddenly see, yes, of course, they're rhizomes.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02They taste to me a bit like galangal more than ginger,
0:21:02 > 0:21:04but they've got that distinctive taste.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07But, of course, when they're dried, it becomes much more subtle.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10No wonder they call them the queen of spices.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13I mean, it's wildly sort of...
0:21:13 > 0:21:15It almost sort of teases you out of thought.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20Sometimes, you sort of think, "Gosh, they're too much, it's too perfumed."
0:21:20 > 0:21:22And other times, you think, "That's just what I need."
0:21:22 > 0:21:27I mean, like in a cup of chai, I mean, you've got to have cardamom
0:21:27 > 0:21:31or in some of those sweets, those lovely sweets with vermicelli in them
0:21:31 > 0:21:36and lots of cooked milk and, like... Payasam, I think it's called.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Just a tiny bit of cardamom.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42It's subtle and it's absolutely the centre of where it's all at.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45WOMEN CHATTER IN LOCAL DIALECT
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Well, if cardamom is the queen of spices,
0:21:48 > 0:21:50then pepper is certainly the king.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53It's what started the Portuguese quest to the East,
0:21:53 > 0:21:56beginning the spice route as we know it.
0:21:56 > 0:22:02Today, these little corns are said to outsell all other spices put together.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05And these hills provide a perfect growing environment -
0:22:05 > 0:22:09lengthy monsoon rains, high temperatures and good shade.
0:22:12 > 0:22:13I mean, look at that.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16It's not a pepper tree, there's no such thing as a pepper tree.
0:22:16 > 0:22:17It's a vine.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Most of the heat in Indian cooking comes from chillies now, of course,
0:22:23 > 0:22:25but there is nothing to beat pepper.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Particularly in the cooking of Southern India,
0:22:28 > 0:22:32pepper really matters - it really is the king of spices.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34And thinking about it, that trade -
0:22:34 > 0:22:38you know, boats coming from Europe to India and back again -
0:22:38 > 0:22:41it would have been worth, in today's values, billions.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45I had the chance to taste a local dish
0:22:45 > 0:22:49using the freshly-harvested spices from the plantation.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53Matthew, the owner, is cooking me a pork curry
0:22:53 > 0:22:58flavoured with spices virtually growing outside the kitchen door.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02Matthew, like so many people in these highlands, is a Syrian Christian.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05They came across the Arabian Sea in the 3rd century
0:23:05 > 0:23:10and realised that the land here was perfect for growing spices.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12So here we are then, the spices -
0:23:12 > 0:23:17mustard, cumin, cloves, crushed cinnamon
0:23:17 > 0:23:20and, of course, a couple of cardamom pods.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24Matthew's already fried the pork with some shallots,
0:23:24 > 0:23:26garlic cloves, green chillies and sliced ginger.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31Tell me about cardamoms, why they're so important in Indian...
0:23:31 > 0:23:34You know, it's one of those spices which, when used sparingly,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37is just fantastic. It's just very subtle and nice.
0:23:37 > 0:23:42But, the moment you add a little extra, it can get very overpowering.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45So...traditionally in Indian home cooking,
0:23:45 > 0:23:49you add just maybe one or two pods, that's about it.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54Before serving he brings the curry to a simmer with water
0:23:54 > 0:23:58and finishes off by adding some tamarind and crushed coriander seeds.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00This recipe is from his grandmother,
0:24:00 > 0:24:05who Matthew says is the best cook he's ever known. They all say that, don't they?
0:24:05 > 0:24:10Simply because she created delicious dishes out of very few ingredients.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12Well, looking forward to this.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16It's totally delicious.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20What I really like about it is it's very...
0:24:20 > 0:24:22It's sort of simple, it's very sort of...
0:24:22 > 0:24:25It's got...it's sort of vigorous, it's fresh-tasting.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Pretty much what I liked about this dish is just the freshness of it, you know?
0:24:28 > 0:24:33It's just, it's not what we would call masala-fied,
0:24:33 > 0:24:35as most Indian restaurant food is -
0:24:35 > 0:24:38it's typically what Indian home cooking is all about.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41Dancing food, you know? It just dances on the plate.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44I'm getting a bit carried away, but that's the way I feel.
0:24:44 > 0:24:45THEY LAUGH
0:24:45 > 0:24:49BIRDSONG
0:24:49 > 0:24:54Seeing all these cardamoms gave me an idea for what is probably South India's
0:24:54 > 0:24:57most popular dessert - payasam.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04It's a very simple dessert. And actually, after many,
0:25:04 > 0:25:09many sticky Indian desserts, I found this a total delight.
0:25:09 > 0:25:14First of all you've got to reduce a lot of milk down to a very little.
0:25:14 > 0:25:20And while that's happening, in another pan, add a teaspoon or so of ghee.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23You need this to fry off some rice vermicelli,
0:25:23 > 0:25:25which forms the starch base of this dessert.
0:25:30 > 0:25:35Cashew and pistachio nuts and a handful of raisins are also fried in ghee
0:25:35 > 0:25:36to garnish the finished dish.
0:25:40 > 0:25:41Once the milk is boiled,
0:25:41 > 0:25:47simply add the fried vermicelli and a good amount of sugar.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51But the main point of this dish is the cardamom.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Use green cardamoms, never black.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56Black cardamoms will give it a smoky flavour.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06Well, one of the things that I really like to do, filming here in India,
0:26:06 > 0:26:11and collecting recipes, is to find things that I actually want to cook at home.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15And this is one of them. It is a lovely, lovely sweet.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Just a little bit of ice cold cream,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21beautifully flavoured with cardamom.
0:26:21 > 0:26:22Yum!
0:26:30 > 0:26:36Popular holiday destinations mark out, I think, great chunks of social history.
0:26:36 > 0:26:42Package deals to Spain, villas in Tuscany, gites in the Perigord, and now,
0:26:42 > 0:26:48I think, this is probably the latest, rice barges with all mod cons in Kerala.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52Cruising through palm-fringed backwaters with full air conditioning,
0:26:52 > 0:26:56your very own cook, sun deck and balcony.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59They once brought rice from the paddies inland.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Who'd have thought, what a leap in imagination, they'd be taking
0:27:02 > 0:27:05honeymoon couples on the holiday of a lifetime?
0:27:08 > 0:27:12I suppose this is what Kerala's all about. Going in a boat
0:27:12 > 0:27:13up and down the backwaters.
0:27:13 > 0:27:18It's a bit like the exotic version of the Norfolk Broads, I was thinking.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21You know, you've got these sort of wide rivers going into big lakes.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25But looking around, it just sums up Kerala to me,
0:27:25 > 0:27:29because, I know I use this word a bit too often, fecundity,
0:27:29 > 0:27:31but, it is so fertile.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37And the water is teeming with fish, with shrimps, with prawns, with crabs,
0:27:37 > 0:27:41with clams. You name it.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48And fringing the water, you've got coconuts.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50Beyond that, the rice paddies.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53And what I've eaten so far in Kerala,
0:27:53 > 0:27:57it's just simple food that takes advantage of all these local ingredients.
0:27:57 > 0:28:02Not just the fresh vegetables and seafood and fish,
0:28:02 > 0:28:07but also the spices from the Ghat Mountains further east.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11Those lovely cardamom, cinnamon, coriander,
0:28:11 > 0:28:16all those wonderful spices which are supposed to be the best in all of India.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24I can watch fishermen all day long.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28It's timeless, basic and magical.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32This guy's catching the most popular fish here, it's called karimeen.
0:28:32 > 0:28:37And lots of little cafes along the backwaters serve it with masala.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43Well, we just stopped off for a coffee from filming them catching karimeen,
0:28:43 > 0:28:46the famous fish of the Keralan backwaters,
0:28:46 > 0:28:49and they just said, "Would you like something to eat?"
0:28:49 > 0:28:50So, I just had a look at this.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54I mean, it's such a lovely advertisement menu.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57So, I said, "Can we have some karimeen fry, please?"
0:28:57 > 0:28:59So, I'm really looking forward to that.
0:28:59 > 0:29:03They said, "Would you like some prawns too?" So, these are the prawns.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06I mean... Call that...
0:29:06 > 0:29:08I mean, this is a Bobby Dazzler of a prawn!
0:29:08 > 0:29:12So, I said to them, "Is there any chance we can film them?" Because, you know,
0:29:12 > 0:29:14it would be so good to be out there watching them come.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16And they said, "Well, they only do them at night."
0:29:16 > 0:29:19Well, we can't film that, because you wouldn't be able to see 'em.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22So, we said, "Well, do you fancy cooking some for us as well?"
0:29:22 > 0:29:24So, we're going to have them fried!
0:29:24 > 0:29:28I was a bit peckish, so they ended up making two dishes for me,
0:29:28 > 0:29:31starting with these giant prawns
0:29:31 > 0:29:35that were fried with onions, tomatoes and curry leaves.
0:29:35 > 0:29:40When the prawns have taken on colour, he puts in freshly ground garam masala,
0:29:40 > 0:29:44ground cumin, turmeric and more curry leaves.
0:29:44 > 0:29:50I think this is a prawn curry by which other prawn curries may be measured.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53What they're doing now is cooking the karimeen fry.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57That's the one that's just coated in the masala with cornflour,
0:29:57 > 0:29:59and in the masala we've got garlic, ginger, chilli,
0:29:59 > 0:30:01ground pepper, cumin, turmeric,
0:30:01 > 0:30:04cornflour and lemon juice.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07You won't be able to get the karimeen at home,
0:30:07 > 0:30:11but it would work really well with bass or bream and, of course,
0:30:11 > 0:30:16what's really important, it's got to be fried in coconut oil.
0:30:16 > 0:30:21The guy helping us out here on the backwaters is Floyd. No, not that one!
0:30:21 > 0:30:25But he was brought up here and he's also a chef.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28He worked in the Middle East in Bahrain.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31Any food in Kerala, if you go to any house,
0:30:31 > 0:30:35they don't serve you with a fork or knife or spoon, you have to eat it with your hand.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39- Let's go then. You start. - You start from here.
0:30:39 > 0:30:40Let's just see what it's like.
0:30:42 > 0:30:48Mmm, what a good fish! Now, that tastes almost like a...like a sea fish.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51- Sea fish, yeah. - The way it's cooked is wonderful.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53- This is the karimeen fry, isn't it? - Karimeen fry, yes.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57This is the one which you have, you know, when you are having a small function,
0:30:57 > 0:30:59like, sitting with your friends,
0:30:59 > 0:31:02you're having a beer or wine, they serve you this.
0:31:02 > 0:31:07And this...this fish, the karimeen, is the most famous fish in Kerala.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10Yeah, sure, it's the famous fish in Kerala.
0:31:10 > 0:31:15You can go anywhere in Kerala and...but most in Alleppey, you come to Alleppey...
0:31:15 > 0:31:16- Yeah.- ..they ask for karimeen.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19Tell me this, what dish would you be most homesick for
0:31:19 > 0:31:21when you were cooking over in Arabia?
0:31:21 > 0:31:28The dish which makes me homesick, which I feel like eating...
0:31:28 > 0:31:31- Yeah.- ..is fish molee and prawn curry,
0:31:31 > 0:31:34because whenever I leave Bahrain, before I could leave there,
0:31:34 > 0:31:36I call my mother and I tell her,
0:31:36 > 0:31:39- "Mummy, I want this dish." - HE LAUGHS
0:31:39 > 0:31:40So, she keeps it ready for me.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43I can see what Floyd means.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47This prawn curry certainly didn't disappoint.
0:31:47 > 0:31:51It was bursting with the flavours of pepper, chilli, cumin
0:31:51 > 0:31:55and the restaurant's home-made garam masala.
0:31:57 > 0:31:58Words fail me. I mean,
0:31:58 > 0:32:01just looking at those prawns when they were raw,
0:32:01 > 0:32:04I was just thinking, "This is going to be fabulous."
0:32:04 > 0:32:10I mean, I just love seafood, and...that is...spectacular.
0:32:10 > 0:32:15And what I really like is, of course, the most, to me,
0:32:15 > 0:32:20the most important ingredient in Kerala is coconut.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22Kerala means Land of Coconut.
0:32:22 > 0:32:26And the coconut oil flavour in this is superb.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37THEY SPEAK IN LOCAL DIALECT
0:32:37 > 0:32:39Toddy is very important in Kerala.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41It's not just for the tourists.
0:32:41 > 0:32:46The toddy shops are to the locals what our local is to us.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52The toddy comes from the nectar of the coconut palm bud.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55And this is a bit complicated,
0:32:55 > 0:32:59so bear with me, as I had a couple of glasses of this magic nectar
0:32:59 > 0:33:02before witnessing this!
0:33:02 > 0:33:07First of all, this chap climbs the palm and then beats one of these huge buds
0:33:07 > 0:33:10in order to get the sap to rise.
0:33:13 > 0:33:18And then it looks like he's already cut off the top of one bud, which he
0:33:18 > 0:33:20rubs with a bit of mud.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24This, I was told, promotes the rise of the nectar which starts to drip
0:33:24 > 0:33:30almost straightaway and that's captured in the clay pot.
0:33:30 > 0:33:34It's then left overnight and collected first thing in the morning.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37It'll start to ferment straightaway and by lunch time will be quite alcoholic
0:33:37 > 0:33:41and yet quite pleasant to drink.
0:33:42 > 0:33:47But towards the end of a hot afternoon, it'll be absolutely lethal!
0:33:47 > 0:33:54Floyd the chef and my guide here insisted that I visit a local toddy shop.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58He said, "You can't say you've been to Kerala without having a glass of toddy."
0:33:58 > 0:34:00To which I replied, "Well, all right then!"
0:34:02 > 0:34:05- Before you can drink the toddy... - Yeah.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07..you have to pour a little bit first.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09Oh, I thought we were supposed to be drinking out of this, Floyd.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12- Yes, just a little bit.- Yeah, OK.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15You wash it, you wash it and just...
0:34:15 > 0:34:18That's the style before you can drink the toddy.
0:34:18 > 0:34:20- Right, that... So.- So, now...
0:34:20 > 0:34:23- How much do you put in there, then?- Yeah, you put full.
0:34:26 > 0:34:27- And the first glass...- Yeah.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29..you have to take it full.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33Oh, I've never tasted it before, what if I don't like it?
0:34:33 > 0:34:34You have to!
0:34:34 > 0:34:36- If you're in a toddy shop... - I have to!
0:34:36 > 0:34:39..empty the glass, you have to. It goes like this.
0:34:39 > 0:34:40- Cheers!- Cheers!
0:34:50 > 0:34:53- Crikey, that's not bad actually! - That is...
0:34:53 > 0:34:57Once you start with the toddy, it's starting...trouble.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00THEY LAUGH
0:35:00 > 0:35:02It's like the engine.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04- Right, you've got to... - You got to make...
0:35:04 > 0:35:05- ..fill the carburettor up... - Yeah, and then,
0:35:05 > 0:35:07- by the time you start it...- Yeah.
0:35:07 > 0:35:08..you keep on going.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11Phwoar!
0:35:11 > 0:35:13So, this is fresh this morning, this then?
0:35:13 > 0:35:16Yeah, they're fresh in the morning.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18I mean, it's very, very... It tastes quite healthy, really.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20Yeah, it's good for health,
0:35:20 > 0:35:23because it doesn't give you a kick very fast, like the other alcohol.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25Yeah, it's not like whisky or a...
0:35:25 > 0:35:27Yeah, whiskey, brandy, they give you a kick very fast.
0:35:27 > 0:35:32Just tell me though, I've heard that, you know, a lot people don't like toddy shops,
0:35:32 > 0:35:36or they've got a bad reputation, why is that then?
0:35:36 > 0:35:39Actually, the bad reputation came from out of state.
0:35:39 > 0:35:44They used to add chemicals, extra chemicals, for us to get the kick.
0:35:44 > 0:35:45Like what chemicals?
0:35:45 > 0:35:48- Oh, it's like, what they say...? - HE USES LOCAL PHRASE
0:35:48 > 0:35:52That means for the elephant. You know, to sleep, they put like a...
0:35:52 > 0:35:56- Tranquilisers for elephants? - Tranquilisers, yeah.- Wow!
0:35:56 > 0:35:59Elephants are mighty ones, we are just small ones.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02- So, they put a little bit more quantity.- Yeah.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05- That affects us.- Anything else?
0:36:05 > 0:36:07No, they put this one only, they say that.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10- Oh, right. Wow! - But this is pure, this is pure.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12Thank goodness for that!
0:36:12 > 0:36:16Otherwise I'd have been in serious trouble!
0:36:16 > 0:36:17HE IMITATES SNORING
0:36:34 > 0:36:35Such a pleasant place to cook.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39I've just been watching a cormorant catching eels in the water out there.
0:36:39 > 0:36:43It's very peaceful, but back to business.
0:36:43 > 0:36:49I'm going to do a Keralan pork curry, which, in a way, it's a bit like a Goan vindhaloo,
0:36:49 > 0:36:52cos it's pork with lots of spices and vinegar.
0:36:52 > 0:36:57But first of all, I'm going to mash up some ginger and garlic.
0:36:57 > 0:37:04I don't have a stone to do this on, I've got a very nifty Indian mixer to do it.
0:37:04 > 0:37:09And it takes seconds. Well, it takes seconds if the electricity is on,
0:37:09 > 0:37:13but we have electricity for only part of the day.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17Fortunately, it's on at the moment, cos we're right out in the middle of nowhere.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22Now for marinating my pork.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26First of all, a teaspoon or so of chilli.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29Then an equal amount of turmeric.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33And lastly, and most importantly,
0:37:33 > 0:37:35cos of the Portuguese influence,
0:37:35 > 0:37:39about a tablespoon of toddy vinegar, which is made from coconut nectar.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43Now, just leave that for a few minutes while I move over to my pressure cooker
0:37:43 > 0:37:47and mess around with it. Everybody uses pressure cookers here.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50Actually, I'm really frightened of them, I always think they're going to explode,
0:37:50 > 0:37:55and I just remember when we used to have one in Trevone when Chalky was alive,
0:37:55 > 0:37:59and he'd be out the door like a long dog, only he was only a short dog,
0:37:59 > 0:38:02whenever the pressure cooker came out.
0:38:02 > 0:38:06Because he just really worried about the whistles.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10But, actually, the way they describe cooking this curry here
0:38:10 > 0:38:13is the number of whistles. And this is a four whistle curry.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15So, just take the lid off here
0:38:15 > 0:38:20and now I think my marinated pork is about ready to go in.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23There we go. Just apply a bit of heat.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29I love these. I love gadgets. This is really the best
0:38:29 > 0:38:31gas lighter I've ever come across.
0:38:31 > 0:38:33Just got it in the market.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35So, just add a little bit of water to that,
0:38:35 > 0:38:37about 200, 300 millilitres.
0:38:39 > 0:38:41There we are. And then on with the lid.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49And we wait now till the first whistle.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54So, while I'm waiting, I will make the masala,
0:38:54 > 0:38:57which I'm going to finish the pork dish off with.
0:38:58 > 0:39:03Just add some coconut oil and some onions, sliced onions,
0:39:03 > 0:39:06and I'm just going to cook those for about ten minutes on a moderate heat
0:39:06 > 0:39:09so they get really soft and golden brown.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13Now, they're looking pretty lovely,
0:39:13 > 0:39:19so now I'm going to just add my paste from whizzing up.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24Such a good machine this, it just does a wonderful job.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27Wish we had something like that back home.
0:39:27 > 0:39:28OK, just stir that in.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30POT HISSES
0:39:30 > 0:39:33Ah, first whistle!
0:39:33 > 0:39:36That's all you get, it's not a whistle it's more like a snake's hiss,
0:39:36 > 0:39:39but we are in India!
0:39:39 > 0:39:44So...first whistle, I've got three more to go before my pork is done.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47POT HISSES My gosh, that was a bit quick!
0:39:47 > 0:39:51Was that the second whistle, or was that the continuation of the first whistle?
0:39:51 > 0:39:54Oh, hang on, I forgot to turn the heat down.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56Must remember the instructions.
0:39:56 > 0:39:58If all else fails read the instructions!
0:39:58 > 0:40:00OK, that's good.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04The tomato is cooking down very nicely, and next, I'm going to add some salt.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06POT HISSES Ah!
0:40:09 > 0:40:12It's got a mind of its own. Right! Salt!
0:40:15 > 0:40:18Next, coriander powder.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21Then my home-made garam masala - I just love it.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27Cumin seeds, and finally, black pepper.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31Now I just feel a bit embarrassed to say that I am a bit hot.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34It might show on my shirts. Um...
0:40:34 > 0:40:35it's so hot.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39It's got to be like 90-plus humidity and about 32 to 35...
0:40:39 > 0:40:42HISSING Oh!
0:40:43 > 0:40:46That's the fourth one, so I've just got to leave that now.
0:40:46 > 0:40:48Just finish about my shirts.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51We were just talking earlier, because I've only got one shirt today,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54I should have bought three shirts all the same,
0:40:54 > 0:40:56then I could have one drying while...
0:40:56 > 0:41:00I'm wearing the other one. We've been now filming for about 17 years,
0:41:00 > 0:41:03and it's only just occurred to us that would be a good idea.
0:41:03 > 0:41:05Particularly in India,
0:41:05 > 0:41:08where you can get shirts made overnight for about, you know, two quid.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10Not hard.
0:41:10 > 0:41:11We are foolish.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13Now, about this.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16I'm just a bit nervous. I mean, I've been reading instructions.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18You've got to wait for this bit to sink down to there,
0:41:18 > 0:41:21because there's no way I'm going to attempt to open it
0:41:21 > 0:41:25until everything seems safe.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32That should be all right.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35But you still think this is the moment where everything
0:41:35 > 0:41:36explodes all over the roof.
0:41:36 > 0:41:40But of course, it doesn't, does it, really?
0:41:40 > 0:41:41Oh!
0:41:41 > 0:41:44No problem.
0:41:44 > 0:41:45Perfect.
0:41:45 > 0:41:51Good. Right, we'll just add that to my masala now.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53Bring that to the boil.
0:41:53 > 0:41:59And then I'll just stir in some curry leaves and chopped coriander,
0:41:59 > 0:42:02and it will be done. Give it a taste.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10Oh, I tell you what. I tell you what.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13I do like my vinegar.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16I have missed it in all these weeks we've been in India.
0:42:16 > 0:42:20A little bit of vinegar in this just transforms it.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26- MAN:- That's a proper Indian curry.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44It was by sheer fluke that Cochin
0:42:44 > 0:42:47became one of the most famous spice ports in India,
0:42:47 > 0:42:50because a massive tsunami in the 14th century
0:42:50 > 0:42:54swept away the landmass that blocked its way to the sea.
0:42:56 > 0:43:01The Chinese for centuries traded here, and as a legacy,
0:43:01 > 0:43:04left behind their famous lantern fishing nets,
0:43:04 > 0:43:06that still work amazingly well.
0:43:06 > 0:43:10Even the name Cochin sounds Chinese.
0:43:33 > 0:43:38But it was the Portuguese that turned it into such a thriving trading port.
0:43:38 > 0:43:43And wherever the Portuguese went, they were soon followed by the Dutch,
0:43:43 > 0:43:45and then a few years later by the British.
0:43:45 > 0:43:50It's a historical pattern that repeats itself all over India.
0:43:50 > 0:43:54Just cruising past the waterfront here in Cochin,
0:43:54 > 0:43:59it's really easy to imagine what it would have been like 500 years ago.
0:43:59 > 0:44:04Teeming with boats, everybody scrambling to get hold of the black gold - pepper.
0:44:04 > 0:44:09And just getting one cargo back to Europe was worth a fortune.
0:44:09 > 0:44:14You could virtually retire and live the life of Riley after that.
0:44:14 > 0:44:18It wasn't just about its pepperiness, about the flavour of pepper -
0:44:18 > 0:44:24it was also a great preservative, and valued for its medicinal qualities.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27It was that valuable that there's records at the time
0:44:27 > 0:44:29of people cutting ground black pepper
0:44:29 > 0:44:34with things like mustard husks, juniper berries, and even floor sweepings.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49Well, this is the oldest Christian church in India.
0:44:49 > 0:44:54In fact, Vasco da Gama, who brought European culture to India,
0:44:54 > 0:44:56was buried here for some time.
0:44:56 > 0:45:01Vasco deserves serious mention in the history of curry
0:45:01 > 0:45:05because the Portuguese brought all those fabulous things from South America -
0:45:05 > 0:45:11chillies, of course, but also potatoes, tomatoes, cashew nuts.
0:45:11 > 0:45:16And the Portuguese established the first European trading post in India,
0:45:16 > 0:45:18here in Kerala.
0:45:18 > 0:45:20And that became the envy of everyone else -
0:45:20 > 0:45:23the Dutch, of course, and then the British.
0:45:23 > 0:45:26And fortunes were made on the back of it.
0:45:26 > 0:45:28Yeah, yeah. Very hot.
0:45:28 > 0:45:32Some Malaysian students were intrigued by our interest in this.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35- Why are you filming here? - We're filming here
0:45:35 > 0:45:38because Vasco da Gama was buried here for a while.
0:45:38 > 0:45:44And he arrived in Kerala and brought lots of produce from South America -
0:45:44 > 0:45:48he brought chilli, tomato, potato, cashew nuts?
0:45:48 > 0:45:50And transformed...changed all the cooking.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53- Where are you from? - I'm from Malaysia.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56Malaysia! Whereabouts in Malaysia?
0:45:56 > 0:45:59- I'm from Malacca.- Malacca!
0:45:59 > 0:46:00- Yes.- Same thing.
0:46:00 > 0:46:03The Portuguese were in Malacca - trade, you know, all the spice trade,
0:46:03 > 0:46:06the pepper and the cardamoms
0:46:06 > 0:46:09and coriander, between the East and the West.
0:46:09 > 0:46:11The Portuguese went there too.
0:46:11 > 0:46:15This is very important to us because it all started here.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18- ALL:- Wow!
0:46:31 > 0:46:33What I always do when I get to a new place
0:46:33 > 0:46:35is ask the locals where's the best place to eat.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38Here in Cochin they've told me here.
0:46:38 > 0:46:43What really heartens me is there's no European writing there.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46Heaven knows what it says.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49Except that I do know the place is called Shappu Curry,
0:46:49 > 0:46:51and apparently you get really good fish curries here,
0:46:51 > 0:46:53which I'm very interested in trying.
0:46:56 > 0:47:01I really see it as part of my job on telly to take you to places like this.
0:47:01 > 0:47:04It remains me a bit of one of those Russell Flint watercolours,
0:47:04 > 0:47:07the ones he painted in cavernous cellars.
0:47:09 > 0:47:13The men out the back are peeling prawns fresh from the backwaters.
0:47:13 > 0:47:19And this cook is making the most popular dish here - snakehead murrel curry.
0:47:19 > 0:47:20It's simply simmered in masala,
0:47:20 > 0:47:24and the sides have been slashed to take in all the flavour
0:47:24 > 0:47:27of this classic South Indian dish.
0:47:27 > 0:47:30Looking at this, it might be your idea of hell -
0:47:30 > 0:47:36all these fires, the smoke, the gloom.
0:47:36 > 0:47:38But to me, it's my idea of heaven.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41And I would say to you, think of pizzas.
0:47:41 > 0:47:44Where do the best pizzas come from?
0:47:44 > 0:47:46They come from a wood-fired oven.
0:47:46 > 0:47:50The point about this whole kitchen is, everything is fired by wood.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53When I first came in here, I thought, "Well, this is Cochin,
0:47:53 > 0:47:56"Ernakulam, very modern cities.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58"Why...why are they using wood?"
0:47:58 > 0:48:01The reason is because they say it tastes different.
0:48:01 > 0:48:05And I have to say, if you don't think that the smell
0:48:05 > 0:48:09and the taste of smoke gets into the food, you're totally wrong.
0:48:09 > 0:48:14And I'm sure that I would never, ever, even though I'm writing down the recipes,
0:48:14 > 0:48:19be able to recreate the taste of these curries precisely at all.
0:48:23 > 0:48:27Here is my old friend the karimeen, and they plaster it with this masala.
0:48:27 > 0:48:30It's not for the faint-hearted.
0:48:30 > 0:48:34You don't have to be a curry expert to know that this is loaded with chilli,
0:48:34 > 0:48:39and, I'm told, pepper, ginger, garlic, and a small amount of turmeric,
0:48:39 > 0:48:42and cocum, that gives it a lovely smoky taste.
0:48:42 > 0:48:45And fried shallots and coconut milk.
0:48:45 > 0:48:50The fish is then coated with this and wrapped in a banana leaf.
0:48:54 > 0:49:02Well, this, excuse my pronunciation, is Karimeen Pollichathu.
0:49:02 > 0:49:06I've had it before, because I've been in Kerala for a while now,
0:49:06 > 0:49:08but it's never been as good as this.
0:49:08 > 0:49:10I was absolutely right.
0:49:10 > 0:49:14The concentration of flavour, the smokiness, the deep intense redness
0:49:14 > 0:49:22of this local dish, and the beautiful flavour of the fish, is superb.
0:49:22 > 0:49:27It reminds me of the first time in Goa about 20 years ago,
0:49:27 > 0:49:32when I tasted stuffed pomfret, pomfret stuffed with a masala like this,
0:49:32 > 0:49:34and my whole world changed.
0:49:34 > 0:49:36I had never tasted anything...
0:49:36 > 0:49:37It's changed again.
0:49:52 > 0:49:56What would be interesting is that this would ideally be the location
0:49:56 > 0:50:00where even historically they would have been storing spices and selling them from.
0:50:00 > 0:50:02- Really?- Yeah.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05Oh, that looks good. Wow. What a lovely smell.
0:50:05 > 0:50:08I met up with Ajeeth.
0:50:08 > 0:50:10He's quite an important chef around here,
0:50:10 > 0:50:14running the kitchens in one of Cochin's finest hotels.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16Gosh. Is this it?
0:50:16 > 0:50:20He really knows his stuff, especially about spices.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23Ah, look at that!
0:50:23 > 0:50:26This is the sort of place you dream of.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29Just run through, what are we looking at here, then?
0:50:29 > 0:50:31Very, very quickly. Actually,
0:50:31 > 0:50:35one of the most famous spices from Kerala - cardamom.
0:50:35 > 0:50:36There are about three grades of cardamom
0:50:36 > 0:50:39- that you can see here. - I can see that. Those are smaller.
0:50:39 > 0:50:43Those are the smaller ones, those are slightly bigger, medium-size,
0:50:43 > 0:50:47and these are the most costly variety, the biggest versions possible.
0:50:47 > 0:50:50And over here we've got some mace, isn't it?
0:50:50 > 0:50:53- Yes, absolutely.- It looks very good.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56This will be actually the covering of...
0:50:56 > 0:50:58- Of the nutmeg.- ..of the nutmeg.
0:50:58 > 0:51:02What they do is they break it open and then dry it like this,
0:51:02 > 0:51:05and then once it's dried, it separates.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08This is possibly one of the best varieties
0:51:08 > 0:51:10- that you would get.- Really?
0:51:10 > 0:51:13- And that's dried turmeric there.- That's dried turmeric.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16You'd much favour buying the dried turmeric whole like this, then?
0:51:16 > 0:51:20Well, then I would need a mill of my own to pound it into powder.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22Yes, ideally that's what I'd like to do, but then I would have...
0:51:22 > 0:51:24I have so many spices to pound.
0:51:24 > 0:51:26- It's too much.- It's too much.
0:51:26 > 0:51:30So as a part of the local community, what we do is I get my spices ground
0:51:30 > 0:51:34by one particular gentleman who is there in the community, who grinds it for me.
0:51:34 > 0:51:36- He grinds all my spices. - So you know what you're getting?
0:51:36 > 0:51:37- Absolutely.- OK.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40You must get very excited by all the quality here.
0:51:40 > 0:51:44What's it feel like to be in the centre of the spice trade, almost?
0:51:44 > 0:51:49It puts a big responsibility on the shoulders to ensure that every customer
0:51:49 > 0:51:53or every guest who comes is able to get a feel of that.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56Is able to actually feel that we are utilising the spices
0:51:56 > 0:51:58and giving the best of the spices to them.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00Yeah. I bet.
0:52:00 > 0:52:04I feel that responsibility more to give that story to the customer,
0:52:04 > 0:52:08and let them realise that this is the biggest thing that is happening here.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10And they need to feel it from the food.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16I love stories about food.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19Especially if it's combined with a railway journey
0:52:19 > 0:52:22set in the old British Raj.
0:52:22 > 0:52:24And Ajeeth told me this one,
0:52:24 > 0:52:29about his famous first-class railway mutton curry.
0:52:30 > 0:52:32Are you sitting comfortably?
0:52:33 > 0:52:38One day, a British officer was travelling down the Malabar Coast on a train,
0:52:38 > 0:52:40and he was peckish.
0:52:40 > 0:52:44And as the miles built up, he became ravenous.
0:52:44 > 0:52:49He followed his nose to the kitchen car, and took a bowl of what was served up -
0:52:49 > 0:52:55a mutton curry. It was far too spicy, and the cook, wanting to please,
0:52:55 > 0:53:00added coconut milk to bring down the heat.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02The officer enjoyed it so much,
0:53:02 > 0:53:07he declared it fit enough for all railway first-class compartments,
0:53:07 > 0:53:11hence "first-class railway mutton curry".
0:53:14 > 0:53:17I associate, when you say to a lot of Indian people,
0:53:17 > 0:53:19"What's this going to be like?"
0:53:19 > 0:53:21"First class!"
0:53:23 > 0:53:27So in a hot pan, vegetable oil, and the whole spices.
0:53:27 > 0:53:32Bay leaves, mace, cinnamon,
0:53:32 > 0:53:36black cardamom, star anise, and cloves.
0:53:37 > 0:53:42Then a paste whizzed up with fresh garlic and ginger.
0:53:42 > 0:53:46Next, a generous amount of chopped onions.
0:53:49 > 0:53:53You can start getting the flavour of the ginger and the garlic and spices.
0:53:53 > 0:53:55Getting the smell, yes, it's lovely.
0:53:55 > 0:53:59So, Ajeeth, I know the word "curry" doesn't mean a lot to you.
0:53:59 > 0:54:03We use it in the UK to mean lots of Indian food.
0:54:03 > 0:54:08But what would you say was the most important thing about a good curry?
0:54:08 > 0:54:11I would say it has to be something that has been braised slowly
0:54:11 > 0:54:14- and cooked on a slow fire...- Yeah.
0:54:14 > 0:54:18..and cooked with a lot of love and passion.
0:54:18 > 0:54:19OK!
0:54:19 > 0:54:21It's...it's very important.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23You can't make a curry in a jiffy,
0:54:23 > 0:54:26you can't, bam-bam-bam-bam, put in all the ingredients,
0:54:26 > 0:54:29put it on a high fire, stir it, and put it in a curry bowl and do it.
0:54:29 > 0:54:30That just doesn't make a curry.
0:54:32 > 0:54:34So we're going to put the spices in next.
0:54:34 > 0:54:36- OK.- The most important part.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39Now we've got some chilli powder.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41We're using Kashmiri chilli powder.
0:54:41 > 0:54:44Lovely red colour. I've learned that already.
0:54:44 > 0:54:46- And that is?- That's coriander powder.
0:54:50 > 0:54:55A little bit of turmeric powder, and a pinch of garam masala.
0:54:55 > 0:54:56OK.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01What we're going to do is we're going to just...
0:55:01 > 0:55:05I'm going to make a small paste of it, in hot water.
0:55:08 > 0:55:11So that will drop the temperature of the pan a bit.
0:55:13 > 0:55:17Why I put water in was because at this stage
0:55:17 > 0:55:19if I just stick in the spices
0:55:19 > 0:55:22and put them in individually, the spices would have burnt.
0:55:22 > 0:55:24That's a really good bit of information.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27And actually, I've been filming lots of curries,
0:55:27 > 0:55:29that's the first time it's come up.
0:55:29 > 0:55:31- But it makes a lot of sense to me. - It does. It does.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37Now the mutton.
0:55:37 > 0:55:41These are shanks marinated in yoghurt and tied with string to keep their shape.
0:55:43 > 0:55:48Ajeeth explained to me that Westerners are used to lamb shanks on the bone
0:55:48 > 0:55:51served like this, rather than cut into smaller pieces.
0:55:57 > 0:56:00Then Ajeeth put in cashew nut paste
0:56:00 > 0:56:03and a puree of fresh tomatoes to give it acidity.
0:56:05 > 0:56:07So what happens next?
0:56:07 > 0:56:10Now we're going to simmer it for the next four hours.
0:56:10 > 0:56:12- Four hours?!- Yes!
0:56:12 > 0:56:14The director will be pleased!
0:56:14 > 0:56:16THEY LAUGH
0:56:22 > 0:56:25- MAN:- Hey, Ricky! First class!
0:56:51 > 0:56:55I've been to quite a few Indian cities now and this one is really smart.
0:56:55 > 0:57:01Very, very tidy, nice restaurants, nice houses.
0:57:01 > 0:57:05And just a really open feel about it.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08I thought it was going to be a sort of tight place with little small streets
0:57:08 > 0:57:12like so many other parts of India, but no.
0:57:12 > 0:57:17It's got wonderful vegetation everywhere, and also, it's just paradise.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20I suppose the first Europeans coming here,
0:57:20 > 0:57:24apart from the scurvy on the way over and the disease they picked up,
0:57:24 > 0:57:27must have thought it was like paradise.
0:57:27 > 0:57:29The beaches here are stupendous.
0:57:29 > 0:57:33Fringed with coconut palms, and very unspoiled.
0:57:33 > 0:57:35The backwaters too, really unspoiled.
0:57:35 > 0:57:39I mean, it's a delight, I mean, it really is.
0:57:39 > 0:57:46After many, many weeks of really, really thugging it through India,
0:57:46 > 0:57:47this is paradise.
0:57:49 > 0:57:51My journey for the perfect curry continues.
0:57:51 > 0:57:55And I can't wait to try things further north.
0:57:55 > 0:57:58The city of Lucknow, really famous for its architecture
0:57:58 > 0:58:01and the sophisticated food of its Muslim rulers.
0:58:01 > 0:58:04There are some lovely treats in store.
0:58:04 > 0:58:07It's also where I heard some strong opinions
0:58:07 > 0:58:11concerning Britain's legacy in the story of curry.
0:58:11 > 0:58:13- MAN:- The worst thing that was ever produced,
0:58:13 > 0:58:15and did a big disservice to Indian food,
0:58:15 > 0:58:17is the madras curry powder.
0:58:17 > 0:58:19Absolutely horrendous stuff.
0:58:19 > 0:58:21THEY SING IN INDIAN DIALECT
0:58:46 > 0:58:50- MAN:- That's a mind-blasting curry, Ricky.