0:00:04 > 0:00:08In my search for the perfect curry, I've read quite a bit about India,
0:00:08 > 0:00:12and I've noticed that the most consistently over-used phrase
0:00:12 > 0:00:16from travel writers has been "a land of contrasts".
0:00:19 > 0:00:20Well, indeed it is,
0:00:20 > 0:00:23and sometimes I find the contrasts quite mind-boggling.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26In a country where it seems to me
0:00:26 > 0:00:30that a good chunk of the population doesn't even have a roof over its head,
0:00:30 > 0:00:33a politician from Lucknow builds this.
0:00:33 > 0:00:38Acres upon acres of huge stone-carved elephants,
0:00:38 > 0:00:43along with a memorial featuring her proudly clutching a designer handbag.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47When I asked some local people about this,
0:00:47 > 0:00:49they just shrugged good-humouredly and said,
0:00:49 > 0:00:52"Well, that's just how it is here."
0:00:52 > 0:00:55And indeed there's no getting away from it.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58India really is a land of contrasts.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03THEY SING
0:01:29 > 0:01:31MAN: That's a mind-blasting curry, Ricky!
0:01:43 > 0:01:45This is Mayo College.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47It's known as the Eton of the East.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50It was built by the British in 1870,
0:01:50 > 0:01:54by the then Viceroy of India, Lord Mayo,
0:01:54 > 0:01:58purely and simply to educate the sons of the landed gentry,
0:01:58 > 0:02:01the Rajputs and the Maharajas.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05When you think about it, it's rather a clever move,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08because these boys will grow up to be powerful rulers,
0:02:08 > 0:02:11and hopefully will have ingrained in them
0:02:11 > 0:02:14a love and understanding of the ways of the British,
0:02:14 > 0:02:18which means, of course, having allies in high places.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20BELL RINGS
0:02:23 > 0:02:27We thank God for what we have received. Amen.
0:02:27 > 0:02:28ALL: Amen.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39Well, today we've got Western food.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41We're starting with cream of vegetable soup,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44then we've got carrot and green pea saute,
0:02:44 > 0:02:49followed by cauliflower and white sauce, veg fried rice,
0:02:49 > 0:02:53grilled paneer, veg cutlet, cabbage salad,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57a dinner roll, bread, butter and sauce - not quite sure what the sauce is -
0:02:57 > 0:03:00and cake and custard for a pudding.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04I've been talking to one or two of the chefs here,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07through an interpreter of course, and I've discovered that
0:03:07 > 0:03:11many of them go back two or three generations of cooking here,
0:03:11 > 0:03:15and I really like that about a lot of Indian kitchens I've been in,
0:03:15 > 0:03:17that people hand over the jobs.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Would it were thus back in Padstow, is all I have to say.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25But none of them, sadly, go back to 1875
0:03:25 > 0:03:31when the college opened, and when the first student arrived.
0:03:31 > 0:03:37And naturally he arrived with a whole entourage of servants,
0:03:37 > 0:03:39tutors, guards
0:03:39 > 0:03:42and 150 elephants.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52Well, it's been a long time since I've had a school dinner -
0:03:52 > 0:03:55probably too long a time, to be honest -
0:03:55 > 0:03:57but I'm really enjoying this.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01It's nicely cooked, it's nicely seasoned.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06They've just given me some chopped liver, which is apparently the school...
0:04:06 > 0:04:09This is a school favourite, isn't it?
0:04:09 > 0:04:12The chopped liver on toast
0:04:12 > 0:04:15dates back from the Raj days, I guess,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18so well pleased.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22Truth to tell, I was a bit surprised
0:04:22 > 0:04:26not to have a luxuriant curry sauce or a spicy biryani,
0:04:26 > 0:04:31but I was more interested in what the pupils felt about food,
0:04:31 > 0:04:33because if Mayo School is anything like our Eton,
0:04:33 > 0:04:37the future rulers could well come from here and - who knows? -
0:04:37 > 0:04:42that might have some significant bearing on India's culinary future.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46Well, I need to explain to you, the reason I'm here
0:04:46 > 0:04:50is I make programmes about food. I'm a chef back in England.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53And I'm very keen to talk to you, because...
0:04:53 > 0:04:56First of all, hands up who likes pizzas?
0:04:57 > 0:04:58Well, there you go.
0:04:58 > 0:05:03I mean, it's a bit of a sort of litmus test because, I feel if I'm asking you,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06it's sort of giving me an idea of the way the country's going,
0:05:06 > 0:05:10the younger people, about what you might be eating in the future.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13I mean, how do you feel about your traditional food, then?
0:05:13 > 0:05:16If you go out for pizzas on a dinner, that's not a dinner.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Going for a dinner means going to a proper Indian restaurant
0:05:19 > 0:05:20and having a proper meal.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24Indian food is what gives us, like, real satisfaction,
0:05:24 > 0:05:25and that's when we feel that...
0:05:25 > 0:05:28- we have had something. - It's filling, it's filling.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32But how do you see the food of India changing in the next 20, 30 years?
0:05:32 > 0:05:35There's a thing in India, every ten kilometres you go,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38the dialect changes, the water changes, and the food habit changes.
0:05:38 > 0:05:44So, you know, we have got a very diverse, very diverse country,
0:05:44 > 0:05:46so it will take some time to change.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49But, you know, the franchises, they're coming.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52We have McDonald's, you know, who's adjusting to our country,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55and they put up a vegetarian restaurant,
0:05:55 > 0:05:57which is like the first veg restaurant...
0:05:57 > 0:05:59first veg McDonald's in the whole world.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03The thing is, we really value our traditional food.
0:06:03 > 0:06:08We really love it, and that's one thing that we're going to hold onto,
0:06:08 > 0:06:13because given a choice between a pizza and a normal Indian filling meal,
0:06:13 > 0:06:16I would go for an Indian meal any time, anywhere.
0:06:16 > 0:06:17Fantastic!
0:06:40 > 0:06:44I've just been watching some polo ponies over at Mayo School
0:06:44 > 0:06:48and just came by here, and just thought, well, I've got to show this
0:06:48 > 0:06:52cos it just shows the complete contrast there is in India
0:06:52 > 0:06:54between the rich and the poor.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58I mean, this looks dreadful to anybody's view,
0:06:58 > 0:07:02and over here, we've got a brand-new cinema complex nearing completion.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06But that's India, I mean, there's nothing you can do about it.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10Interestingly, I was re-reading a book by Mark Tully
0:07:10 > 0:07:13called No Full Stops In India, which I've always enjoyed,
0:07:13 > 0:07:17and right at the beginning he says people go to his apartment in Delhi
0:07:17 > 0:07:20and say, "How do you cope with the poverty?"
0:07:20 > 0:07:24And he just replies, "I don't have to. The poor do."
0:07:33 > 0:07:37Rajasthan is the land of the rajahs, the land of the kings.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40It's so different from the lush south.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42This is mostly desert -
0:07:42 > 0:07:46mile after mile of sand and scrub, goats and shacks.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52HORN BLARES
0:07:56 > 0:07:59When I had the idea of doing a series about India,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02I thought it'd be really nice to drive around India myself.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04I'm not sure that the crew would've been
0:08:04 > 0:08:06so wholeheartedly in approval of that.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09In some of the past series,
0:08:09 > 0:08:11maybe my driving skills aren't so wonderful,
0:08:11 > 0:08:13but in India it's a total no-no.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15I believe there's some sort of order,
0:08:15 > 0:08:19but when you see an enormous truck laden with sacks
0:08:19 > 0:08:22or bales of wood or bales of straw coming straight at you,
0:08:22 > 0:08:26and at the last minute it goes off in one direction,
0:08:26 > 0:08:28- you just go... - HORN BLARES
0:08:28 > 0:08:32As a passenger it is truly scary at times.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35Wherever I go in the world,
0:08:35 > 0:08:38I always try to stop at a motorway service station,
0:08:38 > 0:08:42because I think the food there is a sort of culinary litmus test,
0:08:42 > 0:08:46and sometimes it's a lot better than posh restaurants.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01Well, I think I'll go for the... tarka dhal.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06I just want dhal and roti really, and a cup of masala chai.
0:09:06 > 0:09:11Sweet spiced tea will be perfect just for a light lunch.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16This, I think I'm right in saying, is your average trucker's lunch,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19a vegetable dhal with bread or roti.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Certain members of the film crew were wondering
0:09:22 > 0:09:27if they did two sausages, baked beans, fried eggs, at least three rashers,
0:09:27 > 0:09:28hash browns and a cup of tea.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30Great!
0:09:30 > 0:09:32I told them not to be so silly.
0:09:34 > 0:09:39Like when we're filming in places like France or Spain,
0:09:39 > 0:09:44we like to stop where the truck drivers stop cos you get the best meal.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47I'm thinking the same is probably true here in India.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50I must say this is really good, this dhal.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52As is the roti.
0:09:52 > 0:09:57I've just chosen a very simple salad of onion and chillies, which I love.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Very simple, wholesome food.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Lovely.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05I really like these standard salads in India,
0:10:05 > 0:10:09which is basically onion and chilli, but because I'm European
0:10:09 > 0:10:13they normally just give me a tomato and cucumber salad
0:10:13 > 0:10:16and I have to say, "No, no, no, I want the chilli."
0:10:19 > 0:10:21HORNS TOOT
0:10:27 > 0:10:33As soon as I saw this, I thought of that all-powerful Mogul emperor
0:10:33 > 0:10:37immortalised by Coleridge in his famous unfinished poem.
0:10:40 > 0:10:45"In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48"Where Alph, the sacred river, ran,
0:10:48 > 0:10:50"Through caverns measureless to man,
0:10:50 > 0:10:53"Down to a sunless sea."
0:10:55 > 0:10:58Now, I know that's about a place in China,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01but it's all about the fact that these Mogul rulers,
0:11:01 > 0:11:06who dominated Northern India, could do pretty much as they liked.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10And this, the Amer Fort, epitomises all that power.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15But the reason I'm here is that there's a restaurant just opened
0:11:15 > 0:11:17by an extremely wealthy man,
0:11:17 > 0:11:21who reminds me of what a Mogul emperor was probably like,
0:11:21 > 0:11:23Sanjiv Bali.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25You must be Sanjiv.
0:11:25 > 0:11:26How are you?
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Wow! I'm very well. I mean, this is amazing!
0:11:29 > 0:11:32They told me it was going to be quite something,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35but I had no idea how incredibly...
0:11:35 > 0:11:38- Great to have you here. - Thank you very much.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42He fought tooth and nail with the local authorities
0:11:42 > 0:11:45to open his prize restaurant within the fort.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47He's really proud of his kitchen,
0:11:47 > 0:11:52recreating long-forgotten local recipes.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56I asked him to cook his favourite one, jungli maas.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Jungli meaning jungle, and maas meaning meat - jungle meat.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06- I think it's called jungle maas. - Jungle maas.
0:12:06 > 0:12:07When you went on a hunt
0:12:07 > 0:12:11and you basically did only five things to make this dish.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Very simple in the jungle, and it was more fun because you did it yourself.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17It used to be the game meat, but now we're using lamb.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21So I'm told hunting's banned now in India.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23- Yeah.- Why is that, then?
0:12:23 > 0:12:25It was basically because
0:12:25 > 0:12:28people were just killing animals left, right and centre,
0:12:28 > 0:12:29and there was no balance left.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32And earlier it was done for a sport,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35when you went out hunting and you killed what you like to eat,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38and to serve your guests and enjoy with the family.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40But suddenly people were not bothered,
0:12:40 > 0:12:42they would just go randomly killing across the board.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46That's why you see the tigers vanishing from our country.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49- The tiger?- The tiger. The population of the tigers were going down.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Because there was nothing for them to eat.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Nothing for them to eat. And hunting was banned across the country.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56I can understand that.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58It's only got five ingredients -
0:12:58 > 0:13:05meat, water, ghee, salt and dried chillies.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07Then what we do is we take these chillies,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10which come in from a place called Mathania.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13While putting the chillies, we de-seed them
0:13:13 > 0:13:15so they don't get extra spicy.
0:13:16 > 0:13:21So we put the chillies, and now what we do is, there's water in there,
0:13:21 > 0:13:25so we keep on adding water and ghee simultaneously, slowly.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28It's really simple, but, I mean, I like it for that.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31So what would you say was the essentials of Rajasthan cuisine?
0:13:31 > 0:13:33Where's it all come from?
0:13:33 > 0:13:38The recipes were actually created by doctors in those days.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41It had to have certain Ayurveda medicines
0:13:41 > 0:13:43which were added to the food.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46So the Ayurveda, excuse my pronunciation,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49that really means that the chefs and doctors are working...
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Working together to make it perfect for your digestion,
0:13:52 > 0:13:55for your eyesight, for everything, for the whole body is good.
0:13:55 > 0:14:00And the chefs would make it into something...very tasty to eat,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03because indulgence used to be huge in those days.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06So they had to balance it out some way or the other.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09So you virtually had to have a doctor as part of your team?
0:14:09 > 0:14:12- Part of the kitchen team. - How interesting!
0:14:14 > 0:14:19Now this is a real genuine lesson in less is definitely more.
0:14:19 > 0:14:24It was splendid, and would be right up there in my top ten.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31That's really good.
0:14:31 > 0:14:32Yeah, thank you.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35I mean, the chilli makes it, of course.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39To tell you the truth, what I like about it is it is so simple.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44I mean, I've been tasting so much food, Indian dishes,
0:14:44 > 0:14:47that actually just having the chilli and nothing else,
0:14:47 > 0:14:49and tasting the mutton, is...
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Oh, and a lassi, too.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57At times they don't believe that there are not many ingredients,
0:14:57 > 0:15:00spices go into it, and it would be that simple as...
0:15:00 > 0:15:01No, I think that's really nice.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04- Thanks a lot. - I'm enjoying it a great deal.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11One of the other dishes I really liked at Sanjiv's restaurant was this -
0:15:11 > 0:15:13curried lamb cutlets.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17And I know that people watching will love them, too.
0:15:18 > 0:15:23So back at my lovely bungalow on the lagoon, it was time to cook.
0:15:24 > 0:15:29They were lamb cutlets, but first of all, the lamb was poached in milk.
0:15:29 > 0:15:34So I'm just going to put a large amount of milk into this pan,
0:15:34 > 0:15:37bring that to the boil, and I'm going to infuse the milk
0:15:37 > 0:15:38with some whole spices.
0:15:38 > 0:15:43First of all, just bruising a few cardamoms to put in there,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47and then we've got these other whole spices as well.
0:15:47 > 0:15:52Fennel seeds, bruised cardamoms, black peppercorns,
0:15:52 > 0:15:57cinnamon and Indian bay leaves, and some ground ginger.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59So all that goes in like that.
0:15:59 > 0:16:04Give that a bit of a stir, and infuse the milk.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07Then I'm going to use that infused milk
0:16:07 > 0:16:11as the liquid in the batter that's going to go on the lamb chops.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15I'm not going to cook them for too long.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18I want them to be a bit pink in the middle
0:16:18 > 0:16:20because I'm then going to fry them.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24They need to be in there so they absorb the flavours,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27say around five minutes.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29They're just about ready now,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33so just lift 'em out with my trusty tongs.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37You'll see they look a bit dishevelled.
0:16:37 > 0:16:42Trust me, it almost adds to the look of the final dish.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47So just let this infused milk cool down,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50because I'm going to use it in the batter.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53So, first of all we can start making up the batter.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57I've got some flour in here and I'm going to add some cornflour
0:16:57 > 0:17:00and whisk that together a little bit.
0:17:00 > 0:17:05And then, virtually the same spices as went into the infusion -
0:17:05 > 0:17:09peppercorns ground up, fennel seed ground up,
0:17:09 > 0:17:13ground ginger and cardamom seeds ground up
0:17:13 > 0:17:17and then I'm just going to put some salt in here.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21Quite a lot actually, a sort of heaped teaspoon.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24There we go, just those things all together.
0:17:24 > 0:17:29And finally, and I do think this is the real best thing about this batter,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32quite a lot of green chillies.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36Three or four green chillies, seeds and all, into the batter.
0:17:36 > 0:17:42Next I'm just going to whisk up a couple of duck-egg whites.
0:17:51 > 0:17:52So...
0:17:52 > 0:17:54get a little bit of...
0:17:56 > 0:17:59..a bit of foam happening with these egg whites.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Just make a little well in the middle of there, just add the egg whites.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07And now to add the infused milk,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10which should have cooled down enough by now.
0:18:11 > 0:18:16A few tablespoons of this delicious infused milk.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20I'm looking for the consistency
0:18:20 > 0:18:23of single cream, double cream, something like that.
0:18:29 > 0:18:30Perfick!
0:18:30 > 0:18:35Now then, we'll just get some hot oil happening.
0:18:35 > 0:18:40And now I'm going to dip my chops. So first of all...conveniently...
0:18:40 > 0:18:46handle these chops in the batter, and then in the oil.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51Probably get about four or five in at a time, cos they're only little.
0:18:52 > 0:18:53OIL SIZZLES
0:18:53 > 0:18:59So just leave those to brown, and then I'll turn them over.
0:19:00 > 0:19:07Actually, Rajasthan is a very big meat-eating region of India,
0:19:07 > 0:19:10a country largely made up of vegetarians.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13So those are getting very nicely coloured now.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15I mean, that looks really lovely.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19And, as I said, I like the knobbliness of them.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23I'm enjoying this.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26I mean, I do like cooking, you see?
0:19:26 > 0:19:31People say, "You cook every day, you must get tired of it." I don't!
0:19:31 > 0:19:34I think the real reason I don't is cos you're always hungry,
0:19:34 > 0:19:36and I'm always hungry.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38I'm always anticipating yet another lovely meal,
0:19:38 > 0:19:43and I must say these chops are doing just that for me.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47So there we go, those are now cooked.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49So we will serve 'em up
0:19:49 > 0:19:51and I just... When I dish them all up,
0:19:51 > 0:19:55I'm just going to sprinkle a little chat masala over them,
0:19:55 > 0:19:59which is basically a simple garam masala
0:19:59 > 0:20:04with the important addition of some amchur, which is dried green mango,
0:20:04 > 0:20:07and some black Indian sea salt.
0:20:07 > 0:20:08Good.
0:20:08 > 0:20:09Let us proceed.
0:20:13 > 0:20:14Mm.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17They're very nice, I must say.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20A hint of chilli from those green chillies
0:20:20 > 0:20:23and the lovely taste of fennel, which I love.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Back taste of sort of general curry flavours,
0:20:26 > 0:20:31but, you know, very convenient little bit of finger food.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35It's crying out for a glass of beer, actually.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47I stayed at some memorable places in Rajasthan,
0:20:47 > 0:20:51breathtaking and so full of history.
0:20:52 > 0:20:57Take this place in Devgarh, a Rajput's palace and now a hotel.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03It was perfect in every way...
0:21:03 > 0:21:06except I kept getting lost!
0:21:08 > 0:21:13Well, as places to stay go, this is pretty exceptional.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15I mean, this is only part of it.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18The bedroom, the bathroom is twice as big as this is.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21I think actually it's where the Rajput lived himself.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23It must be, because it's so grand
0:21:23 > 0:21:26and there's all these pictures of ancestors here,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29all with their hands on a dagger or a sword.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34I mean, just look at this, it is just fabulous.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37I just love the way the light comes through all that coloured glass
0:21:37 > 0:21:42and all the lovely mirrors and the silveriness of it.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45And now I've started thinking, "I wonder what this room was used for?"
0:21:45 > 0:21:49And, well, over there is the Rajput's harem,
0:21:49 > 0:21:52so I was sort of slightly naughtily thinking,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55"Maybe this is where he entertained his concubines."
0:21:59 > 0:22:05I got up at five in the morning to see the local farmers pick cauliflowers.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07This Northern European vegetable
0:22:07 > 0:22:09seems so out of place amongst the palm trees,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12like hummingbirds on Bodmin Moor.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16And of course it was the British who introduced them,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18along with the cabbage,
0:22:18 > 0:22:22presumably to go with their roast beef and Yorkshire puddings.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25However, the good old cauli has acclimatised well
0:22:25 > 0:22:30and is a key player in all the wonderful vegetable curries here.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40TRADERS CALL
0:22:41 > 0:22:45I must say, after so many days of being in busy Indian cities,
0:22:45 > 0:22:47it's really nice coming to a market like this.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Very simple, not a lot of produce,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53but everything straight out of the fields.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56And I was talking to the guy that owns the hotel I'm staying in,
0:22:56 > 0:22:59and he said that quite a lot of Europeans come here
0:22:59 > 0:23:03to rural Rajasthan not to eat meat,
0:23:03 > 0:23:05and I'm sort of quite in tune with them,
0:23:05 > 0:23:10cos I've probably had enough mutton curries to shake quite a few sticks at.
0:23:10 > 0:23:15But vegetarian food is what they've come for,
0:23:15 > 0:23:19and things like cauliflower, aloo gobi, which is just potato and cauliflower
0:23:19 > 0:23:22with a bit of masala and just a tiny bit of chilli,
0:23:22 > 0:23:24is very good for the stomach.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30I always find something in a market like this to interest me.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33It's methi or fenugreek,
0:23:33 > 0:23:37and I've never seen this as a vegetable or a herb, either/or.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41I've just seen it as those little brown seeds you get back in the UK.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43First time.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50It's absolutely gloriously savoury.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53It's sort of like, would be the centre of a vegetarian dish.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57It's just got lots and lots of almost legume-like, you know,
0:23:57 > 0:23:59peas and beans flavour.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02No wonder they all adore it so much.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08ENGINE SPLUTTERS
0:24:08 > 0:24:10Yeah!
0:24:16 > 0:24:19I wanted to see how the locals made the famous aloo gobi -
0:24:19 > 0:24:21potato and cauliflower curry.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27They start off by frying garlic and onion in ghee,
0:24:27 > 0:24:28and cook it until it softens.
0:24:28 > 0:24:33The masala, now that's made from salt, chillies,
0:24:33 > 0:24:36turmeric, cumin, onion seeds and coriander.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43I'm thinking back home, you go to your local Indian,
0:24:43 > 0:24:46and you order, as ever, too much.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48You know, probably two or three curries between two of you
0:24:48 > 0:24:50and you think, "I'd better have some veg."
0:24:50 > 0:24:52So you think, "Well, I'll have some rice
0:24:52 > 0:24:54"and some poppadoms and some naan bread.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57"Oh, and throw in an aloo gobi too," you know?
0:24:57 > 0:24:59It's almost like an afterthought.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02But here it's like a main course, and quite rightly so.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04That's all I'd want for a main course.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06I mean, I am becoming vegetarian!
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Rajasthan isn't a rice-growing area,
0:25:13 > 0:25:17so traditionally they accompany a curry with roti,
0:25:17 > 0:25:20a flatbread made from either wheat or cornflour.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23It's an unleavened flatbread, without yeast.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29Now she puts in some tomatoes for a little touch of sourness.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33I've just been thinking while she's been making that,
0:25:33 > 0:25:35and having come from that market this morning,
0:25:35 > 0:25:39I can tell you this dish, enough for at least three people,
0:25:39 > 0:25:42would cost less than 10p.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55I feel very close and personal to this dish,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58because I was up about five o'clock this morning
0:25:58 > 0:26:02watching them pick the cauliflowers that's gone into it,
0:26:02 > 0:26:04and then I saw the rest of the ingredients in the market.
0:26:04 > 0:26:09So this is aloo gobi with a cornflour roti.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15It's absolutely wonderful!
0:26:15 > 0:26:19It's very nicely seasoned, it's quite spicy,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22but I'd be quite happy to eat this anywhere.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26Incidentally, when I was in the market
0:26:26 > 0:26:30I noticed the cauliflowers were fetching only three rupees each,
0:26:30 > 0:26:33which is about three and a half pence.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37Talking via an interpreter to the auctioneer there,
0:26:37 > 0:26:41and he was saying to vegetarians cauliflower is like meat,
0:26:41 > 0:26:45and to me it's like the sort of fillet steak of the vegetarian world.
0:26:52 > 0:26:57Go anywhere in the Middle East and rose-water will be a distinct flavour,
0:26:57 > 0:26:59as it is here in Rajasthan,
0:26:59 > 0:27:03whose dishes still hark back to the days of the Mogul Empire.
0:27:03 > 0:27:08I love rose-water. To me, it's a lovely, exotic backdrop
0:27:08 > 0:27:12to many a biryani, pulao or Indian pudding.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16This family in Pushkar have been making it for generations
0:27:16 > 0:27:19in exactly the same way that the Arabs and Persians did
0:27:19 > 0:27:22over 2,000 years ago.
0:27:22 > 0:27:27Watching the women painstakingly pulling the petals away from the bud
0:27:27 > 0:27:32made me feel I was on a film set for a commercial for Turkish Delight.
0:27:32 > 0:27:37Sometimes when you're in India the smells aren't so good,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40but it's more than offset by this.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47So all the whole roses are going into this still to make the rose-water.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50The petals they're going to make the jam from,
0:27:50 > 0:27:54and the smell is overpowering.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57But it's the simplest still I've ever seen,
0:27:57 > 0:28:02and actually, if you wanted to make your own moonshine,
0:28:02 > 0:28:04you could have one of those in your back garden.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06I was joking, constable!
0:28:06 > 0:28:10And the way they extracted the essence from the damask rose petals
0:28:10 > 0:28:12was indeed timeless.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17They boil the petals in water in sealed copper pots.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21The heavenly steam rises and escapes from the pot,
0:28:21 > 0:28:25but the cold water from the pond turns it into pure essence.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29A perfumed rain falling into the pot beneath the surface.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32No doubt there'll be a modern, computerised,
0:28:32 > 0:28:34stainless steel version of this somewhere in the world,
0:28:34 > 0:28:36but this'll do for me.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43I've been waiting for this all morning,
0:28:43 > 0:28:46so charmed have I been by the smell of rose petals.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48I was just thinking, actually,
0:28:48 > 0:28:53I don't think I could ever get tired of that scent - it is just perfection.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55And this is the jam, so I'm just going to taste it.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57It's just made with sugar and rose petals.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04It's there, the scent of roses is right there.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06I'm told it's really good with chapattis.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09I'd like to take some home and have it with toast.
0:29:10 > 0:29:15But this is what I came to see, and to take back to my kitchen by the lagoon,
0:29:15 > 0:29:18because the subtle background hint of rose-water
0:29:18 > 0:29:21is the key to India's most popular rice dish.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28Biryani. I think quite difficult to get right.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32I think it's the hardest dish to make in Indian cookery, really.
0:29:32 > 0:29:37But I think the most important thing about a biryani is keep it simple.
0:29:37 > 0:29:42A lot of them have got far too many ingredients, far too many stages.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44This one is simple.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48When you're frying onions like this,
0:29:48 > 0:29:51even when they've got to the right stage,
0:29:51 > 0:29:55they'll feel soft until you take them out and put them on a plate,
0:29:55 > 0:29:57and then they'll crisp up.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01I'm just going to marinate my chicken.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04First of all some ginger and garlic,
0:30:04 > 0:30:07then a couple of chillies thinly sliced.
0:30:09 > 0:30:14And finally some yoghurt, about 200 ml of yoghurt.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16There we go.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18And I'm just going to leave that for about half an hour.
0:30:18 > 0:30:23It's a very important thing to do, because chicken can be a bit dry,
0:30:23 > 0:30:28but with all this yoghurt in there it's going to be exceedingly moist.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30And now to temper my spices.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33First of all a few cardamoms
0:30:33 > 0:30:36and then a nice piece of cinnamon
0:30:36 > 0:30:38and then some cloves.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45And then a teaspoon of... popping a bit...
0:30:47 > 0:30:48..cumin.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51And finally, a couple of Indian bay leaves.
0:30:51 > 0:30:57Now then, I'm just going to add my ground spices now.
0:30:59 > 0:31:03First of all, half to three-quarters of turmeric
0:31:03 > 0:31:05and then chilli powder
0:31:05 > 0:31:09and finally some ground coriander and some salt.
0:31:09 > 0:31:10Just stir that in.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14Now immediately I'm going to add my marinated chicken.
0:31:20 > 0:31:24And now I'm going to add just a tiny bit of water,
0:31:24 > 0:31:28cos it is still slightly catching on the bottom.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31Looking lovely, I must say.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34I think it's very important in a biryani
0:31:34 > 0:31:38that the chicken should be absolutely encased in unctuous,
0:31:38 > 0:31:41very flavourful masala.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43Now some tomato.
0:31:43 > 0:31:48I want this chicken to be cooked almost dry
0:31:48 > 0:31:52so that the masala really clings to it.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56But never pre-cook it, let it go cold.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58I cook the chicken and make the biryani.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05Now that's coming down very nicely.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08Do you see? It's almost as dry as something like a beef rendang.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11By dry, I mean everything's clinging to the chicken.
0:32:11 > 0:32:16So I'm just going to put that out of the way while I cook my rice.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22I cook the rice with cardamom, cloves and salt,
0:32:22 > 0:32:25but I only cook it halfway through.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28It's important the rice is still hard in the centre,
0:32:28 > 0:32:32because the next stage is cooking it again with the chicken,
0:32:32 > 0:32:34and no-one likes mushy rice.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39Right, so now to layer up my biryani.
0:32:39 > 0:32:44First of all, a fair bit of ghee in the bottom of the pan.
0:32:44 > 0:32:45That's to stop it sticking.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47A little bit of water, too,
0:32:47 > 0:32:50just to induce the steam right at the beginning.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53First of all, a layer of rice.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56So, here we go, nicely cooked.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59Flick some saffron over the rice.
0:32:59 > 0:33:01There we go.
0:33:01 > 0:33:03And now rose-water.
0:33:05 > 0:33:10And on top of that, I'm going to put some of my chicken.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13There we go, half the chicken.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18Crisp fried onions on top of that.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20Very exciting to me, this.
0:33:20 > 0:33:26I love making a biryani. It's quite tricky, but very rewarding.
0:33:27 > 0:33:31So it's layer after layer of rice,
0:33:31 > 0:33:33saffron-infused milk
0:33:33 > 0:33:36and the splendid rose-water.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40Fried onions, chicken,
0:33:40 > 0:33:45and you keep repeating it till all the ingredients are used up.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47I'm putting a little bit of ghee right round the sides
0:33:47 > 0:33:49so it doesn't stick,
0:33:49 > 0:33:52so the rice doesn't stick to the side of the pan.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55And now for the lid.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00So now I wait for about 30 minutes, and serve it up.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05I'm exceptionally keen on biryani,
0:34:05 > 0:34:08and I can tell you that this dish, 500 years ago,
0:34:08 > 0:34:11would have pride of place at many a banquet table.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15Finally, I adorn the dish with more fried onions,
0:34:15 > 0:34:17toasted pistachios and cashew nuts.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22I think that's fit for a Mogul emperor.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32I met lots of tourists while making these films in India,
0:34:32 > 0:34:36and nearly all of them had been here to the famous palace in Jaipur,
0:34:36 > 0:34:38the capital of Rajasthan.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42I think it must be the second most popular tourist attraction
0:34:42 > 0:34:45after the Taj Mahal.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48This is the Hawa Mahal, or the Palace of Winds.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50It's actually not a palace at all.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54It's actually quite a narrow building, more of a gallery.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57It's where the Rajput's wives - many wives -
0:34:57 > 0:35:00and many concubines used to go,
0:35:00 > 0:35:01used to wear a veil
0:35:01 > 0:35:05and go and look through the myriad of windows there, or lattices,
0:35:05 > 0:35:07to the processions in the street below.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10The Rajput's entourage could not be seen.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15Part of being a Rajput was you were a meat-eater,
0:35:15 > 0:35:17and meat-eaters were held to be strong
0:35:17 > 0:35:22and you needed to be strong to be a hunter and a warrior.
0:35:22 > 0:35:23And somebody virile of course
0:35:23 > 0:35:27would have a large number of wives and concubines.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29Indeed, a harem, I suppose.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34No matter where I am here,
0:35:34 > 0:35:39I seem to spend quite a bit of time gazing out from forts or palaces
0:35:39 > 0:35:43to a more mundane and prosaic world beyond.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46Everywhere, you see glimpses of poverty,
0:35:46 > 0:35:50not far away from a picture of utter opulence.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53That's India for you.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59Take this village in rural Rajasthan.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01It's called Kanota.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05This might well be perfection in someone's eyes,
0:36:05 > 0:36:08but to me it's like 1,000 villages here.
0:36:08 > 0:36:13A dusty main street, concrete shop selling everything from saris,
0:36:13 > 0:36:16motorcycle bits, cooking pots.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18There's the usual sort of chaos about it.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20HORNS BLARE
0:36:20 > 0:36:26And yet drive through this gate, and you enter a totally different world.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29The world of the Rajput.
0:36:29 > 0:36:33A sort of English country squire meets military ruler.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38This estate once belonged to a polo-playing Indian general
0:36:38 > 0:36:40in the British Army, Amar Singh.
0:36:44 > 0:36:49His passion was collecting recipes from the world over and he said,
0:36:49 > 0:36:53"Well-cooked English food is just as much to my taste as the Indian.
0:36:53 > 0:36:57"I might say that if there is Indian food,
0:36:57 > 0:37:01"and one has to eat it with knives and forks, there is no fun.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03"In the same way, if there is English food,
0:37:03 > 0:37:06"and one has to eat it without knives and forks,
0:37:06 > 0:37:08"then it loses its enjoyment."
0:37:13 > 0:37:17The estate is now run by his grandson, Thakur Man Singh,
0:37:17 > 0:37:20a Rajput and a real foodie.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23This is fabulous!
0:37:23 > 0:37:25Just looking at these, I thought,
0:37:25 > 0:37:28"They're railway lines, aren't they?"
0:37:28 > 0:37:32It just says Darlington there. They must be British railway lines.
0:37:33 > 0:37:34Thakur Man Singh.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37- Welcome, Rick. - Very, very nice to meet you.
0:37:37 > 0:37:38How are you?
0:37:38 > 0:37:41Much looking forward to you cooking us some of your...
0:37:41 > 0:37:44Yeah, yeah. I'm cooking some special dish for you.
0:37:44 > 0:37:45Thank you very much.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49- Rick, this is my family room.- Wow!
0:37:49 > 0:37:52This is our old ancestors and all.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55This is Amar Singh out here with his nephew.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57- This is your grandfather?- Yeah.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00So, he travelled all over the world in the British Army?
0:38:00 > 0:38:03Wherever he went, he collected the recipes.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06- Did he cook the recipes?- Did he like cooking, or he had his...?
0:38:06 > 0:38:10His man used to cook, but he used to sit there and supervise.
0:38:10 > 0:38:11- Did he?- Yeah.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13He didn't cook himself.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18Thakur Man Singh is going to cook keema dhai vada.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22Keema means mince, and this is minced mutton,
0:38:22 > 0:38:27just simmered and ground by Thakur Man Singh's faithful servant.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29Not much change there, then!
0:38:31 > 0:38:34- So, what's going in there first then?- Onion paste.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37OK. Now we've got garlic.
0:38:39 > 0:38:41- Salt?- Then the salt.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44- Yeah. Chilli powder? - And then the red chillies.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47- This is the favourite one for Indians.- Yes.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49- I really like it. - I love red chilli.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52We'll see that now, when this finishes. You might go red.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58- What's that?- Ginger. Dry ginger. - Dry ginger.
0:38:59 > 0:39:04- Coriander, is it? - No. Fennel.- OK, fennel.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07Now, I'm sure that's garam masala.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09Have you got the recipe?
0:39:10 > 0:39:12Or is it a secret? It's lovely.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14You have to smell it and find out.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16Oh, gosh!
0:39:17 > 0:39:18Cumin?
0:39:20 > 0:39:22- Coriander.- Yes.
0:39:22 > 0:39:23Cinnamon?
0:39:23 > 0:39:25You're wrong somewhere.
0:39:25 > 0:39:26Oh, you're not going to tell me?
0:39:26 > 0:39:28Maybe.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30- Maybe! - RICK LAUGHS
0:39:30 > 0:39:33The secret garam masala.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35Secret. Never get the recipe, I'm sure.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39Well, that meat with those spices is fine as silk.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42And now he adds coriander...
0:39:43 > 0:39:46..and we roll it into little balls the size of walnuts.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49I haven't quite got the technique of getting the perfect...
0:39:49 > 0:39:52You have to roll your hand like this.
0:39:52 > 0:39:53Here.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55And now they're ready to fry.
0:39:56 > 0:40:00- So now this is the frying. - That's a really nice-looking karahi.
0:40:00 > 0:40:01What are you going to use then? Ghee or...?
0:40:01 > 0:40:04I said ghee. She said oil.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07OK. So which are you going to use?
0:40:07 > 0:40:10There's still an argument going on. I said ghee, she says oil.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13- Can I give you a bit of advice? - Yeah.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15- Make it oil.- Make it oil? - They always win.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17- More healthier. - Healthier in many ways.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20Clear butter, doctor says no.
0:40:20 > 0:40:21Thank you.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28This dish came from his grandfather's recipe collection,
0:40:28 > 0:40:31so it could go back hundreds of years.
0:40:33 > 0:40:38He covers the kofta, the balls of spiced mince, with a creamy yoghurt...
0:40:40 > 0:40:43..and adorns that with a variety of ground spices.
0:40:43 > 0:40:44Chilli,
0:40:44 > 0:40:45cumin,
0:40:45 > 0:40:47salt, some black pepper,
0:40:47 > 0:40:50and strands of saffron.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52Finally, splashes of rose-water.
0:40:52 > 0:40:56It looks like something befitting the tables of the powerful Rajputs
0:40:56 > 0:40:59in the days when their word was law.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01Do you want to help yourself first?
0:41:01 > 0:41:04Well, you do it because I'm not sure which goes where.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10I appreciate you using a fork for us Westerners.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16Mm.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18It's lovely, I love the yoghurt.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22So, this would be a typical lunch, or...?
0:41:22 > 0:41:27Yeah. We prefer chapattis also in it, with lunch.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31Sandhyo, what's it like being married to a Rajput?
0:41:33 > 0:41:37I'm also a Rajput, and don't believe in inter-caste marriage.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40But what's it like being married to...?
0:41:40 > 0:41:44He knows how to cook first of all, so I am free.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47That's the only quality in me?
0:41:47 > 0:41:49No, no, but first I said.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52Oh, it's the first quality. And which is the second one?
0:41:52 > 0:41:56I can just be a guest to him, eat away, and go.
0:41:56 > 0:41:57Only?
0:41:57 > 0:42:01So that helps me, cos I don't have to cook then.
0:42:01 > 0:42:02That quality you found in me.
0:42:02 > 0:42:07How does it feel in these modern times in India to be a Rajput?
0:42:07 > 0:42:08What does it mean now?
0:42:08 > 0:42:12Now they're like a tamed tiger.
0:42:12 > 0:42:13Really?
0:42:13 > 0:42:16Because they don't have any powers any more.
0:42:16 > 0:42:21They have no more powers, so they are like a tamed tiger in a circus.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26I think you prefer talking than eating.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29Well, I'll get on with it. Sorry!
0:42:29 > 0:42:31It's very nice.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34It was a lovely lunch,
0:42:34 > 0:42:38and it reminded me of something I'd read about British Raj.
0:42:39 > 0:42:43One thing that really put the British nose out of joint
0:42:43 > 0:42:47was that the Indians do posh rather better than we do. So there!
0:42:51 > 0:42:52And as luck would have it,
0:42:52 > 0:42:57my next stop on my curry quest is the state of Himachal Pradesh.
0:43:00 > 0:43:04The perfect antidote to all that cream, yoghurt and meat.
0:43:04 > 0:43:06Lovely!
0:43:10 > 0:43:12This is Kangra Fort,
0:43:12 > 0:43:16a castle belonging to one of the oldest families in the world,
0:43:16 > 0:43:18the Katoch family.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21The name "Katoch" means "best in swordsmanship",
0:43:21 > 0:43:26and apparently these people can trace their lineage right back
0:43:26 > 0:43:29to the days of Alexander the Great.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33This place reminds me of scenes from old movies
0:43:33 > 0:43:38about derring-do in the North West Frontier, starring Errol Flynn,
0:43:38 > 0:43:42and usually an English actor, blacked up, wearing a turban
0:43:42 > 0:43:45and playing somebody deeply untrustworthy.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53The Katoches own pretty much all the land round here,
0:43:53 > 0:43:55and today is an auspicious one
0:43:55 > 0:44:00because it heralds a visit by the family matriarch, Mrs Katoch.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07Her son Ash - that's him in the patterned shirt -
0:44:07 > 0:44:10is greeting guests arriving for a special feast
0:44:10 > 0:44:14because his mother is seriously into Indian politics.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19That must be Ash's mum.
0:44:20 > 0:44:24This is the day for thanking all supporters and retainers
0:44:24 > 0:44:29on the family estates, so it's a curry picnic for about 2,000.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34The men cooking this feast are Brahmins,
0:44:34 > 0:44:37the highest caste in India,
0:44:37 > 0:44:39and they're strictly vegetarian.
0:44:39 > 0:44:41They take their role here seriously.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44All the spices, herbs and various condiments
0:44:44 > 0:44:48are measured out on leaves - saves on washing up -
0:44:48 > 0:44:51and tipped into these big copper cooking pots.
0:44:51 > 0:44:55I have to content myself that I'm at the hub of where it's all at,
0:44:55 > 0:44:59because to formulate a recipe is utterly impossible.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02However, it's given me a really good idea
0:45:02 > 0:45:07on how to go about cooking an authentic dish from Himachal Pradesh.
0:45:08 > 0:45:11Right, well, I'm just going to run through five of the eight dishes.
0:45:11 > 0:45:17First of all, here we have madras, and there's lots and lots of ghee in there,
0:45:17 > 0:45:19and I notice lots of asafoetida,
0:45:19 > 0:45:23and lots of that dried milk which really richens it up.
0:45:23 > 0:45:25It's almost like milk powder in there called khoya.
0:45:25 > 0:45:31Over here, chaps, before they move it off...it's khatta.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34And now this is a black lentil dhal.
0:45:34 > 0:45:38I'm particularly fond of this one, I've cooked it already for myself,
0:45:38 > 0:45:42and it's flavoured with amchur, which is dried green mango,
0:45:42 > 0:45:45which gives it a very, very tart taste.
0:45:45 > 0:45:48Now I'm not going to tell you what those yellow things are at the top
0:45:48 > 0:45:49cos they're over there, too.
0:45:49 > 0:45:54Next here we have just a very simple yellow dhal.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57I lost count of the different spices that had gone in there,
0:45:57 > 0:46:01and it's finished with what I think is celery seed,
0:46:01 > 0:46:04but Dave, the director, doesn't agree.
0:46:04 > 0:46:09But I know I'm right because I've tasted it before in Bloody Marys.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13Over here, this is a chickpea curry,
0:46:13 > 0:46:17and this is finished with those little yellow things,
0:46:17 > 0:46:21which are actually puffed chickpeas, so like puffed wheat.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24And over here, it's sweet rice,
0:46:24 > 0:46:29sweetened with sugar with lots of coconut and raisins in it.
0:46:29 > 0:46:30A real banquet dish.
0:46:30 > 0:46:35And the thing about all this food, there's no garlic and onion in it.
0:46:35 > 0:46:41The gods don't like garlic and onion because it heats the blood,
0:46:41 > 0:46:45and it encourages intemperance, lust,
0:46:45 > 0:46:48wantonness, that sort of thing.
0:46:53 > 0:46:55This is the first sitting,
0:46:55 > 0:46:57and there'll probably be about ten more of them
0:46:57 > 0:46:59before the afternoon is over.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01It's very easy and comfortable
0:47:01 > 0:47:05for those used to sitting cross-legged for hours at a time,
0:47:05 > 0:47:10but I haven't done this since I was at the village school about 60 years ago.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16- Do you want a green chilli? - Yes, please, I love chillies.
0:47:16 > 0:47:18- Oh, you want a green chilli? - Yeah, I like them.
0:47:20 > 0:47:21It's very nice food.
0:47:21 > 0:47:25Take it in your three fingers, and with your thumb just push it in your mouth.
0:47:25 > 0:47:26OK.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29Now if you can try that, three fingers and then...
0:47:29 > 0:47:31Flick it into your mouth.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34It's not flicking, it's just... pushing it in.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37Got it.
0:47:37 > 0:47:41But in Himachal when you sit like this,
0:47:41 > 0:47:45there is no difference between the rich, the poor, the caste or anything.
0:47:45 > 0:47:46Everybody's equal.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49And the food is only served by Brahmins.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52It is cooked by the Brahmins and only served by the Brahmins,
0:47:52 > 0:47:55so there's a sense of equality here.
0:47:55 > 0:47:58Well, there's something very convivial about it,
0:47:58 > 0:48:02and would they feel nervous with you around, or are they...?
0:48:02 > 0:48:05Well, with my mother around, yes, definitely they'd be nervous, but...
0:48:05 > 0:48:07But not you?
0:48:07 > 0:48:08Well, not with me, no.
0:48:08 > 0:48:13Most of them have seen me grow as a little kid from here, so...
0:48:13 > 0:48:16And half of our boys are the ones I used to play cricket with.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19You were saying you think you might be the oldest family in the world?
0:48:19 > 0:48:24Well, the historical records date us back to Alexander's war records.
0:48:24 > 0:48:30A war hero known as King Porus, from him we descend.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32We fought every invader who came into the country,
0:48:32 > 0:48:34from the Moguls to the British,
0:48:34 > 0:48:39and you are being welcomed here, so...
0:48:39 > 0:48:44People always want to know whether the caste system is continuing.
0:48:44 > 0:48:45Is it dying out?
0:48:45 > 0:48:50In many states it's very, very prevalent, especially in Haryana.
0:48:50 > 0:48:54Inter-caste marriages are not accepted in the villages.
0:48:54 > 0:48:56Oh.
0:48:57 > 0:49:02There's certainly a lot of problems for young people who fall in love.
0:49:02 > 0:49:09But the bigger cities like Delhi, Calcutta, Bombay,
0:49:09 > 0:49:12Lucknow and all these areas, bigger cities,
0:49:12 > 0:49:14it has become...it's dying out.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18Cor, I found that a bit hard getting up.
0:49:18 > 0:49:20I'm not used to sitting cross-legged for so long.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23I must say it was, in a way, quite moving
0:49:23 > 0:49:27because there is a great sort of levelling sense
0:49:27 > 0:49:29when people sit down to eat together.
0:49:29 > 0:49:34And I think Ash is right - it's a tradition that he should maintain
0:49:34 > 0:49:39because you're all as one in a situation like this, eating together.
0:49:41 > 0:49:42Ooh! Bloody hell!
0:49:43 > 0:49:47One of the meals cooked that afternoon was a lovely dish,
0:49:47 > 0:49:49rather like a chunky bean curry.
0:49:49 > 0:49:52And it's one of the most popular vegetarian dishes
0:49:52 > 0:49:53in the whole of India.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57And once the beans have cooked, it takes no time at all.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02Oh, they seem to be about ready.
0:50:02 > 0:50:06I'm about to finish cooking a rajma,
0:50:06 > 0:50:09which is a red kidney bean curry
0:50:09 > 0:50:12from Himachal Pradesh right up in northern India.
0:50:12 > 0:50:15I've been cooking these beans just with a bit of turmeric
0:50:15 > 0:50:18for about an hour and a half. They really do take...
0:50:18 > 0:50:21I soaked them overnight and I've been cooking them,
0:50:21 > 0:50:22and they're still...
0:50:22 > 0:50:25Well, they're soft now, but it's certainly taken a long time.
0:50:25 > 0:50:26Actually, when we came over
0:50:26 > 0:50:29right at the beginning of filming some months ago,
0:50:29 > 0:50:31on the plane they served rajma
0:50:31 > 0:50:33and I was thinking at the time it's a bit like comfort food,
0:50:33 > 0:50:36like cassoulet without the meat.
0:50:36 > 0:50:41So to those frying onions I put in a garlic and ginger paste,
0:50:41 > 0:50:42very common here.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45It's very easy to make back home in a food processor.
0:50:46 > 0:50:47Then chilli powder.
0:50:47 > 0:50:51Now, you can tell that's just freshly ground because it's all fluffy.
0:50:51 > 0:50:55And now, to reinforce those curry flavours, garam masala.
0:50:58 > 0:51:00Now I'm going to add quite a lot of yoghurt,
0:51:00 > 0:51:04because yoghurt is incredibly important in northern India
0:51:04 > 0:51:05cos they're a lot sharper in India.
0:51:05 > 0:51:10But if you use an ordinary yoghurt - not a low-fat one, my gosh no -
0:51:10 > 0:51:14because there's certainly plenty of fat in Indian yoghurt.
0:51:14 > 0:51:17But you'll get approximately the same thing, not quite so sour.
0:51:17 > 0:51:20And now I'm going to add my beans.
0:51:20 > 0:51:21There we go.
0:51:24 > 0:51:26To help thicken it, crush a few of the beans
0:51:26 > 0:51:31against the side of the saucepan with the back of a spoon, and that's it.
0:51:34 > 0:51:39The last thing is to squeeze a bit of lime over the top, and there we go.
0:51:39 > 0:51:41Just serve that with some fluffy basmati rice.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44Brilliant!
0:52:00 > 0:52:05This is the town of McLeod Ganj in the foothills of the Himalayas.
0:52:05 > 0:52:09The Indians refer to this area as the abode of the gods,
0:52:09 > 0:52:14and actually, this is where, talking of gods, the Dalai Lama lives.
0:52:14 > 0:52:17Consequently there are many of his followers living here,
0:52:17 > 0:52:22and so, naturally, the restaurants serve many varieties of Tibetan food.
0:52:26 > 0:52:29I'd never heard of these before I came here, but I've been told
0:52:29 > 0:52:32that their popularity is spreading all over India.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35They're little steamed dumplings called momos.
0:52:38 > 0:52:41Gosh, these are good! They really are good.
0:52:41 > 0:52:45What I love about 'em is they're steamed, so they're very moist.
0:52:45 > 0:52:49You've got lots of nice-tasting minced lamb in there,
0:52:49 > 0:52:54and lots of onion, only slightly cooked, so almost a bit sharp.
0:52:54 > 0:52:56They are so lovely. No wonder...
0:52:56 > 0:53:00I mean, this is such a relief to me after so many curries,
0:53:00 > 0:53:03just to come and have some Tibetan food which is so different.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07But as I was saying, no wonder they're catching on through the whole of India
0:53:07 > 0:53:10because they are truly, truly lovely.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18I wanted to come here to meet the Dalai Lama.
0:53:18 > 0:53:21I know it sounds a bit lame or stupid,
0:53:21 > 0:53:25but I wanted to talk to him about food, what it means to him.
0:53:25 > 0:53:26It's as simple as that.
0:53:28 > 0:53:32I sensed his aides were a trifle bemused at my request.
0:53:32 > 0:53:34"Food? Just food?" they'd say.
0:53:34 > 0:53:38"Yes, I'd really like to know His Holiness's thoughts about food."
0:53:42 > 0:53:43Hello.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46- Hello.- Rick Stein to meet you. - Your Holiness.
0:53:46 > 0:53:48Very nice to meet you, Your Holiness.
0:53:48 > 0:53:49I must say, I'm a bit nervous.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52No, no, no, no, don't be nervous.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55This is David Pritchard, the director.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58Great honour to meet you, Your Holiness.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01Ready? Ready?
0:54:01 > 0:54:04- DAVID: Yes, Your Holiness. - Going?- Yes.
0:54:04 > 0:54:11Just... Obviously as a monk, that food doesn't feature now in your life,
0:54:11 > 0:54:15but when you were young, when you were little, did it matter to you, food?
0:54:15 > 0:54:22Traditionally, as a young sort of student, including monk student,
0:54:22 > 0:54:27it's not eating eggs, porks and fish.
0:54:29 > 0:54:34Then my own parent, my father,
0:54:34 > 0:54:37very much fond of pork.
0:54:38 > 0:54:44So occasionally, when I visit my own family's house...
0:54:45 > 0:54:50..then my father used to enjoy porks,
0:54:50 > 0:54:54and then I'd just sit beside him like dog,
0:54:54 > 0:54:57waiting some piece from that.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03So that, anyway, quite illegal,
0:55:03 > 0:55:07young Dalai Lama should not allow you to eat pork.
0:55:09 > 0:55:11But then also, egg.
0:55:11 > 0:55:16My mother quietly cooked egg
0:55:16 > 0:55:18and then give me.
0:55:18 > 0:55:24So one day I enjoy porks and eggs,
0:55:24 > 0:55:31which supposed to say not allow the Dalai Lama.
0:55:31 > 0:55:36Then one official, monk official, used to come while I enjoyed these things,
0:55:36 > 0:55:40so then I burst, "Go away! Go away!"
0:55:43 > 0:55:50So that shows, as a young boy very much fond these food,
0:55:50 > 0:55:55which not allowed in my official kitchen like that, just one thing.
0:55:55 > 0:55:57- Good stuff!- One thing.
0:55:57 > 0:55:59Then...
0:55:59 > 0:56:05Then, of course, see, I am Buddhist fully ordained monk,
0:56:05 > 0:56:09- so afternoon, no dinner.- Right.
0:56:09 > 0:56:13Only breakfast...and lunch.
0:56:13 > 0:56:17After that, it's no solid meal,
0:56:17 > 0:56:20but occasionally when I feel very hungry,
0:56:20 > 0:56:25then we'd salute to Buddha, just a few biscuits.
0:56:28 > 0:56:32That's the way that I feel, a Buddha will understand.
0:56:32 > 0:56:38My healthy body is more important than just to see...
0:56:38 > 0:56:40one small rule.
0:56:40 > 0:56:45So really you have to teach yourself to think of other people,
0:56:45 > 0:56:48to be compassionate to other people,
0:56:48 > 0:56:55and sharing of food to me is part of that compassion, really.
0:56:55 > 0:57:01As a chef, I think actually the most pleasure I get from it
0:57:01 > 0:57:04is cooking for other people and making them...
0:57:04 > 0:57:06and seeing the happiness in their faces.
0:57:06 > 0:57:12I think we should promote awareness,
0:57:12 > 0:57:14oneness of humanity.
0:57:14 > 0:57:18Once that sort of concept has become strong,
0:57:18 > 0:57:22then a lot of world problem can reduce.
0:57:22 > 0:57:27Now we too much stress, different religious faith,
0:57:27 > 0:57:33different nationality, different nations' own sort of interest,
0:57:33 > 0:57:34don't care about others,
0:57:34 > 0:57:39so therefore I think your programme about food,
0:57:39 > 0:57:44I think through that way you can teach people, basically we are same.
0:57:44 > 0:57:48King, queen, also loves food.
0:57:48 > 0:57:54Beggar, AIDS patients, these also, you see, loves food.
0:57:54 > 0:57:56On that level we are same.
0:57:58 > 0:58:02You're so right. I mean, that's what it's all about to me, really,
0:58:02 > 0:58:07and I'd just like to thank you so much for being so open with me.
0:58:07 > 0:58:11Because, as I said, I was really nervous before,
0:58:11 > 0:58:13and now I'm overwhelmed.
0:58:13 > 0:58:16OK, thank you. Thank you. Thank you much.
0:58:17 > 0:58:19- OK now? - DAVID: Bravo.
0:58:19 > 0:58:23You satisfied? Our boss, satisfied now?
0:58:23 > 0:58:24DAVID: I'm very satisfied.
0:58:24 > 0:58:26Oh, that's good, that's good, that's good!
0:58:57 > 0:58:59Subtitles by Red Bee Media