0:00:02 > 0:00:03The royal family are steeped in tradition,
0:00:03 > 0:00:05and throughout history, the royal tables
0:00:05 > 0:00:07have showcased culinary excellence.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09'In celebration of royal food...'
0:00:09 > 0:00:11We know it was the Queen's recipe
0:00:11 > 0:00:13because we've got it in her own hand.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15'..from the present and the past...'
0:00:15 > 0:00:17That is proper regal.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20'..we recreate old family favourites.'
0:00:20 > 0:00:25Now, the Queen Mother had this really wicked trick with these.
0:00:25 > 0:00:26What a mess!
0:00:26 > 0:00:28'We sample royal eating alfresco...'
0:00:28 > 0:00:31- Oh, wow.- That is what you want.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34'..and revisit the most extravagant times...'
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Pheasant, stag, turkey, salmon, oysters
0:00:37 > 0:00:39and turbot dressed in a lobster champagne sauce.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43- Unbelievable! - 'This is Royal Recipes.'
0:00:47 > 0:00:51Hello. I'm Michael Buerk and welcome to Royal Recipes.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55This is Audley End, one of Britain's finest stately homes,
0:00:55 > 0:00:59built in the style of a royal palace and once owned by a king.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01'In the splendour of the gardens,
0:01:01 > 0:01:05'halls and kitchen at this grandest of country houses,
0:01:05 > 0:01:10'we'll be recreating the food served at the highest royal tables.'
0:01:10 > 0:01:13And it all starts here, with this gem,
0:01:13 > 0:01:16a royal kitchen maid's cookbook,
0:01:16 > 0:01:20the only surviving recipe book of its kind in the royal archive.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23This is an exact copy of the original,
0:01:23 > 0:01:25which is kept at Windsor Castle.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28Inside, the recipes of Mildred Nicholls,
0:01:28 > 0:01:32who worked at Buckingham Palace in the early 1900s,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35and for the first time in over 100 years,
0:01:35 > 0:01:37we'll be bringing these recipes back to life.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45This time, we're cooking royal recipes
0:01:45 > 0:01:47inspired by the days of India and Empire,
0:01:47 > 0:01:50during the reign of our present Queen's
0:01:50 > 0:01:52great-great-grandmother, Victoria.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54It was the start of a fashion for curry
0:01:54 > 0:01:56still enjoyed by today's young royals.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Today on Royal Recipes,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03historian Dr Annie Gray heads to the Isle of Wight to discover
0:02:03 > 0:02:06how Queen Victoria's passion for the Raj
0:02:06 > 0:02:08got us all hooked on Indian food.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11But it's fair to say that Queen Victoria was one of the people
0:02:11 > 0:02:16to elevate curry to something that truly was fit for a queen.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18The chef who was called to Buckingham Palace
0:02:18 > 0:02:21to create dishes for the Indian President.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24I got massive feedback from the guests
0:02:24 > 0:02:27and the royalty as well.
0:02:27 > 0:02:32And chef Paul Ainsworth cooks up curry, Prince Harry style.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36Prince Harry had this stuff when he was serving in Afghanistan.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40And the Gurkhas, they'd cook up fiery goat curry.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45In the historic kitchen wing,
0:02:45 > 0:02:47we're returning to the reign of Queen Victoria,
0:02:47 > 0:02:50and the Indian dishes served on her menus.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54We're here in the magnificent old kitchen
0:02:54 > 0:02:56with the magnificent old Paul Ainsworth,
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Michelin-starred chef!
0:02:58 > 0:03:01- Thank you. - Two... Bah! Two British greats.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Yes. Yeah, Queen Victoria.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07Queen Victoria and the Indian takeaway.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10And the popularity of the one owes an awful lot
0:03:10 > 0:03:13to the popularity of the other. She loved curries, didn't she?
0:03:13 > 0:03:16- Yeah, yeah.- And you're going to cook one of her favourite recipes.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20Yeah, one that she really enjoyed, which is a quail and potato curry,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23and it's absolutely delicious and really simple.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27In the royal archives, where we got the recipe,
0:03:27 > 0:03:32it's "cailles aux pommes de terre a l'indienne".
0:03:32 > 0:03:35They don't call it that, I have to say, at the takeaway.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37So, what I've done here, Michael,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40is we're going to get going straightaway with a lovely base.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43So, we've got some onions that we've cooked in butter, ghee.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Just clarified butter, it's a lovely flavour
0:03:45 > 0:03:47and the temperature gets nice and hot.
0:03:47 > 0:03:48I've added in the curry powder first
0:03:48 > 0:03:50because I want to cook that out, so it's not gritty,
0:03:50 > 0:03:52we want to really cook that curry powder out.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54- But you're using curry powder? - Curry powder.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56- Bit of a cheat, isn't it? - Well, not really.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00We've got to use a spice, so the cheat would be getting the jar,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02we're making our base from scratch.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05- Right.- So, we've got our garlic in there, our chilli,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08our curry powder and our lovely caramelised onions,
0:04:08 > 0:04:10so now we're just going to turn that heat up,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13turn that heat up a little bit and really get going.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17Some grated ginger, absolutely delicious, nice and fragrant.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19Just going to grate that in there like so.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21But the key to it is the sauce, isn't it?
0:04:21 > 0:04:25- The key to...- And actually, "curry" comes from the Indian "kari",
0:04:25 > 0:04:28which I think means sauce.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Now, this is a really important part of this dish,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34this is what gives us that wonderful colour of the sauce, and tomatoes,
0:04:34 > 0:04:38I mean, for me, they play a massive role in cookery itself
0:04:38 > 0:04:40because they're just so delicious,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43and that's what gives us that real body, depth,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46wonderful acidity, nice sweetness.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49So, you can see already we've got this wonderful base
0:04:49 > 0:04:51starting to form together,
0:04:51 > 0:04:53so now we're going to add in water, not stock,
0:04:53 > 0:04:55because we've got that wonderful flavour.
0:04:58 > 0:04:59Bring that to the boil.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03And then we're going to add the legs, Michael.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05- The legs first?- Yeah.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07The legs are super, super tender,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10but they need cooking before the breasts.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13If you think with most animals, Michael, you've got, like, say,
0:05:13 > 0:05:17duck, chicken, you need to put the legs first
0:05:17 > 0:05:19because they're going to cook down
0:05:19 > 0:05:21because they're the bit on the animal that work the most.
0:05:21 > 0:05:22And that's it, that's our sauce.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25So, now we would leave that to simmer for about an hour,
0:05:25 > 0:05:29hour and ten minutes, and those legs would be beautiful and tender.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31It's pretty exotic for royal food, isn't it?
0:05:31 > 0:05:33- It is, it really is.- I mean, the queen, Queen Victoria,
0:05:33 > 0:05:35really had very exotic tastes.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37They called her the greedy Queen, I think,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39because she liked all this kind of stuff!
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Well, and it really is a delicious recipe.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45So, Michael, after an hour of really slow-cooking, a gentle,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48gentle simmer, these are our legs that we've done earlier, OK?
0:05:48 > 0:05:51And we're just going to pick the meat off, and in the meantime...
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- It's falling off.- Falling off, absolutely delicious.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56And in the meantime, we've then blitzed this
0:05:56 > 0:05:58wonderful sauce that we've made,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01and what's beautiful is that now we've got this lovely sauce.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04So, can I get you to grate me an apple, please?
0:06:04 > 0:06:07- Ah, yeah.- Yeah? Peel it and then grate it.- A position of trust, this.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09So, bit by bit, Michael,
0:06:09 > 0:06:13I'm going to add in my beautiful quail leg meat.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16- Here we go.- We're going to add in our breasts.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Like so, and if the sauce gets too thick,
0:06:20 > 0:06:22just let it down with a little bit of water.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25- OK?- You're using water all the time rather than stock, aren't you?
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Absolutely, yeah, water's so important in cooking,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30really important, because it's nice and neutral,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33and sometimes you don't want to confuse flavours.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Now, you can start to see it's coming together,
0:06:35 > 0:06:36becoming beautiful and thick.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38We're going to add in our potatoes.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Now, these potatoes have just been partly cooked.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44What about the breasts, how long do they take?
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Breasts will just literally take a couple of minutes.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49- Really, in that sauce? - Yeah, because they're so thin.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52And the potatoes are just taking on that wonderful flavour.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Now, if we just take a bit of your apple...
0:06:54 > 0:06:56- There it is.- OK. - Perfectly done, isn't it?
0:06:56 > 0:06:58All we're going to do is just grate some apple...
0:06:58 > 0:07:00It is perfectly done, absolutely!
0:07:00 > 0:07:04Now, the apple is giving you fragrant acidity, delicious,
0:07:04 > 0:07:07especially a lovely English apple like this, like the Bramley.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09It's a beautiful, clean taste, isn't it?
0:07:09 > 0:07:11And, look, the juices of the apple as well.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14It really is a delicious curry.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Now, that there is cooked, believe it or not, we are cooked.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Those breasts are cooked? Just a couple of minutes.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21As quick as that, just a couple of minutes.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24You've got two pots on there, Paul, what's in the mystery one?
0:07:24 > 0:07:25Side dishes.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28You can't have a beautiful curry without some lovely side dishes,
0:07:28 > 0:07:33so in here, we've got some wonderful spinach, a pinch of salt, butter.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36It produces its own steam, spinach, because it's got so much water,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39as a lot of vegetables, over 80% water.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41- You don't put water in first? - Nothing, just in naturally,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44and you can see, we'll just turn it over - see that, Michael?
0:07:44 > 0:07:46And it's just literally wilting down.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Delicious vegetable, spinach. Full of iron.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53And then, of course, you can't have a curry without rice,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56so we've got some wonderful, just some wonderful steamed rice, OK?
0:07:56 > 0:07:58- Is it ready?- Yeah, let's chop some coriander.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01Let's chop some coriander and we're good to go.
0:08:01 > 0:08:02Excellent.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06- OK, so plenty...- That bit of finger that you chopped off.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Yeah! Plenty of herbs!
0:08:08 > 0:08:10And now, we're just going to move that over here and fold it in,
0:08:10 > 0:08:13and let's plate up. If you just stir that in gently for me.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16- Yeah!- I'm going to get the side dishes ready.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20So, we've got our wonderful steamed rice, our lovely spinach.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23It's good to be right over it, isn't it?
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Absolutely. OK. Let's plate up.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32- So, we're going to have some lovely spinach.- Yep.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Do you do much Indian food yourself?
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Yeah, I do, especially stuff like this,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41I mean, this would be great to do at home with the family, and I love...
0:08:41 > 0:08:42Do you know what I love about Indian food?
0:08:42 > 0:08:46I love the way that... I love the way that you eat like this,
0:08:46 > 0:08:48sharing round the table, everyone getting stuck in,
0:08:48 > 0:08:50passing food around.
0:08:50 > 0:08:51So, we've got that lovely rice.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56It is extraordinary, isn't it,
0:08:56 > 0:08:58when you think that our national dish
0:08:58 > 0:09:01is kind of inherited from the subcontinent?
0:09:01 > 0:09:04This is my favourite style of curry. I mean, look at that!
0:09:04 > 0:09:06- And the smell...- You don't want it sloshing around?
0:09:06 > 0:09:08No, you don't, you don't.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11And when you did the legs and the breasts separately,
0:09:11 > 0:09:14does that mean that they're going to taste like different meats?
0:09:14 > 0:09:16Yeah, because you've got that lovely braised leg,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18but then the texture of that breast
0:09:18 > 0:09:20will be just almost like a steak texture.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- Yeah.- Are you ready to taste? - Oh, am I ever!
0:09:23 > 0:09:24Some lovely rice.
0:09:27 > 0:09:28Like so.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32It's just the smell.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35See those potatoes? Just slightly soft as well.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Cooked all the way through.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42Nice bit of breast there on top.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45And that lovely deep green spinach.
0:09:45 > 0:09:46- And there we are.- There we go.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Quail and potato curry.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50Do have some yourself, Paul.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52Thank you. That's very kind of you!
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Oh, it's good, isn't it?
0:09:57 > 0:10:00- Oh!- It's so deep.- Yeah.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02I keep saying it, but it's the acidity.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05- Yeah.- It's those tomatoes, that apple.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08Yeah, yeah. There is that, yeah. A lovely bit of acidity with it.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11- Flavoured coriander. - But they're really round, deep...
0:10:11 > 0:10:12And I love the potatoes
0:10:12 > 0:10:14- because they've just sucked up all that flavour.- Mm.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18- Happy?- Ooh, yeah.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Would Queen Victoria have approved?
0:10:20 > 0:10:22When you've finished?
0:10:22 > 0:10:24Queen Victoria would have been amused.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27- Fantastic. Thank you. - Mm! Wonderful.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Quail and potato curry, created for Victoria,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35Queen of England and Empress of India.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41There's no better place to explore Victoria's passion for India
0:10:41 > 0:10:42than at Osborne House,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45the royal family's retreat on the Isle of Wight.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50As Dr Annie Gray explains,
0:10:50 > 0:10:55it's here that she chose to showcase the imagined glamour of the Raj.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07Queen Victoria never actually went to India.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11Instead, she had India brought to England in the shape of this room,
0:11:11 > 0:11:14the Durbar Room, which was constructed to expand the palace
0:11:14 > 0:11:16and give her entertaining space.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19But I think if I'd been present at one of those entertainments,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21I'd have struggled to keep my attention
0:11:21 > 0:11:23on what was going on on the stage,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26because my jaw would be too busy hitting my chest
0:11:26 > 0:11:29as I ogled all this incredible decoration.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Designed by prominent Indian architects of the time,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37the room is like a maharajah's palace,
0:11:37 > 0:11:41full of elaborate Indian craftsmanship and symbolic motifs.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45And Victoria's homage to the subcontinent didn't stop here.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49In 1887, across came the first
0:11:49 > 0:11:53of what would prove to be a procession of Indian servants.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56And they came across to be personal attendants to the Queen.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59The Indian servants were seen as exotic imports.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03They were beautiful, resplendent, standing beside the Queen.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06But the household did not exactly welcome them.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09In the main, most of them were accepted,
0:12:09 > 0:12:11but one man in particular grew to be
0:12:11 > 0:12:14one of the Queen's most hated servants.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16He was called Abdul Karim,
0:12:16 > 0:12:19also known as the Munshi, and in the later years of the Queen's life,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22he became one of her closest confidants and friends.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26She elevated him from the position of a mere personal attendant
0:12:26 > 0:12:29and made him into her close personal secretary.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31One of her attendants did suggest
0:12:31 > 0:12:35that the reason she liked him so much was because he annoyed
0:12:35 > 0:12:36the rest of the household so much.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38And as the Queen grew older,
0:12:38 > 0:12:41she needed to inject a bit of excitement in her life.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43He may well have been right.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48The Indian cooks weren't much liked either.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52They introduced Victoria to authentic Indian cuisine
0:12:52 > 0:12:54and as a result, the kitchens at Osborne
0:12:54 > 0:12:57had to accommodate their ways of working.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00We know from the diaries and memoirs of Gabriel Tschumi,
0:13:00 > 0:13:03who was one of the apprentices in the kitchen at the time,
0:13:03 > 0:13:07that the Indian cook or cooks had their own ingredients sent to them,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10live animals, presumably to be butchered by them
0:13:10 > 0:13:14in the way they deemed fit, and also whole spices.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16Tschumi was very sniffy about this habit
0:13:16 > 0:13:19of grinding their own spices from fresh.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22He said that the royal kitchens were very well provided for
0:13:22 > 0:13:24with the best-quality curry powder,
0:13:24 > 0:13:28so why on earth would these cooks from India need to grind their own?
0:13:28 > 0:13:32But grind them they did and it appears that the food they produced
0:13:32 > 0:13:35met with Queen Victoria's satisfaction,
0:13:35 > 0:13:39and the words "Indian dish" appeared regularly on her menus
0:13:39 > 0:13:41in the 1880s and 1890s.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43Her favourite curries were usually chicken or fish
0:13:43 > 0:13:45and her passion for this cuisine
0:13:45 > 0:13:48fired up the taste buds of the nation.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51But it's fair to say that Queen Victoria was one of the people
0:13:51 > 0:13:56to elevate curry or at least Indian food from being a mere leftover dish
0:13:56 > 0:13:58beloved of the middle classes
0:13:58 > 0:14:01to something that truly was fit for a queen.
0:14:04 > 0:14:09Victoria is said to have eaten dishes cooked by her Indian chef
0:14:09 > 0:14:11most Sundays and Tuesdays.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13The same can't be said for the rest of the household.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17Although Osborne House was designed primarily as a private residence,
0:14:17 > 0:14:21certain hierarchies still had to be maintained
0:14:21 > 0:14:23and that meant that everybody ate separately.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25This was the Queen's dining room.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28The Queen would have a menu comprising of all
0:14:28 > 0:14:30of the best kind of dishes
0:14:30 > 0:14:35and sometimes that all-important Indian dish, the authentic curry,
0:14:35 > 0:14:36which she liked to eat.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39The household would have a very similar menu
0:14:39 > 0:14:41but they never had that curry.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44That was reserved for the Queen and her nearest and dearest only,
0:14:44 > 0:14:47so one can imagine perhaps the lower servants from time to time
0:14:47 > 0:14:50looking at the menus for those above them and thinking...
0:14:50 > 0:14:52SHE SIGHS
0:14:52 > 0:14:54.."I just wish I could have a little bit
0:14:54 > 0:14:57"of that rather fancy Indian chicken dish!"
0:14:59 > 0:15:04The relationship between royalty and Indian food continues today.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07And Indian chef Atul Kochhar is one of the latest chefs
0:15:07 > 0:15:09to work with the royal family.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Atul is one of Britain's top Indian chefs.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19He's worked closely with Prince Charles
0:15:19 > 0:15:21and has also been called upon by the Queen
0:15:21 > 0:15:24when she entertained guests from the subcontinent.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28OK, guys. Get on with it. Thank you.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31When the President of India was the guest of Her Majesty,
0:15:31 > 0:15:35Atul was invited to assist the chefs of Buckingham Palace
0:15:35 > 0:15:37as they prepared the menu for the state visit.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Sea bass was one of the dishes.
0:15:40 > 0:15:45Pan-fried sea bass, mussels, a great coconut sauce called moilee,
0:15:45 > 0:15:47and a masala mash.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50When President of India was visiting the United Kingdom,
0:15:50 > 0:15:52I was invited to cook this dish.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56I felt very honoured and this recipe has become a kind of recipe
0:15:56 > 0:15:59close to my heart, which I absolutely adore
0:15:59 > 0:16:01and I cook it time and time again.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03So, let's make the sauce first.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05So, start with mustard seeds.
0:16:07 > 0:16:08And they crackle immediately.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10Some sliced garlic.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13And I also like to add a little bit of ginger.
0:16:15 > 0:16:16And some shallots.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21I got congratulated for my recipes.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23I was very, very happy.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28I need green chilli, and the way I like to use my chilli is
0:16:28 > 0:16:31I remove the seeds, because they have all the heat.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35With his inside knowledge of the royal taste buds,
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Atul could get his spicing spot-on,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41prioritising flavour rather than heat.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46When I have such a high-profile function to cater for,
0:16:46 > 0:16:48and especially cooking in England,
0:16:48 > 0:16:50not everyone is fond of green chillies and red chillies,
0:16:50 > 0:16:55so I took the heat out, and that way I have the flavour but not the heat.
0:16:56 > 0:16:57Turmeric.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04Coconut milk. And that goes in.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09And a large pinch of salt in this.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18Now, believe it or not, my sauce is ready.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20So, the masala mash, it's really easy.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Same ingredients but different result.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25So, I've just added mustard seeds to the pan.
0:17:27 > 0:17:28Followed by a little bit of garlic.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Add a few curry leaves.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Some chopped ginger.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42And I've got mashed potatoes...
0:17:42 > 0:17:43which go in.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46I know the royal family is not keen on garlic,
0:17:46 > 0:17:50so whenever I'm cooking for them, the garlic is off the recipe.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52It's very simple. That's how you handle it.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56I also like to add a dash of red chilli
0:17:56 > 0:17:58and a small pinch of turmeric.
0:17:59 > 0:18:00Some butter.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05It's a really simple recipe.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07I must taste it before I set it aside.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15Beautiful. And that's looking really good.
0:18:17 > 0:18:18That's done.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22And we can go and pan-fry our fish.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30I'm pressing the fish down so that it remains flat and nice.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34And pan-frying fish -
0:18:34 > 0:18:37what you want to achieve out of it is A, of course you want to cook it,
0:18:37 > 0:18:39but also you want to achieve the skin
0:18:39 > 0:18:43to be absolutely crisp and nice, so for that, what we do as a chef,
0:18:43 > 0:18:47I would watch how the meat is getting cooked,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50the protein of the fish starts becoming opaque
0:18:50 > 0:18:54and starts travelling towards the centre of the fish.
0:18:54 > 0:18:55When it's right in the middle,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58that's the time I know the skin is absolutely crisp.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01I'll flip it over and follow the recipe beyond that.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05Just to double-check, I will lift it slightly and see.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07OK, that's actually beautiful.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11From here, I will need to add the mussels quickly in the pan.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Four or five mussels will do.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17A blob of butter.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23It's a complex dish and takes a bit of skilled organisation
0:19:23 > 0:19:25to serve on a grand scale.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27When we do this for a special banquet
0:19:27 > 0:19:31where you're feeding 300 people, so obviously, it's a conveyor belt.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35OK? And there are a large number of chefs helping you.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37You're not doing it alone.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39I think the fish is beautifully cooked.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43All I'm going to do is just take the fish away and leave the mussels
0:19:43 > 0:19:45in the pan for a few seconds.
0:19:51 > 0:19:52And take...
0:19:52 > 0:19:54And we're ready to plate.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00That goes right in the centre.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05A few mussels, you can put them aside.
0:20:13 > 0:20:14So, the potato mash also goes...
0:20:16 > 0:20:17A mussel can rest on it.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22Pan-fried sea bass, mussels,
0:20:22 > 0:20:26masala mash and a beautiful coconut moilee sauce.
0:20:26 > 0:20:27It's as simple as that.
0:20:27 > 0:20:32I was incredibly happy the way this dish went, the way people liked it.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34I got massive feedback from the guests
0:20:34 > 0:20:36and the royalty as well.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Atul went down really well. He's hot stuff, isn't he?
0:20:46 > 0:20:48He is. Atul is the spice master.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50- He really is. - Right, what are you cooking?
0:20:50 > 0:20:53Prince Harry loves a fiery goat curry,
0:20:53 > 0:20:55so we're going to cook a dish...
0:20:55 > 0:20:57- Is this the one he learned from the Gurkhas?- Absolutely.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59And we're going to cook a dish inspired by that.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03So, here we have some onions cooking down, and in Nepalese cookery,
0:21:03 > 0:21:05they love to really darken the onions,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08and it's fantastic and what happens, you get real deep flavour.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11So, you see here, Michael? The reason they're going dark,
0:21:11 > 0:21:12see, all that is pure flavour.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14That's the sugars that come out of the onion.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17They caramelise and that's how the onions get nice and dark.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20Apparently, Prince Harry had this stuff
0:21:20 > 0:21:23- when he was serving in Afghanistan.- Right.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27He was a forward air controller, and the Gurkhas, apparently,
0:21:27 > 0:21:29providing cover, you know, guarded him while he was doing it
0:21:29 > 0:21:32during the day, and at night, they'd cook up...
0:21:32 > 0:21:34- BOTH:- Fiery goat curry!
0:21:34 > 0:21:38Fascinating. Right, so here we have
0:21:38 > 0:21:41garlic, chilli and ginger.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45The smell is delicious.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47- Lovely, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:21:47 > 0:21:48OK.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51So, we get that nice and blitzed up, so it's lovely and fine.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53And straight away, we're going to get...
0:21:53 > 0:21:55- You like blitzing.- Cooked down. I do, I love it.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58- You're a blitzer!- I'm a blitzer. Right, get that.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00That's really brown, those onions, aren't they?
0:22:00 > 0:22:03- Yeah.- You call them caramelised. - Flavour, flavour. Yeah, yeah.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06You might say burnt, we say caramelised!
0:22:07 > 0:22:09OK, so now we're cooking.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Right, over here, this is really interesting,
0:22:12 > 0:22:18and really kind of important to this dish is when we dry-fry the spices.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Now, just quickly as well,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23can you see where the juices came out of the garlic and the ginger?
0:22:23 > 0:22:25See how now it's kind of just lifted that off?
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Takes it even darker. So, again, great base.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30- Have a smell of that.- Oh, wow!
0:22:30 > 0:22:33- Pity you can't get smells on television.- I know, I know.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35Here, we've got an array of amazing spices.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37- What you got? - Previously dry-fried.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40And the reason for that is spices contain oil.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42So, they dance. They come alive.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45And then you just let them cool and then blitz them again.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47- There's that blitzing again. - Yeah.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50We've got some asafoetida, we've got some beautiful clove.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52- I've never heard of that! - Yeah, it's got a nice kind of
0:22:52 > 0:22:54- almost an onion sort of taste to it.- That one there?
0:22:54 > 0:22:56That's the bright yellow.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Clove, which is really interesting in this dish.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00Fenugreek. So, they have been dry-fried,
0:23:00 > 0:23:02left to cool and then blitzed like that.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05- Have a smell.- Oh!- Straight in.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08So again, the flavours starting to work in this dish are amazing.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Star anise - wonderful, wonderful kind of aniseed...
0:23:12 > 0:23:14- But it looks lovely.- Yeah. It's gorgeous. But it's really good.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17- Aniseed flavour, like aniseed balls? - Absolutely. Bay leaf.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Just give them a little nip to let those oils come out.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22- Yeah, and cinnamon.- Snap that!
0:23:22 > 0:23:24And you can already see, just very quickly,
0:23:24 > 0:23:28we've got one beautiful base starting to come together.
0:23:28 > 0:23:29Absolutely wonderful.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32Here we go with those magic tomatoes,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35full of acidity, nice sweetness, they go straight in.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37So important in this type of cooking.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39Absolutely delicious. Get those all in there.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41Now, onto our goat.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44I have to tell you, I'm not mad on goat.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48- You're not?- I worked a lot in Africa and I ate a lot of goat.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51This is the shoulder, OK? We're going to add that straight in.
0:23:51 > 0:23:52We've just browned it off previously
0:23:52 > 0:23:54and that's just again to get that lovely flavour.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56- Yeah.- So, we add that in.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59Because in India, I think, they talk about mutton and mutton curry
0:23:59 > 0:24:02and things, but quite often, it's not lamb, it's actually goat.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04It's goat, yeah. Really mature goat.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07The reason why you wouldn't want to use, like, a really young goat,
0:24:07 > 0:24:09like, the kid in a recipe like this
0:24:09 > 0:24:11is because you've got so many flavours.
0:24:11 > 0:24:12As you do with this kind of cooking,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15you've got all the spices and you would just lose it,
0:24:15 > 0:24:17so you need something that's going to hold its own.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19- Yeah, and a kid would be too delicate.- Absolutely.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21In with the water.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23Like that. Don't...
0:24:23 > 0:24:26With any recipes like this, don't drown it in water.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28Just enough to cover.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31You can add more but don't dilute that flavour.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33Could you do this with lamb as well?
0:24:33 > 0:24:35Could do this with lamb, could do this with beef,
0:24:35 > 0:24:38and when you're cooking like this, use those real working cuts.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41Shoulder and stuff like that. Legs, beautiful working cuts.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Why do you call them working cuts?
0:24:43 > 0:24:45Because it's the part of the animal that works.
0:24:45 > 0:24:46- Oh, the animal's muscle?- Yeah.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48Normally along the back are the tender cuts.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50The legs, the shoulders, they're the working cuts,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53so they're the things that need cooking longer.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56- OK.- Right, so that's everything in the pan.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58We're just going to put the lid on.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01- Get that in the oven. - Fiery goat curry.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04- Yes!- Now, are they just showing off or is this really going to be hot?
0:25:04 > 0:25:07- Is it going to be a vindaloo? - It's not going to be a vindaloo,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09because you've got lovely fragrant spices in there,
0:25:09 > 0:25:11but it's going to have a nice bit of kick
0:25:11 > 0:25:12with the lovely chilli powder there.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14- Right, onto the side dishes.- Mm-hm.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17For me, probably one of my most favourite salads
0:25:17 > 0:25:19and it's the kachumber.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21You've got this lovely rich kind of curry
0:25:21 > 0:25:23and you want something to really clean the palate,
0:25:23 > 0:25:25so you've got lovely, clean cucumber, tomatoes,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28red onion, some nice green chilli, some garam masala.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31We're going to finish that with a little bit of lime
0:25:31 > 0:25:34and some fresh coriander, so you can imagine, rich, hot,
0:25:34 > 0:25:36and nice temperature contrasts as well.
0:25:36 > 0:25:37It's as easy as this.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Make sure everything's quite thinly sliced,
0:25:39 > 0:25:43because you don't want it to be sort of big chunks of red onion.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47OK? Just a light seasoning, all right? Not too much.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49- That's the garam masala. - That's the garam masala.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52- Why are you putting that in?- It's just a lovely spice, garam masala.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55- Smell it.- Ooh, yeah.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58- And it's a clean taste. - Really, really clean taste, yeah.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00OK? Some lime juice.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02Delicious. OK.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07Some lovely coriander.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11And then, just, you know, you can get your fingers in there.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13For you, Michael, I'll be very polite.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15And just a nice, gentle stir.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20- OK?- Yeah.
0:26:20 > 0:26:21Lovely.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28And what's that other dish you've got in front of your kachumber?
0:26:28 > 0:26:33So, the traditional cucumber raita, this is yoghurt, mint and apple,
0:26:33 > 0:26:37and the apple - because you've got the cucumber in the kachumber,
0:26:37 > 0:26:39the apple in there is delicious.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42That's an interesting variety on the usual raita, isn't it?
0:26:42 > 0:26:45- Right, shall we serve up?- I think we should.- Yeah? Let's do it.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49And over here
0:26:49 > 0:26:52is our delicious goat curry.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54Look at that!
0:26:54 > 0:26:56That's the bit, lifting the lid off,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58- putting that in the middle of the table.- Yeah.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00That is magnificent, and do you know what we'll do?
0:27:00 > 0:27:03We'll just finish that with some more fresh coriander.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07OK? And we're just going to now stir that in.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Wonderful, rich, dark brown.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12Look at it. Honestly, it's incredible.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16- OK. Now, we're just going to serve up.- Yeah, come on.
0:27:20 > 0:27:21Oh, my word. That looks good, doesn't it?
0:27:21 > 0:27:24Delicious, isn't it? Absolutely delicious.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Do you know what? There is an art as well to cooking meat like this,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30as well, it shouldn't be falling apart,
0:27:30 > 0:27:32it's just cooked within an inch of its life.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34It should still have texture.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37- And still be chunky. - Absolutely.- Yeah.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39- Would you like some kachumber? - Yes, please.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42- I just like saying... - I know you do, I know you do!
0:27:42 > 0:27:45Right. A bit of kachumber for you, Michael.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49OK? A nice bit of that lovely apple and mint raita.
0:27:49 > 0:27:50Yeah.
0:27:50 > 0:27:55And there, we have my inspired version of the fiery goat curry.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58This is the first time I've had goat by choice.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00By choice! Dig in.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03- Here we go.- Get stuck in.
0:28:03 > 0:28:04Ooh, I say!
0:28:07 > 0:28:08Mm!
0:28:08 > 0:28:10- It's good.- So rich, isn't it? - It's beautiful.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12Nice different take on the raita with the apple.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16- And...kachumber bazooka! - Yeah. Not bad?
0:28:16 > 0:28:18- Do you want some?- Yeah, go on.
0:28:18 > 0:28:19Come on.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23I think, like you say, it's the richness
0:28:23 > 0:28:25and then you've got these things here giving you the acidity
0:28:25 > 0:28:28and cutting through it all. It's such a great dish.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31I have to say, Prince Harry has got good taste.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36Fiery goat curry is just one of a huge range of curries
0:28:36 > 0:28:38available to British people as well as princes.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45The British passion for curry has grown and grown
0:28:45 > 0:28:47since the days of Queen Victoria,
0:28:47 > 0:28:50so much so that Anglo-Indian cuisine is now considered
0:28:50 > 0:28:53to produce some of the best curries in the world.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01Brick Lane in London's East End is a hotspot for British curry
0:29:01 > 0:29:03and home to a thriving Bangladeshi community,
0:29:03 > 0:29:07the driving force behind modern Anglo-Indian cuisine.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14This is the onion stock.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16This is just a little garam masala.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18When leading restaurateur Enam Ali
0:29:18 > 0:29:21arrived here from Bangladesh in 1974,
0:29:21 > 0:29:24the restaurants may have been called Indian,
0:29:24 > 0:29:28but the food wasn't quite what Enam was used to back home.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30It was really different then.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34I was shocked to see it's called Indian restaurant,
0:29:34 > 0:29:37Indian curry house but they used to sell roast chicken, peas,
0:29:37 > 0:29:41and the whole menu, 70% was all English dish.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45In the '70s, the chefs started to adapt to authentic recipes
0:29:45 > 0:29:48to suit British tastes, even inventing dishes.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52Then you're putting the tandoori masala sauce.
0:29:52 > 0:29:53The tikka masala sauce.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58They included the famous chicken tikka masala
0:29:58 > 0:30:02that is creamy rather than spicy, perfect for the British palate.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06Chicken tikka is actually from Pakistan and Bangladesh and India.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08It was cooked in clay oven
0:30:08 > 0:30:10and then, when chicken tikka was served,
0:30:10 > 0:30:13people find it's too spicy, too hot
0:30:13 > 0:30:16and then somebody said, "Put some tomato puree, put some cream.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18"Put something sweet."
0:30:18 > 0:30:20It's just an amazing success story in Britain,
0:30:20 > 0:30:23so that I regard this as a British curry.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26It's still number-one dish in the country.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30This new wave of Indian curry houses started to serve their cuisine
0:30:30 > 0:30:32in a more recognisable way.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35The poppadom replaced bread and butter.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38In this country, when you go to any, you know, restaurant,
0:30:38 > 0:30:40they serve you bread and butter.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42So, they came up with the idea of poppadoms.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44Normally, poppadom back home
0:30:44 > 0:30:47is same as you maybe eat here a packet of crisps.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49The way of serving, the way of thinking,
0:30:49 > 0:30:52is totally different than what I had, actually, back home.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54So, it was really shocking me.
0:30:56 > 0:31:01And Bombay aloo, a potato curry dish, replaced the chip.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04Bombay aloo, I believe, is also idea come from when people keep on
0:31:04 > 0:31:06eating chips and the chips,
0:31:06 > 0:31:09and they also may be asking for same question again.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12"Can't you find something spicy? Can't you find something different?"
0:31:12 > 0:31:17Bombay aloo was born and now, one of the fastest-selling in this country.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19If you go to India, ask for Bombay aloo,
0:31:19 > 0:31:21they might not understand.
0:31:21 > 0:31:22"What is Bombay aloo?"
0:31:22 > 0:31:25And the onion ring became the onion bhaji.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28Early '70s, early '60s, when they were making onion ring,
0:31:28 > 0:31:31they come up with the idea of similarity of pakora.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34So, what they do, they chop the onion,
0:31:34 > 0:31:37and making onion rings and they chop again,
0:31:37 > 0:31:40and make this together and making a big cricket ball.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43And put all the spices and everything in, making onion bhaji.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46The people who work in the curry industry in the first generation,
0:31:46 > 0:31:49because of them we are here, and because of their idea
0:31:49 > 0:31:53today we selling onion bhaji to India, poppadom,
0:31:53 > 0:31:55they start selling in India.
0:31:55 > 0:31:56What a fascinating story!
0:31:56 > 0:31:58Even though I don't know who invented this,
0:31:58 > 0:32:01I'd like to salute them, because of them,
0:32:01 > 0:32:03to the whole world is enjoying British curry.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10By the late 1980s, the first fine-dining curry restaurants
0:32:10 > 0:32:12began to appear in the UK.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15In 1989, Enam opened Le Raj,
0:32:15 > 0:32:19one of the first to achieve Michelin-star stations.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22When I see my name listed on the Michelin Guide,
0:32:22 > 0:32:26I was very honoured and privileged, and when I realised
0:32:26 > 0:32:28that the first generation, what they've done, and still
0:32:28 > 0:32:31I can't run this restaurant without their contribution.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34So, I just thought I should stand up and say thank you
0:32:34 > 0:32:37to recognise people who contributed enormously.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40In tribute to these innovative curry restaurateurs,
0:32:40 > 0:32:43Enam set up the British Curry Awards,
0:32:43 > 0:32:45now the Oscars of the curry world,
0:32:45 > 0:32:48with 430 million viewers worldwide.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51One of the most coveted awards is for Best Takeaway
0:32:51 > 0:32:54and it was recently won by a restaurant in Brighton
0:32:54 > 0:32:56with no South Asian heritage.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58Being received at the British Curry Awards
0:32:58 > 0:33:01when not being Indian is fabulous.
0:33:01 > 0:33:06It feels like a huge celebration of Indian cuisine and Indian dining
0:33:06 > 0:33:09and it acknowledges everybody that's in the industry, and Enam Ali
0:33:09 > 0:33:12has really pushed it forward and put it to the forefront
0:33:12 > 0:33:14of people's attention as well, which is great.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17And Enam has also won recognition from the Queen
0:33:17 > 0:33:21for his work promoting Anglo-Indian curry cuisine.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23I am very touched by
0:33:23 > 0:33:25that she honoured me and I got the MBE
0:33:25 > 0:33:28for contributing to the British Curry Award.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31The royal family definitely enjoy the real good curry.
0:33:31 > 0:33:36Britain has so much to offer and people don't have to go to India
0:33:36 > 0:33:38for a curry, they will come here for a curry.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47It's official, we're a nation of curry lovers.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50And it all dates back to Queen Victoria,
0:33:50 > 0:33:52who inspired her own family as well as her people.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59I'm here in the house's magnificent library with Fiona Ross,
0:33:59 > 0:34:02who's a food historian who writes a lot about the royals.
0:34:02 > 0:34:07We all know Queen Victoria had this real interest in India,
0:34:07 > 0:34:10in particular Indian cuisine, Indian culture.
0:34:10 > 0:34:11What about her successors?
0:34:11 > 0:34:15Well, her successors continued that, very much so -
0:34:15 > 0:34:19Bertie, her son, and then his son George V.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23George V, despite being rather a dull monarch, at least food-wise,
0:34:23 > 0:34:26came to adore Indian food.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29- And India itself. - And India itself, yes.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31He shifted position from being the sort of monarch
0:34:31 > 0:34:34who would always eat the same thing every day for breakfast,
0:34:34 > 0:34:37to becoming somebody who was a real advocate for India,
0:34:37 > 0:34:40who felt an enormous sense of responsibility
0:34:40 > 0:34:43for the Empire in itself.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47Originally, he just hated the idea of leaving Britain, didn't he?
0:34:47 > 0:34:49Yes, when he first married Mary,
0:34:49 > 0:34:52he insisted that they honeymoon in Sandringham, telling her,
0:34:52 > 0:34:55"I've been abroad and it's not good!"
0:34:55 > 0:34:59- But then he went to India. - But then he went to India, in 1905,
0:34:59 > 0:35:04and he and Mary travelled 9,000 miles, spent 18 weeks there.
0:35:04 > 0:35:10And he was not only impressed by the magnificence of the landscape -
0:35:10 > 0:35:13you know, Mandalay, Rangoon -
0:35:13 > 0:35:17but he also felt a real sense of himself
0:35:17 > 0:35:20as the first monarch to visit India.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23He was the first Indian emperor.
0:35:23 > 0:35:27He was kind of notoriously unimaginative about food normally,
0:35:27 > 0:35:29but not when it came to Indian food.
0:35:29 > 0:35:30That's right, yes.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33He moved from being somebody who would punctually eat
0:35:33 > 0:35:36the same breakfast every morning every day of the week
0:35:36 > 0:35:39to a lover of Bombay duck with curry sauce!
0:35:39 > 0:35:45And it was during his reign that the Empire Marketing Board
0:35:45 > 0:35:49tried to somehow bring all these exotic foods from Empire
0:35:49 > 0:35:51and Commonwealth into Britain.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53Yes, they did.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56The Empire Marketing Board was established in 1926
0:35:56 > 0:35:59and it was headed by the Colonial Secretary, Leo Amery.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02They had an enormous budget for the time
0:36:02 > 0:36:05in order to promote Empire produce
0:36:05 > 0:36:08from the colonies and the dominions of the British Empire.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11It was an enormous publicity campaign for its time.
0:36:11 > 0:36:16There were over 200 Empire marketing posters produced,
0:36:16 > 0:36:20which had brilliant slogans, such as,
0:36:20 > 0:36:23"The jungles of today are the gold mines of tomorrow."
0:36:23 > 0:36:27Housewives were encouraged to cook for the Empire.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30There was always a sense of having an ethical responsibility
0:36:30 > 0:36:32in what you bought and cooked with.
0:36:32 > 0:36:37But were they being urged to cook really exotic Indian dishes
0:36:37 > 0:36:40or Jamaican dishes or something else?
0:36:40 > 0:36:43No, the grandly named Women's Patriotic League
0:36:43 > 0:36:46focused their attentions mostly on the Empire pudding.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51They started the first Empire Shopping Week in 1922
0:36:51 > 0:36:54and they managed to persuade Harrods and Selfridge's
0:36:54 > 0:37:00to give over areas of shop floor to marketing the Empire pudding,
0:37:00 > 0:37:04and the idea was that women could even buy the pudding in its...
0:37:04 > 0:37:07ready-made in its bowl, so all you would have to do
0:37:07 > 0:37:08is sort of stir it or steam it.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11But what's funny is they're being invited to have
0:37:11 > 0:37:15all these wonderful exotic things and squeeze them into
0:37:15 > 0:37:18a traditional British dish!
0:37:18 > 0:37:20Yes, that's right. There's no sort of...
0:37:20 > 0:37:23They're not transgressing any boundaries there.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26- Not doing anything too dangerous! - Yes, that's right.
0:37:26 > 0:37:27Fiona, thanks.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32Look at this, Paul. This is the Empire Christmas pudding.
0:37:32 > 0:37:37"According to the recipe supplied by the King's chef, Mr Cedard,"
0:37:37 > 0:37:40by "Their Majesties' gracious consent."
0:37:40 > 0:37:42And we've got currants from Australia,
0:37:42 > 0:37:44sultanas from South Africa,
0:37:44 > 0:37:47it's got candied peel from South Africa,
0:37:47 > 0:37:50Demerara sugar from the West Indies, cinnamon from India,
0:37:50 > 0:37:52from absolutely all over.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55The Empire Christmas pudding. Amazing!
0:37:55 > 0:37:58This is the recipe book of Mildred Nicholls,
0:37:58 > 0:38:01who was just a few years earlier than this,
0:38:01 > 0:38:04she was a kitchen maid at Buckingham Palace, as we know.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07And one of the most fascinating entries in her recipe book,
0:38:07 > 0:38:10which we got hold of, is the plum pudding, the Christmas pudding.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14- Absolutely.- And on one side, this is the fascinating thing about it,
0:38:14 > 0:38:17on one side, it's the royals' plum pudding.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20And on the other side, it's the servants' plum pudding.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22- What's the difference? - Well, this is the point.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25There isn't a difference except quantity.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27I mean, look how much more, you know!
0:38:27 > 0:38:29It's a small one for the royals,
0:38:29 > 0:38:33but the servants', it's got 40 pounds of beef suet, 40 pounds of flour.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36It just goes to show how many servants were actually working
0:38:36 > 0:38:38- in Buckingham Palace. - 40 pounds of beef!
0:38:38 > 0:38:42As a starter. There we are, Mildred Nicholls' plum pudding.
0:38:42 > 0:38:43So, what are your ingredients?
0:38:43 > 0:38:46We've got that lovely dried fruit, sultanas, currants, raisins,
0:38:46 > 0:38:48mixed peel, beef suet,
0:38:48 > 0:38:51which I love in these old-fashioned steamed puddings.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54All of them, they're absolutely fantastic.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56Demerara sugar, dark brown sugar, nutmeg.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59We've got some beautiful cinnamon, breadcrumbs,
0:38:59 > 0:39:01some rum and some brandy.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03- I was eyeing that. - So, absolutely delicious.
0:39:03 > 0:39:07And if you just look in there, what I love is the suet.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10That's what really, for me, kind of just brings it all together,
0:39:10 > 0:39:11- that fat...- Ties it in.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14Absolutely. Very simple, pudding basin.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16We've just lined it with some butter.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20So, we're just simply going to spoon this mix into here, Michael.
0:39:20 > 0:39:24And you can see it's quite a firm mix,
0:39:24 > 0:39:28so the important thing is, as you're doing it, push down,
0:39:28 > 0:39:31because we don't want to create any air pockets.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34- It's really quite splodgy, isn't it?- It is, yeah.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37So, don't just whack it all in there and, like, from the top -
0:39:37 > 0:39:41do it stage by stage, so we've got all that mix in there.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43- Well done, don't waste any. - I'm just going to have to get you
0:39:43 > 0:39:45to give me a little hand, because we're going to put
0:39:45 > 0:39:47- the tinfoil on top. - I'm Mildred now!
0:39:47 > 0:39:49And then we'll put the string round.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51So, again, like a traditional steamed pudding.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54So, just all the way to the outside,
0:39:54 > 0:39:56so it all cooks nice and evenly.
0:39:56 > 0:40:00- OK?- Really smoothing it off. - Really smoothing it off.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03You've seen my tinfoil, I've lined that with butter as well,
0:40:03 > 0:40:06so everything has, like, kind of got that lovely butter line,
0:40:06 > 0:40:08- so it's not going to stick.- Yeah.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10Simply on top like that.
0:40:10 > 0:40:15Go push it on, so the butter then sticks to the pudding mix, OK?
0:40:15 > 0:40:18And then, just, this bit is really important.
0:40:18 > 0:40:23You don't want to allow any moisture to get in, or water to get in there.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25- OK.- Shall I hold it up?
0:40:25 > 0:40:27Yeah. If you can just hold it in place from the bottom.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31Like that, and then I'm going to... That's it. That's fantastic.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36- If I put my finger on that... - Put your finger on there. OK.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38- This is teamwork.- It is!
0:40:40 > 0:40:43- That's bubbling away.- So, in here, we've got a nice, deep pan,
0:40:43 > 0:40:47lots of steam and I've got a saucer turned upside down
0:40:47 > 0:40:50just to kind of elevate it, so the heat's going all the way around.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54And then, just really carefully drop your pudding in there,
0:40:54 > 0:40:56sit it on top of the saucer, just like that.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58And it's about up to what level?
0:40:58 > 0:41:00- Basically, it's about a quarter full.- Yeah.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03Cos we don't want it to move, we just want steam.
0:41:03 > 0:41:04Lid back on.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06The steam is trapped in there now
0:41:06 > 0:41:10and that is just going to steam-cook for eight hours.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12- Eight!- Eight hours. - A long job.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15Tip, just keep an eye on the water, because it will boil dry,
0:41:15 > 0:41:17even though the lid's on there.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20- And that's it.- Yeah. It was pretty industrial scale
0:41:20 > 0:41:22in the palace, wasn't it?
0:41:22 > 0:41:25I think they'd make as many as 150 of these things in the palace.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28- Yeah. Hats off.- That's quite a production line, isn't it?
0:41:28 > 0:41:30Hats off, yeah. And you remember, that's all by hand.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33No machines or mixers, everything by hand.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36It's incredible. And that's going to cook for eight hours.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39- I'm not going to wait eight hours. - No, you haven't got to.
0:41:39 > 0:41:41Lucky for you, I've been slaving away.
0:41:41 > 0:41:42Yeah, yeah. And here it is.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45- Here it is.- Go on, cut it, Paul! Cut it.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49You are excited. Do you like puddings?
0:41:49 > 0:41:50- I do, actually, yeah.- Yeah?
0:41:50 > 0:41:53- Right, we'll take a nice wedge. - Yeah.
0:41:56 > 0:41:57- Yes!- You do that so well.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01- Look at that.- Ooh!
0:42:01 > 0:42:02- Look at the steam.- Yeah, yeah.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04Beautiful.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07Suety pudding stuffed with fruit.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09Stuffed with fruit. And do you know what else?
0:42:09 > 0:42:13- Brandy butter.- Well, did I need ask? - Yeah!
0:42:14 > 0:42:17- The low-calorie version. - You're doing that with a hot spoon?
0:42:17 > 0:42:18A hot spoon, yeah.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21Just so it comes off my spoon and goes up nicely like that.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24Tricks of the trade. Look at the presentation.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26I'm not going to look at the presentation for long.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29- Look at that!- I'm not going to look at it, I'm going to eat it.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32- Here we go. Are you going to have one?- Yeah, I am.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34Got a real wedge of brandy butter.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37- Come on! Come on, you devil.- Go on. Get in there. Get in there!
0:42:39 > 0:42:41All the taste buds standing to attention, they are.
0:42:45 > 0:42:46- Mmm!- How good is that?
0:42:48 > 0:42:49- It is good.- It is, isn't it?
0:42:49 > 0:42:52There's something to be said for the servants' hall, you know.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55If they've got monstrous Christmas puddings,
0:42:55 > 0:42:57then they can have more and more of this.
0:42:58 > 0:43:02Oh, yeah. Mildred, happy Christmas!
0:43:03 > 0:43:05Mildred, I love you.
0:43:06 > 0:43:10That's it from our celebration of food from India and the Empire.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12See you next week.