08/03/2014 Saturday Kitchen

Good morning. Let's get cooking! This is Saturday Kitchen Live.

Welcome to the show! Cooking with me in the studio today are a pair of

chefs who are turning Birmingham into one of the country's top food

destinations. First, a Saturday Kitchen favourite with a shiny

Michelin star and a very unique style of modern British cooking.

Glynn Purnell. Some amazing shoes there? They are for dancing.

It say it is all! Next to him is a man making his debut on the show but

he's already cooked his way to the Great British Menu banquet with his

award winning Indian food. Aktar Islam. Good morning to you both.

Glynn, what are you cooking, then? We have salt baked potato with

chorizo mayonnaise. That sounds good and that is a

little pickle? Yes, a little pickle on them.

Aktar, follow that. I have some amaidsing lamb cut lets.

Cook Cooked as new season lamb cutlet's marinated with dates and

sultana spiced cardamom and cumin. Now you are doing this on the grill,

but a and it othery oven is what you would normally cook in? Well, I

could not find the oven, I had to improvise. So yes, this is a really

simple way that works. And great on the barbecue as well?

The weather is supposed to be getting warmer this weekend.

We are hopeful So two very interesting dishes to look forward

to. And we've got a line-up of fantastic foodie films from the BBC

archive too. Today there are helpings from Rick Stein, Celebrity

Masterchef, Ken Hom and Ching-He Huang. Now, our special guest today

was part of one of the most successful boy bands of all time,

Westlife. After 14 years, 12 world tours and an amazing 14 number ones

with the band, he's now going it alone with his first solo album.

Welcome to Saturday Kitchen, Kian Egan. Hello! That is a pretty

serious career, really? Yes but, really, you are not talking about

me! Most people recently would have known you from the jungle but what a

career you have had in the band? Absolutely. Everything that happened

with Westlife, I never expected any of that to happen in the first

place. So everything that happens now, I have had my cake, this is the

cherry on the top. Tp is unbelievable. I never expected this

to roll from Westlife. I thought I was done. Are ready to go home an

open up a coffee shop! And the single is out? It is out on March

17th. So that is very exciting. We will talk about that a little

later on. Now, of course, at the end of

today's programme I'll cook either food heaven or food hell for Kian.

It'll either be something based on your favourite ingredient - food

heaven, or your nightmare ingredient - food hell. It's up to our chefs

and a few of our viewers to decide which one you get. So, what

ingredient would your idea of food heaven be? I love curries.

Especially Indonesian curries. I have had some fantastic ones over

the years. Beef is my meat of choice.

And what about the dread dreaded food hell? Anything to do with crab.

I would have thought that a guide from Ireland, all of that shellfish?

I have never been a big fish eater in general, even though I did eat

fish eyeballs in I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! But fish has to

be plain for me to enjoy it. So crab is just... So it's either beef or

crab for Kian. For food heaven, I've got one of the great Indonesian or

Malaysian curries in mind, a beef rendang. The beef is cooked in stock

and coconut cream with lemongrass, chilli, ginger and loads of spices.

It's served with a pile of sticky rice and a home-made mango chutney.

Or Kian could be having his food hell, crab and some delicate crab

tortellini. The crab is mixed with cream, ginger and cayenne, made into

tortellini and blanched. It's served with spring veg and a sauce made

from the crab shells. The crab is mixed with cream, ginger and

cayenne, made into tortellini and blanched. It's served with spring

veg and a sauce made from the crab shells. If you'd like the chance to

ask a question to any of our chefs today then call: A few of you will

be able to put a question to us, live, a little later on. And if I do

get to speak to you I'll also be asking if you want Kian to face

either food heaven or food hell. Are you hungry? Very hungry. All I have

had is a banana, getting ready for this.

Well, it's time for some food. Right, cooking first is this fella.

The Yummie Brummie, Glynn Purnell. So what are you making for us today?

I am going to get you cracking with the veg. That is all sliced thinly.

And I'm going to crack on with the potatoes.

So, I am salt baking the potatoes. So industrial rock salt. It is

heavy. It does not dissolve. So you would not make this out of

sea salt? No, not the fancy stuff. This is the industrial stuff. You

can put it on the driveway when it is frosty.

Now we have egg white to help bind. So this is salt baking. I have seen

other chefs doing salt baking potatoes. Tom Kerridge does it in a

salt crush, his potatoes? He does it is really nice. This is a little of

something that we do in the restaurant but also something that

we can do at home. Now, you have Purnell's but another

restaurant as well? Yes, we have the bistro.

And the restaurant is doing really well.

I used to sing, Westlife, in my first house with my wife.

Is that really the type of thing that you should say? Are you a

singer? No, I will not upstage an international pop star! That is not

going to happen! Right, moving on to the recipe, what are we doing here,

then? We have mixed the salt with some cayenne pep pepper and paprika.

That is to coat the outside of the potatoes.

These are waxy potatoes? Yes it helps to hold with the salt.

Look at that, that will give a beautiful flavour and the skins will

be amazing. That is the reason to leave them on

there. There is a recipe that you can use

with the potatoes, the French call it the rat.

Yes, that is beautiful as well. Right, here I have different types

of beetroot here, you want me to slice this? Yes, it is candy

beetroot and golden beetroot. They are nice and small and sweet it will

go well with the spiced mayonnaise that we are going to make. We put

that in there. You can do these tomorrow in salt and the egg for

your roast dinner. That will go great with a bit of pork or

something. And the paprika is in there to help

with the flavour of the chorizo? Yes.

Now that goes in the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes.

If you poke a hole and stab in the knife, you can see if they are

cooked. Now to the mayonnaise, rather than

using an oil and flavouring it with the chorizo, we are making a chorizo

oil. So a lemon mayonnaise, you make a

lemon oil. So we have the chorizo. We are using this on the salad. We

don't want to throw anything away. To me, this is a little start. I

don't want to get too excited about the weather but for me this is like

the start of spring. Now, 2014 is looking busy for you.

You have your first book out? Yes. It is amazing, really, as I really

spell! So, we have had a spellcheck on the computer. The first book, it

is called Crack Cracking Yolk and Pig's Tails.

Unfortunately this dish is not in there, but there are also recipes

and stories of life in the kitchen. So not just a cook book but a cook

book with dishes from the restaurant and dishes you can cook at home. And

some stories. You can imagine where some of the stories are coming from.

That is out in May. So, this is on here. Basically you

want to do this first. You need the hot oil, so you would do this a day

in advance. So you cook the chorizo first and

then let it cool. Yes, we are going to make a lovely chorizo oil. Then

the veg that we have sliced. The little vinaigrette. That is 4-1 with

the vinegar. And you want me to make the

dressing? Yes. It is important to use normal veg

oil? Plain veg oil. You want it to take as much flavour out as possible

if you use the olive oil you are wasting the maund you get too much

of the olive oil flavour. So, the chorizo have sweated off.

And that has flavoured the oil that we have put in.

Remember if you'd like to put a question to either Glynn or Aktar

then call us now on: Calls are charged at your standard network

rate. Also the reason why we have put the vegetables into iced water

is they firm up and become crunchy. You can do it with salad leave,

iceberg salad leaves, you can put them out and they come out with a

frozen crunch to it, which is quite nice.

So, that cools down there before we pass it off.

You are doing the egg yolkes, the vinegar together and then you will

also get some of the chorizo oil. Any particular white wine vinegar?

No, just everyday white wine vinegar.

When you talk about the recipe for this, you would soak those

vegetables in a pickling liquid? This is a little quicker. You get

the beautiful freshness of the vegetables. You can pickle them and

jar them up. It could be more of a classic escabeche.

There is the fennel in there for some sweetness.

How long are the potatoes cooking for? About 30 minutes.

Get the knife to poke it in the side, you can tell if they are

cooked. What is great, you can turn the

plate out into the middle of the table and get somebody to smash them

it looks great. How can you tell if they are ready?

We will look now. Get a little knife... Find yourself a little hole

and poke it in there to see if they are cooked.

So we can turn that out. I will get you a bowl. Is this how

you serve it in the restaurant? Yes but don't eat the pebbles. And the

best bit about this, there we go, they should fall out. So we have the

beautiful little salt potatoes. Nice and hochlt

Do you need waxy potatoes for this? Yes, these are called Apache

potatoes. They have a beautiful skin to them.

So use your fingers for the dish. Dip your potatoes in with the

mayonnaise and dress it with a few bits of the crunchy chorizo.

So we have the veg, the chorizo oil to finish. The potatoes, you scoop

up the mayonnaise and you eat this beautiful starter.

Easy as that. It looks delicious, what does it

taste like? You will have to dive into this one. Just grab the

potatoes and dunk them in. It is really simple to do but

effective. You would look weird going into the

supermarket to buy that salt. Yes. Raiding the salt bins.

We need some wine to go with this. We sent our expert, Olly Smith out

to Berkshire on a beautiful spring day. So what did he choose to go

with Glynn's super spuds! I've come to the magnificent Cliff don House,

built in 1666 by the Duke of Buckingham, home to Lord and Lady

Astor. And made infamous by the Profumo scandal, but before we hit

the shops, let's have a nosey around. With Glynn's potatoes and

chorizo mayonnaise, you may be tempted to pick a white Rioja.

Normally a pretty good bet, but when I paired it with the dish at home,

the wine was great but the clash was epic. So I was delighted to find it

was the Voignier that came to the rescue. It deserves far greater

acclimate, this wine. So I am selecting a rising French star,

allow me to introduce you to the Elegant Frog Voignier 2013.

This winery's motto is old world wine with a new world attitude. That

sense of fun spills into every bottle. It is leaping out of the

glass! All of that trademark Voignier exotic character, somewhere

between peach, apricot and pineapple. The sort of wine that

makes you think of summer holidays, before you have even sipped it! That

is a one-way tongue trip to dreamland. The thing that struck me

about cooking Glynn's desh is the role of the chorizo and the

sharpness of the vinegar in the salad. If you match a wine that is

sharp, there is a clash. You need the richness to balance out the zing

and the tang. Glynn's mayonnaise is fluffy and tangy. The creaminess and

softness pairs up with this wine that make it is a trut and think

about the vegetables and for that you need the roundness of Voignier

to round this up and unleash their fabulous flavour. Glynn, you Yummy

Brummie, this here is to your sensational dish, cheers! Cheers

indeed. This is going down a treat.

I told you I did not have breakfast. It is chorizo, like sausage,

potatoes, mayonnaise it is great. What do you think of the wine? Yes,

I am happy with Voignier. Happy with that? Yes, I am also a fan.

It is a great wine. Coming up, Aktar has a great recipe

using new season lamb, what are you doing with it? Once I clear my

mouth! That is full of potato. Kitchen pickers wear big knickers!

Told you! I am making a lovely piece of spring lamb with lovely cardamom

and salad. Lovely. Coming up, Aktar has a great recipe

using new season lamb to share with us. And don't forget you could ask

Aktar or Glynn a question if you call this number: Standard call

charges do apply of course. Now, it's time for another slice of Rick

Stein's curry adventure through India. Today he's on the trail of

the king of spices, cardamom. Take a look.

Now for a lovely road trip to Kerala.

This is a lovely opportunity to visit remember Allah. The famous

hills are known as the Western Gats. Mile after mile of fertile

plantations, producing a great array of spices like vanilla and cinnamon.

We are travelling west, heading for the town of Thekade. Look at all of

the shops, cheek by outline. I am reminded of the Costa Brava in the

'60s. All shops sold the same thing, straw donkeys and Sombreros but here

is it -- here it is hot and spicy all the way. I have just driven

through there, and I am astonished by the number of shops selling

spices, about 30 of them. It is item to how important food has

become in tourism. You come to Kerala, somebody from Europe, now,

and you don't go for the beach but for the trip into the hills and the

spices. Kerala is known to have the best cardamoms and pepper in the

world but I would not be surprised if it were not true for such things

as cloves and cinnamon too! Just outside the village here is a

plantation growing cardamoms and pepper. Do you know, I have been a

chef for over 30 years, I did not have a clue as to how cardamoms

grew. There is something tantalising and special about them. A sweet

scent that transforms all curries. Well, I was wondering when I came

here this afternoon, in the minibus, thinking I wonder what a cardamom

is? It must be like a tea bush. Probably hanging from under the

leaves but not a bit of it. These are cardamom, you cannot call them

bushes but they are like a ginger or a galangal or turmeric and the

cardamom podz grow down near the ground. The flowers pollinate them

and the bees and they have these podz. They taste to me a bit like

galangal more than ginger but when they are dried it becomes more

subtle no wonder they call them the queen of spices.

Well, if cardamom is the queen of spices, then pepper is certainly the

king. It is what started the Portuguese quest to the east.

Beginning the Spice Route as we know it. Today these little corns are

said to outsell all other spices put together. The hills here provide a

perfect growing environment. Lengthy monsoon rain, high temperatures and

good shade. I mean look at that. It is not a pepper tree, there is no

such thing as a pepper tree it is a vine. Most of the heat in Indian

cooking comes from the chillies but there is nothing to beat pepper,

especially in the south of India. Pepper really matters. It really is

the king of spices. Thinking about it, that trade, boats coming from

Europe, to India and back again it would have been worth in today's

values, billions. I had the chance to taste a local dish using the

freshly harvested spices from the plantation. Matthew, the owner, is

cooking me a pork curry, flavoured with spices. Almost growing outside

of the kitchen door! So here we are, then, the spices. They are mustard,

cumin, cloves, crushed cinnamon and of course a couple of cardamom podz.

Matthew has fried the pork with shallots, garlic cloves, green

chillies and sliced ginger. Tell me about the cardamoms, why are

they so important? It is a spice when used sparingly it is fantastic.

It is subtle and nice. The moment you add a little extra, it can be

overpowering. So traditionally in Indian home cooking you add just one

or two podz, that is about it. Before serving, he brings the curry

to a simmer with water and finishes off by adding tamarind and crushed

coriander seeds. This recipe is from his grand mother, who Matthew says

is the best cook he has ever known. They all say that, don't they but

simply because she created delicious dishes out of very few ingredients.

I am looking forward to this... It is totally delicious. What I really

like about it, it is very simple. It has this vigorous, this

fresh-tasting. It is what I liked about the dish,

the freshness effect. It is not what we would call mass masala-fied. It

is what Indian home cooking is all about.

It is dancing food. It dances off the plate. I am getting a bit

carried away but that is how I feel! Seeing all of the cardamoms gave me

an idea for what is probably south India's most popular dessert,

payasanne. It is a very simple dessert and after many sticky

desserts, I found this a delight. Firstly, you have to reduce a lot of

milk down to a little. While that is happening, in another pan, add a

teaspoon of ghee. And then some vermicelli added to it. Cashew nuts

and a handful of raisens are also fried in the ghee to garnish the

dish. Once the milk is boiled, add the fried vermicelli and a good

amount of sugar, but the main point is the cardamom. Green ones, never

the black. That would give it a smoky flavour.

One of the things that I really like to do filming here in India and

collecting recipes, is to find things that I actually want to cook

at home. This is one of them. It is a lovely, lovely sweet. Just a

little bit of ice cold cream, beautifully flavoured with cardamom,

yum. Cardamom is such a great ingredient!

Do you agree Aktar? I do. Rick used his in that milky dessert.

I like to use it in sweet things too and I am going to show you how to

make a brilliant cardamom and coffee cake. We take sugar, throw it in

with some butter and then I have cardamom that I will add. Now the

coffee and the cardamom, firstly, there are the cardamom pods, that

you grind up in a grinder. Then I add coffee essence. Then we add the

eggs and the flour. I will serve this with a peanut ice-cream and

some popcorn to go with it. It is really a simple pudding or

dessert, but you want the butter at room temperature, otherwise you

can't incorporate the eggs into it. I don't know if you are a keen

baker? Baking is not my thing. I do a lot of the cooking at home, my

wife has recently done some baking but we were shocked at the sugar and

the butter, we were like, man, the calorie count! Don't worry about the

calories! I don't know how many calories this has got in but, you

know. Having a six-pack is not a must on this show! I once wrote a

recipe for a magazine, they called me back questioning the calories per

potion, I looked through it and figured out that we had forgotten

the ice-cream as well, so there was even more calories! In goes the

flour. If you do this by the machine it s. Up the kick mixture. Firstly,

congratulations on the album. Thank you very much.

You were saying earlier it was unexpected. And that everything

after Westlife was a bonus. Was that really the case? Oh, yeah.

Absolutely. Westlife ended in 2012. I had an amazing career with

Westlife, 14 years at the top. I was doing a small bit of TV work. I was

doing the Voice of Ireland. Do you enjoy that? I really did, but apart

from that, I did a tiny bit of TV presenting. I thought that was it. I

thought, that is cool. I have had an amazing time at the top. Grateful

for everything that I had. I was asked to do I'm A Celebrity, Get Me

Out Of Here! Two years in a row. I said yes the second time. I thought

it wus just be a bit of fun. Often, when people do that, they

want to progress forwards? But it was not the case for you? No, the

jungle was just the experience. I like doing outdoor activities. So

that is what it was for me, a cool experience. I came out and got

offered a record deal. I thought, wow! Okay! I thought that has to be

fun for one of the non-singers of Westlife. Now it is ready to rock

and coming out in a week-and-a-half. It is scary.

It is coming out on St Patrick's day as well? It was more like coming out

near to Mother's Day. And it is personal, your wife is on

track five? She is. I know normally, you get the cheese board out when

you think of a husband and a wife singing together.

Is it is yan -- Bryan Adams song? That was Run To You. This is I Run

To You. It was close.

Well, when you listen to the song it is not that cheesy. My wife is an

amazing singer. I had to tell her to keep the vocal vocals simple, not to

get too trily and frilly. She is an amazing singer, but I never expected

it. It is a real bonus. So, it has been busy? It has been

manic. I thought, let's just do that, and see where it goes from

there. If there enough people interested in doing a tour, I will

do a tour. It is as simple as that, really.

Now, to recap, we now have popcorn in here.

I love popcorn. If I go to the cinema, it is a mix of sweet and

salt. You get a handful of sweet and a handful of salt.

You don't want salty popcorn. I like the contrast of the two of

them in the same box is so nice. Is it? You have never done it? No!

It's got to be sugar on it! No! Now, mix this and pour it over the top.

There is a little bit of oil there. I was going to use butter but I was

not allowed to! Too many calories. We did not mention the title of the

album? It is called Home. It is the lead track of the album it is a song

that had been sitting on my iPod for a while. It is a great track. It

resonated with me with everything going on, being away from my family,

doing I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! You realise it is what we care

about the most. It is getting home to your family, and to your little

boy. I have a little boy who is two years and three months. He is

probably watching. Hi, buddy! Is there a temptation to

think, put your feet up, after 14 years? Yes and no.

You can't live your life like that, just doing nothing.

You can't turn down these opportunities. They are amazing to

be given them. So, yeah, when somebody is asking me to release an

album, I never expected that to come in my lifetime so, why not? It is

not about how well it does, or how successful it is, I get the

opportunity to do it. If people buy it, I am blown away.

And the temptation, it must be to look at what Take That has done, to

reform. It is something to go back to. For me, I would find it strange

if Westlife never stood on a stage again, but that is not to say that

it will or will not happen, but it has been just two years. You don't

know what will happen in the next five to ten years. Some may decide

it is a thing of the past, had an amazing time doing but let's not go

back there, or we could all say, let's do it. So, it is really early

for me to think about that. We are all only finding our feet as

individuals. We have been together since 16 and 17 years of age.

The original band, Simon Cowell did not have many good things to say

about it? Excuse me! I interviewed him a few weeks ago and pulled him

up on that. He said he was not talking about me! I knew he would

say that! But, Simon, I think, we were pretty ugly, I will give him

that much when he first met us, but he got his hands on us with a good

stylist and dresser and glammed us out.

Do you miss it at all? I miss the boys. Doing things on your own is so

different. It is such a different experience. So I miss that. I miss

bouncing around the country with the lads, having a laugh. And I miss the

performing, being on stage, but in front of an audience. Hopefully if

the album does well, you will be back.

Fingers crossed. With a brummy backing singer!

Birmingham is great. The brummy fans are amazing. Have the boys heard

your album yet? I have been text messaging them and tweets. We are

all genuinely good friends there. Is no nasty rivalry. And everybody is

doing well since it all finished so it is quite good.

Great. So what will I be cooking for Kian

at the end of the show? It could be his food heaven, beef and an Asian

style beef rendang curry. The beef is cooked slowly in stock and

coconut milk along with chilli, ginger, turmeric, lemongrass and

loads of other spices. It's served with sticky rice and some home-made

mango chutney. Or Kian could be facing food hell, crab and crab

filled tortellini. I'll mix the crab with ginger, cream and a little

cayenne pepper, make my tortellini and gently blanch them. They're

served with a few seasonal veg and rich sauce made from the crab

shells. and gently blanch them. They're

served with a few seasonal Some of our viewers and the chefs in the

studio get to decide Kian's fate today. But you'll have to wait until

the end of the show to see the final result. Happy with that? It is

amazing. The amount of flavours in here is incredible.

About 1200 calories, is all it is! I lost a lot of weight in I'm A

Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! But I can put some of that back on.

There are a lot of flaifs here, which is great but you can pick them

out as you go along. I suppose that is why you are on

television, as you are pretty good. I would give it up but they keep

inviting me back again! Right, let's get more action from Celebrity

Masterchef. The three hopefuls are cooking a meal for some former

finalists. Afterwards one of them will have to leave the competition.

Let's see what happened! Today, you are not just cooking for

John and I, we have three previous MasterChef finalists, including two

winners. It is your food. Do it well, you stay in the competition.

Ladies and gentlemen, let's cook. The contestants have one hour and 15

minutes to cook a . -- to cook a two-course meal. They

will have to impress three outstanding former finalists, and

show that they are worthy of progressing in the competition.

Today it is about potential. I want to see a serious plate of food.

Emma, hello! This is a nerve-wracking round. I remember it

so well, but I'm hungry, and I don't like eating rubbish food! I'm hoping

to see some nice food. I want to see a little bit of character and I want

to see that they have care bad what they have cooked.

You look like you are focussed today. What are you going to cook? I

am doing a version of mussels with smoky bacon and cream.

OK. For the second course it is a salt-crust baked sea bass with a

confit of potatoes, tomato and basil and a fennel and lemon mayonnaise.

You wowed us yesterday, are you going to continue to wow us? I am

going to do as well as I can. Denise, I am looking at your

ingredients, you are not doing a dessert? I am doing a starter and a

main. What are you cooking? Haka chicken?

Is that from New Zealand? No it is with ginger and garlic, so it feels

a little bit like Chinese food. And what is the other dish? Squid

with Sichuan pepper and spiced rice. Where is your confidence level? It

is amazing when your are praised, your confidence soar soars, but I

have to get with it. As we are all aware, things can go wrong on the

day! Phillips, you have made amazing progress in the competition, can you

continue to progress? I hope so. I am confident with the dish I am

making. I hope that you like it. What are you cooking for us? I have

minted lamb chops and spring onion mash. And I have a creamy garlic

mushroom starter. Tell me about the mushrooms, I don't

understand them? It is creamy garlic mushrooms.

Served? In a bowl with topped grated parmesan.

Ade's menu leaps out and says to me, here is a man with ambition and he

wants to produce tasty, tasty food. You have about seven minutes left on

the first course, Ade. It smells great, Ade. I like a lot,

mate. I like, I like, I like. Good lad.

Sorted. Thank you very much, off you go.

But hurry back, you have work to do! Well, hello! How are we all doing?

Very well, please, we are hungry. It is my version of mussels made

with smoky bacon, cream and white wine. It looks beautiful.

The combination of mussels and garlic, to me is heaven. I just

adore it. He's got the balance, I think,

beautiful. Not too much cream but enough. You can taste the mussels.

For me, the mussel has to shine through. Fantastic. I would happily

pay for that in a restaurant. This is delicious. Under normal

circumstances, I would lap it up, but as we have more to come, I

won't, but I will just have another spoonful. It is a really lovely bowl

of mussels. The sweetness of the tarragon with the rich stock and the

touch of cream. It is not the most challenging dish

but it is faultless. What do you have left to do? I have to get the

sauce into a consistency that works and I have to get the fish out of

the salt. You have Fife minutes, Ade, you have

to portion both of the fish. Yes, I may be late. Come on, little

fish. Very good indeed. That is a pretty

thing, Ade. That has taken seven minutes to do

the first two plates. It looks amazing. The sauce and the

potatoes. You are five minutes over now. We

really need to push you mate, we have to get you out. Happy? Yep.

The chef does apologise for the slight tarrediness! Thank you. We

have a sea bass, cooked in a salt crust with the confit of potatoes,

tomato and basil with a fennel and lemon sauce. It sounds yummy.

Yes, I hope it is. The sea bass is cooked beautifully.

The lemon and the fennel sauce is incredible, and beautiful. My sea

bass is beautiful it is moist it is tender, it tastes lovely, with the

sauce, with the lemon coming through. I really, really like it.

I love that fish. That fish is so soft, but those potatoes are not

cooked. But the flavours on the plate are

stunning. The whole thing works perfectly. I think it is delicious.

Nice work, Ade, and you can see how the others get on in about 20

minutes or so. Still to come this morning on Saturday Kitchen Live,

Ken Hom and Ching-He Huang are up in the mountains of China. Ching's

fishing with the village women, then helps Ken cook a feast of chicken,

pineapple and baked fish for the village chief. Aktar and Glynn will

be relieved to know that after last week's pancake EGGs-ursions we're

back to normal and making omelettes again. Hooray! I don't think the

chefs need any more EGG-ing on as they battle it out to claim the

SMASHING title of omelette king of Birmingham! And will Kian be facing

food heaven, a classic beef rendang with sticky rice? Or food hell, crab

tortellini? Right, let's cook our next dish and at the hobs is a new

face to Saturday Kitchen. It's Aktar Islam. So what are you making today

Aktar? . James, lamb cutlets. It is a great celebration of this product.

Fantastic. Can you explain how they are made? Those go under the grill,

a couple of minutes to colour them, but the lamb, we have two stages of

marinade. The first things first is to go in with the garlic and ginger

piece. And can you slice that lime for me,

chef. So we put in the piece, followed

by... So you say this is the first stage of the marinade? Yes, so all

of the mar United States that we do, we always have a first stage with

garlic, ginger, lime juice and salt. So that is like the preseasoning.

So is this everything that goes on the and it other? That is right, yes

-- Tandoor. . And what is that? Ginger, garlic and

salt and lime, water to get it moving.

Then you coat the lamb with it. So, tell me about the restaurant,

then. You have had it in Birmingham for a while? Lasan has been open

since 2002. We are coming up to the 12th birthday. It has been a

phenomenal success. Last year I opened another restaurant, I opened

an Argentine. It has been fantastic. It is about the great British

produce, combining it with the Indian flavours. So the second stage

of the marinade is simple. Everything goes into the special

spice grinder. This is from India? It has. All of

the way from India. It is fantastic. I don't leave home without it.

But we have sultanas, dates, brown onions which we deep fry and dry

out. Then we put garlic. You can buy the onions? Yes.

Are they the Kibble onions? That is a little dry by comparisons.

You can't buy them, then! Just make them, chef.

The blender has an alarm clock on it? It did have. I had it installed.

In rehearsal, while blending, his mobile phone fent off! So this is a

normal food processor? It is, yes. It gets a really fine piece out of

it the garlic and ginger going in. Can you check the lamb, chef. A bit

of chilli to counteract the sweetness from the date and the

sultanas. There is lime going in and some cream.

So the reason for this is to get the tandoor appearance. You could

barbecue this? But if the marinade sticks to the bars it burns on to it

that is why we suspend it so it stays on to the lamb as opposed to

going on to the tray. OK, so you cannot barbecue it, then.

What I do is get some foil and make rolls out of it and use them as

ledges. But the method of the secures on the

tray is brilliant. That is genius. Yes.

It's not very quiet this machine? ! It debts the -- it gets the job

done. Now we have a smooth piece. This is

the yoghurt. I have strained it in cheese cloth to get rid of the

excess moisture. So a thick yoghurt.

Yes. How is that looking, chef? They are

fine! Cool. So the marinade is nearly there.

We want to take it until it is smooth. So I would take it a little

further but... For now we will just deal with it as it is, but it is

almost there. So are the two restaurants different

in terms of the menu? One is fine dining and one is not? Yes. The

Argentine restaurant that we opened that is about great quality produce,

good beef. Whereas Lassn is about the experience, to come in, spend

the entire eefenning with us, as we are lovely! But it is all about

different takes on Indian food and an alternative approach to India,

but two different ends of the spectrum. I have also another

restaurant we have done, that is all about Indian street food.

So the lamb is marinaded in the lovely marinade.

People have seen you before on TV. It is not your first appearance but

you have been on the Great British Menu? Yes, I have done that.

And the latest brief? Yes, that is fantastic. It is all about

celebrating D-Day. It is a great brief. I cannot say much about it,

but it is one that I have enjoyed doing.

It is 70 years, this year? It is. And at the end you get the

opportunity to cook for the veterans. It is amazing.

Fantastic. Now, I secure these up. I use two to create a ledge. It make

it is easier to turn it. These are French trimmed, so the

bone has been taken out. Can you do it with chicken thighs?

It works really well. And turkey. Christmas! Obviously a bitterliy but

don't forget. A bitterliy? ! We need to get summer

out of the way first! ORCEDWHITE Now, in the piece we have some chat

Marsala, And a little bit of this in there? Yes, the yoghurt, the green

chillies, a little bit of heat and this purees it into a chutney? Yes,

that is what we call it. We add a little more. There you go.

Put the lid on and on that you have the lemon juice.

And some more chat Marsala? Why e. Which one is it? That one.

Can people buy this? You can get it in supermarkets. It is amazing how

it is coming along. Now, I will get the lamb out.

So the lamb is just under the grill in the oven? That's right.

Hopefully, we will value a lovely pink cutlet.

And now you want a bit of butter? Yes, and then some fresh cardamom

powder. So this is a raw spice? Yes, it has

a different flavour to when it is cooked through.

And the chaat. That is our seasoning. Job done.

And you put the sauce on it. You want the dressing with it, the

marinade. So you keep that on it. Yes.

It looks pretty good that. It look looks amazing.

So, tell us the name of that, then? That is new season lamb cutlet's

marinated with dates and sultana, spiced with cardamom and cumin

served with green chutney and Kachumbar salad.

Trust me if the weather is good this weekend, you have to try this dish.

It is fantastic! I know it is fantastic and it tastes fantastic as

well! Dive into that one. The marinade for this, it is

incredible. The trick is, it needs to be

caramelised. You want the bitterness from the sugar, the sweetness and

the tanginess from the limes and the cardamoms.

That is fantastic. Right, we need some wine to go with

this. Our expert, Olly Smith is in Maidenhead this week. So what did he

choose to go with Aktar's lovely lamb? With Aktar's legendary lamb,

you may be tempted to think, spicy tucker and lung for a lush bottle of

Riesling or this excellent xrafrm of Golden Valley. However, you can have

great success pairing red wines with spicy dishes, especially when it is

with lamb. Just remember to avoid reds that are too old or too heavy.

With that in mind, I am picking a bargain from the south of France.

Will welcome to Corbieres Languedoc 2011. On the lamb! This wine comes

from one of the most productive wine areas in the south of France. It is

an area that specialises in Syrah, green ash and the reason that the

wines pair brilliantly with lamb is thanks to a compound called typ --

tymol. The wine is laid within juicy ripe

fruit. That is what I am looking for to resonate with the sultanas and

the dates in the dish and to balance out the spice. Thinking about the

texture, the cream, the lamb and the rich yoghurt. The wine has a lovely

flavour but a soft texture, perfect for blending with each bite and

finally, the fragrant ingredients in the dish, the ginger, cardamom and

mint chuty, this wine has the perfect youthfulness to bring out

and have aed vans the very vibrance. Aktar, here's to your luscious lamb,

cheers! Cheers indeed. Difficult to match that but I think he has got it

right. I think it is lovely it is working

well with the lamb and the marinade. It has a lot of tannin, that cuts

through the sweetness. I think it is fantastic and the wine is great.

Happy with that? It is unbelievable. It is early in the morning but I

want it all now! Right, let's get back to Celebrity Masterchef where

there's an elimination looming. First though it's Denise's turn to

feed those former finalists. Take a look. You have four minutes, Denise.

Are you done? No drama. Well done you.

OK. Wish me luck. Go get them, girl. Here we go.

Hi! How nice to meet you. Hello! So, what you have, ladies and

gentlemen, is salt and pepper squid with raita with a little bit of

tamarind in it. I hope that you enjoy.

Thank you. Here goes. Oh, this is everything

that confirms why there is no point in eating squid. Oh, golly. Although

the yoghurt and the tamarind sauce is perfectly lovely on its own, I am

not convinced that the squid and it are ideal bed fellows. She has not

set out to fail but, unfortunately for me, she has.

I really like the flavours of the five spice around the squid but the

squid is too chewy. The batter has fallen off or it is soggy, that is

not great. So what is left to do for the main

course, Denise? OK. I am almost on time. I have my bindis on the go, I

have the Haka chicken on the go. Here is the rice.

Almost on time? I know that as late. Three minutes left. I love the

smells. We have to go now quickly.

That's it. Let's go.

Good luck. Thank you.

The main. Oh! We didn't know what to expect.

What you have on the plate is something called Haka chicken. Thank

you, it smells gorgeous! There is a hell of a kick of chilli in there.

It made me reach for the water rather than the wine. That says

something. I really like the dish. I love the Chile, the taste from the

chicken, the saffron rice is gorgeous.

It delivers. It packs a punch. The flavours just

hit you. It may look a fright but it tastes

really good. It is cooked well with beautiful Asian flavours but it

looks untidy. We have four minutes until we go out

with the starters. Are you on time? The starters will be fine.

You have got the garlic and the cream in them? Yes.

One minute. What is left to do on the plates? Grate some parmesan

cheese. To be fair, you have been clever

with the presentation. It looks elegant.

Thank you. Good luck. Well done.

Thank you very much. Hello everybody. How are you?

Hungry! We have some creamy garlic mushrooms, topped with parmesan.

Thank you, Phillips. The only technical ability in this

plate is he has peeled mushrooms and grated some parmesan. I think you

are being unfair. I like it but the rich variety of mushrooms is

enormous it is half the dish it could have been.

Looks it tastes of mushrooms, cream, cheese, you can taste every

ingredient, but really? Button mushrooms? It is almost impossible

to overcook a button mushroom and almost impossible to not grate

cheese. I hope that the main is delicious!

Is the sauce made? I have not made the sauce yet.

Come on, then. Let's go. Is your lamb OK in the oven? Wow!

Your time is up. You have to get the rings off and we have to go.

Well done. Hello. Thank you, this is minted

lamb? It is. You have minted lamb chops with

spring onion mash, mint and rosemary sauce and a side of carrots. Thank

you. Oh, it is mint and rosemary. Oh,

dear. Is it pink? No. Oh, dear.

Well it is quite chewy. At least we have sharp knives to get

through it. I'm really disappointed. The lamb is overcooked and tough. I

have big lumps of spring onion in the mash that do nothing. Then the

sauce, which kind of hits your mouth like an acid sweetness. This has

failed. What the heck is that? I have just made an oil spill! Crikey!

Wow! That mint sauce is one of the worst I have r tasted. The mashed

potatoes has lumps in it and hunks of raw spring onion. The lamb is

overcooked and it has gone tough and chewy.

This cooking highlights Phillips lack of experience.

What a day, I am, I have to say, in part, a little disappointed, Gregg.

Thank you for the hard work today. Days like today are stressful. One

of you, we have decided, is leaving the competition.

The contestant leaving us is... Phillips.

Sorry, my friend. Thank you. Thanks for the

experience. Next week four more celebrities

enter the competition. Right, it's time to answer a few of your foodie

questions. Each caller will also help us decide what Kian will be

eating at the end of the show. So who do we have first on the line? It

is Michael from Belfast. What is the question for us? I have a fresh

lobster. I would like to know the best way of cooking it and a good

red sauce to go with it. Well kill the lobster, hiemly, put

it in the freezer, put it to sleep and straight into boiling water

after. Split it in half, put it together with butter, coupin,

coriander, fresh ginger and bind it together and pour it over the

lobster. You are set. Would it work with the marinade you

did earlier? Yes. Or, classical, butter, garlic,

parsley. Or a therm dor sauce. Four choices there. What dish would

you like to see, heaven or hell? Well, he is Irish, so it has to be

heaven. There you go. Mark from Aldershot,

what is your question for us? I have a fillet of pork in the freezer. I

live on my own. I don't want to waste it. I want to do something

with it and keep it preserved. So no fat in there it must be cooked

simply. You can have two meals out of it. Split it in half. Poke holes

in it, stuff with bakedon in one half. Or chorizo, have it with pasta

or a roast dinner. And the second day, stair fry it. So two different

methods there. I think that the stir-fry is good.

Or take the medallions and cut it up, batter it out and pan fry it

with butter and breadcrumbs. Lovely. So, what dish would you like to see

for Kian? Hell. And Mike, what is your question?

Nonsugar puddings. Sugar-free puddings? You can use

fruit. Reduce a sweet wine and marinade the fruits with the sweet

wine. You can do bananas, chop them up,

freeze them and blend them with a bit of buttermilk. You don't have to

add any sugar but just vanilla and buttermilk. You have a great

ice-cream. And the yoghurt we used, whipped

with a little bit of double cream and cardamom powder. That is

amazing. What would you like to see at the

end of the show? Heaven, please. Good! Right it is time for the

omelette challenge. The usual rules apply. You are about 29 seconds,

Glynn but who would you like to beat on the board, Aktar? I would like to

be close to this side. OK, so that but only quicker. I know

you have been practising! Put the clocks on the screens, please.

Three, two, one, go! You are in trouble, you are in

trouble! Making sure that he gets on the board now.

Once they have made it they stand back. Yes, I'm worried, I am making

you eat that! This one... There is shell in that.

That is a milkshake with skin! That is what that is.

An egg shake! That is scrambled egg, chef. That does not count.

You wanted to beat Glynn? You have beaten him. You did it in 27. 28

seconds. That puts you there. Next to Cyrus.

No, there he is, next to Ching. I have really struggled over the

last few years. I have put in the effort, chef.

It has paid off. Take that back to Birmingham with you. You have done

it. You needed to beat 21. 48 to get in the top ten. You did it in 21.

72. It does not put you in there but just outside! I tried so hard.

Like the school report, please try harder next time.

So will Kian get his food heaven, a classic beef rendang with sticky

rice? Or his food hell, crab tortellini. Glynn and Aktar will

make their choices whilst we take a trip to China with Ken Hom and

Ching-He Huang. They're still up in the mountains, and today they're

cooking for a village chief. Kian may have faced a few eating

challenges on I'm A Celebrity but Ken and Ching have a challenge of

their own today - water centipede! Check this out. Whilst Ching and the

women go river fishing for some of tonight's ingredients, the chief and

I are going to cook a dish each with the chicken to feed ten people. I am

cooking this, using groentsz resourced from within 50 yards from

where I am standing. Even the sauce for the marinade is home-made. I

asked the chief for rice wine. This is a home-made brew that he makes.

Oh, God. If I taste this, I won't be able to cook.

I am leaving the chicken to marinade for half an hour in the light soy

sauce and the chief's home brewed wine.

The ladies here do all of the fishing for their village. There are

more than 600 rivers in the area. Millions of them de depend on these

rivers for food and water. I have never seen this unique way of

fishing. They have just overturning rocks and getting in there. You

sandwich the net between the feet and using the hands bring up the

vegetation and the seabed into the net.

Oh! Crab! Living below China's official poverty line, the Dai women

cannot afford to overlook a potential source of protein in the

river. She has said you can eat this. It is like a weird river

centipede thing. Argue! -- argh! She has just decapitated it! She can eat

it, she says it is delicious! For the time being, the women are safe

to fish in the waters, but this may not be the case for longer. In

recent years, many of the u -- Yunana's waterways have become

contaminated from the pollution from the cities, less than 40 miles away.

Back at May's house, we are preparing our river catch. I came to

China to expand my knowledge of Chinese cooking. Learning how to gut

a centipede is certainly doing that. Women know how to cook! And the men

wash the dishes. I understood that bit! So I have the small river fish

and local garlic. The wild garlic. Some ginger and small chillies. Then

the Vietnamese mint. And they have some coriander as well and some

spring onion. I am going to make a classic Dai

dish of fish, cooked in banana leaves.

My grand mother would peel it. The Chinese believe when you peel ginger

there becomes more heat, more yang, more fiery. If you keep the ginger

dish on it is more ying, more cooling.

I am putting chopped ginger, garlic and chilli on to a banana leaf.

Scrutinised by my sous chef, keen to offer tips. She says that I have to

chop it more. To chop all of the herbs together so it is fine. I

would have thrown it all together, but this is the way that they are

used to do it. So we put this all on the leaf like that. Wrapping the

food in a banana leaf seals in the moisture and the flavour.

Then you tie it. She is just securing the package

within bamboo. I am planning to steam the fish but

my sous chef has other ideas. I would normally cook it like

that... But she is saying it is taster like this, than steaming it.

She says if you steam it, it doesn't taste very good.

While it cooks for 20 minutes, May offers me an appetiser.

So, this is a baby centipede. The water centipedes have been boiled in

a broth of ginger, chillies and herbs. She says not to be afraid, to

just eat it. It is like the texture of prawn. It

is like a river prawn. It is not bad.

Not bad, actually. At the chief's house, he is doing

his bit to prove that not all men are useless in the kitchen. He is

making chicken soup with ginger and chilli. This dish is simple. He is

smart not to do anything complicated, but I think that people

don't realise that when you are cooking at home, to keep it simple.

I am using chilli and garlic to make a favourite dish. Chicken stir-fry

with fresh herbs. I am putting the chicken in. Adding in the marinade

there. Then I will add all of my lovely herbs here.

This is what I love about Chinese food. All you need is a wok, a flame

and fresh ingredients to make a simple and a delicious supper.

To go with the chicken, I am making a classic Yunan dish, pineapple

rice. The key ingredient in the dish is

precooked cold rice, ideally, a day old, stir fried in hot oil. To break

up the clumps, give the rice a good stir. Then add the pineapple and the

fresh mint. The wood fire give it is a lovely

smoky flavour. With fresh local ingredients, this is traditional

village cooking at its best. In Thailand we say fragrant. When it

smells good. We say "hom" we are ready. We have to wait for Ching and

the rest of the women with the fish. Everyone is hungry. This is the ban

aria leaf-wrapped fish. Beautiful.

She says it is very good. This is a soup that the chief made.

Delicious. And this is pineapple rice.

Do you know what you just ate? No? It is a centipede.

Oh, it is an interesting flavour. Ment It is quite sweet? Yes but I

would not order it every day. So inspired by the use of the local

ingredients. Fishing for your own fish.

They are really close to the earth. Nature, yes.

There'll be more from Ken and Ching on next week's show. Right, it's

time to find out whether Kian is facing either food heaven or food

hell. Your food heaven would be this beef which I'll cook very slowly in

stock and coconut milk with cardamom, cumin coriander, lemon

grass, chilli and loads of other spices. It's served with some

classic sticky jasmine rice and a home-made mango chutney. Or you

could be facing your food hell, this incredible crab which I'll use to

fill tortellini along with ginger, cream and a touch of cayenne. It's

served with a bisque and a few spring vegetables. What do you think

you're getting? Well they stuck with you, only because he wants a signed

album! So, we have a shin of beef. This is a basically one pot and

chuck it all in, but we seal it off first to colour.

Do it in two pans, otherwise it sweats.

So because there is so much beef, just separate it? The temperatures

of pan would reduce down if you add it all in, then you would not sweat

it properly, you would not get the colour on there.

So, also we have sliced onions, chillies, garlic.

I like spices. I am a spice boy. In the jungle, you cooked most of

the meals in there? About 80%. I stir fried everything.

You don't get the choice? That's it. The equipment is minimal. No salt,

pepper. So it was a case of, I tried to

fatten everybody up. Any time we got potatoes, to shallow fry them, stuff

like that, put a bit of calories back into us. All of the fruit and

stuff like that, just tried to sweeten it up. Saving the weird

fruits to try to make funky teas. Otherwise you are drinking boiled

water. So any fruit we got. We got a butter

ham. That worked well as a tea it really flavoured the water nicely.

So that was good. Right we are chopping this up, nice

and fine. Throw it all in.

Really? Scotch bonnet is what we should have in there! You can have.

There is even hotter as well. So chuck all of that in there with

the ginger, garlic and the lemongrass. So the album it is

coming out on the 17th of March? That's right.

It is solo. Solo, all on my own! It is

brilliant. So exciting. I never expected it to come my way. I am

rolling it with, enjoying it. Loving the idea of doing music again.

When you get an offer like from the studio, do you have to call your

mates? I did. I phoned them up and said, should I do this. They were

like do it. My wife was a big influence on my decision. Obviously

you talk about everything at home with your loved one. She had a huge

influence on me. Putting the seal of confidence back into my mind. Saying

you have to do it. When you get an opportunity like that, it does not

come around often. So why not. When it came to the songs I got my mates

involved. I realised that the music I made would not necessarily, I

don't know if my mates would listen to, so I stopped asking them after

about a week, when I got weird suggestions.

There is a great mix on the album? I tried to not stay 1 million miles

were Westlife I did not want to alienate the audience. And then on

top of that, being a little more me, so getting it rocky and punchy with

lots of guitars. I am all about the epic feel to music.

So that is what I went for. I took country songs and de-Taiwaninged

them. It is not what you expect from you? When you see me in the music

videos, I have an electric guitar, I am rocking out. It is a little more

Bon Jovi and Bryan Adamsesque. So, the boys can explain what they

are doing. I am chopping the mango. Aktar has the spices.

Coriander seeds in there, term rim, star anise. Lots of coriander seeds.

Then the beef. I feel like I am in the way but if I

move, I will knock everything over. There is sugar and vinegar in there.

You go for it. Put them in. The same time. It makes more sense.

There you go with. Put the spices in. Give it a stir, chef. Don't move

the pan, just stir. Don't call me, chef! You have been

promoted! Around here, the bay leaf, the coriander, the lemongrass, in

with the beef stock. You are reducing that down with the

spices. It is getting thick. So we add the mango to bind it all

together. That is the key to it.

I love mango. Mangos, chillies and lime. I always make a salsa for the

top of fish. We have the green mango. That is

harder but you can get both from the supermarket.

I am more of a yellow mango man. In with the coconut milk. And obviously

because we use the beef shin this take as long time to cook. So what

is brilliant is lamb shanks. If you are worried about the

calories, can you use a nicer cut of beef? Why not. It is a bit late now.

It is just a question. No! No! You need coconut milk in it, that is the

key. You can buy low-fat coconut milk.

Can you? Can you really? You can. It is light coconut milk.

Yeah! You can also buy margarine but we're not using that! I only use

margarine! Then you can pop it on the stove and gently cook it. The

key to this, more than anything else, is the long and the slow

cooking. That is what you want. So a good two to three hours. Then we

have this rendang that we have here. What we will do to finish it off is

add chopped coriander. Throw that in. And coriander in the chutney and

a bit of coriander into here with the rice.

Glynn can fin finish this off and I will season that. You can stop doing

that. So we mix this together. Add a bit

of seasoning on there. Salt. -- some salt. Then hopefully we have the

rice. Thank you.

Nearly there. The smells are incredible.

That is a Glynn portion. What are you doing? Just trying to

save some for afterwards! Now we put the mango chutney. And then the

rendang. That is this beef.

Look at that. It smells brilliant. It smells good, the coconut in

there. The chilli. The seasoning at the end.

Incredible. Proper grub. Dive into that.

What about this? That will be ready next week, Kian, don't worry about

that. And Olly has chosen a Leyda Reserva

Syrah 2011. It is from Majestic, priced at ?8. 99.

Oh, my God, it is amazing. Ten seconds to go, tell us the name

of the album? Home! I don't want to say buy it... Buy it! Glynn has

reserved his copy! Well that's all from us today on Saturday Kitchen

Live. Thanks to Aktar Islam, Glynn Purnell and Kian Egan. Cheers to

Olly Smith for the wine choices! All of today's recipes are on the

website. Go to: bbc.co.uk/saturdaykitchen. You can

enjoy Best Bites tomorrow morning on BBC 2 at the earlier time of 9.45am.

We'll be back next week at 10am. In the meantime, have a great day and

enjoy the rest of your weekend. Bye!