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Nisha Katona's Home Kitchen Season 1 Episode 8
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00:00I'm Nisha Katona. Over the years I've been a barrister, a restaurateur, an entrepreneur but
00:08always a food lover. Gorgeous. It's a real cockle warmer. It's fantastic. From my home
00:15kitchen in the Wirral I'll show you how to cook simple delicious dishes from all around the world.
00:19Here we go, now it gets exciting. Tasty and fabulous recipes inspired by my heritage,
00:26my family and my northern roots. Now we can lick the pie. I'm also blessed to be part of a
00:34community that shares my passion for big flavours and homegrown produce. I've got some goodies for
00:39you. Look at these. Amazing, amazing, amazing. The potatoes have a real kick. Really tasty. The
00:45beauty of it is these cattle have never been inside. This is about as good as it gets. So
00:50join me and my extended two and four-legged family. No, I knew you would do that. No. For
00:56a slice of my life. Is she trying to feed it to the dog? And some amazing food.
01:02These beautiful surroundings are one of the many reasons I'm proud to call this area home.
01:21It's where I've been able to grow my love of animals. Big and small. So life on the Wirral is
01:28anything but dull. And it also provides me with great opportunities to create fabulous
01:34dishes for my family. I mean, these are so good that even David wants in on the recipe,
01:39don't you, Dave? You want a plum dumpling, David? You can't have one. With ingredients found
01:45literally on my doorstep. I love the fact that these were grown within a couple of miles of my house.
01:51Today, I'll be cooking a fantastic egg and cauliflower curry. But first, I have to indulge
01:59my other passion.
02:02When I was about the age of eight, my mother got chickens for the eggs. Indians love eggs.
02:07They love egg curry. It's a big thing. And I, so I was the one that was looking after these
02:14chickens. And I promised myself when I grew up, I would never get chickens because there's a lot,
02:19it's a lot of work, you know. But the strangest thing happened to me when I hit 50 is I got
02:24yearning to get chickens. And I tell you something, that they're some of my favourite pets that we've
02:31got. I'm on my way to Cheshire Poultry of Tarpaulie. For me, they're the chicken experts in this part
02:38of the world. It's a family business. It's run by Joe and Jen and their kids. Their kids are called
02:42Romans, Saps and Tudor. How cool is that? But more cool than anything is how most of these young
02:47lads know about poultry. It's lovely to see the next generation coming up with such a passion
02:55for what their parents do. I love spending time here.
02:59I'm hoping to welcome some new members into my family. Whether that's chickens, or ducks, or
03:07peacocks. I know they'll give me the best advice when choosing my new feathered friends.
03:11Hiya, Nisha. Nice to see you. Nice to see you. I'm so glad to be here. Joe and Jenny have been on this site for
03:1918 years, dedicating their lives to these birds. So was your background in poultry, or your background in farming?
03:27They've both come from farming families. Poultry has always been our thing, really.
03:31Why has poultry always been your thing? It's your passion. It is really, yeah. It's what I started with.
03:37So six years old, first ducks, and then sort of turned it into a business that's always been about the birds.
03:44And Joe's passion for these birds is now passing down to the next generation.
03:48When I come down, I talk to you, Tudor, a lot, don't I? You know, but I see it in your lights.
03:53He's our main guy. He's our main guy. He's unbelievable. Yeah.
03:56But you really can see they're all singing your praises, aren't they? Can we have a look round?
04:01Yeah, let's go for it. At any one time, they can have over 30 different breeds of birds in their flock,
04:06and each are as loved and cared for as the other. Oh, my word.
04:12They are super cute. How come you've got a silky head in there?
04:16She's adopted them. She thinks all those are hers. We're letting her go with that.
04:20So we've let her go with it. Does she honestly think those are her chicks?
04:22She thinks they're all hers. She was sat on eggs, we put the ducklings in,
04:25she left the eggs and just went straight to them. Eggs are in the incubator now,
04:29and she's got 32 ducklings as far as she's concerned. That's amazing!
04:34I really identify with that mother hen,
04:36and I can't wait to bring home another member of our family today.
04:40So what have we got in here, Tudor? A bit of everything, all your exotic rare breeds.
04:44Yeah? Mandarins, peacocks, red-breasted geese, some golden pheasants.
04:49I could admire these birds all day, but there's one in particular that has caught my eye.
04:55Tell me about these. They are beautiful. What kind of chickens are these?
04:59Silver seabrights and gold seabrights.
05:01Because I think these are gorgeous. Do they get big?
05:03No, that's there. They're fully grown.
05:04They are fully grown. Do they lay?
05:06Yeah, yeah. Only little legs.
05:07They're gorgeous, though. They are stunning.
05:09They're stunning. They're stunning!
05:11Will they fly up in roosting trees or not?
05:13They would, yeah. That'd be amazing.
05:16How do you look after them? How are they different to my other hens?
05:18What would I need to do? Just like any other hen.
05:21To keep them exactly the same way as you would any other hen.
05:23And then how do I introduce them to my other hens and stuff?
05:27Later on at night when it goes a bit darker and yours are sort of going to bed.
05:30Yeah. And then you sort of slip them in the shed and then just let them out in the morning as normal.
05:34Any chance I can have a little hold of one?
05:37Go, Tudor. Go on. Grab one. Hey!
05:39My favourite thing about chickens is that they can be really social creatures.
05:45They love people and make great companions.
05:48Sweetheart.
05:50Oh my gosh, he's unbelievable.
05:52That's unreal.
05:54They are. They're just friendly.
05:55What are they called again? Seabrights.
05:57Seabrights.
05:58Seabrights? Yeah.
05:59Why do they call that?
06:00They were invented by Lord Seabright in the 1800s.
06:02He wanted a bird to look like his pigeons.
06:04So that's their little shape.
06:06When you see them stood properly, they stand like a pigeon.
06:08You know everything.
06:10He is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to poultry.
06:13I don't think I can answer most things about poultry.
06:15He is.
06:16Seabrights are so well-loved.
06:18They were the first poultry breed to have its own specialist club of enthusiasts.
06:22But I think this Seabright needs a friend.
06:25Gosh, Tudor, that's unbelievable.
06:27I know.
06:28Could they be happy together, do you think?
06:30Yeah. 100%.
06:32She really likes me, doesn't she?
06:34Yeah.
06:35Silver one's gone to sleep.
06:36Has she?
06:37Oh, my goodness.
06:38Look at that.
06:39Well, I would love these two.
06:41They're so beautiful, but they're so good-natured as well.
06:44This is because Yvonne raised them.
06:46This is what you get.
06:47It's fantastic.
06:48Happy birds.
06:49They're just happy birds, aren't they?
06:50Yeah.
06:51They're going to have a lovely life, I promise you.
06:52Oh, we know.
06:53In a tree in public.
06:54In a tree.
06:55In a tree.
06:56Despite the admiration for Seabrights, they are considered an endangered breed.
07:00So I'm glad I can fly the flag in this part of the world.
07:04And with these lovely chickens on their way to their new home, I can get back to my wonderful outdoor kitchen.
07:11Where I'll be cooking my egg and cauliflower curry.
07:15This comforting Indian dish uses boiled eggs simmered in a spicy onion and tomato gravy.
07:21It's really delicious, but also super simple to make.
07:26You never see this on a menu, but it is one of the most common dishes that you would have in an Indian home.
07:32And the reason is this, because meat was not always available.
07:35We eat predominantly vegetarian food, but eggs give you that protein.
07:41And you can keep chickens very easily.
07:43And that is why egg curry is a very big deal.
07:46First of all, I'm going to use boiled eggs.
07:49So you boil your eggs, you shell them, put them aside, and then we crack on with making that sauce.
07:55My curry starts with a little oil in the pan.
07:58But I'm also using a brilliant spice I need to tell you about.
08:02This is the Indian five spice mix.
08:04It's called panch puran.
08:05Panch means five, puran just means spice.
08:08It's got nigella seed, it's got fennel, cumin, mustard seeds and fenugreek.
08:13So it's got all those really big, lovely fragrant flavours.
08:17And this is the most beloved spice of the Bengali kitchen.
08:22And we start by dropping it in oil.
08:24And the one thing I want you to watch out for when you're cooking with five spice,
08:28these little brown nuggets, those are fenugreek seeds.
08:32And you don't want them too dark, because they can get really bitter.
08:37So there we go, we've got the five spice.
08:39Now I'm going to add in some onion.
08:42I am going to build into this the foundations of a meat curry,
08:47because remember we're dealing with eggs,
08:49and eggs are that really interesting hybrid in the Indian kitchen of vegetarianism and meat eating.
08:56So I'm going to slice these.
08:58The starting point of all my meat curries is onion, ginger and garlic.
09:02So although this is a vegetarian dish, I'm sticking with the routine.
09:07So in I go with my red onion.
09:09Now we go in with my favourite thing, which is garlic and ginger cubes that have been frozen.
09:18Meat curries, you need garlic and ginger, but using them in cube form just makes things a lot easier.
09:24I always recommend using one cube per person.
09:28So this is for four people.
09:31In go the cubes.
09:33And we are now on our way to making that fantastic flavourful curry base.
09:41I'm just going to let this fry.
09:43I want to bring some extra warmth to my curry with fresh green chilli.
09:47And all I'm going to do is slice it down the middle.
09:53Like that.
09:55So almost starfish is open.
09:58And I'm going to throw that in with my onions.
10:00But to really bring this dish together, I need my trinity of spices that make every curry sing.
10:06We're going to add a teaspoon of turmeric to give me that earthy note.
10:12We're going to use a tiny bit of chilli powder.
10:15I don't want it too hot.
10:16You can add more if you like hot curries, because I want that little bit of smoke.
10:20And garam masala is that all things to all people spice.
10:26Loads of flavour and that takes me instantly into a delicious curry.
10:32To create my curry sauce, I'm using a full tin of chopped tomatoes.
10:36And because I was brought up with frugality, what I do is I get my tin, I rinse all of that lovely juice out of it and I add that in to make more sauce.
10:49Now we need that to bubble away.
10:53But in the meantime, I'm planning to use some colourful cauliflowers grown just down the road on my friend Andrew's farm.
11:00So we take our leaves off.
11:03I'm going to put my cauliflower florets.
11:06And I want them quite big.
11:08So I love the fact that these were grown within a couple of miles of my house.
11:13And look at this one.
11:16I'm just going to put that one in because how exciting is that.
11:19So I'm going to add some of that in as well.
11:21OK.
11:26So let me show you my eggs, just so you can eyeball.
11:31Just so you can eyeball how much curry you need to cover all of this.
11:34So I'm going to need quite a bit of sauce, aren't I?
11:36So I'm going to go in with water to get a nice body of sauce.
11:41And I'm going to go in with my cauliflower because they're going to take a little bit of time to cook.
11:44So let's pop those in.
11:46I want my cauliflower to be tender but still with a little bite.
11:50So I'll leave this to simmer before cracking on with my eggs.
11:53When I can find time, I quite happily while away the hours in my delightful home kitchen.
12:05Today I'm cooking my classic egg and cauliflower curry.
12:09But I'm about ready for the stars of the show.
12:12Now I'm going to prep my eggs.
12:14And when I say prep my eggs, what I'm going to do is I'm going to just get a little bit of oil in the pan.
12:19And I'm going to fry them until the skins begin to go gnarly.
12:23To save time, I've pre-boiled my eggs, which go into the pan with some hot oil.
12:29Are we ready?
12:31Yes, nice sound.
12:33It's going to splutter.
12:34It's going to splutter.
12:35It's going to splutter.
12:36So arms length.
12:37I'm looking for my eggs to pick up a little colour on the outside.
12:50So what happens is those eggs with the yolk inside, when they go in the sauce, become like a little flavour sponge.
12:56And that sauce is going to get into the yolk and make it delicious.
13:01OK, so these are going to go into that sauce.
13:08But I can't forget my seasoning.
13:10Seasoning a curry involves thinking of three or four things.
13:16Salt is one of them.
13:18So let's get a little bit of salt in there.
13:22Sweet is the other thing.
13:24Now I have cooked here with tomatoes.
13:27And whenever I cook with tomatoes, I just want to enhance that sweetness by putting in a little half teaspoon of brown sugar.
13:34The other really interesting, important seasoning in the Bengali kitchen, believe it or not, is English mustard.
13:43So my grandmother in the morning would get mustard seeds, those little black mustard seeds, grind them between two stones and you would end up with this yellow paste.
13:52This is one of India's most beloved ingredients, particularly in the Bengal, which was the area that we were doing that.
13:58I can't tell you how magical it is to add English mustard to a tomato based sauce.
14:02Try it. Try a little bit in your bolognese or a little bit in a ragout.
14:06It just becomes synergistically amazing.
14:11I'm going in with a good teaspoon.
14:14We are now going to let that simmer.
14:16So my eggs pick up all those amazing flavours.
14:19So I want to do two things.
14:20I want to taste it and then I want to adjust it with its final flavours.
14:24So that's nice.
14:29Desperately want coriander in that.
14:32Coriander gives you that instant kind of opening a window in the mouth feeling.
14:37So stalks and all.
14:40In we go.
14:41Good handful of it.
14:43Here we go.
14:46And coriander only ever goes in at the very end of a curry because as it gets hot it loses its flavour.
14:53And with these dishes that have the English mustard and the tomato, I very often like to think about putting a little squeeze of lemon in the end just to bring those flavours together and make them pop.
15:06All that's left to do is serve up.
15:09A bit of my egg curry.
15:11You see all that gnarly skin.
15:15That is what makes it so enticing to me.
15:18A little bit of cauliflower there.
15:20Fantastic.
15:21And a red chilli for a little garnish.
15:27Real home style food this.
15:30This is what you get in your Indian friends' houses.
15:33And there it is, my hearty and filling egg and cauliflower curry.
15:38Papped full of goodness, it's a delicious but quick and easy meal to throw together at the end of a long day.
15:44Which gives me time to welcome our two new arrivals.
15:51Right.
15:52Okay.
15:53You ready?
15:54Girls?
15:55Do you want to grab one each?
15:57We'll grab her bean then.
15:58Beans, come and grab this one.
16:03There you go.
16:04Good girl.
16:05So that's pigeon and that's pepper.
16:08Okay.
16:09So one night and they will be settled apparently.
16:12Here we go.
16:13Fingers crossed.
16:14Good night little chickens.
16:16With my new Seabright chicken settling in nicely, I can get back to thinking about the other members of my household.
16:33Whenever I can I love to cook simple and flavoursome family meals.
16:38But for me the key to these recipes are fresh local ingredients.
16:43And one of the places I like to find them is thankfully just around the corner at my friend Andrew's farm.
16:51So I haven't got enough cheese because cheese hits the fridge and it disappears, weirdly enough.
16:57So I need some more for the recipe and this is what's so amazing about having a friend who owns a farm shop around the corner.
17:05Is that you've got 24 hour cheese SOS.
17:09And so it's really important to honour these places and that's why whenever you can buy local, whenever I can buy in a farm shop, I'll do that.
17:18Andrew and I have been friends for over 20 years, but sometimes you just need reminding how you became close in the first place.
17:25Do you remember how we first met?
17:28Kind of. I mean, it's going back a few years now, isn't it?
17:31Tricky.
17:32We had the cookery school here at the time.
17:33And I was like, well, next time you're up in on the Wirral, come and do some cookery courses.
17:38And you went, what do you mean? I live on the Wirral. I'm literally round the corner.
17:41And within 10 minutes of sending that message, you arrived, but it wasn't just you, was it? Ma arrived and your huge Rottweiler arrived as well here into the cookery school.
17:52And I was like, right. Okay. And you came in this massive ball of energy and everything. And that was it really, wasn't it?
17:58And if you could survive my mum and the dog. Yes. You were right. Because this is where I did my first class.
18:03Yeah. So while I was a barrister, I was teaching Indian cooking. And I used to teach here.
18:07That's right. And this is where I cut my teeth. But this is why it means so much.
18:11Because that transition from barrister to food, I think this was my home for that in a way.
18:17It was. And that was the basis for our relationship was food.
18:19Yeah, yeah, yeah. Still is. And still is.
18:21But while Andrew's family have farmed this land since 1906, the future is not so clear.
18:29So we're tenant farmers. And it was my great grandfather that first came here and started farming.
18:34And then it gets passed down generation to generation.
18:36So the tenancy agreement was four generations or 100 years.
18:40Really? So myself and my brother are the last generation for it to get passed down to.
18:43So you're the fourth generation of tenant farmer.
18:46Yeah. And you've got two little ones. Yes. What is going to happen?
18:50So it's a bit of an unknown. I mean, agriculture is hard.
18:54You know, I don't know. Look how happy you are.
18:59I am. Hey. I am. I'm happy.
19:02Maybe I don't show it sometimes when I'm on the farm because it's a way of life.
19:05I just want my kids to be happy. Everyone just wants the kids to be happy regardless, doesn't it?
19:09I want mine to be doctors. More. A bit later.
19:13Do you know, it's really funny. I think every place that you live,
19:16you think about those iconic institutions within an area and you think,
19:20if they went, I'd possibly leave.
19:23And honestly, I feel like that about this farm.
19:25And you know I feel that way. I really do feel that. It's so important.
19:28But the fact that you grow this food here, you know, on my doorstep, on your doorstep,
19:33and then I get to come and eat it as well. Thankfully for now, these hundred hectares are still growing fantastic seasonal produce.
19:42This is why I'm so proud of the world. It's because of places like this where we're producing the most extraordinary food.
19:48But for me, what's so important is this farm shop is also a place to support other local artists and producers.
19:56I think there's over 60 local businesses that we support, whether they're producers or farmers or whatever.
20:03You know, certainly from the North West. And without us, a lot of those places, they wouldn't have a route to market.
20:09Yeah. They wouldn't be able to continue. And so, you know, they help us, we help them.
20:13And that's what we need to strengthen our community.
20:17With Andrew providing the platform for so many local businesses, it means there's an amazing range of produce on offer.
20:25The butchers, the bakers, and thankfully the cheesemakers stock up these shelves.
20:32As I'm after something in particular for a special recipe.
20:36I'm making a Himalayan cheese on toast, which is a kind of spiced cheese on toast.
20:40That's what all Indian diaspora do when they leave India, but I need the right cheese.
20:45So I want something that's not too crumbly. It's really important because you don't want a high acidity level.
20:49You don't want that flavour. You want it to coat the tongue. You want it to be oozy and elastic.
20:55Now, when I look at this and you just have a little feel, you can feel the elasticity.
20:59It's not a crumbly cheese. So this looks really promising.
21:02Mature is good because I want that depth of flavour.
21:04I'm going to be putting spices into this. And so you want something that can speak louder than that.
21:08Now, these are the most phenomenal cheeses, but they're a little bit crumbly for this.
21:14They're really aged and they've got that real sort of salt crystal going through them,
21:18which makes them a little bit more fragile and fall apartable, which is great when it's on its own.
21:23But for a cheese on toast, you want something that's that middle ground.
21:27So I can look at this and you can see this cheese has got a good bit of elasticity.
21:31And that's what I want. I want that flex, that bounce, that playful way of melting.
21:36So cheddar is absolutely right. Rich, mature, extra mature, aged mature.
21:42Aged mature is almost too good for me because I'm going to be adding spices to it.
21:46So I'm just going to go with this rich, mature cheddar.
21:48It's from Garstang, which was around the corner from where I was born.
21:51So it's local again, but that is going to be absolutely perfect.
21:55And that is the kind of cheese that's got enough strength to make your ears smile.
21:59And that's what you want.
22:01That cheddar will certainly do me nicely.
22:04And with lunchtime getting closer, I can hardly wait to make my pimped up cheese on toast.
22:09For my next recipe, I'm putting a spin on a traditional household staple with my Himalayan style cheese on toast.
22:23Inspired by my travels, this simple, flavourful dish is served with a deliciously Moorish tamarind chutney.
22:30You'll never think of cheese on toast in the same way again.
22:34I'm going to make a Himalayan cheese on toast.
22:36The reason I call it Himalayan cheese on toast is because I went to the Himalayas and they used to serve this for breakfast up in Kathmandu in the guest house.
22:45And it helped me get over my altitude sickness, which made me feel like it was the end of the world.
22:50This is the way the Indian diaspora make cheese on toast.
22:55They do it with three ingredients.
22:57They do it with green chili.
22:59They do it with red onion.
23:02And they do it with coriander.
23:03And like any good cheese on toast, it starts with a cracking loaf from a local bakery.
23:09And I'm going to take a fairly decent slice.
23:13And here's the thing, I'm going to toast it on one side.
23:16So, look at that.
23:18Love bread like this because see all those little holes, you're going to get a lot more cheese in there.
23:22Amazing. So that's just going to go in here.
23:24I'm toasting one side of my bread first as it will help stop the cheese from leaking through.
23:33The best cheese is a strong cheddar.
23:37You don't want anything with too much acidity in it.
23:40So I don't want a Cheshire or a Lancashire.
23:42You want that saltiness and you want something that is going to melt and become elastic.
23:45So that's what's important.
23:47So in we go with our grated cheese.
23:51Let me get a little spoon.
23:53But it looks like I've got a little shadow.
23:55David totally speaks English.
23:58So watch when I say cheese.
24:02Cheese.
24:04Bertram, you're a silly boy.
24:07OK, there's my cheese.
24:08Sorry, David, but I'm also chopping some green chilli for a little kick.
24:13OK, so we go in with our green chilli.
24:17Ingredient number two is coriander and it goes in in two forms.
24:21It goes in the form of actual leaf coriander like this, which I'm going to chop as finely as I possibly can.
24:30As well as the fresh coriander, I'm using coriander powder.
24:34Powdered coriander is as close as you get to using a herb in the Indian kitchen.
24:39So it's almost like adding thyme to something or marjoram.
24:42You know, those lovely, gentle, elegant, fragrant kind of scents.
24:47So there we go. Let's go in with a couple of teaspoons of coriander.
24:52Cheese and onion really are a match made in heaven.
24:55So I'm using red onions for extra sweetness.
24:58Good bit. I love red onion. So put in as much as you want.
25:01And then there's quite a bit of salt in the cheese already, but a little, just a little wake me up of salt.
25:10And this is the kind of place where you could put a bit of black pepper as well, so I'll do that.
25:14Because we are in the Western kitchen. Cheese on toast is an iconically Western dish.
25:19It just needs a little mix, but I can't forget my toasted bread.
25:23I'm going to turn these over like this and I'm going to load them up with my cheese mix.
25:34To up the tastiness levels even more, I've got an idea for a sweet and tangy tamarind chutney to go alongside.
25:40Tamarind chutney is one of those backbone ingredients of the Indian kitchen.
25:44It comes in a dried block like this. Let me show you.
25:48And all that is, tamarind is like a long pod.
25:52And within it is this lovely, sour, toffee-like flesh with these seeds in.
25:59They pack it all together and they sell it in blocks like this.
26:02So what we do in India, you soak it.
26:06And when you soak it, it becomes like this.
26:12Can you see? That's just been soaking in warm water.
26:16And the seeds then come away. Can you see?
26:18The seeds come away from the flesh and the flesh starts to dissolve in.
26:24And you end up with this really delicious, sweet and sour liquid.
26:28Tamarind is an Arabic word which roughly translates to Indian dates.
26:33I'm going to press this liquid through this sieve.
26:42Like this. And I'm going to want it to reduce.
26:46As the liquid reduces, it intensifies the fruity caramel flavours of the tamarind.
26:51When my parents first came to the UK, you could only get this kind of dried tamarind.
26:55And it was this laborious thing that my mother would have to do.
26:59And then the tamarind concentrate came out.
27:02And I went home and told her, look, you can get this concentrate.
27:05And she was so excited for about half an hour.
27:07And then she resorted back to this because she just thought it brought the more authentic flavour.
27:12It just needs a good pinch of salt and a sprinkling of sugar.
27:15Then I'm going to go in with a tiny, tiny bit of chilli powder to give me a bit of that warmth.
27:24To be honest, it's almost there.
27:27But there is one ingredient that I want to introduce you to that is really interesting.
27:32And it is something called chat masala.
27:35And what chat masala is, is it's a blend of things like ginger powder.
27:38It's got cumin powder in it, but it's got something called black salt in it.
27:42Black salt is this very sulphurous salt that you get in Asia.
27:46And it brings this wonderful, pungent umami instantly to anything.
27:52Kind of the equivalent almost of yeast extract.
27:54Honestly, try it.
27:55I'm so excited for you if you haven't come across this ingredient.
27:59A little bit goes a long way.
28:01And we're going to stir that.
28:02This is reducing beautifully.
28:04OK, I'm going to leave that for a second.
28:07I'm now going to assemble my cheese on toast.
28:10So we go generous in the middle.
28:13Because it will flow out.
28:19Generous in the middle because I like cheese essentially.
28:23However generous you want to be, these will just take a few minutes under the grill.
28:29So in we go.
28:33And let's just keep an eye on that.
28:36But my tamarind chutney needs a final flourish with some fresh coriander.
28:43OK, this cheese on toast looks ready.
28:49Fabulous.
28:51Time to call a hungry daughter.
28:53All right.
28:59Min?
29:00Yeah. Min?
29:01Do you want some cheese on toast?
29:03Mm-hmm.
29:04Cheese on toast.
29:05Cheese on toast is one of those things.
29:06When you see it on the screen, you want to turn the telly off and go and make it.
29:12It's just one of those things you've got to taste.
29:15Does that look nice?
29:16Mm.
29:17Here we go, tamarind chutney.
29:19Mm-hmm.
29:20Dip in.
29:21Mm.
29:22Mm.
29:23That is so nice with the chutney.
29:24Mm.
29:25Cheesy and sweet from the onions.
29:26The onions are so nice and sweet.
29:27Really fragrant.
29:28And can you get the coriander powder?
29:29I know you don't like coriander leaf, but you're not getting a lot of it from this,
29:30are you?
29:31No, I didn't notice it, to be fair.
29:32Ah!
29:33Mm.
29:34Cheers.
29:35The ultimate lunchtime snack.
29:36An easy and satisfying dish that you can whip up in minutes.
29:39My Himalayan cheese on toast.
29:43Oh, wow.
29:44It's ready for a little bit.
29:45It's been sweet and sweet.
29:46It's easy and sweet from the onions.
29:48The onions are so nice and sweet.
29:49Really fragrant.
29:50And can you get the coriander powder?
29:51I know you don't like coriander leaf, but you're not getting a lot of it from this,
29:52are you?
29:53No, I don't know.
29:54It's it, to be fair.
29:55Ah!
29:56Mm.
29:57Cheers.
29:58The ultimate lunchtime snack.
29:59An easy and satisfying dish that you can whip up in minutes.
30:02When moving to this area, I always wanted my garden to be a haven for my animals.
30:14And as well as my beautiful Seabright chickens, I've also recently welcomed three new alpacas
30:19into the mix.
30:21It's been a lot of fun, but also a learning curve getting used to these wonderful creatures.
30:28So it's always good to get a second opinion.
30:32This morning we've got the alpaca vet coming out.
30:35Alpacas are complicated animals.
30:37They, in some way, are like sheep, but they're different and they've got different needs.
30:41And it's so important to keep on top of their health.
30:45Local vets Helen and Corrine are here to ensure our beloved alpacas are happy and healthy in
30:50their new home.
30:51Shall we go in and have a good check over?
30:53We've got the halters on them.
30:54I've just put the halters on them.
30:55When I say we, I mean her.
30:58Yeah, yeah.
30:59Yes, this is good.
31:01Our alpaca Roo recently had some issues with his foot.
31:04So I want to know he's on the road to recovery.
31:08So the one I worry about most is Roo.
31:12And you haven't noticed any other issues with him at all?
31:14No, I haven't at all.
31:16But here's the thing, Helen, and this is why it's quite good to get you out so regularly,
31:20because actually with the other animals I could spot health problems.
31:22I'm getting to know these.
31:24So I'm getting to know, you know, how do you know if your alpaca is unwell?
31:28This is a big problem with alpacas that we find is that they're really, really good at hiding
31:34disease and pain, much more so than a horse, for example.
31:39Because they're prey animals, they tend not to, in evolutionary terms, they don't want
31:44to show that they're weak.
31:45Amazing.
31:46So anything where you might think, oh, that's not quite right, they're not eating how they
31:52should be, any little thing, it's worth having a closer look.
31:56Because it's likely there's something going on.
32:01Should we just have a little check over him, if I, let's just get him over here, go on.
32:07His fleece looks nice, good boy.
32:10The other thing that we can do is condition score him.
32:12So there's two places you can really feel, is his ribs here, but you can't get your fingers
32:18between them, can you?
32:19No.
32:20So that's how you want, you want to be able to feel them, but you don't want him skinny
32:25that you can put your fingers behind.
32:27Brilliant.
32:28He's in lovely condition.
32:29Right.
32:30That's great.
32:31But this is a really good thing that I would advise that you would, at least monthly, have
32:37a feel, because you don't want them getting too fat, and obviously if they're losing weight
32:43it might be indicating that there's a problem going on.
32:48Alpacas are native to South America, so they're also used to a little more sunshine than here
32:53in the UK.
32:55So it's quite important when you've got alpacas to do some vitamin D supplementation, just
33:00because their bone formation really needs some vitamin D. You've got actually like two
33:04ways of doing it.
33:05Yeah.
33:06By means of injection, or you can do it orally, so just to give like a pace in their mouth.
33:10We're just getting to know them, so it's which is more, less traumatic is a thing, you
33:14know, having the pace in the mouth.
33:15I think we should give both a go and see which one suits them best.
33:20Yeah, these are already a lot calmer than last time I came here.
33:23I'm glad you said that, we've been working today.
33:25Yeah, yeah.
33:26Every day we come out here and try and handle them, you know, and if you miss three days
33:31you come back and they're aloof again.
33:34Amazing!
33:35I feel like I've got a merit badge there.
33:38But there's still one thing I'm a little concerned about.
33:41Can we just have a quick look here as well?
33:44Yes.
33:45Can you see there?
33:46Yeah, I do, yeah.
33:47Yeah.
33:48So it is still a little bit infected there.
33:51I think what we should do is we're taking them in today, so when we have them there,
33:56we'll have a good look at that and give it a good clean up, but we'll have a look.
34:04I can rest easy knowing my alpacas are being looked after.
34:08So later I can tend to my two-legged family, cooking one of our favourite puddings with
34:14my mother-in-law, Anyu.
34:23Throughout my life I've always had a unique love for animals of all shapes and sizes.
34:29This has thankfully been passed to my daughters, who take every opportunity to look after our
34:33menagerie.
34:34So I had horses and dogs and then came the goats, and I never wanted goats, it was my
34:39daughter that wanted goats, became obsessed with the idea of pygmy goats.
34:43And credit to the girls, when they want an animal, they dedicate their lives to that animal.
34:48So they study, study, study the animal.
34:51And then if we think it fits into our lives, we surround ourselves by people who know better.
34:57If we want them to be happy and, you know, healthy, then it's a lot of work.
35:02We just love animals anyway, and to have all these animals is like our dream.
35:07I would have never imagined it, especially the alpacas.
35:10I'm just learning about alpacas, I'm learning how to interact with them.
35:14Because with all of my animals, I want to bond, you know, they all become part of the family.
35:18It's also important seeking advice from people that know best.
35:22So today, we're being visited by local vets, Carine and Helen, who are checking on our new
35:27alpaca friends.
35:28These are already a lot calmer than last time I came here.
35:32I'm so glad you see that.
35:33We've been working today every day.
35:36Although they're often confused with their cousin, the llama, alpacas have shorter ears
35:41and blunter but equally adorable faces, especially our birdie.
35:47And then there's birdie with his twisted jaw and his bulging eyes, our little welfare
35:51alpaca there.
35:52So we just have a good look over him as well, because he has got that twisted jaw and his
35:56overbite.
35:57Shall we just have a quick look at him?
35:58Yeah, we're going to have a look at him.
35:59I'm just going to have a feel, if I can feel any kind of pocketing of food, because they're
36:02unable to eat.
36:03If they're not able to eat well, then they might keep some food on the sides of their
36:07cheeks, but they don't feel anything there.
36:09So that's good.
36:10Let's have a look at your teeth.
36:12You're lovely teeth, birdie.
36:13Nice.
36:14Looking good.
36:15So, of course, I can't really see the back teeth now, but for now, as far as I can feel
36:19it from the sides, I don't do anything wrong.
36:22That's okay.
36:23Good.
36:24Perfect.
36:25He seems very happy at the minute.
36:27Is this as happy as an alpaca gets?
36:29Yeah.
36:30I don't even know what happy looks like on an alpaca, honestly.
36:33Well, I think happy is not spitting at you, isn't it?
36:36Yeah.
36:37Yeah.
36:38Not being kicked in the back.
36:39Yeah.
36:40That's where my threshold is.
36:41Yeah.
36:42Yeah.
36:43I'm really glad that there's people in this area who can help provide the best care for
36:47my animals.
36:48Rue, what do we think?
36:50Are we a bit nervous?
36:51But we shouldn't be nervous, Rue.
36:53But you've got a bad foot.
36:54It's all going to be bad.
36:56But for now, I can make use of my fabulous outdoor kitchen to whip up a real family favourite.
37:09Hungarian plum dumplings.
37:11The perfect combination of sweet and savoury.
37:14These dumplings are made with an unusual mashed potato dough.
37:18Thankfully, I've got an expert helping me find my feet with this dish.
37:22My mother-in-law, who only speaks Hungarian.
37:25This is on you.
37:26And when understanding somebody else's food culture, I find one of the most revealing
37:30questions is when you ask somebody what they looked forward to most when they came home
37:35from school.
37:36And for my husband, it was these Hungarian plum dumplings.
37:40This was the thing that they absolutely couldn't wait to get home to.
37:44In one, because Zoli, kész iskola, nagyon szeret...
37:48Igen, szalad haza, és kérdező, hogy van-e, szilvás gomport?
37:50Igen.
37:51Van.
37:52They'd come home and ask these plum dumplings.
37:54These dumplings are so loved in our house.
37:56We've even got an audience while we cook today.
37:59So, yeah.
38:00We're into the world of desserts and she's boiling potatoes.
38:03So, already I found that utterly fascinating.
38:05Potatoes are the key ingredient in this dish, but we need a little salt in the water too.
38:10So, we're boiling those potatoes until they become soft because essentially you're going to make like mashed potatoes as in what you'd have with your sausages.
38:17And then we take it from there.
38:18So, those are boiling.
38:19In the meantime, we are going to start cutting the plums.
38:24But Onyu is very particular about her plums.
38:28This is what makes a good plum.
38:30Is that when you crack it open, the seed just comes out very easily.
38:33So, we've got these little sort of damson type plums.
38:35Ez your vajnán?
38:36Az nagyon kicsi, és nem elég könnyen jön ki a mogja.
38:39She's not happy with this one because it's too small and the word for seed is mog.
38:45It's quite sweet, isn't it?
38:46The mog's not coming out easily.
38:48We're removing the seeds from the plums because the sentry is going to be filled with a tasty mix of cinnamon and caster sugar.
38:55I'm going to put the sugar in the plum dumplings because I can do that bit.
39:00I find this dough really hard.
39:03When the potatoes are tender, they need to be left to one side to cool before removing the skins.
39:08So, we're peeling the potato.
39:11Anyu, why do you cook?
39:14What do you cook?
39:16I cook it on my head.
39:18I don't know, I learned how to cook it on my head.
39:21It's so funny because my mother did the same.
39:23Whenever she made mash, she would always boil the potatoes with the skin on.
39:26It's nice.
39:27I would never do that.
39:28So, I asked Onyu why she did it and she said because her mother used to do that.
39:31There's no reason, she said, you can boil them without.
39:33So, I'd boil them without.
39:36So, Hungarian is a really interesting language because you can't relate it to anything.
39:42So, yes is Igar.
39:45No is Nam.
39:47And thank you is Kasanam.
39:50And cheers.
39:51When you're having a drink and you go, cheers, you say,
39:54Ege se gedre.
39:56No, it's not on bonyurut.
39:58Ongol ember.
40:00Potatoes peeled, we can construct our mashed potato dumpling dough.
40:04Starting with butter and a little salt.
40:08So, it's really interesting.
40:09You've got to wait for the mashed potatoes to cool down before you add the butter and the salt.
40:14Because what Onyu finds is that if the potatoes are warm they absorb too much of the butter.
40:21Whereas you kind of want the butter on the outside of those cold potatoes because then she's going to add into this mashed potato flour.
40:29And then the flour combines nicely with the butter that's on the cold potatoes.
40:34Onyu is combining these ingredients till they form a nice soft dough.
40:38So, when it stops sticking to her hands, then it's the right consistency.
40:44While I toast the breadcrumbs.
40:46And then once they're browned, I add butter to the breadcrumbs.
40:50So, just keep an eye on that.
40:52With the dough coming together, Onyu's putting a little flour on the board to make sure the dough doesn't stick.
40:58Before rolling it out.
41:00So, into these toasted breadcrumbs, I'm going to add the butter.
41:03So, we're coating all the breadcrumbs in the butter.
41:10Lovely and salty and buttery and nice.
41:13Okay, so this dough is now pushed out.
41:18So, she's taking a chunk of the dough.
41:20And wrapping it around the sugar-filled plums.
41:23So, the open part of the plum you put into the closed part of the dough, do you see?
41:28So, we're not going to get that leaking.
41:30And then put them to the side.
41:32So, the reason these are so beloved and so precious in Hungarian culture is because you can only have them during plum season.
41:39Which is, you know, late summer.
41:41Just when those plums are ripe.
41:43In Hungary, if you go to the greengrocers, they have these plums, iamart, as mogbovalo.
41:51Which is the special plums that lose their seeds easily.
41:55And they are the dumpling plums.
41:58All rolled, these dumplings need to be cooked through in a pot of boiling salted water.
42:02When I made these on my own from a book, half of them kind of exploded in the pot.
42:09So, I always find this a bit nerve-racking.
42:11So, in they go to the boiling salted water.
42:14So, they float to the top, it tells you the dough's done, but then you've got to wait three minutes and give them a boil at the top because then the plums get done.
42:21So, the plums cook slower than the dough.
42:23So, now we really blast it and get them boiling away.
42:26But, thankfully, it's not long to wait before these dumplings are ready to go in the golden breadcrumbs.
42:31Weirdest thing, because they're just wet going in.
42:34You just think, how does that make any sense?
42:36But, in fairness, the water is evaporating really quickly off the surface of them.
42:41We want these dumplings to be completely covered in the toasted breadcrumbs.
42:46It just feels so counterintuitive to me.
42:49You know, to put these kind of...
42:51Well, they're lovely and...
42:52Oh, they're so nice and soft and they've got a lovely bounce to them.
42:55But it works.
42:57It works because it's one of the greatest Hungarian heirloom recipes that there is.
43:02And it's one my family just can't resist.
43:05So, here we go.
43:06Here's our Hungarian plum dumplings or silva gumbots.
43:09You serve them with that cinnamon sugar on the side, cut them open and all those oozy, sweet cinnamon-y, plummy juices come out.
43:16Add a bit more cinnamon sugar and just the most beloved Hungarian dish.
43:21These plum dumplings are cherished throughout Central and Eastern Europe.
43:25And maybe even more so in my home on the Wirral, where we all can't wait to tuck in.
43:31I see.
43:32Hello, just in time.
43:33Nice.
43:34Gumbots time.
43:35Do you want to serve up?
43:36Yes.
43:37Serve the gumbots.
43:38And see what you think.
43:39Do you mind if I do it in my hand?
43:40Yeah, do it with your fingers.
43:41It's scary.
43:42But what you need to do is do it quickly.
43:43Let's see if these dumplings live up to the childhood memories of this dish.
43:48So, I like to put a lot of sugar on it because it's a sweet dish and there's hardly any sugar in it.
43:52But if you want to be miserable like that, then you just eat it like that.
43:57But if you ask me, it needs a lot of sugar.
43:59You would put ice cream on that as well.
44:01So, can you put some on mine?
44:02And then you put sugar on your ice cream.
44:04There's all amount.
44:05Look at that.
44:06No, not on the top like that.
44:07On the plum.
44:08On the plum.
44:09So, it needs to go in the plum.
44:12Mmm.
44:13Let's see.
44:14It needs lots of sugar.
44:16Do you know what I like though?
44:17I like that you can actually taste the potatoes.
44:19The potatoes are not there just as a background ingredient.
44:21You can taste a bit of it and that is delicious.
44:23I think everyone likes these though because you can't moderate how much sugar you put on them.
44:27So, you like them and you don't really like desserts, but then he likes them and he loves sugar.
44:31Mine is almost savory.
44:33How did you feel better than the cabbage?
44:36Yes, it was good.
44:37It was really good.
44:39It was perfect, she said.
44:41Yeah.
44:42Mmm.
44:43Really?
44:44Now, you have to know that in Hungary, if you just say, it's not bad, that means actually
44:48quite good.
44:49But actually, she used the word, it was good.
44:52So, it's superb, you know.
44:55That is very rare.
44:56This is definitely a recipe I think I'll make over and over again.
45:00Do you know what?
45:01This is one thing I think that I'm always going to leave on you to make.
45:03Take el.
45:04Take el.
45:05And you take el first.
45:06And now.
45:07That's not done.
45:08It's too difficult for me.
45:10I'm just going to stick to curry, but it was delicious.
45:13I'm glad to see my mother-in-law's plum dumplings have gone down a treat.
45:18I mean, these are so good that even David wants in on the recipe, don't you, Dave?
45:23You want a plum dumpling, David?
45:25You can't have one.
45:27The perfect way to end the day spending time with my loved ones as we look forward to
45:32our next adventure.
45:34Bye.
45:35Bye.
45:36Bye.
46:04Bye.
46:05Bye.
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