Locals Welcome Season 1 Episode 4

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Transcript

00:00Cantonese-style chicken wings with a Guyanese hot sauce and the Filipino-owned pool hall I've

00:15been coming to since my teens. This is a combination that perfectly reflects the

00:22culture here in my home community. Scarborough, Ontario. Super Scarborough.

00:30I'm Suresh Das. I've spent my career writing about the local favorites that make Canada's

00:38food scene truly unique. I believe every bite tells a story. Now I want to share those stories

00:45with you. I remember when I was in my teens and we just moved to Canada, my mom would drive

00:55around Scarborough looking for spices because back then it was pretty hard to find Indian

00:59spices. And we would come to Lawrence Avenue and we would literally like look left and

01:03right for spice stores and see if we could get a biryani spice or like a masala or something.

01:09But in the years since we moved to the suburb of Toronto, I've seen something wonderful blossom.

01:17We've seen like 30 plus years of waves of immigration, different cultures that have come from other parts

01:27of the world and kind of have settled here, set roots here to call this place home. And it's kind of

01:33made this place this multicultural sort of mosaic where you can find so many different cuisines in

01:39one city. In Scarborough, the vast majority of the population here are immigrants and their kids, just like my

01:47family. So unlike the culinary greatest hits you tend to find in Toronto, this is where you can access the deep

01:55cuts, regional specialties that are hard to find anywhere else. Name a cuisine and we can probably find it within 10

02:02minutes. And that makes Scarborough one of the most exciting food destinations on the planet.

02:09We have to start where I started, as a teen falling in love with the variety and excellence of Levantine

02:17cuisine here, especially shawarma.

02:23This is colloquially known as shawarma row. In this one, two kilometer strip, you have so many different

02:29styles of shawarma. I mean, like you have Iraqi style shawarma, Iranian, Palestinian, Israeli, Lebanese.

02:34I would say like my favorite is Kadir that we're turning into now.

02:39Kadir was one of the first halal butchers serving regional Lebanese delicacies here. And my first

02:50favorite shawarma. Brought to Scarborough by the enterprising Ali Dabuk. And the only problem with this

02:56place is that Ali never lets me pay when he sees me.

03:04No, no, no, no. Put away your wallet. How do you know that I'm here? How do you know?

03:07I see you in the car, man. Ah, look who's here. You're really quick. Yeah. You know why I'm here. For the first cut. For the first cut. That's it.

03:19Locals in the know, line up for the first cut of the day. First cut is the best. It gives you the best taste of the shawarma. And the way you slice it, it's very, very thin.

03:27Yeah. There's nothing else like it.

03:30Do you think a lot of people know about first cut? If nobody tells them about it, they wouldn't know it. They wouldn't know it. It is a secret. Yeah, it is a secret. Yeah. It's a secret. Oh, there it is. Look at that. That's what we're talking about here. The fact that it's glossy on one side and really tender on the other. Okay, I'm going to try this. Try it. Go ahead, man.

03:53That's spice. It's like all the secret spices. Right, right. This is great. Yeah.

04:00Like my mom, Ali knows that the right spices are the key to the regional flavor of a dish.

04:08I mix the spices for the shawarmas myself. I don't let anybody do it. I have to do it the right way, the traditional way, the way how we do it back home. I'm from Beirut. The beginning, I was a student there. I was studying. Then, you know, because of the war, I have to move here.

04:25I didn't even have a chance to finish grade 12. Too bad, you know.

04:36I worked in construction at the beginning. I see, like, the community here, we don't have meat store and grocery, Middle Eastern.

04:43So, the idea is that let me open up for my, like, community to see, to make life easy for them.

04:50The butcher shop and grocery quickly became a cornerstone of Scarborough.

04:55So, Ali expanded to include a fish market and hard-to-find Levantine specialties.

05:02Here we go, man.

05:03Wow.

05:04Like one of Gadir's most special orders, kubzah.

05:14This is, this is like a festive dish. This is something that maybe iftar you would have for iftar.

05:18Oh, and Ramadan, we use it a lot, yes.

05:19Yeah.

05:21Ali marinates this beef in-house. It's braised, then roasted for a perfect char.

05:26It's layered over a bed of rice and lentils and dotted with jewels of cashews and pistachios.

05:32What is, what's in this?

05:36This is yogurt and cucumber with some fresh mint and garlic.

05:42So, Ali, when I, when I see this, these two things, I'm Sri Lankan.

05:46Immediately, what I think is, like, biryani.

05:48Yeah.

05:49So, you pour the yogurt on the rice. That's what I would do.

05:52Yeah.

05:52That's what my mom would do.

05:53No, no, no, the way, how we do it is we'll do like this.

05:57And then we, some of this.

05:59You get that hot and sort of spice and the cooling effect.

06:02Oh, nice.

06:08Mmm.

06:08Oh, wow.

06:09That's so good.

06:10Rice and yogurt for me, it's like, it touches my soul.

06:13Good.

06:14Do you feel like you belong in Scarborough?

06:17For, for me, for example, like, I was forced to leave Sri Lanka because of the Civil War.

06:21So, you're always in that middle zone where you, you don't belong to one party or the other sometimes.

06:26Listen, I tell you, honestly, I'm 50-50, okay?

06:30I miss here when I'm there, and when I'm here, I miss there.

06:33That's life.

06:33We had a war in our country, and we have to get out from there, so I decided to come to Canada.

06:43What I do, that's what I love.

06:45I love to do this.

06:47It's such a beautiful success story.

06:48We moved to Scarborough from Sri Lanka when I was 12 years old.

07:05I went to high school in Scarborough, to Francis Lieberman Catholic High School.

07:09So, I've spent a lot of time seeing the culture grow, eating through Scarborough.

07:13One of the most popular places in Scarborough is right over here, Mona's Roti.

07:19Family-run operation started by Mona, and now her daughter, Risa, is managing it.

07:23And there you have Bombay Foods, my favorite shop to get mangoes in Toronto.

07:28Of course, the legendary Paddy Time.

07:30I've been going to Paddy Time religiously since I was in high school.

07:34While there were a few places to get Tamil food, as a teenager,

07:37I started to taste and learn about different food cultures other than my own.

07:43And now, 30 years later, Scarborough has one of the largest Tamil communities in the world, outside of Sri Lanka.

07:50I think back to when my mom was having a hard time finding certain spices or fruits,

07:55and now I would say some of the best Tamil food in the country is in Scarborough.

07:59I'm meeting an old Scarborough buddy to visit one of his favorite spots for Tamil food.

08:07This is a plaza that we call Tamil City because it mimics the pastel-colored buildings of Jaffna in Sri Lanka.

08:16Actually, I met Roshan at one of these Tamil takeout places, and then this kinship sort of developed.

08:23Sir, how's it going, man?

08:25Good, man. How are you?

08:26Good, good, good.

08:27Roshan Kanagaraja is a Tamil-Canadian chef known for his unique line of hot sauces and marinades.

08:34His family immigrated here from Sri Lanka, just like mine.

08:38When did you come to Canada with your family?

08:401990.

08:411990?

08:42Same year as us. We were probably a baby, right?

08:44I was two years old.

08:49Back then, we didn't have, like, a Tamil Central.

08:51And, I mean, the community grew really quickly,

08:53but it's kind of really cool to see, like, within 30 to 40 years now,

08:56we've got, like, this enclave of, like, Tamil businesses.

08:59You get gold, you get food, you get saris.

09:02I bet you could probably plan your entire wedding in this one networking of plazas, right?

09:07For sure. You could just come here and just stay the whole day and just get it all done.

09:10One of my favorite things about Tamil Central here is the food, obviously.

09:15Want some upham?

09:15Because I know you like upham.

09:17I love upham.

09:17And the best upham is in this plaza at Purini.

09:20Okay, let's go try it.

09:21Yeah, let's go.

09:22Tamil restaurants are almost always takeout,

09:25a remnant from the civil war in Sri Lanka,

09:27when sitting down in a restaurant could be risky.

09:31At Purini Villas, right in the middle of Tamil City,

09:34the lack of seating is more than made up for

09:36by the aromas wafting from its takeout counter.

09:41Oh, yeah.

09:42What immediately gets me is the smell.

09:43Oh, man, it smells so good.

09:45This is an ancient dish, right?

09:49This dish is over a millennia old.

09:51Yeah.

09:53Here in the kitchen, there are many regional Tamil specialties,

09:57whether it's stewed,

10:00fried,

10:02mixed,

10:03or steamed to perfection.

10:07But we've come here for the uphams.

10:10This is a pancake-style dish that is central to Tamil cuisine.

10:13It's made from fermented rice batter using coconut milk,

10:18lovingly crafted using a small, round-bottom pan.

10:21It can be enjoyed plain,

10:23sometimes sweetened with jaggery sugar,

10:25or topped with a curry.

10:26Describe to me, what is the perfect uphams for you?

10:30It has to be crisp, holding its shape,

10:33not too thin at the bottom.

10:36It has to have a little bit of thickness at the bottom.

10:37A little fluffy pancake on the bottom?

10:38A little fluffy, yeah, like a pancake, fluffy at the bottom,

10:41and a very balanced coconut milk center.

10:44The uphams are made by master artisan Sarojini Deviratna,

10:54who prefers to go by her Tamil nickname.

10:56Everybody call me Amma.

10:58Amma means mother.

10:59This is no sugar.

11:06Ooh, no sugar.

11:08That one is jaggery.

11:10So Amma, how many uphams do you make every week, do you think?

11:13Every day, maybe 500.

11:15Yeah, and people come specifically just to have the uphams?

11:19This is beautiful, eh?

11:20I mean, you can smell it, too.

11:22Yeah.

11:22It has a sort of slight sort of funkiness to it, right?

11:25Oh, yeah.

11:25As soon as it came out.

11:26I say let's start with the plain one first.

11:30It's so good.

11:32I mean, this is probably the oldest uphams in my life,

11:35the jaggery coconut milk uphams.

11:40Oh, come on.

11:41I don't know what to do with the coconut milk or the coconut cream,

11:44but it really is giving it that oomph.

11:46I think they've got a coconut tree in the back.

11:50Probably, probably.

11:51I think so.

11:52The only coconut tree in Scarborough, in Canada.

11:56Can we switch it up and try it with the curry?

11:59I'm down.

12:00Awesome.

12:01Traditionally, they could be topped with mutton, chicken, shrimp, or eggplant curry.

12:05Mmm.

12:06That's great.

12:08That coconut milk dances with everything.

12:10The great thing about this is, like, where this comes from, everybody eats it.

12:15Whether you're rich or you're poor or you're just like anyone, corporate executive.

12:20Irrespective of class, right?

12:21Anyone will eat it.

12:22Anyone will try it.

12:23Yes, and it's getting lost very quickly.

12:25This is one of the last places to do it the right way.

12:27While Tamil food in Scarborough reminds me of home, I think haka cuisine best represents

12:46the deep regional diversity in the borough.

12:49I get excited when I hear the wok.

12:54Yeah.

12:56And the clanking.

12:58Haka people have a unique history of migrating from place to place, and their cooking has evolved

13:04with every step of the journey.

13:05It's my favorite haka place.

13:07Oh, right.

13:07I'm excited.

13:08I've known Risa Khan for over two decades, ever since our family started going to Mona's

13:17Roti, her family's restaurant.

13:19Risa knows Caribbean-style haka dishes, while my experience is largely with Indian-style,

13:24at places like this, Wong's Asian cuisine.

13:27Fire is so big.

13:34You have to keep the fire going.

13:40If you stop, the food gets burnt.

13:43So you have to be fast.

13:48Owner and chef Christopher Wong has been working the wok every day for 30 years.

13:52He's a true master.

13:53I can stand away on the wok, 10 hours, non-stop cooking.

14:00Non-stop.

14:05The haka people are a subgroup of Han Chinese.

14:09Many settled in Kolkata, India, which is where Chris grew up, before he started moving.

14:16Then I went to Hong Kong, Kuwait, Cyprus, Ireland, then Canada.

14:23When I say haka cuisine, what is the first thing you think about?

14:26Chili chicken.

14:27Chili chicken.

14:30It's the dish to understand the appeal of Scarborough haka cuisine.

14:35Chris tosses chunks of deep-fried chicken with chilies and Indian masala.

14:40A beautiful marriage of Chinese techniques and Indian spices.

14:45This is Chris' haka.

14:46Oh yeah, here we go.

14:49The doodles, and of course, the chili chicken.

14:53While everyone loves chili chicken, there's one internal question.

14:57Sauce or no sauce?

14:59I know there's this debate on how you're supposed to order it.

15:02Are we going to do this?

15:06I've been team dry.

15:07Hold on, who convinced you?

15:09I need to find this person.

15:10I've been team dry.

15:11No!

15:12Team dry for two years.

15:13Teresa, look at this glossy plate of chicken.

15:16There's a time and space for it.

15:18Okay, you know what?

15:19Grab your fork.

15:20Let's do it.

15:22Mmm.

15:23Mm-hmm.

15:24Mm-hmm.

15:24You may have converted me back.

15:26It's not too heavy on any one particular spice?

15:29No.

15:30Very lightly battered.

15:31Yeah, lightly battered.

15:32Not too much soy.

15:35It might actually be like one of my favorite meals.

15:38This combination of cultures and flavors could be the key to its appeal.

15:43Why do you think hucka food is so popular in Scarborough?

15:47Somehow, we all grew up eating rice and curries and spicy food and stuff with chilies on it.

15:52So it is very relatable.

15:54But there's always a twist on it, which makes it exciting.

15:57You nailed it.

15:58I mean, that's exactly what it is.

15:59So if you're from India or from the Caribbean or from Sri Lanka, and, you know, you come here as immigrants, and there's so much nostalgia attached to food.

16:07Right.

16:08And you love your food, but you want to try something different.

16:10Exactly.

16:10Hucka cuisine is that perfect intersection.

16:13It's like a gateway.

16:15Hi, Suish.

16:16Hey, Chris, how are you?

16:17How soon are you going?

16:18Good, good.

16:18I got you something special.

16:20Yeah, beef.

16:20Chowsu beef.

16:21Chowsu beef.

16:22This is a lot of food.

16:22Can you join us?

16:23Yeah, sure.

16:24I'll join you.

16:27I've never had this before.

16:28What is this dish?

16:29It's a fermented rice.

16:31Think about three weeks to make it.

16:32Oh.

16:33Because the Hucka people were transient, much of their cuisine relied on local ingredients, whether it was preserved or fermented.

16:41In Chris's version of Chowsu beef, marinated meat is tossed with chilies, garlic, veggies, and coated with a dark soy-based sauce.

16:52It's a really unique dish because it has that slight sort of funkiness from the fermentation and the sourness.

16:58Most of the time, the Hucka people come and eat this one.

17:01This beef is so tender.

17:03Yeah.

17:03It's so tender.

17:04Yeah.

17:04Little sort of pops of that fermenty sort of sourness once in a while.

17:09It's really, it's really something.

17:10I know that food is like such a really deep, you know, connection with your family.

17:15We came from a very, very poor family.

17:20We don't have pocket money, so that's why I have to go and work and study.

17:23And my hobby is food cooking.

17:25I always see my mother and mom how to cook.

17:30I'm very splendid.

17:31I'll cut vegetables, I'll give it to my mom, my mom cook it.

17:35Yeah.

17:36That's how we start, right?

17:37Yeah.

17:41It's very personal.

17:42Yeah.

17:43That struggle really does translate into love for the work that you do and the food that you make.

17:59You can really taste it.

18:00So thank you, Chris.

18:01It must be worth it.

18:02Yeah.

18:02Scarborough's Hucka Cuisine is really about the mixing of cultures in one place.

18:20The last stop on my journey represents the way I like to indulge in the regional deep cuts of the city.

18:26A tailgate.

18:27This tucked away parking lot off Leibovitch Avenue is a popular spot where a younger generation can connect,

18:34sharing a variety of bites from across the world, side by side.

18:38We have some really good food here.

18:40Well, I'm really glad I ate before coming.

18:42It opened up my appetite.

18:43Yes.

18:44I've enlisted my old buddy, comedian and fellow food lover, Ali Hassan, for a parking lot feast.

18:52I think we should start by going to that place over there.

18:57We want to try the nachos.

18:59I would go for spicy tandoori nachos.

19:01All right.

19:02East meets west.

19:03Let's do that.

19:05What is this?

19:07So this is fish and loaf.

19:08Two words you don't see together too often?

19:10Yeah, I'm going to order for us.

19:11I've been here before.

19:15We are running out of arm and hand real estate.

19:19Maybe the gold garpe?

19:20It's just a terrible to-go.

19:22Triple threat poutine.

19:23Oh, okay, let's get that.

19:24Let's get that.

19:25This is a little much.

19:27Ever been happier to see your car?

19:30There we go.

19:33And now what?

19:34Now we eat.

19:35Oh, God.

19:36Yeah.

19:36Here we go.

19:37You know what I'm going to try first?

19:39Beef tongue.

19:40Beef tongue.

19:40Yeah.

19:41Yeah, absolutely.

19:41I'll take some tongue.

19:42Cheers.

19:43Cheers, buddy.

19:47Pretty darn good.

19:48What is next?

19:50I'm going to samosa chaat.

19:53Samosa chaat, okay.

19:56I love samosa chaat, man.

19:57I think chaat is amazing, and samosa chaat is just leveling up the chaat game.

20:03This might not be going in the right order, but now I'm eating soft-shell crab, and I love it.

20:07I'm going to do a fork full of the poutine.

20:12Mmm.

20:13If it had a different name, I'd probably like it.

20:16We're having ourselves quite a parking lot party here.

20:20Why didn't we have this in our 20s?

20:22I would have loved to go to a parking lot and hang out with my friends and just socialize

20:26and eat an assortment of different foods.

20:30We didn't have this sense of community.

20:32A lot of the faces that you see are young faces, and this is a way for them to not just

20:37share a meal like we're doing it, but it's a way for them to get to know their city.

20:40It's the new monster.com, Workopolis.

20:44It is like a real-life version of WhatsApp.

20:46Hang around with eight of your buddies, have some chai and some biryani, and, you know,

20:52that's just, you build sort of connections that way, and you build community that way.

21:07Scarborough really exemplifies the Canadian mosaic, a welcoming place that allows people

21:12from a wide variety of cultures to find a home and express themselves.

21:16It sparked my curiosity about culture and food, and it made me who I am today.

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