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00:08Ainsley's Taste of the Bahamas,
00:10brought to you by Nassau and Paradise Island.
00:19The best way to experience the true flavor of a place
00:22is through its food.
00:24So I'm off on my culinary travels again.
00:30I'm looking for dishes with a story to tell.
00:33It's an aphrodisiac.
00:38Traditions passed down through generations.
00:44And the freshest and zinniest of ingredients from land and sea.
00:49So here I am in the Bahamas,
00:51exploring islands of white sands, turquoise seas
00:55and food that is as vibrant as its people.
00:59From hidden beach shacks and fish fries.
01:02Ooh, a little bit of sesame.
01:05To fine dining with a Caribbean twist.
01:08It's all in this world.
01:09Scoop it up.
01:10Mmm.
01:11This is the last bottle known to man.
01:14Wow, I'm diving head first into the flavors, the colors
01:20and the rhythms of island life.
01:23So come on, grab a plate, loosen that belt
01:26and join me in my quest as I search for a lick a bit of island zest.
01:31Welcome to the Taste of the Bahamas.
01:42The Bahamas is a collection of around 700 islands
01:46that stretch across warm clear waters on the western edge of the Atlantic.
01:50Most people live on New Providence, home to Nassau and neighbouring Paradise Island.
01:56There's a rich mix of influences here.
01:59African roots, Caribbean spice.
02:01They drive on the left like us Brits, but in left hand drive American cars.
02:06And their food is all about simple island produce.
02:10Fresh papaya, spicy chilies, zingy citrus, plenty of rum
02:14and some of the best seafood you'll ever taste.
02:18And almost every table has a sea view.
02:22So come on, let's get stuck in.
02:25You know, today is all about island life.
02:27And I'm getting my first taste of the Bahamas
02:30and finding out what flavors make these islands tick.
02:35Yavoy!
02:40I'll be meeting a chef sharing his knowledge of Bahamian food with the world.
02:45Now, if I don't measure, chef in the Bahamas, chef like probably here in the Caribbean,
02:50we don't measure. We use a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
02:53And I'll be seeking out some super fresh island ingredients.
02:57What do you think I should take?
02:58You know, do what the Bahamians do.
03:01Choose the biggest one.
03:05As I add my own little tropical twist to one of Nassau's seafood favorites.
03:10Yeah, not kung fritta, prana, quokkanut fritta.
03:19But first, I'm headed downtown to answer the age-old question.
03:24Why did Ainsley cross the road?
03:26Well, to get to the chicken on the other side, of course.
03:30This is where the locals like to eat.
03:32Forget your fancy plates.
03:34We are talking about big, bold flavors in a big, brown paper bag.
03:39Bamboo Shack is a Bahamian institution.
03:41And I'm here to find out why the locals keep coming back for this famous chicken-in-the-bug time
03:47after time after time.
03:52Bamboo Shack is fast food, Bahamas style.
03:56You place your order, grab your ticket, and wait for your brown bag of fresh-cooked fried chicken to hit
04:02the counter.
04:07Yeah, could I have chicken in a bag, please?
04:10Chicken thigh in a bag.
04:12And, do you know what, I fancy something sweet.
04:14Can I have any lemonades?
04:17And how much is the damage?
04:18And, how much is the damage?
04:20OK.
04:21That's it.
04:22Oh!
04:23God, I just love this money, didn't you?
04:26Hey?
04:27Everything is tap, tap, tap.
04:28It's quite nice to fill the old casket.
04:31Thank you very much indeed.
04:33It all started back in 1990 when a woman called Elaine Pinder opened a tiny kitchen with a big idea.
04:42Make the best fried chicken on the island, spicy, salty, crunchy, with a touch of sweetness and hot sauce galore.
04:50And all popped into a brown paper bag.
04:53It's so popular, the locals here will tell you there's nothing more Bahamian than chicken in the bug.
04:59Ainsley.
05:00Yeah, here we are.
05:02Hi.
05:03Welcome, family chef.
05:04Oh, thank you so much.
05:05Very lucky number one.
05:06Yeah.
05:07Oh, what?
05:08Oh, thank you.
05:10See you tomorrow.
05:11Oh, maybe you will.
05:15Do you know, I really want to open this bag, but before I do, I want to know more about
05:19the story of this place from Elaine's daughter, Gandhi.
05:24So, Gandhi, was it an instant success?
05:27Did people suddenly start queuing like they are here, or was it a gradual thing to catch them?
05:32Well, you know, chicken in the bag was always a popular thing and a Bahamian staple.
05:35So, from Keith's chicken shack to Father Alan's chicken.
05:38But when you have that recipe and that hot sauce and that ketchup and the chicken and the conk and
05:43everything coming together, it was just like, almost like an instant success.
05:48You've got something really, really special here.
05:50You must be so proud.
05:51Yes, we are definitely so proud, and we really want you to try it.
05:55Yeah.
05:57Come all the way from England to try your bamboo shack thing.
06:01No, but what you have to say in Bahamian accent, I want try, say it, I want try.
06:06I want try.
06:07The Bahamian ting.
06:08The Bahamian ting.
06:10Ting.
06:10Ting.
06:11Okay.
06:18I'm excited.
06:20We want the reaction.
06:21Yes, look at that.
06:22Okay.
06:23I'm being terribly British.
06:25I am being terribly, terribly British.
06:27Do forgive me.
06:28Well, you fit right in.
06:29Yeah.
06:30Welcome home.
06:32First bite.
06:34First bite.
06:36Sound effects.
06:37Mm.
06:40Take it in.
06:42Is it deliciously Bahamian?
06:44Gandhi, I don't know what the Bahamian spice is supposed to be like.
06:48All I know is that this is a wonderful, succulent, crispy piece of chicken, you know, with great taste.
06:55Love and a greasy chin.
06:56The perfect combination.
06:58You have to do it if you're not all in it, if you don't get a little grease, it's not
07:02chicken in the bag, okay?
07:04That's like one of the signature things.
07:06Oh, dear.
07:07Absolutely.
07:08So now you had bamboo shack, which is deliciously Bahamian, and so now you're an honorary Bahamian.
07:13I might be queuing up tomorrow.
07:15Well, we look forward to welcoming you, and I'm going to steal one of your fries if you don't mind.
07:18You can do that.
07:21Well, now that I'm an honorary Bahamian, I think I need to up my cookery game a bit, so I
07:26can cook more like a local.
07:28Luckily, I know just where I need to go.
07:32I'm on my way to the kitchen cookery school, where Chef Tevin Kemp is preparing a Bahamian classic.
07:40At Tevin's cookery school at Bahama, hotel guests learn true Bahamian cooking.
07:45And while Chef Gabby prepares some delicious main courses to try later, well, Tevin is going to teach me the
07:52ultimate side dish.
07:53I call it Jamaican rice and peas, but here they call it...
07:57Bahamian peas and rice, a staple here from the Bahamas, and it's different from the Jamaican rice and peas.
08:02Wow.
08:03Right?
08:03Go ahead.
08:04Should I chop this up, then, this onion?
08:05Certainly.
08:06And I'll go ahead with the bell pepper while I buy it.
08:08So what is the difference, then, or why do they make such a big noise about it?
08:12Because it's basically the same thing, isn't it?
08:14Ah, similar.
08:16It's similar.
08:16I must say, the difference is the tomato paste.
08:20Bahamians use tomato paste like how Asians use soy sauce.
08:23Okay.
08:24We add tomato paste in everything from our stews to our chickens to our, whether it be our fish preparation.
08:32You'll find tomato paste in there.
08:33So we're going to go in, Chef, with, we call it western oil, or should I say vegetable oil.
08:38Vegetable oil, yeah, I can understand that.
08:40Now, to make the best rice you need, I need some good oil.
08:43We're starting off with our aromatics.
08:45It's going to be the onions inside there.
08:47I'm also coming behind with the green bell peppers.
08:51I'm going to dive it inside there as well.
08:52Beautiful.
08:53And, Chef, if you may, can you add some of those aromatics, that being the thyme and the bay leaf,
08:58give it some good flavor and some lovely scents inside the room.
09:02Okay, bit of this going in, Chef?
09:04Yes, we could go ahead with some thawed beef as well.
09:06And then we're going to throw that pepper in there as well.
09:08I'm going to turn the stove right up.
09:09The gold pepper right inside there.
09:11Perfect.
09:12Let's sit, allow it to do.
09:14And then we're going to also add in the bay leaf and thyme, right?
09:19Mm-hmm.
09:19So we're going to add those thyme and bay leaf.
09:21We're going to save the garlic at the end.
09:23Beautiful.
09:24So what's happening is all of the onions, sweet onions, and, of course, the bell peppers are starting to get
09:29translucent.
09:30All of that is going to be the base of the flavor, exactly how we cook.
09:33Tomato going in, Chef.
09:34How much?
09:35Just about that much?
09:36Yeah, you know exactly what's going on.
09:37We're going to tell them parading there.
09:38Now, the trick about the tomato paste, we're going to add just a little bit more of that tomato paste.
09:43Okay.
09:43You want to cook it out until it starts to caramelize.
09:45The sugar starts to almost burn.
09:47And that's when you know you've reached to the flavor profile you want for peas and rice.
09:52Okay, wow.
09:53We're going in now with the tomatoes.
09:55Good.
09:55A bit of garlic now, Chef?
09:57Yes.
09:57Add all of the garlic.
09:58We add the garlic now so it doesn't burn.
10:00You want it to stay true and stay bright, but you don't want it to get bitter.
10:04Mmm.
10:05This smells wonderfully aromatic.
10:06And you can throw in those pigeon peas at the same time as well.
10:09Okay.
10:09Pigeon peas are a Bahamian staple.
10:12Nuggets of nutty goodness that bring warmth and depth of flavor.
10:17So that's what we're looking for, Chef, that kind of caramelization there.
10:21Correct.
10:21That's exactly.
10:22You always know it.
10:23You want to do it just before the milk goes in because the milk is going to reduce for another
10:27moment.
10:28Okay.
10:28Just for another layer of flavor as well.
10:30Beautiful.
10:31Right, Chef?
10:32Actually, we're going to go in with a little bit of browning.
10:34You want to add at least about a quarter of that browning.
10:37I think we should be good with there.
10:39Yeah.
10:39Perfect.
10:40Happy with that.
10:40Nice.
10:42I'm going to add the water now.
10:44Okay.
10:44Right?
10:44Adding the water at this time.
10:46Mm-hmm.
10:48Beautiful.
10:48So we want to turn it up very, very high.
10:50We want to come to a rapid boil, and that's when we're going to stir in.
10:53Now, I don't measure.
10:54Yeah.
10:55Chef, in the Bahamas, just like probably here in the Caribbean, we don't measure.
10:58We use a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
11:01Yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:01Now, I'm going to pour the rice, and you're not going to judge me.
11:03I'm going to do it like how my Grammy teach me.
11:05Yeah, okay.
11:06You pour until you get a hill, and I go a little above the hill, and you stop right there.
11:11Stirring that all around.
11:12Stirring just straight in?
11:13Straight in.
11:14So what I want to do while that's on a simmer, I'm going to cut the bottom off these scallions,
11:20because I'm not going to cut this up.
11:22I'm going to drop that hole right inside the pot and allow that to cook right inside there,
11:26pulling it out at the end.
11:27So we're going to give it just about, I would say, four minutes on a simmer.
11:30So the lid goes on, and our peas and rice will soon be done.
11:35The perfect accompaniment to the feast Tevin's team have laid on for me.
11:40Call it peas and rice, call it rice and peas.
11:42Whatever way you say it, it's simply delicious.
11:46Chef, I truly enjoyed every piece of you coming here to cook along some Bohemian food.
11:51Yeah, I'll tell you what, I've so enjoyed cooking along with you.
11:55Can't wait to get stuck in.
11:56Merci.
11:56Coming up, I go island shopping.
12:03Hold one, Poconuts.
12:05And put a spicy spin on a crunchy Bohemian classic.
12:10Me don't need no cunk, me just need grana, quokanuts.
12:25Ainsley's Taste of the Bahamas, brought to you by Nassau and Paradise Island.
12:35Ainsley's Taste of the Bahamas, brought to you by Nassau and Paradise Island.
12:44Welcome back.
12:46My Bahamian flavoured adventure is well underway.
12:49I've enjoyed chicken in the bag.
12:52I want to try the Bahamian team, right.
12:55And I've learnt the importance of putting my peas before my rice.
13:00Now, I'm going to pour the rice, and you're not going to judge me.
13:03I'm going to do it like how my Grammy teach me.
13:05Yeah.
13:05But now, I'm after some fresh Bahamian flavours of my own.
13:10You know, when you come to the Bahamas, it's not just about the beautiful white sandy beaches and translucent waters.
13:16Oh, yeah, lovely.
13:17It's about the people, and it's about the produce.
13:21The Gladstone Road Farmer's Market is packed with the good stuff.
13:25All the island staples the locals love.
13:28There's homemade sauces, there's cakes.
13:30Breadfruit.
13:32Breadfruit, coconut milk and breadfruit.
13:34Cinnamon, vanilla, and just the flour.
13:37There's freshly pressed sugar can for sweet refreshment on tap.
13:43Beautiful.
13:46Wow.
13:47What are the benefits?
13:49It's good for bad breath.
13:51Are you saying I've got bad breath?
13:52It's good for bad breath.
13:54No, I say that a lot.
13:55I say that.
13:57And avocados, big enough to feed a giant.
14:02Wow.
14:03The size of these.
14:05But I'm here for two main ingredients to take back to my seaside kitchen.
14:10First up, a lovely fresh coconut.
14:13Why the juice coming out?
14:15I know, but no, no, but it's okay.
14:17Okay.
14:18Now, that is a beautiful coconut.
14:21The way that you tell, now, it's white on the inside.
14:23The way that you tell if it's good or not, you want to shake it.
14:26Yeah.
14:27And make sure you hear that water in there.
14:30That's a better probability that I'll be okay.
14:33So I'm going to take one of these.
14:34I'm going to grate it up.
14:35Instead of using the dry, desiccated coconut, I could use this.
14:38Yeah?
14:39This is nothing beats fresh.
14:42Sold one coconut.
14:43What is the best one?
14:44What do you think I should take?
14:45You know, do what the Bahamians do.
14:48Choose the biggest one.
14:49Sure.
14:52Be like, come back.
14:56Now, I just need something with a bit of a kick.
15:01What got you into hot pepper sauce, then?
15:03You've got about 50 varieties here.
15:05My son and my husband, they like hot, spicy stuff.
15:11Yeah.
15:12I like it spicy, too.
15:14I am not the spicy one.
15:16Okay.
15:16I just make everything, and they do the tasting, so.
15:19Wonderful.
15:21Out here, they love a really spicy pepper they call the goat.
15:25Is it the greatest of all time?
15:28There's only one way to find out.
15:30So, Grace, this is the perfect sauce to go with my prawn and coconut fritters, yeah?
15:35Yes.
15:36Beautiful.
15:36Yes.
15:37Just use that, put a little bit in there, jazz it up, stir it up.
15:41Good to go.
15:42Good to go.
15:42Thank you so much.
15:43You're welcome.
15:44All right, you too.
15:45I've had a taste of two cracking Bahamian classics so far.
15:49But there's a third island favourite that has people flocking to it every single day of the week.
15:55And it's provided me with a bit of inspiration for my recipe.
16:00Everywhere you go in the Bahamas, it's all about the conch.
16:03I'm talking about conch fritters.
16:04I'm talking about conch chowder or conch salad.
16:07But I thought, can't get that at home.
16:09What can I do?
16:10So I've decided to come up with a little bit of an alternative.
16:14Yes, and saying a big thank you to the Bahamas.
16:16I'm doing coconut and prawn fritter with a calypso sauce and a pickled coconut slaw.
16:23All right.
16:24Shall we carry on with that?
16:25Hey, what about these prawns, eh?
16:27Very nice.
16:28Going to get that straight onto my board here.
16:30And I'm going to chop those up.
16:32There we are.
16:33I want them sort of quite fine-ish because we're going to be making fritters and in a mixture,
16:40including some lovely flavours.
16:43And, of course, the flour and everything to bind it together.
16:47Let's just chop these up.
16:53Once you get to that stage, just transfer that into your bowl there.
17:01Beautiful.
17:02That's what we're looking for.
17:04Okay.
17:05I'm just going to give my board a little bit of a wipe here.
17:08That's it.
17:09Just wipe down as you go along.
17:11Now, what about getting some flavour into those prawns?
17:15I'm going to start off with just a little bit of lime.
17:18So we've got a touch of lime zest.
17:27And I'm also going to just squeeze on a little bit of lime juice too.
17:31Okay.
17:31Just a bit of juice to go along with that zest.
17:37A little bit of fresh thyme here.
17:40I'm just dragging some of those leaves off like that.
17:43There you go.
17:47There you go.
17:49Next, it's in with some finely chopped peppers,
17:52a good pepper,
17:53a touch of garlic,
17:54and some spring onions and celery.
17:59Okay.
18:00Just give that a little bit of a mix through there.
18:05Mmm.
18:08Guys, look what I've got here now.
18:09I've got some flour here
18:12with a bit of paprika
18:14and some coconut,
18:15and that's baking powder.
18:17All right, the idea of that,
18:18that's to kind of give everything
18:21that little bit of a sort of pop,
18:23if you like,
18:24when it goes into our hot oil.
18:30Let's just mix that together.
18:33Now have some coconut milk.
18:35Give it that real Bahamian kind of flavour.
18:39There you go.
18:39A bit of that going in there.
18:46I think that's the perfect consistency now.
18:50And a quick check on the temperature of the oil.
18:55And I think that's pretty good, actually.
18:58Should we crack on?
18:58Let's make a few more.
18:59Oh, baby.
19:02I don't need the conch.
19:04All I need is my pran and coconut.
19:09Yeah, me don't need no conch.
19:12Me just need pran and coconut.
19:15Drop it in there.
19:17Me don't need conch.
19:19Me just need pran and coconut.
19:22Yeah, boy.
19:24Come on, there you go.
19:26And then you cook those off.
19:36These are looking absolutely perfect here.
19:44There you go.
19:45Look at those.
19:46Puffed up, golden and beautiful.
19:50Ready to devour.
19:52But I think it needs something else, doesn't it?
19:55Pickled coconut salad.
19:57Maybe a little bit of spicy hot sauce dip.
20:00Let's do it.
20:03Yeah, cutting up some more peppers.
20:05More good pepper.
20:07Garlic and fresh thyme.
20:09It really is so, so aromatic.
20:11Love it, me love it, me love it.
20:13And what are we going to do?
20:14Well, I'm going to take my cabbage, my carrots,
20:16my onions that are already sliced up with some coconut.
20:19Add these bad boys to it.
20:25That's it.
20:26Give that a little bit of a mix through.
20:29And a little pickling needs to go on here now.
20:33So a bit of sugar.
20:35Some white vinegar.
20:36And a little squeeze of lime juice.
20:39That just goes on top of our slaw.
20:44Let's just work that together a touch.
20:49Just let that pickle up a little bit more.
20:53And we'll serve it with a nice sauce.
20:56I've got my mayonnaise there.
20:58And my hot pepper sauce.
21:00I'm not going to chill with this, I tell you.
21:02I can't space things up.
21:05Hot pepper sauce, a touch of lime juice
21:07and a little bit of ketchup.
21:10Give that a good old mix.
21:13Oh, yeah.
21:15And do you know what?
21:16I think we're ready to serve up.
21:18Coriander there.
21:20That's my lovely dipping sauce.
21:23Beautiful.
21:24Fab.
21:25A lovely coconut salad.
21:30And that's it.
21:32And you kind of know what's going in the centre
21:34of my pickled coconut nest, don't you?
21:37It's these wonderful prawn and coconut fritters.
21:41There you go.
21:43Yeah, them bad boys.
21:45Yeah.
21:46Look at that, eh?
21:47Ha-ha.
21:50You hungry?
21:52Well, why not try my prawn and coconut fritters?
21:56Yeah, not kung fritter.
21:57Pranang coconut fritter.
22:01I've got to say,
22:03I've so enjoyed some classic Bahamian flavours today
22:06and they've definitely tickled the old taste buds.
22:09Wow.
22:09And you know what?
22:10I can't wait to continue my island adventure.
22:15From the buzz of the market to Tevin's kitchen,
22:19I've got to say,
22:20I've had a real taste of the true foundations
22:22of Bahamian life.
22:24And I'm really enjoying it.
22:55Ainsley's Taste of the Bahamas,
22:56Brought to you by Nassau and Paradise Island.
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