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00:00I'm Levi Roots, and I have a passion for food. Ever since I was a little boy growing up in Jamaica, I've always loved to cook. Now, I want to take you on a mouth-watering journey through my favourite flavours.
00:21I'll be sharing classic Caribbean dishes as I travel around Jamaica and across the UK, giving your taste buds the tropical treatment.
00:30I'll show you how sunshine ingredients can spice up anyone's cooking and bring the taste of the Caribbean to your kitchen.
00:39It's delicious, it's healthy, and it's so easy.
00:51The Caribbean islands, nestling in the deep blue waters off the coast of the Americas, are a culinary paradise.
01:12Bursting with delicious fruit, fish, and spices. And it's where I was born.
01:26I lived in Jamaica with my grandmother until I was 11, and the boundary of my road was the Mapen Bridge.
01:33When I was a kid, I was told that this bridge was seven miles high, and I believed it.
01:44Now, I'm making the return journey to content, the village where I grew up.
01:52I get back to my grandmother's old home whenever I can.
01:57And today, I'll be cooking lunch for my niece, Janice, and my big sister, Cynthia.
02:05Good to see you.
02:06Coming, coming.
02:08But first, let me show you around.
02:11This is a very special garden to me. I spent a lot of time here as a kid.
02:17My grandfather used to have trees like these, and he used to protect his mango trees so much.
02:21He didn't want anybody else but the birds to have it.
02:23So we pretended to be birds, that we would actually eat the mango around the seeds on the tree,
02:29and not leave any mess on the floor.
02:31So he would come along and say, those damn birds at my mangoes again.
02:34And my friend and I would be around the corner laughing at him with our bellies full of mangoes.
02:40This is a typical Caribbean garden with lots of food growing in a small space.
02:44Green bananas, ackee, breadfruit, and here, unripe or jelly coconuts.
02:50I think I'm going to have one.
03:00Fantastic.
03:02In Jamaica, we love to cook out of doors.
03:05So, I've set up my kitchen in the garden.
03:08It's a great spot to celebrate coming home.
03:11When I was a boy, I was helping my grandmother all the time.
03:14But today, I've got my nephew here, Randy, who's going to help me to cook my fabulicious homecoming lamb.
03:20We all know that lamb and mint are great together, but this is a tropical twist on the combination with a marinade that uses the tang of spring onions and the citrus sweetness of limes.
03:34And we'll make a rich gravy with stout.
03:39I'll be serving it with a Jamaican staple, rice and peas.
03:43You'll be amazed how easy it is to make this tasty classic using coconut, my special ingredient.
03:50Now, Randy, come on.
03:53You can rind some of these limes from me, okay?
03:56Randy, do you do any cooking?
03:57Yes, I do cooking.
03:58You do?
03:59Brilliant.
04:00A bit of de-bling, yes?
04:01First, I'm going to need three sprigs of spring onions.
04:05Skellion here in the Caribbean, but spring onions to you if you're anywhere else.
04:10This will be the base for our lamb marinade paste.
04:15And what I'm making here is what I would cook for my grandmother if she was alive today.
04:20Next, I'm going to need some mint chop fine.
04:24My grandmother was always calling me, Willesley, which was my pet name.
04:30Have you heard what I used to say?
04:31No.
04:32You could have called, but you know, get come.
04:33Well, that meant no matter how much you call, I ain't going to come.
04:37Next, I'm going to add half of Scotch bonnet pepper.
04:40Then I'm going to remove the seeds.
04:42My granny didn't like it hot.
04:44Next, I'm going to add three sprigs of thyme, chopped finely.
04:50Lovely smell of the garden.
04:52Some pimento or allspice berries.
04:55I'm going to add six of these.
04:58Now, to mix all this into a marinade, you add the juice of two lines and a splash of olive oil.
05:04See if we can mash it up.
05:07You could do this in a blender.
05:08Just blitz it.
05:09I think there's a little bit more pleasure in doing it yourself.
05:12Yeah, I think that's ready.
05:13Respect Drew Randy.
05:15Yeah, take it back.
05:16Yeah.
05:17Now, this is the real cool bit.
05:19Is to work your marinade into your lamb.
05:22So it gets lovely and flavoursome.
05:25If you've got the time, leave it in the fridge overnight.
05:28So the flavours will really penetrate into the meat.
05:31But if not, about an hour, perfect.
05:34I'm going to be cooking this on a traditional Caribbean coal pot.
05:38This is just the same as your hob at home.
05:41A little more exotic.
05:44Now, my coal pot is going nicely.
05:46Now, for my grandmother's special treat, if she was alive today, I would be cooking her rice and peas.
05:52Right, Randy, let's get into this coconut.
05:55There's three eyes in the coconut, but only one you can enter through.
05:59So come on, son.
06:00Which one do you think?
06:01This one.
06:02You say that one.
06:03Shall we have a go?
06:04Ah, yes.
06:07Here it is.
06:11Look.
06:12Can I get in that one?
06:14Can I get in that one?
06:15That one's nice.
06:17And there's the juice.
06:19You can buy coconut milk, but it's so much tastier if you make it fresh.
06:25Smash your coconut, separate the flesh and grate it coarsely.
06:30Steep it in the coconut juice and some warm water for 20 minutes.
06:34And squeeze out that delicious coconut milk.
06:39Once you've done that, get it straight on the fire.
06:44Then, you had a whole spring onion.
06:48Some fresh thyme.
06:50Seven allspice berries.
06:52A bit of bite from a whole garlic clove.
06:55Half an onion, roughly chopped.
06:58And a whole scotch bonnet pepper.
07:01As long as it remains intact.
07:03This little demon brings flavor without having too much heat.
07:07Now, for the peas.
07:09Yes, I know it's confusing.
07:10We call them peas, but they're really beans.
07:13What we've got here is about a tin's worth of black beans.
07:16But if you are using kidney beans,
07:18which is the traditional peas or beans we use for rice and peas,
07:21it's just as fat.
07:23When that has simmered for 15 minutes,
07:26pour in the rice to absorb all those flavors.
07:34You need to brown the meat for a few minutes on each side
07:37to seal in the spicy marinade.
07:40It smells fabulous.
07:43Well, this is going brilliantly,
07:44but I think I'm going to have to moderate the heat a bit.
07:46Randy!
07:47I'm bringing our moderator in.
07:50Now we need to pop the lid on.
07:55And let that sort of steam fry away,
08:00just to release more juices in there.
08:04For about five minutes.
08:06Then add any remaining marinade to the meat.
08:10In it goes.
08:14And the final ingredient is the stout.
08:17Again, pour exactly in the middle to avoid any splashes.
08:22My granny, she loves a bit of stout.
08:24I'm going to leave that to simmer away for about eight minutes,
08:27just so that some of the liquid can actually evaporate
08:29and just leave me a nice thick gravy.
08:32I think I can guess what the family will think of my own coming land.
08:45But more importantly, what would granny have thought?
09:01You think you like it?
09:03You should be surprised.
09:05You know that I really sleep.
09:08You know that I really sleep could prepare such a meal.
09:11Yeah.
09:12You should be proud.
09:13You should be very, very proud.
09:19It's just like old times,
09:21but not everything stays the same.
09:27This is another of my childhood aunts
09:29that is looking a bit different today.
09:33This is my grandfather's farm.
09:36I can still feel his presence here.
09:41And I'm sure he's still keeping the birds off his mangoes.
09:53For centuries, these Caribbean islands have been at the crossroads of global trade
09:58and their cuisine combines flavours from all over the world.
10:03But if all this looks a bit exotic, don't worry.
10:06The good news is you don't have to travel around the world to get your ingredients.
10:12Everything I'm going to cook in this series, you can get hold of in your local shops.
10:16And to make it really easy, you could put together a little treasure chest
10:20with the core ingredients we'll use again and again.
10:23Let's call it a sunshine kit.
10:25If you have got these essentials in your kitchen, Caribbean cooking will be a breeze.
10:34I've put in ginger, which adds heat as well as flavour.
10:37How much food?
10:38How much food?
10:39How much food?
10:40That's Jamaican dollars, by the way.
10:42Old spice, all pimento, scotch bonnet pepper, my favourite.
10:46These are one of the world's hottest chilli peppers.
10:49You have any nutmeg there, lady?
10:50Lord of mercy.
10:51Lord of mercy.
10:52Fantastic fresh nutmeg.
10:54Next, some sweet scented thyme.
10:57I've got to say, this is really fresh stuff, yeah.
11:00And finally, a bit of bay leaf.
11:02Now in there, I should have everything I need to bring a bit of sunshine to your kitchen.
11:08Lots of these flavours go into the most popular fast food in Jamaica.
11:12The legendary jerk chicken.
11:14You see these oil drum barbecues called jerk pans everywhere across the Caribbean.
11:20Jerk has been described as Jamaica's culinary gift to the world.
11:24And it has a rich history.
11:26Jerk is a spicy seasoning rubbed into chicken, pork, fish, or pretty much anything.
11:33The cooking method is said to have been used by Jamaica's original inhabitants, the Arawak Indians,
11:39who laid their meat on pimento wood strips in a fire pit.
11:42Perhaps the world's first barbecue.
11:45You know, jerk is not just about how you cook it.
11:48It's the spices that you use and what you put in it.
11:50So today, I'm going to make my sticky jerk wings with sugared oranges.
11:55This is first-rate finger food.
11:58A modern twist on traditional jerk flavours.
12:01I've kept the spice, but added a delicious sweetness with honey.
12:05A fantastic accompaniment are these sugared orange slices, which are caramelized on the barbecue.
12:12First, I'm going to need four spring onions.
12:15Let's get rid of the ugly bits.
12:18Just chop them roughly, because I am going to put them in a pestle and mortar.
12:23Next, I'm going to plunder that fabulous Caribbean sunshine kit.
12:28Two tablespoons full of thyme leaves.
12:31So I'm not going to chop these.
12:32I'm just going to flake off the leaves.
12:35One scotch bonnet pepper.
12:37And I'm going to choose a red one.
12:39You know, scotch bonnet pepper is always optional.
12:42Jerk is not about the heat.
12:44It's about the flavours of the spices that you put together.
12:47A knob of ginger, and chop that up finely.
12:51I'm going to put all this lot into a pestle and mortar.
12:54There are two kinds of seasoning for jerk.
12:57The first one is what you call dry seasoning.
13:00But then you have the wet rub, which is what I'm going to make.
13:03I'm going to add a hundred mils of cider vinegar.
13:07One teaspoon full of cinnamon.
13:10Three tablespoon full of honey.
13:13Next, I'm going to add pimento or allspice.
13:16Two tablespoon full of olive oil.
13:19Add a bit of salt and pepper, mash it up, and then transfer it to a bowl.
13:25The sweetness and the spices are a lip-smacking combination.
13:29Wow.
13:30I've got some really fresh chicken wings here.
13:33I'm going to pop them in.
13:34It's good to leave these for about four hours to marinate.
13:37But better still, overnight.
13:39But you know what?
13:40I've got some already prepared.
13:42I've made myself a little barbecue here, just as I would as a little boy.
13:46Nothing fancy.
13:47Have a look.
13:50Once you've put them on the barbecue, turn them every couple of minutes or so.
13:56This stunning spot happens to be a sugar plantation.
14:00Sugar has long been a core crop in Jamaica.
14:04And I'm serving my sticky jerk chicken wings with sugared orange slices.
14:09Quarter your oranges and coat them generously in the sugar.
14:14Yeah, I know.
14:15It's exciting.
14:16I think you can see where I'm going with this.
14:19Add the oranges sugared side down.
14:23Once they get browned, just turn them over.
14:26These are so easy, but so delicious.
14:32Have a go on your barbecue.
14:35And now, to round the day off, a little local spectacle.
14:41Burning the cane.
14:43In preparation for the harvesters, the cane field is set on fire to clear away all the leftover brushwood.
14:50Leaving just the cane stalks.
14:52It's nothing like dinner by the fire.
14:53All the Caribbean islands have their own culture and cuisine.
15:07But they all share a sense that eating is a social event.
15:22And sometimes, it can be a very big social event.
15:26This is the Trelawney Yam Festival.
15:29A fantastic celebration of anything connected with the king of Caribbean carbohydrates.
15:35Love shines brighter than the morning sun.
15:43There's all the usual fun of the fair.
15:45Best dressed donkey, dancing girls, dancing boys.
15:50But today, the yam is the star.
15:53Yams come in all different shapes and sizes.
15:56This is yellow yam.
15:58But there are 18 different varieties of yams growing in Jamaica.
16:02Like sweet potatoes, they're becoming more generally available in British supermarkets.
16:08But we've got some catching up to do.
16:10Yams are eaten in much the same way as we use baked potatoes in the UK.
16:16But they have a nutty flavour of their own.
16:19And this festival demonstrates their versatility.
16:22You'd be amazed at what you can make with a yam.
16:26Yam punch.
16:28I'm down to try some of this yam punch in my lady.
16:31You made this?
16:32What's in it?
16:33Yam.
16:34Yes.
16:35Mollasses.
16:36Milk.
16:37Yeah.
16:38Nutmeg.
16:39And that's all the spices.
16:40Is this your recipe?
16:41Like secret recipe?
16:42Oh yes.
16:44Lord of mercy.
16:54Yams are full of vitamins and fibre.
16:57And any Jamaican will tell you how good they are for you.
17:02But some people believe they have almost magical properties when it comes to strength and stamina.
17:11I'm not sure it's working for me.
17:14That was hard.
17:16I'm going to have lunch with someone who thinks yams are worth their weight in gold.
17:21This is the cockpit country.
17:27Childhood home of the fastest man on the planet.
17:30Jamaica's triple Olympic gold medal winner, Usain Bolt, who grew up eating Trelawney yam cooked by his aunt Lily.
17:38Country boy.
17:42Miss Lily runs a little bar and has offered to prepare some yams for me in her favourite way.
17:48Roasted and mashed with a swirl of mayonnaise.
17:51Good.
17:52Thanks for having me.
17:53But first, a quick yam spotters guide.
17:56This is the male yam.
17:57The male yam.
17:58Let's have a look at the male yam here.
17:59Yeah.
18:00Right.
18:01Now how would I make a distinction between the male yam and the female?
18:04Is the male smaller?
18:05Not really smaller.
18:07It bears straight down.
18:08Right, okay.
18:09It bears down.
18:10Right, so it's vertical, yes?
18:11Yeah.
18:12Okay.
18:13Down.
18:14That's a female.
18:15That's a female yam.
18:16We call it, yeah, we call it Pum Pum.
18:18Let me have a feel of that Pum Pum.
18:19Oh, here it is.
18:21And I'll hold the male.
18:22Yes.
18:23Yes.
18:24Would I say this is dry yam?
18:26Dry.
18:27It's very dry.
18:28And I've got to explain that dry is what you're looking for when you're trying to find a really good yam or even a pumpkin.
18:34If somebody says it's dry, then they're not saying to you that it's no good.
18:37It's actually the best thing.
18:38So this is a nice dry yam.
18:40It is.
18:41Yes.
18:42Did Usain cook out here with you?
18:43Of course.
18:44Yes.
18:45Yes.
18:46This is fantastic.
18:47So this is the Olympic yam.
18:49And I tell you, baby, you eat this yam, you keep running out fast.
18:53Let's start cooking with it.
18:56No.
18:57The rough skin of the yam is its own cooking container.
19:01And it is most commonly baked on the coal pot.
19:04Keep turning them from time to time.
19:06Yes.
19:07So do you think that my pace will improve?
19:11Yes.
19:12Eat the yam and try.
19:14And try.
19:15Okay.
19:16And with our yam, Miss Lily rustles up brown stew fish.
19:20Fried grey mullet braised with vegetables.
19:23We eat a lot of fish in Jamaica.
19:26And this is one of the most popular ways to serve it.
19:30After 45 minutes, the yams are ready.
19:33So all you have to do is peel them, mash them, and hide the mayo.
19:38As a tasty alternative, you could use creme fraiche or yogurt.
19:43This is a classic Jamaican combination.
19:46And thankfully, there's more than enough lunch for Miss Lily's brother, Gideon Bolt,
19:51the father of Usain.
19:53So Mr Bolt, tell me, what was your initial feeling when you saw your son bolting to three Olympic gold medals?
20:02Well, of course, it was a good feeling.
20:05The 100 meter actually cried because I was sitting exactly in this same house here.
20:10In the living room here.
20:11We were all watching it from her house.
20:14Yeah, Miss Bolt, I'm telling you.
20:16This yam here is brilliant.
20:18I'm loving it.
20:19Tell her you've got to start running.
20:21I'm going to have a go afterwards on the street here,
20:25because I'm sure Hussain must have run up and down the street many times.
20:29I'm going to see if my 15 minutes is improved from my 100 meter.
20:34If Miss Lily's yam does have magical properties,
20:37it certainly ought to work after the amount I've eaten.
20:44You didn't really think I was going to run, did you?
20:59Getting up early to go fishing has its compensation.
21:12It's a beautiful morning.
21:14This is absolutely fantastic.
21:17As a boy, I spend a lot of time fishing with my friend Carly.
21:20We never had a boat like this.
21:22So for me, this is a dream come true.
21:25You are never that far from the coast in Jamaica,
21:27and the sea is teeming with fish,
21:30which not only makes up a big part of people's diet,
21:33they also provide many with a livelihood.
21:36Local fisherman Gary is already out in the lagoon,
21:40fishing with a speargun from his surfboard.
21:43I think he's seen something.
21:50Even though it's so deep, I can still see the bottom of the water.
21:53Very clear.
21:54You can see everything down there.
22:00That's a local fish known as a grunt.
22:03There is a huge variety of fish in these waters,
22:06and almost every species has become part of the local cuisine.
22:12On our way back in, Gary has something else to show us.
22:17Conk.
22:18Everybody loves conk out here.
22:20You can jerk it, you can do it in soup, and it's delicious.
22:24If you like calamari, you'll love this.
22:27With such a rich variety of seafood,
22:30there are lots of ways to cook it,
22:32and I've organized a little party on the beach
22:34to round off my trip with a brilliant barbecue treat.
22:58I'm so chilled.
22:59So chilled as a matter of fact
23:00that I'm going to do my easiest recipe ever.
23:03I'm going to be doing you my roast snapper
23:05with coconut, chili, and lime salsa.
23:08The Caribbean Sunshine Kit has got just what I need
23:11to give the snapper a tangy stuffing.
23:14Thyme, ginger, and scotch bonnet pepper.
23:17And I'll be adding a fresh citrus twist
23:20with limes and parsley.
23:22A succulent coconut salsa is the perfect partner.
23:26I've got my fish, so let's get it scaled.
23:29I'm using a really big snapper here
23:34because I want some really nice flesh out of it.
23:36Bigger the snapper, less the bone.
23:39Snapper is easy to find in the UK now.
23:42Right, what you need to do with your fish now,
23:47just so that when you make your seasoning,
23:49it gets right in the fish.
23:50I'm going to give it a couple of slashes.
23:52That's one.
23:53Another one here.
23:54Remember not to go too deep.
23:56Right.
23:57That's looking good.
23:59Let's put that over there,
24:00so I can start making the stuffing for the fish.
24:02I'm going to be using some flat leaf parsley.
24:05What I would usually use is coriander.
24:07Coriander is out of season at the moment here,
24:10so there's no harm in using parsley.
24:13And now some old friends from the Caribbean sunshine kit.
24:16Some thyme chopped finely in the pan it goes.
24:19A bit of ginger, which gives some gentle heat.
24:23And of course, scotch bonnet pepper,
24:26de-seeded and chopped finely.
24:29I'm going to need two limes.
24:31I'm going to use the zest.
24:33It's going to give it a nice, tangy, fresh taste.
24:36Now the same lime.
24:38Just going to cut that in half.
24:43Just going to mix everything together.
24:48Smells lovely.
24:50Right, okay.
24:51Let's get our fish back on here.
24:52And now for our other lime.
24:55Rub the lime juice on the skin and inside the snapper.
24:59Now your snapper is ready to be stuffed.
25:06Start with the slashes first.
25:07Really poke that in.
25:09Make sure you get it right in there.
25:14Now I've got some foil here to wrap my fish in.
25:16I'm going to use a double amount of foil just to make sure that all the steam stays in.
25:21And wrap it up.
25:23We're in Jamaica, so I'm going to be doing this in a jerk pan.
25:26But you can do it in the oven, on a barbecue, or in a roasting tin.
25:30Cooking time depends on the size of a fish.
25:32That's a big fish, so I'm going to leave that for about 40 minutes.
25:35And what you're looking for is for the flesh of the fish to be opaque.
25:38And then you know you're on your way.
25:46The salsa is a variation on the stuffing, but with crunchy coconut.
25:51You need the juice of eight limes, the zest of two limes, and into this dissolve a teaspoonful of caster sugar.
26:00Some coconut shavings.
26:03Some coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley, or coriander.
26:10And two deseeded scotch bonnet peppers, cut into strips.
26:16That's looking delicious.
26:18I'll leave those flavors to get acquainted.
26:23The snapper is doing fine, so I've just got time to make a super simple dessert.
26:28My matrimony deluxe.
26:30Because some fruits go together.
26:31You know, love on a plate.
26:34First you'll need one mango, cut into cubes.
26:37Had two kiwi fruits, peeled and cut into quarters.
26:41Next, two passion fruit.
26:43You need to cut them in half, and scoop out the flesh inside.
26:48I'm adding ginger.
26:50This time, the sweetened preserved type.
26:53As well as some of the syrup that it comes in.
26:58And finally, squeeze over the juice of half a lime.
27:02I love to serve my matrimony deluxe with ice cream or cream.
27:06I've invited a few friends along.
27:18And the snapper seems to be going down a treat.
27:21Mmmmm.
27:22You know what?
27:23And do you know what?
27:24I've even thrown in the entertainment.
27:27Woah.
27:32Hey!
27:33And do you know what? I've even thrown in the entertainment.
28:03Next week, I'm in London, discovering the capital's best flavours.
28:09Blow your head off.
28:10Blow your head off.
28:13And down on the south coast, there's a surprise on the bill for this hungry audience.
28:23Plenty more to feast on over on BBC iPlayer.
28:26If you're all about fast, fresh food this weekend, press red for our Food Made Easy collection.
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