All language subtitles for Nadiyas.Simple.Spices.S01E05.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX

For as long as I can remember,
spice has been a part of my life,

effortlessly elevating ordinary
ingredients

into something sensational.

My mum, my nanny, and my great nanny
before her all made incredible meals

with just a few humble spices.

These are the smells of home.

And now, I want to teach you what
they taught me -

to create a whole host of
mouthwatering meals

for every occasion...

Mmm!

...using just eight simple spices.

This is what feel-good looks like.

Simple can be spectacular.

From the Bangladeshi dishes
of my childhood...

If I've got my hand on my hip,

you know it's an easy recipe,
I am chillin'!

...to British classics
with a spicy twist...

...and my own deliciously cheeky
mashups that fuse both my worlds.

Whoo! Got a kick!

Plus, I be showcasing amazing
cooks from around the country...

It's a very special
and precious spice.

...celebrating the spices
they can't live without.

Yes, it's going to be hot.

Spice just got simple.

So, are you ready to cook up a storm?

This week, cooking on a budget
doesn't mean compromising on flavour.

My leek biryani is the perfect
frugal feast...

So delicious, and it looks like
you went to town.

...a simply-spiced veggie burger

that's low on cost, but big on taste.

That started off as a bowl of
sad mashed potatoes!

...and my brilliant but bonkers take
on a classic.

I don't know if you will ever eat
normal shortbread again.

First up, some humble veg
get a spicy makeover.

I hate wasting food, but I love
turning lowly leftovers

into a sensational snack.

A medley of surplus veg brought
to life with golden turmeric,

punchy spring onion and fresh green
chillies,

my crispy fried pakoras are packed
full of flavour

but cost pennies to make.

This is literally veg from the back
of the fridge.

We've got carrot, courgette, some
cauliflower, broccoli... Just stuff.

I bet you guys have bits and bobs
in your fridge,

and you're thinking, "What can I do
with that?" And do you know what?

Like, there's only so many times
you can make a vegetable pasta.

You don't have to.
Let's make some pakoras.

Most veg will work in a pakora,
just avoid anything too watery.

I'm starting with carrots, thinly
sliced.

Top tip when you're making pakoras

is to try and get everything the
same size,

because, when you go to fry,
everything cooks at the same time.

My parents came from Bangladesh.

They very much brought that mentality
of using everything up.

I've grown up always, kind of,
watching my mum

trying to make something out of
nothing.

The compost bin never got fed

because Mum was always using
everything up.

Next into the mix go my courgettes...

...potatoes, broccoli...

...and cauliflower.

Pakoras are absolutely delicious.
We love them as a snack!

You know, after you've had lunch,

it's very English, about four
o'clock, to have tea and biscuits.

Well, not in our house.
It's tea and pakoras.

And every good pakora needs an onion.

I mean, this is probably the most
laborious part of making a pakora,

is making sure that everything
is sort of similar size.

The easy bit is eating them.

Now, for a bit of heat, I'm going
to add two green chillies

and then lots and LOTS of coriander.

This is going to give us
lots of lovely fresh flavour.

To my veg mix, I'm adding two
teaspoons of salt

and just one special spice.

Turmeric - and not lots of it -

just enough to colour the pakoras.

I don't want anything to take
over these vegetables,

so a quarter of a teaspoon of this
sunshine spice is all I need.

So, I'm going to get that in there.

The perfect pakoras should be crispy,
so it's crucial to release

the moisture from the veg
before adding flour.

Get your hands in and really go
for it.

Like, squeeze. Like, really squeeze.

After just a few minutes,

the veg will have gone soft
and reduced in size...

Let me show you how much
liquid has come out. Watch this.

...and I'm going to use
those natural, yummy juices

to create our batter, along with
300g of chickpea flour.

And I'm not going to give
you an alternative.

I'm not going to say use plain flour,
because it doesn't work.

It just doesn't taste the same.

Chickpea flour maintains
some sort of crispiness,

and it has a natural flavour of
chickpeas.

So, it's so, so good for pakoras.

So we're now going to just bring
this dough together,

and what we're looking for

is a mixture where there's no more

chickpea flour left in sight,

but a mixture that kind
of holds itself together.

And there's only one way
to cook these beauties,

deep fry on a medium heat...

We want tiny, bite-sized
pakoras that are quick to fry

and quicker to eat.

...and gently drop them in.

But, don't be tempted

to overcrowd the pan -

that can reduce the oil temperature

and make your pakoras soggy.

And don't worry about shaping
them, or anything like that.

What we want is texture.

So, when you kind of throw them in
like this,

what you get is spindly bits,

crispy bits, soft bits, bitsy bits!

Lots of bits!

Fry until golden and crispy all over.

Ooh, yes, that's a pakora

if ever I saw one!

Minutes. They do not take long
at all.

Ah, look! This is why I drop
them in any old how.

Look at that.

Simple vegetables from the back
of the fridge turned into something

so, so special, glorious, even!

Don't you just fancy a cup of tea
and some pakoras now?

# Baby, it's all right. #

Check them out.

My crispy turmeric pakoras
transform leftover veg

into a truly mouthwatering snack.

Look at that! When you break it open,
you get those...

You get all those veg.
You've got a bit of broccoli there...

Every mouthful is a little bit
different!

Mmm!

Love me a pakora! Mmm!

That turmeric with the chickpea?

My goodness, just perfect.

This is what I call,
“Loving your leftovers."

MUSIC: You Can't Hurry Love
by The Supremes

Next up, a celebratory sharing dish
that's as cheap as it is delicious.

If you want a crowd-pleaser
on a budget,

then this luxuriously spiced one-pot
wonder is just for you.

# You can't hurry love,
no, you just have to wait... #

Delicate basmati rice infused
with heady whole spices,

fragrant leek masala,
and topped with crisp, buttery leeks.

My biriyani is an epic dish
with a difference.

A biryani can have lots of
ingredients,

and it can be quite expensive,
and I want to show you

that it doesn't have to be
all of those things.

You guys can have a delicious
biryani,

and it can be cheap, and it can be
easy, and it can be delicious,

and we're going to amp it
up with our delicious spice blend.

And it all starts with a generous
sprinkling of salt

to a litre and a half of cold water.

Top tip - always use cold water.
Don't be tempted by lukewarm,

definitely don't use hot water,

because you'll start the cooking
process. We don't want that.

So, I've got my rice, and that's
been washed under cold water

till the water runs completely clear.

And this really helps
to remove the starch,

so, when we cook the rice, it's less
likely to become really stodgy.

Biryani is all about layered
flavours, adding lots of flavour,

so, we are going to scent our
rice with whole spices.

In go two cinnamon sticks,
four bay leaves,

and ten cardamom pods.

This rice will cook for only
seven minutes.

And this is what gives us
those individual grains of rice.

If you just turn the heat up,
the rice just sits there,

and what you end up with is stodge
at the bottom.

So, what you want is to just move it
occasionally, that's all.

The moment it's boiling, set those
timers for the magic seven minutes.

A good biryani is where you can
tumble the rice,

each grain is individual.

That is what makes a perfect biryani.

When that time's up,
turn off the heat.

So, we've half-cooked the rice,

and then we need to cook it some
more when it goes into the biryani.

What I want to do is just run
really cold water through it

and just stop the cooking process.

Otherwise, it sits in its own steam
and just cooks.

Biryani is all about layers
of flavour,

and I'm building those up
with a leek masala.

When I make a biryani, often
it's with chicken or prawn.

It's a lot more expensive.

But, I want to show you guys that
you can totally make a biryani

using really simple,
humble ingredients.

And sweet oniony leeks are bold
enough to really shine.

And then we are going to season
it really well.

This mix here has to be nice and dry.

If it's really wet, you get a layer
where the rice meets that masala mix

and it gets really stodgy, and we
don't want that.

Add five cloves of chopped garlic...

...and six green chillies.

My top tip - add them whole,
but pierce the skin.

It releases that chilli heat,
but also, the fragrance,

without it being too much.

Now, onto our spice!

We are going to add our beautifully
blended art masala.

In go two heaped tablespoons

of my own blend of essential spices,

turmeric, chilli, curry powder,

cumin, fennel, cardamom, cinnamon,

and bay leaves.

And we are going to cram it
with flavour.

Once those have cooked a little,
turn the heat right down,

and now, we're ready to assemble
the layers of our biryani.

You've got all of those whole
spices, do not leave them out.

You want to keep them in,

because as that biryani steams,

it will add more of that
beautiful flavour.

I'm going to take a tea
towel, pop it on top...

This will absorb the moisture
in the steam

so that it doesn't drip back
into the rice and make it soggy.

Traditionally, you would
have a flour and water dough mix

that goes around the edge, that
traps the air,

so it's perfectly steamed.

We're trying to make life easy here.

I leave that to steam
for half an hour.

Don't look at it. Do not let the
steam out, do not let the steam out!

Trust the process and let
it do its thing.

# Wait for me, wait for me
Wait for me, wait for me

# Wait for me, wait for me,
wait for me... #

After 30 minutes, those beautiful,
fragrant spices

will have infused into
my fluffy basmati rice,

creating the perfect biryani.

What you should have is a biryani
facial.

SHE GIGGLES

Now to combine those spiced
moreish layers.

Look at that.

These spices are so intensely
beautiful,

they're just hitting my face.

There is nothing more soothing

than a big bowl of biryani.

Every biryani deserves to be crowned
with a tasty garnish.

I'm adding crispy fried
leeks and fresh red chilli.

And that's it! Crispy leek biryani.

So simply spiced, so delicious,

and it looks like you went to town.

Aromatic, full of colour,
and packed with flavour,

my tumbling-rice leek biryani turns
humble, affordable ingredients

into a yummy family feast.

A biryani is meant to be
a whole meal,

it's meant to be everything in one.

And this definitely is.

Mmm... Mmm, mmm, mmm!

And, in the rice, you can smell
the aromas of the cardamom,

the bay leaf, the cinnamon.

It all just works so, so well
together.

I found a way of creating
all of those complex flavours

without the spend, and it's still
delicious.

When it comes to cost-conscious
dishes,

what better way to save money than to
grow the food yourself?

Vegan chef, author, and YouTuber Gaz
Oakley moved to rural Monmouthshire

to foster his passion for
home-grown veg.

Any time I can get my hands on
something that I've either

grown or foraged is the most
exciting thing,

because I let those ingredients
determine what I'm going to eat

or what I'm going to create.

And spice plays a leading role.

So, I'll often harvest
my own coriander seeds,

I'll process them, whether that's
roasting or grinding into a powder,

and that's then the spice for me.

I'm going to be making one of

Wales's most traditional dishes,
a cawl.

A cawl is a hearty hug
in a bowl of a stew.

Cawl was traditionally a low-cost
meal because people would just use

whatever they can get
their hands on.

As long as you've got your leeks,
your lamb, and your potatoes,

traditionally, that's all
a cawl would use.

I'm freestyling a little bit with
mine, obviously, I don't eat meat.

First up, I'm going to get my
coriander seeds toasting off,

releasing their aromatics.
Toasting them

just releases some of their oils
makes them more fragrant,

more powerful, more explosive.

Let's get those ground up.

So, adding these coriander seeds
in my cawl is so not traditional,

I may be chased out of Wales. But,
these were grown by me in Wales.

I've been into food
since I was a little kid.

As soon as I was tall enough
to stand above the kitchen counter,

I would be cooking with my dad.

I also grow fennel seed,

and they have the most beautiful
aniseed flavour.

Cooking was my everything, and, as
soon as I could leave school at 16,

I became a professional
full-time chef.

All right, let's chop up my veg.

First things first, leek, of course.

When I first went plant-based,
I was thinking,

"What on earth
am I going to eat now?"

It was a real shock, but I realised
that it was vibrant.

It was...it was healthy, it was
nourishing, and it was exciting.

That's when I started sharing my
recipes on social media,

and, before I knew it,
people from all around the world

were following me.
HE LAUGHS

So, I actually love having
swede in my cawl.

Fruits and vegetables, especially
when they're in season and local

are some of the most
affordable foods that we can eat.

Super important is to season
early with salt and pepper,

because this is going to bring out
some more of the flavours,

and, at this stage, I add my ground
coriander and fennel as well.

Spice is essential, especially
if you're cooking plant-based,

because you can turn a bland dish

into something super exciting.

Let's get our veg stock in.

Cawl usually has lamb,
to replace that flavour,

I'm going to add some simple
mint sauce.

And, also, something that is so
important to my cawl is miso paste.

It's got a meatiness, almost.

Add a good dollop of that.

To his cawl, Gaz adds chickpeas,
fresh greens,

and, for a pop of colour, radishes.

I'm going to serve some Welsh
rarebit on the side,

a traditional cheese on toast dish,

and this is the most fancy
plant-based version

of Welsh rarebit.

There's something so satisfying
about making this cawl,

because it's such a low-cost meal,

but it tastes so flavoursome.

Humble Welsh rarebit and humble
Welsh cawl cooked in Wales.

Da iawn! That's Welsh for very good.

Home-grown veg and beautiful spices,

budget-friendly cooking has never
looked so good.

Next is my deliciously thrifty
spin on an all-time favourite.

I have teenagers,
and I'm telling you,

anything between two baps,
they are happy.

And of all the burgers
that I make for them,

they absolutely love my aloo burgers.

Beautifully spiced veggie burgers

in a sweet brioche bun
with all the toppings,

my aloo burgers are the perfect
mid-week money-saver.

Aloo means potato. I call all the
cute kids in our family aloo,

because it's just like, cute
little potatoes. SHE LAUGHS

The best thing about these burgers
is that I'm using things

that we've got knocking around
the house. Really simple,

really cheap and affordable to make.

And the foundation for these
tasty burgers couldn't be cheaper -

leftover mashed potatoes.

You want them cold
so they form really easily.

Hot mashed potatoes,
you get where I'm going, right?

It's just going to be, like, sloppy.

First I'm adding two spring onions

and for a kick, one finely chopped
red chilli.

Season well,
and now for our spice.

And as they share the same
earthy flavour,

there's no better match
for potatoes than cumin.

Now, you can get whole cumin seeds
and ground,

and whole gives you
that kind of spice hit.

But ground cumin, it's an explosion
of flavour.

I'd say it's a bit black pepper
and white pepper mixed together.

It's gorgeous.

So I'm going to add two very
generous teaspoons of ground cumin.

Now to bind my burger.

In goes one egg

and six tablespoons of
dried breadcrumbs.

And now for my secret weapon
to really make these burgers sing.

My kids love hot sauce
of every variety.

And so adding something like this
just helps to kind of

get flavour into the potato as well.

We are literally covering
every single spot with flavour.

And then, for richness, to make
this really lovely and creamy,

I've gone for mayonnaise.

Two tablespoons go in.

Give it a good mix

and divide it into
four equal patties.

It's important when you have
teenagers,

you know that moment
when you're, like, sharing,

giving the food out
and they're like,

"Did she just give him
the biggest piece?"

My kids do it all the time.

I do it! I do it
when I go to my mum's house.

I'm like, "Hmm..."

Someone's always trying to
work out the favourite, right?

Now, this mix will be sticky,

but I have a nifty trick
to help you out.

Going to dip my fingers in the oil,

and this is really good
because it greases your hands,

but it also coats the patty
at the same time,

so you get that beautiful crust
when you're frying.

Simply flatten
before cooking on a medium heat.

It's that easy.

We are going to let them fry for
about seven minutes on each side

and get them really lovely
and crispy on the base.

Flip as soon as the base
is a deep golden brown.

Flip that over.

Yes!

Yes.

I do it every single time
I flip a burger.

IIYes ! 1}

Little celebration.

In less than 15 minutes,

these spicy
beauties will be ready.

Look at how simple and easy
that was.

We've got four aloo burgers
in no time at all.

The perfect burger requires
a decent bun.

I'm going for a buttery brioche.

If I didn't toast these buns,
like, my husband's like,

“Nope, nope. Worst burger ever.
You should've toasted the buns."

And I agree.

Now we're ready to load
these bad boys up.

A dollop of mayonnaise on each base.

I don't love lettuce in a burger.

It always feels way too watery.

So, because I want some green
in there, I go with baby spinach.

# Mm, it's always better
when we're together

# Yeah, we'll look at the stars
when we're together

# Well, it's always better
when we're together... #

Look at how beautiful they look.

Gorgeous burgers.

And one final thing...

...I love Sriracha mayo.

Let's get a load of that on there...

...and then let's put
the tops straight on.

Oh, yes.

That started off its life as a bowl
of sad mashed potatoes.

A few ingredients
and one simple spice,

and we have the most
epic burger ever.

My aloo burgers, spiced with cumin
and chilli,

loaded with toppings

and placed inside
a sweet brioche bun

is a taste sensation that's also
easy on the purse strings.

Do you ever do this with a burger,
where you're like,

"Which side shall
I start on first?"

They're all good sides.

Mm. Mm!

You know what I love about
this burger?

You don't miss the meat.

You do not need meat
to have a delicious burger.

And this aloo burger is proof
of that.

This is cheap, it's easy,
and it's moreish.

Mm. Mm-mm-mm.

For those days when only
a sweet treat will do,

my next recipe provides a low
cost, yet lavish sugar hit.

I love shortbread, and I am
going to show you how to make it.

But this isn't any old shortbread.

This is like souped up shortbread.

It is packed with cardamom, fennel,
cinnamon...

...and cottage cheese.

Yep, you heard right.

Spicy cinnamon shortbread
with fragrant cheesecaky filling,

topped with a rich, buttery crumble.

My shortbread wedges are an all out
twist on a classic.

When I make shortbread,

I love adding flour and rice flour.

Sometimes you can get shortbread
that's quite doughy,

and I don't want that. Rice flour
gives it a bit of a crunch.

But first, cream together
unsalted butter and caster sugar.

Keep mixing it till you've got
no more lumps.

Then it goes 250g of plain
flour and 120g of rice flour.

And to that I'm adding the first
of my spices.

I'm just going to go for a really
simple ground cinnamon.

I'm going to add two teaspoons
straight in there.

So quite a hmm, you know,
like hmm, hmm, intense cinnamon.

Now sieve that in.

There'll be no floury lumps
in this shortbread.

Mix everything in till you have
a beautiful shortbread dough.

Tip it out...

...and let's slowly
bring this dough together.

So what we want to do is kind
of shape it so we have a disk,

and let's take our shortbread

and just flatten that out
onto the paper.

I'm going to cut
it right down the middle.

I'm going to take one half

and pop it to a side.

I'm going to pop this half
into the freezer.

With the other half, I'm going to
form the base of my shortbread.

I am just going to flatten
the dough out

and then I'm going to use my spoon
to create

a little lip around the edge,

because we don't want that filling
to leak out.

And here's where I throw away
the shortbread rule book

with my creamy cottage cheese
filling.

Yes, I said shortbread

and cottage cheese in one sentence.

And if you've got a bit
of cottage cheese knocking around

and you want to do something
a bit interesting,

I would totally give this a go.

And all I need is 100g,
and 50g of caster sugar.

And then to help thicken
it as it bakes, I'm going to add

a tablespoon of plain flour.

As I want an intense spice flavour,

I'm adding six cardamom pods.

Love cardamom, works really,
really well with cinnamon,

and because I've got the ground
cinnamon in the actual shortbread,

I want to add ground cardamom
in our cottage cheese filling.

And for an aniseedy hit,
one teaspoon of fennel.

That is strong...

...and I love it.

Stir those aromatic ground spices
into the cottage cheese mix.

That is the filling done. Doesn't
look like much right now, right?

But when that bakes
in that shortbread,

it is going to become fudgy.

I could stop here and have
a perfectly tasty shortbread,

but I'm going all out on this baby.

You're probably shouting at me right
now, thinking, what is she doing

putting cottage cheese
in shortbread?

But I'm telling you,
it's really good.

Remove the rest of the dough
from the freezer.

And here's my tip, for a whole new
level of crunch.

I'm going to take my frozen...

...shortbread mix, and then I'm just
going to grate it over the top.

So when it bakes, we'll get like a
crumbly type shortbread on top

with a very firm shortbread
underneath.

Spread the crumbs evenly
across the top.

This smells so good I could eat
it just as it is.

Then for some caramelised sweetness,

a light dusting of icing sugar.

And then let's pop that
straight into the oven.

Oh, look at that. Look at it.
Look, look, look.

Mm!

Look at that filling.

When that cottage cheese, with the
sugar and all those spices cooks,

it turns into this soft, fudgy,

spiced, sweet deliciousness.

Oh, my goodness.

I don't know if you will ever eat
normal shortbread again.

Shortbread with my radical
cottage cheese filling.

My cheeky little mash up may sound
unconventional,

but trust me, you'll love these
sweet biscuity bites.

OK, I'm going in.

It's delicious.

Everything about this is gorgeous.

You've got the cinnamon, you've got
the cardamom, you've got the fennel,

and you'd think that's quite
a lot, but my goodness,

it just works so well.

And then you've got that cottage
cheese in the middle as it bakes,

just becomes almost like
cheesecaky.

I mean, extravagance doesn't
have to be expensive.

It can be on a budget.

Next time:

My favourite dishes for sharing.

When we're getting together,

it's all about the food
that we love.

From my epic roast potatoes...

They are packed with flavour.

...to crowd pleasing puddings.

This cake is perfect for an occasion

where you really want to impress.