(bright classical music) - For me, family comes first, but food comes a very close second.

I love it.

(person laughs) It's the joy of growing.

It looks like ringlets, doesn't it?

Cooking.

It's a bit of all right.

And eating it.

Well, it can't be bad if I'm having a second go.

- We're in, Mary!

(person laughs) - I'm getting a bit sort of happy.

And I love meeting the people who share this passion.

- Exquisite.

(kids cheering) - And best of all, there's still so much wonderful food to discover.

Gorgeous color.

Look at it!

It's most exciting.

Looking good.

So let's get cracking.

(lighthearted inspirational music) (upbeat lighthearted music) One of my greatest pleasures when it comes to food is that there are always new ideas to discover.

So happily, I'm never too old to learn.

I want to share four delicious recipes that are new to my repertoire, though they may be familiar to some of you.

A Nordic seeded loaf that I absolutely adore.

A deliciously modern twist to a much loved classic.

And a mouthwatering tart that shows how simple it is to add new life to old favorites.

But first, a dish made with a wonderful flavor I've just discovered.

There are always new ingredients to try, and one of the ones that I've been exploring is white miso paste.

It's fermented soybean, and the flavor is sort of aromatic and salty.

It will be perfect to marinate these gorgeous tiger prawns in.

Simply mix together a tablespoon each of dark soy sauce, runny honey and sesame oil.

Throw in two cloves of crushed garlic and one finely chopped red chili.

And it's sort of a runny paste at this stage.

(lighthearted music) (fork clangs) It smells really strong of garlic.

(Mary sniffs) Lovely.

One chopped lemongrass will give a gentle, aromatic flavor to the mix.

Then simply add some whole unshelled tiger prawns.

Then it's a matter of just mixing those together and leaving them in the marinade for about an hour.

Off to the fridge.

(lighthearted music) Once that delicious marinade has soaked in, the prawns will take moments to cook.

That's been marinating for half an hour.

Just chop some coriander to garnish.

When I come back from perhaps a lovely restaurant meal, and I've had something different, I'll come home, and now I'm terribly modern, I get my phone out, and look on my phone about the ingredient.

I remember that was exactly with miso.

I find it very versatile and really adds a little extra.

But I never use an ingredient that you can't get in supermarkets all over the country.

Add a splash of oil to a hot pan and pour in the prawns and the marinade.

All at once, and they will sizzle, and I'll step back.

(pan sizzles) (lighthearted music) And keep stirring.

Oh, the smell is wonderful.

It's as easy as that.

(pan sizzles) Now that was a very hot heat to start with.

Keep stirring.

And that looks ready right now.

So it only takes a few moments.

Finish with the lemon juice and coriander and it's ready to serve.

I think that looks terrific.

Very exciting and I really can't wait to taste.

I might get through it.

(lighthearted music) It's perfect.

(lighthearted music) (upbeat music) (bird caws) One style of cooking that's grown massively over the years is plant-based food.

When I was young, most people had never heard of vegetarian, let alone vegan.

But times are changing fast, and I'm eager to explore.

Plant-based dishes are now everywhere, and I'm always looking for inspiration, and I think I'm about to get some.

Introducing me to the culinary delights of vegan food are knowledge-based father and son team, Mike and Joe.

They've turned their passion into a successful business, setting up one Planet Pizza in 2016.

- When you get rid of the meat or get rid of the dairy, then you've got to be a little bit more adventurous, especially if you wanna have a healthy diet.

So I'm really looking forward to introducing her to some new foods that she may not have come across before.

Right, I think we're ready to go, lad.

- Yep.

Let's do this.

Let's hope Mary likes it.

- Best of luck.

- Well, this is a first for me, and I'm ready to be impressed.

So, what are you going to cook for me?

- Well, what we're gonna do first of all, is a special scramble tofu, which is a direct replacement in for your traditional scrambled egg.

- This is a really good replacement, tastes just like it, but suitable for vegans.

- I'll be very critical, 'cause it's one of my favorites.

- Oh, okay.

- [Mary] So do get going.

- We'll put it to the test.

- Okay, to start off with, we're gonna put in a knob of butter.

- [Mary] But butter isn't vegan.

- Yeah, vegan butters have actually come a long way in the last couple of years by combining sunflower and coconut.

They've made these incredible butters that taste and look just like dairy butter.

- It's almost there.

(Mike and Joe laughing) - We'll take that.

- [Mary] Mike adds two cloves of crushed garlic and half an onion to the melted vegan butter.

To replace the egg, Mike is using two types of tofu, silken and firm.

Originating in China, tofu has been around for thousands of years, and it's now hugely popular in the West.

To give it that eggy color, in goes some turmeric.

- [Mike] But the idea of putting the two different sorts of tofu is, that you get the different textures that you get in a scrambled egg.

- [Mary] There's one ingredient that will give the tofu that eggy dimension.

- This is called a black salt.

It's this lovely pink flavor.

- Yes?

- So this is very similar to Himalayan pink salt, but it comes from a lava rock in Northern India.

And because it's a lava rock, it's very high in sulfur, lower in sodium.

- It smells of...

I can remember war time dried egg.

And for me, it smells like war time dried egg.

- [Mike] That's a great memory, isn't it?

Okay, I think we're ready to serve it up.

Mary, you hungry?

- I'm starving.

I'm very interested to have it.

It does have the texture of a well-cooked, slightly firmer scrambled egg.

Well, it can't be bad if I'm having a second- (Mike and Joe laughing) - That's good.

That's good.

- That's a good sign.

We're pleased with that.

(lighthearted music) - [Mary] That's not the only thing on the menu today.

Joe is busy rustling up a homemade barbecue sauce for his vegan version of pulled pork.

- So have you heard of liquid smoke as an ingredient before?

- Not yet.

I'm waiting.

(Joe and Mike laughing) - So, liquid smoke is actually a natural byproduct you get when you burn wood.

- Tastes a bit of liquid bonfire.

- [Joe] And again, one teaspoon of this secret ingredient.

- [Mary] Replacing the pork are some baby jackfruit that come ready peeled in a jar.

- So jackfruit comes from Southeast Asia, and it's a sort of staple ingredient in many of their dishes.

And actually it's the single largest fruit in the whole world, and they can weigh up to 55 kg.

- I like it a lot.

It's good.

It's a good base.

- [Joe] Yeah.

To create the dish.

- To add other things to, and it's got a nice texture.

What's brilliant about this recipe is it doesn't take hours of cooking.

The jackfruit needs only a few minutes in the pan with the smokey marinade, then it's pulled and ready to serve.

I think this looks really tempting, very colorful.

(lighthearted music) You should see your faces.

(Mike and Joe laughing) Full of anticipation.

I have to say, it is really, really delicious.

What a wonderful duo Joe and Mike are.

I can't say I'm a fully blown vegan yet, but there are definitely some things I'll be adding to my larder.

My next recipe isn't quite vegan, but it's on the way.

Delicious pickles to compliment this rich Nordic seeded loaf.

I can't get enough of it.

(lighthearted music) I've got a kilo of mixed vegetables.

I've prepared them in sort of small sprigs or slices.

To transform this bounty of veg, start by covering it in salt and leave it for around three hours to draw out their moisture.

Drain off any liquid that's left in the bottom of the bowl, and rinse under cold water.

(water runs) (lighthearted music) Now to my pickling liquid, 450 mil of white wine vinegar, and 300 grams of caster sugar.

(lighthearted music) And a tablespoon full of dried dill.

And the same of black peppercorns and mustard seeds.

Then onto the heat.

That's just come to the boil.

I'm going to let it boil for three minutes.

Meantime, I can fill the jars.

(lighthearted music) Now that's absolutely pushed down as far as I can go, and doesn't it look fun and interesting?

Fill sterilized jars to the brim with pickling liquid until every piece of veg is submerged, and give them a good shake.

And then you'll find they'll have shrunk back a bit, and it'll all be quite even.

Let them pickle for at least a month.

What a great way to give new life to leftover veg.

They will be perfect to serve with this excellent seeded loaf.

(lighthearted music) This is a Norwegian style loaf.

I'd been buying one, and I enjoyed it, so I thought I'm gonna have a go at making it myself, and I'm really pleased with the result.

So first of all, four eggs.

If by any chance you've got a little bit of eggshell in there, just take the empty eggshell and just put it down there, and it comes out absolutely easily, rather than fishing around with a fork.

Now, on with the job.

What's so special about this loaf is no kneading or proving, just everything goes into the bowl.

Three tablespoons of olive oil.

75 grams of pumpkin seeds, the same again of sunflower seeds, and 150 grams of chopped pecan nuts.

There we go.

50 grams of sesame seeds, and the same of chopped dates.

And three tablespoons of chia seeds, which give a wonderful texture.

These are tiny seeds and they swell when they're cooked.

Finally, one teaspoon of sea salt.

This is why I like the recipe.

It's absolutely packed with nuts, little fruit and seeds.

So just mix that, and it's a wet mixture.

And I have a two pound loaf tin, and I'm going to tip that in.

And then I'll just level it off.

This loaf will keep in the fridge for up to a month.

I'm really chuffed that this worked.

Sometimes we test things time and time again.

We got it right the first go, and that's why I'm passing it on to you.

That goes into a 160 fan oven for about 45 to 55 minutes, until set firm and golden brown.

(lighthearted music) Now just look at that.

Absolutely full of goodness.

I love to eat this just as it is, well-buttered.

I can feel the crunch and hear the crunch, and I just feel it's full of goodness, and very enjoyable to eat.

(lighthearted music) If like me, you want to make the most of any ingredients new or old, then I have a few tips to help.

(upbeat music) Exploring new foods goes hand in hand with better ways to store them.

I don't want to use single use plastic anymore, and beeswax paper is a great alternative.

Mold it around, it clings to the bowl, keeps the air out.

It works just as well, and you can simply clean with warm soapy water, and reuse time and time again.

Everyone has their special way of preparing avocados.

This is mine.

The best way not to waste any avocado is to cut it in half, twist a knife against the stone to get it out, then just use a spoon.

Press it against the skin to the outside, and swirl it round.

And then wiggle it forward gently.

Who needs a gadget?

(upbeat music) Be resourceful and don't waste.

Like this trick with ginger.

I've got some frozen ginger here.

(ginger thuds) And you can use it straight from the freezer and grate it.

It doesn't matter a bit if the peel gets in there too.

It's much easier to grate and will stop the ginger drying out.

(upbeat music) We are so lucky in this country to have dozens of cuisines to dip into.

Though a few are new to me.

They say that there's no better introduction to a culture than through its food, and I'm looking forward to a taste of Nigeria, and I'm not going on a plane.

(upbeat music) In the heart of Brixton's vibrant food market is a new kitchen that's serving modern Nigerian cooking to rave reviews.

(upbeat music) A passionate home cook, Adejoké's dream of opening a restaurant recently became a reality after winning a local cooking competition.

- So I could happily not get paid and cook for people.

(Adejoké laughs) You know, maybe there's a part of me that just wants to be needed.

- [Mary] It sounds like the perfect place to sample my very first taste of Nigerian cookie.

- Hi, Ms. Mary.

- Oh, it looks so beautiful!

I've never had any Nigerian food.

That is so tempting.

- So this one is the nni oka.

So it's sweet corn that has been blended with onions and sweet spices and just steamed.

And this one is called ekuru.

So it's just black-eyed beans with wild watermelon seeds.

So it's different from the normal watermelon, it's wild, and you don't eat the fruits, you only eat the seeds.

So on top of it is a pumpkin pesto.

So, it's not too spicy.

- How would you describe Nigerian cuisine?

- Very, very diverse.

Very bold, very flavorful.

And more people should be eating Nigerian food - Right, I'm off.

I'm off, I'm off.

- Oh, good.

- Right.

It's of a beautiful texture.

It's absolutely lovely.

It's sort of got a creaminess to it, which you sometimes get with corn, don't you?

- [Adejoké] Yes.

- [Mary] Oh, it's so good.

- Thank you.

- But it's totally different from anything I've ever tasted.

- Oh, thank you.

- And now onto the... - And now onto the beans.

They're called- - It doesn't look like black-eyed beans that I know.

(Adejoké laughs) It's beautifully smooth, and there's a hint of pepper there.

And I must taste the pesto too.

And there's some spice coming and knocking me back, but I love it!

(Adejoké laughs) - I tried to avoid it as much as possible.

- So, "Chishuru", what does it mean?

- Yes.

"Chishuru" means... "Food so good you don't talk."

(Adejoké laughs) - Well, we're having a jolly good chat, but it is very good.

(Adejoké laughs) - There's a thing in our culture when you eat, to save all the food and as an act of respect for the person that's cooked it.

- Because you must appreciate every mouthful.

- Appreciate, yes.

- But I'll accept it graciously 'cause it's so good.

What a treat to meet a fellow cook who is just as passionate about sharing her food as I am.

If I could make something in return for Adejoké, it would be my next recipe.

A rich and succulent revamp of an old favorite.

I can remember in the 60's being very excited about duck à l'Orange.

It was the height of fashion, and I loved making it.

Well, I've moved on, and I've got a lovely recipe.

Beautifully tender duck legs, Japanese style.

(lighthearted music) To ensure the meat will fall off the bone, poach them first in one and a half pints of chicken stock, sliced ginger, garlic, and salt and pepper.

So there's a gentle simmer for one and a half hours.

But there's no orange sauce for this duck.

Instead...

I'm making an easy Japanese sauce which is cram jam full of flavor.

Just two teaspoons of cornflower and six tablespoons of my new go-to, that rich white miso.

I'm not trying to be trendy, I really love it, and I'm becoming addicted.

To balance the saltiness, add six tablespoons of maple syrup, then four of soy sauce, and three of Japanese rice vinegar.

It's a little bit sweeter than normal vinegar, and it's jolly good to use in dressings too.

Two tablespoons of sesame oil, an equal measure of pomegranate molasses, finely grated ginger, and to cut through the rich duck, add the zest and juice of a lime.

Now, I'm just going to stir that all together.

Wow.

The flavors that are there.

Something very, very special.

Then on to the heat until it's lovely and thick.

That's boiled like a treat.

Absolutely beautifully smooth.

(whisk scrapes) Just show you how that coats the spoon, which it should do.

It's absolutely perfect.

Now all that's needed is to glaze the cooked duck legs, and pop them into a 200 fan oven for about 20 minutes, until golden.

The duck has had its time.

Wow.

(lighthearted music) Look at that.

A glorious brown.

That's just what I wanted.

And shiny too.

Now I've got the glaze in the pan here, and I'm going to run it down with a little of that stock that we cooked the legs in.

Just so it's a pouring consistency.

That's it.

I know that I have happy memories of duck à l'Orange, but this is new with the pomegranate and the miso, and I think it's even better.

(lighthearted music) You think I would know how to make most sweet things, but even for me, there's more to discover, and I cannot wait.

(lighthearted music) I'm on my way to meet brother and sister team, Howard and Vivian.

They'd left their high flying jobs in finance to pursue their passion for just one dish.

Mochi.

- Our parents have been making mochi for sort of 30 years.

They used to run a Asian bakery, and mochi was one of their most popular products.

When we were growing up, it was filled with red bean paste, which is how it's traditionally eaten in Japan.

And when we first discovered mochi ice cream, our minds were blown.

- Keen to share this new discovery with the world, they set up Little Moons 11 years ago, and haven't looked back.

- Okay, Mary, this is our moment of truth.

- They look splendid.

The outside is actually a soft dough covering the different flavored ice creams.

- The purple one is our passion fruit and mango flavor.

And the green one is our green tea.

And this one is our coconut flavor.

- The purply one looks very much like a passion fruit.

- Thank you.

Yeah, do you wanna try it?

- I do, yes.

(Vivian chuckles) It's quite interesting because the middle is very soft and creamy ice cream, and the outside you imagine it's gonna be crisp, but it's not, it's sort of chewy.

Delicious.

- Thank you.

(lighthearted music) - [Mary] Howard and Vivian's factory now produces around 400,000 mochis a day.

- Mochi is just the outer layer of dough, and it's made from sticky rice flour, water, and sugar that's been steamed.

And when you steam it, it gets this really chewy consistency that it's famous for.

- We've been making this since we were 15, so we've learned how to make it from our parents.

- [Mary] The alchemy of mochi lies in getting an extremely hot dough to wrap around the frozen ice cream.

A secret process that's guarded closely.

- It's a real technical challenge, 'cause this is actually burn-your-hand-hot right now.

And this all has to go around the ice cream.

- So you have to feel it and sort of like smell it and know that it's the right texture and it's cooked.

It's the only way.

- And what's it like working with your brother?

- I've actually really enjoyed it.

I mean, we have had our moments, but we have very different personalities, and so we've got complimenting skillsets.

- Well, I can assure you, it'd be one recipe that I'm not going to try to make at home.

(Vivian and Howard chuckling) I love how Howard and Vivian have modernized a traditional family recipe.

My delicious and luxurious passion fruit tart with orange pastry is also a new version of a tart I've made for yonks.

The inspiration was the classic tarte au citron.

Be brave and add something different to your pastry.

This one's orange, and it really is a foolproof pastry, and it works every time.

Just add 175 grams of plain flour with a hundred grams of butter and 30 grams of icing sugar.

Then, the all important orange.

That's the finally grated rind of one large orange.

And I'm just going to process that until it comes together like fine breadcrumbs.

(blender whirs) (lighthearted music) All that's needed now is one beaten egg, and the mixture will come together.

I always knead by hand at this stage to avoid overworking the dough.

Little bit of flour on the board.

I've never used a flour shaker.

We hadn't one at home when I was young, and my fingers are perfectly good.

And then just gather it all together.

And you can see it is very good pastry.

It's holding together.

This pastry is a joy to roll out.

It's pliable, it doesn't crack, making it so easy to line the tin with.

Then simply prick the base and prop it into the fridge to firm up.

It needs about 20 minutes in the oven baked blind in the usual way, until the pastry is pale golden all over.

Now onto the filling.

I've got passion fruit here.

Eight passion fruit.

And I'm going to sieve out the seeds.

You can put the seeds in if you like, but I always take them out.

And just press all that delicious juice through.

It's coming through nicely.

Bright orange.

But you know, when I was growing up, there wasn't such a thing as a passion fruit.

Nobody knew what it was.

I suppose its only in the last 15 years as everybody has traveled, people who've come from New Zealand and Australia, are absolutely passionate about passion... Passionate about passion fruit.

To that, add four eggs, the juice of one orange, 150 mill of double cream, and 75 grams of caster sugar.

Give it a gentle whisk.

No, I just slopped it on my shirt.

The passion fruit and orange custard smells wonderful.

What makes this recipe so straightforward is that it doesn't need to be thickened on the hob.

It can be poured straight into the cool pastry case, and cooked in the oven at 140 fan.

I'm going to cook it until it's just set.

In fact, when I push it, and it's got a little sort of wobble, that's the time to take it out.

(dramatic music) Looking good.

Oopsy.

There you are.

A little wobble.

Perfect.

Allow it to cool and firm up, then it's ready to serve.

Finish with a light dusting of icing sugar.

(dramatic music) That's just how it should be.

It looks so rich and creamy.

That really melts in the mouth.

And the passion fruit and orange is coming through well.

(lighthearted music) There you have it.

Four wonderful recipes perfect for getting creative in the kitchen.

From cooking all those exciting flavors and cuisines, to bringing new life to the old ones we still love.

One thing is for sure, I'll never tire of exploring new ways to cook, and of course, to eat.

(dramatic music) Next time, it's cooking for a crowd.

- It's catering on a mass scale.

- Gosh, it's good.

Beautifully fresh.

Recipes perfect to feed the hoards.

- This is a hobby gone wrong.

(speaker chuckles) - This really is one of my go-to dishes.

It keeps its shine.

Doesn't that look lovely?

(lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues)