We are joined by Chayil, Anthony and Chris,
three amazing students who help create
the magazine, "Pass the Spatula"
which celebrates Chefs of Color.
It is fantastic.
And their cookbook club pick for today is
Questlove's "Mix-Tape Pot-Luck".
And here to make a recipe from the book
is James Beard Award-winning chef, author,
and executive Producer of "Food and Wine" magazine.
Oh my God, someone, I'm so excited,
(Kwame chuckles) Kwame Onwuachi.
(audience applauds) What's up, what's up?
(Drew shrieks) So good to see you.
So good to see you.
So good to see you. I've just been
one of your biggest fans for so long.
I'm one of your biggest fans, probably longer,
probably longer. Aw! (giggles)
(laughs) Seriously. (Drew shrieks)
I've never missed a frame of Top Chef
and I'm so excited that you are a judge.
Well, it's going down this season, all right?
It's goin' down. Portland's a great city.
It's a great city,
and it meant so much for the city,
especially right now, right?
We're going through tough times to bring some life
to the city, show the amazing culinary space,
and celebrate diversity within Top Chef.
I think that was a really, really important thing.
I am so excited because
potluck is really at the heart of what
I wanted cookbook club to be about
which is, let's make something together.
Yeah. Now, potluck is like,
that is a diverse way to eat food
and it makes people comfortable
because then they can cook what really speaks
to them and they're confident about, or just want to try.
Yeah, and they can bring their own culture to the table.
Exactly. You know?
So this book, it has so much diversity, so much flavor,
so much personality, that that's what
potluck parties are about, right?
It's about getting together and showing that.
Okay, so what are we making today, Kwame,
from "Mix-Tape Pot-Luck"?
So for the "Mix-Tape Pot-Luck"
I can't have a dish without rice, you know?
My family is from Nigeria, they're from Louisiana,
which is like the rice capital of America,
they're from the Caribbean.
So we always have rice at our potlucks when we get together.
And you'll see anything from rice and peas
to Jambalaya to Jollof rice.
(Drew moans)
You can't talk about American cuisine
without talking about West African cuisine,
really inspired it.
So Jambalaya is a derivative from Jollof rice,
so we're gonna get to the source today.
We're also gonna make a little jerk lamb
'cause I know you like lamb, so I threw that
in there for you. And I love jerk.
Then you'll love me.
(everyone laughing)
And then we're doing a little gooseberry salad
to brighten it up a little bit.
I love gooseberries too. Yeah.
They're so bright and beautiful and unique.
I'm glad we're bringing it
to the party today. They're amazing.
And then you know what I love,
I love this blender. Oh, I made it.
That's what I love, I can tell.
It's got a little style on it.
Thank you.
I'm excited to hear your thoughts on its performance
because at the end of the day,
it can't just look pretty,
it has to function. So let's get into it.
Let's perform.
Okay.
And we're making a red stew.
So this is like a mother sauce of West African cuisine.
Okay. So we're gonna add
some peppers, some garlic, some ginger,
a little bit of curry powder.
I'm gonna add scotch bonnet sauce.
Hey guys, how are you doing?
Chime in. This is your platform too.
The smell you guys in the studio is just, it's aromatic,
it's permeating, it's so beautiful.
All right, here we go, Kwame.
Get ready. I'm excited to see
what you think. Look at this.
This is user-friendly, if ever your seen it.
(blender roars)
I just want it to work because...
That looks like it works to me.
That look like it work to me. (audience applauding)
So that's it, then you hit off.
I was gonna ask Chayil if you had any questions,
since we're making a sauce that has some curry powder,
and I know you like a curry.
I do.
So maybe for someone who doesn't like a lot of spice,
I know some curry powders do have a little bit of spice,
what would you say is kind of like
an alternative for Curry powder?
Luckily for this sauce, it's such a small amount
of Curry powder and this Curry powder doesn't have any heat,
it's more spice forward, so it's a lot of flavor.
But like I said, it has a small amount of curry powder
that you're not really going to taste the curry essentially.
Chayil and Anthony and Chris,
I wish you could smell the sauce.
I can't put it down. (Chris laughs)
It's like my new favorite culinary perfume.
Yeah. (laughs) It is unbelievable.
It's extraordinary Kwame.
It's so aromatic.
And then when it cooks down,
you cook it in a little bit of oil
and we've already added it to the pot,
skipped some steps, but it dehydrates,
so lot of the water comes out of this.
The aromatics cook, it gets so much more intensely flavored,
and that's when we're able to add it
to our toasted rice here and make our signature
(pan sizzles) Jollof Rice.
(Drew shrieks) Yeah, it's hot, right?
Hi-yi! (Kwame laughs)
You're gonna- We have a question
about tomatoes.
Yeah- And then I'm gonna
add my water. From Anthony.
Yeah, what is the best variety of tomatoes
you use in this recipe?
Okay, that is such a good question.
You know, I like to use plum tomatoes.
They're a little bit more consistent,
but whatever's in season.
You know I say that's always my answer.
Mhm. Whatever's in season
is the best things to use. Mhm.
So I want to talk about this lamb for a second.
Now you see all these ingredients here,
all of this right here, you got the green onion,
your ginger, your garlic, your scotch bonnet.
We have some all spice, we have some clove,
we some cinnamon, some tamarind, thyme.
It's beautiful.
And then you blitz all that up.
And when you marinate the lamb,
it's best to do it at least 24 hours.
Then we're gonna sear the lamb
and then cook it in the oven until your desired temperature.
I'm salivating. (audience laughs)
I'm looking at the dishes and I-
It's just drippin'.
Will you show me how to plate this?
I got you. (laughs) Because I need
to take a bite. (Kwame laughs)
So we have the Jollof Rice already.
So I'm gonna just plate this on here.
You have a tray?
I don't, but I'm happy to just
go like this also. (Kwame laughs)
Like that and totally- Just try it.
By the way. Eat it. Do it.
(audience laughing)
Oh my God. Oh!
(draw laughing) It's got a little zing.
It's got a little zing, little spicy,
you're doing a little dance and shimmy.
Oh my god. That's called
the Jollof Rice shimmy.
(Drew screams lightly) You're doin' it.
It comes naturally, it comes naturally,
no matter what you do,
when you bite it, you do that.
I can't stop. It's incredible.
These gooseberries have just been marinating
in a little bit of lime juice. By the way, Anthony, Chris,
and Chayil will you please
join the party with us and partake?
I want to see some dancing on that side too.
Ab-so-lutely.
I have to say, this is some of the best rice I've ever had
in my entire life, Kwame. Aw.
I am blown away.
That really means a lot to me,
and it means a lot from my culture
and for me to share with you
and for you to love it really makes my heart smile,
so thank you. (audience applauds)
Chayil, Anthony, Chris, what do you think?
I'm doing that dance. I'm doing that dance.
You're doing that dance. You're doing that dance.
(audience laughing) Here, look,
let me show you how to do it.
You got to do it like this.
You got to let the shoulders go.
(audience laughs) We need to play some afrobeats
because it just looks like we're like shooing someone away
without some music right now.
Well, I just want to tell you I've been such a fan
of yours for a really long time and I would love
to do this with you again.
Let's do it. I'm so happy for you
and your amazing career
and all the incredible collaborations,
whether it's with the "Mix-Tape Pot-Luck" cookbook
or with the "Pass the Spatula" family
and Top Chef, Food and Wine.
My goodness Kwame, the list is endless.
Thank you. I really appreciate you.
Thank you for having me here.
This means the world to me,
and I'm glad you like the rice.
I'm glad you like the rice.
(sighs) Okay. Is that okay
that I can pick it up.
Thank you, Chef Kwame, Chayil, Anthony and Chris.
I love your magazine.
I have had it on my desk for months on end,
and I dreamt of getting to collaborate with you
on this show because I love what you're doing.
And be sure to watch Chef Kwame on Top Chef,
Thursdays at 8/7 Central on Bravo, and then head
to the passthespatula.com for more information
and to purchase a copy of the magazine.
And don't forget to pick up a copy
of Questlove's "Mix-Tape Pot-Luck"
to add to your cookbook collection.
It's really one of a kind.
And from my opinion, as a cookbook lover,
it's kind of the one we've been waiting for,
so thank you so much.
(bright music)