Talking midnight baking and beating kitchen boredom with Nadiya Hussain

The popular author and TV host talks about baking inspiration, beating boredom and her new book.

Source: Nadiya's Fast Flavours

"Baking is my way to unwind," says Nadiya Hussain.

That's hardly surprising - the popular TV host and cookbook author first came to attention as the winner of the Great British Bake Off. What's more fascinating is discovering that she often gets the urge to cook in the middle of the night, that she prefers savoury over sweet (well, sort of), and that she's the only person in her household who likes feta.

There's an upside to the feta situation: when she makes recipes such as the baked feta with chilli, honey and thyme, from her new book Nadiya's Everyday Baking, she gets to share it all with her sisters at family gatherings. "Except for me, not one soul in my house likes feta, so I make this recipe all for myself and my sisters. Baked with herbs and chilli, and served with a drizzle of honey, this feta is salty, sweet, spicy and herby, making for the most delicious warm dip that really does everything," she writes in the new book.

Baked feta with chilli, honey and thyme Source: Penguin Books / Nadiya's Everyday Baking

But sweet bakes still hold a big place in her heart - there are plenty in her book, and in her TV series Nadiya's Fast Flavours, recently airing on SBS Food and SBS On Demand. (We direct your eyes, as a sample, to her  "epic, epic apple and custard pie", which has a buttery pastry and a comforting cinnamon, apple and baked custard filling).

Nadiya's apple and custard pie Source: Nadiya's Fast Flavours

Even prettier, and very nostalgic, is her angel layer cake slices recipe from the new book, an eye-catching cake that harks back to her memories of buying angel cake at the corner store.

Angel layer cake slices Source: Penguin Books

With her new book released in Australia this week, we caught up with her to ask about baking, food fun and more - including why sudden inspiration can see her dash out of bed and into the kitchen in the middle of the night.

Your latest book Nadiya's Everyday Baking, really embraces the breadth of baking, from weeknight dinners to celebration cakes. How has your baking changed since you won The Great British Bake Off in 2015? 

I certainly bake a lot more but as I have travelled a lot more, I feel like I explore more bakes from around the world.

How often do you find yourself in the kitchen in the middle of the night when you get struck with baking inspiration?? 

Quite often, when I get inspiration, I have to bring it to life. 

There's a lot of rush and time pressure in most people's lives. How do we make cooking more of a support than stress?

We cannot take away from the fact we are busy and have lots going on but we can take the pressure off in the kitchen. Cooking for the family or for yourself does not have to be a chore. The recipes in this book allow the oven to do all the work. You put everything in the oven, put the timer on and walk away. If that isn't stress-free I don't know what is. 

What are your favourite tips for beating boredom when it comes to cooking?

It’s easy to get bored if you do the same thing over and over again. To avoid boredom try new things, experiment with new ingredients and try new recipes that you would otherwise never do or recipes that are out of your comfort zone.

Nadiya has fun making roti jala in 'Nadiya's Fast Flavours' Source: Nadiya's Fast Flavours

Find Nadiya's recipe for this lacy pancake/roti here.  

 

If you had to choose: Savoury or sweet?

I prefer savoury, but after savoury I always need sweet, then it’s back to savoury and then sweet. 

Nadiya's Fast Flavours, the series, is airing on SBS Food. Along with your own inventive flavour combinations, you also meet some great cooks and their dishes, from Somali supper club host Fozia Ismail to writer Sabrina Ghayour. Does talking to cooks from such varied culinary backgrounds make you reflect on your own heritage?

Having people on the show from different backgrounds showcasing what they love and what they are good at means we have a shared platform to showcase what we all love, which is food and culture and traditions.