Prepping your first Christmas roast? Big Zuu’s the cook to help you. The grime MC and chef’s approach to food in his show Big Zuu’s Big Eats is so fun that it makes him the comedian’s food truck operator of choice – perfect for alleviating Crimbo cooking stress. Here’s his guide to a Christmas meal that no one will consider a turkey ...
Your turkey should be moist, but it shouldn’t be MOIST
“Prepare your turkey correctly, yeah? Let it thaw, marinate it, and then roast it properly – on its own, without the carrots and potatoes under it. Do it like that and it won’t be dry. It’ll be moist. Although in grime slang, calling someone ‘moist’ isn’t a good thing. It means they’re a soft individual. My turkey wasn’t weak. It’s moist, but it’s not MOIST.”
Boost your confidence: flame something
“Before my Christmas specials, I’d never done that fiery ting with the alcohol. As soon as I lit up that brandy butter, I couldn’t believe it. I thought I was MasterChef Professionals. So, flambé something: it’ll make you feel like Michel Roux Jr for three seconds.”
Mix it up – draw on your roots
“People get bored of the same old dishes. So reinvent it. Try including something from your heritage. In the show, I did an apple crumble-flavoured akara (an African fritter) as people connect with stuff that’s true to your roots. I tweeted a video of my mum making akara in lockdown and it got like a million views. She thinks she’s a celebrity now.”
Personalise your crackers
“Listen: you’ve GOT to bust the crackers open – and you’ve gotta get the right ones. Go online, order some personalised crackers where you can choose what goes in them – that’s what I’m screaming! I like the little plastic frogs, where you hold them down and then: jump! Them little frogs, the classic toys: they’re the ones.”
Good tunes = peng food
“On Christmas Day, you’ve gotta load up the Christmas playlist. And you KNOW you’ve gotta put on some Mariah Carey! Classic. But yeah: go on Apple Music or Spotify and get a playlist on. If you’ve got good music, then people are gonna be feeling the love and the food is just gonna seem peng.”
Feed as many as you can
“I cook a big Christmas dinner for three: me, my mum and my brother. But where we live there’s a lot of homeless people, so we package up the extra food and give it out on the streets. Making sure you’re feeding people who really love it just feels good. Even if there aren’t homeless people where you are, give some to your neighbours – socially distanced, obviously!”
Big Zuu’s Christmas Eats airs Friday 11 December, 10pm, on Dave
