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The series is off to an energetic start as Diana delves into the vibrant and healthy flavours of Vietnamese cooking. With the expertise of her flatmate Khanh Ong (owner of the George on Collins) the pair creates chargrilled parcels of fragrant beef wrapped in betel leaves called ba la lot. For dessert, Diana surprises Khanh with his favourite Vietnamese ice cream snack called kem chuoi. Diana is also joined in the kitchen by Jerry Mai (chef and owner behind restaurants Pho Nom, Annam and Bia Hoi) who demonstrates how to make banh khot - mini rice pancakes that are best served with freshly brewed Vietnamese beer, of course.
Thai food is on the menu so Diana enlists the help of mentor and Thai food enthusiast, Gary Mehigan, who is an expert at striking the balance of salty, sweet and sour. After sampling Gary’s refreshing prawn larb, Diana explores the varieties of fresh Asian herbs at the Springvale market, before heading back to the kitchen to recreate a delicious dish she sampled on a recent trip Thai yellow crab curry with vermicelli noodles. To finish, Diana cooks a moreish Thai appetizer of grilled pork neck known as nahm jim jaew.
Diana shares her recipe for okonomiyaki; a Japanese cabbage pancake. Next stop she meets Andy Restein, owner and chef at Mr. Miyagi, a popular Melbourne restaurant that offers a modern take on traditional Japanese food. Back in the kitchen Diana is joined by executive chef Daisuke Miyake of Shinoki restaurant to cook kaburamushi, a dish of steamed turnip with snapper. Diana decides to cook nasu dengaku or miso baked eggplant, to celebrate iconic Japanese umami flavour.
India is a wide-ranging country where cooking varies from region to region, so Diana decides to focus on the foods of North India. Inspired by rich curries and fragrant spices, Diana cooks a traditional lamb korma. Prominent chef Adam D'Sylva (Tonka and Coda) shares his Bengali fish curry recipe with Diana. For something sweet, Diana cooks a rice pudding with fragrant northern Indian spices called kheer.
This episode celebrates Cantonese cooking, beginning in one of Melbourne’s most iconic restaurants, Flower Drum, in the heart of Chinatown. MasterChef alumni and friend, Karlie Verkerk, shares her recipe dim sum dessert favourite, mango pudding. For the main course, Diana creates a Cantonese home-style favourite, pak cham kai (translated as white cut chicken), by poaching a whole chicken in a pot with aromatics and topping with infused oil.
Singaporean cuisine is widely influenced by several cultural groups that make up the population. MasterChef winner Sashi Cheliah who grew up in Singapore shares his quick and easy briyani recipe to start things off. Next up is the famous Singaporean fish head curry, which has mixed Indian and Chinese influences. Inspired by the diverse cultures of Singaporean street food, Diana cooks one of her favourite hawker style dishes, hokkien mee, a simple noodle dish created using homemade prawn stock.
Korean food is fast becoming a staple cuisine in Australia, particularly fried chicken and Korean BBQ - but there is so much more to explore. Charlie Carrington (chef and owner of Atlas Dining) shows Diana how to ferment kimchi before cooking up a beef bulgogi, a dish of delicious marinated beef cooked at high heat and topped with quintessential Korean condiments. Diana then makes a vegetarian version of bibimbap - a versatile and wholesome mixed rice dish full of vibrant flavours.
From rendang to satay and nasi goreng, the flavours of Indonesia are well loved across Australia. Diana decides to showcase her favourite spicy Indonesian relish, sambal matah, on top of a glorious whole snapper grilled in banana leaves. Jess Lemon, who knows Indonesian cuisine back to front, shares one of her best street food snacks, gado gado, before getting a little fancy for dessert with a dish called dury wat, which showcases the unique Indonesian fruit, durian.
Southern Indian cooking is distinctly influenced by the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables found in the region. Sarah Todd’s love of Indian cuisine has led her to open up restaurants in Goa and Mumbai (documented on television series My Restaurant in India, SBS). Sarah starts with vindaloo pork ribs topped with Goan bhelpuri – a spiced puff rice snack - before cooking a vegetarian baked cauliflower with pineapple sansav. Diana finishes the episode with a traditional dessert called sweet appam filled with carmelised banana – the perfect snack on a balmy afternoon.
Diana seeks inspiration from her Malaysian roots, conjuring the sights and smells of food stalls from her childhood. She invites two guests to demonstrate some of the different cultures that influence Malayasian cooking, from Nyonya home cooking to traditional Malay. Cookbook author Clarissa Weerasena recreates Nyonya fishcakes, a popular snack that is reminiscent of her childhood. Many Australians are familiar with laksa, but Irna Mysara (of Sijori Malay Eatery) shows how varied traditional Malaysian laksa can be with laksa Johor that uses spaghetti noodles and has a dry sauce. Late afternoon is time for sweet snacks in Malaysia and Diana shares her take on fried desserts with keria churros made of sweet potato.
