Watch Exploring China: A Culinary Adventure

2013
1 Season
8.2 (54)

Exploring China: A Culinary Adventure is a fascinating show presented by two of the most renowned culinary experts in the world, Ken Hom and Ching-He Huang. The show originally aired on BBC TWO in 2012, and it takes the audience on an informative and immersive food and culture journey through China.

Ken Hom and Ching-He Huang are passionate chefs who understand the cultural significance of food in China. They explore the country's various regions, traditions, and ingredients to uncover the country's rich culinary heritage. The show consists of six episodes that cover six different Chinese provinces. Each episode is a deep dive into the culinary and cultural history of a particular region.

In each episode, Ken and Ching visit different cities and towns to meet local chefs, farmers, and food experts. They learn about their culinary traditions, cooking techniques, and their approach to food sustainability. The presenters also visit local markets, restaurants, and other food establishments to sample and taste different local delicacies.

The show's first episode takes the audience to Beijing, where Ken and Ching learn about extraordinary imperial cuisine. It covers the history of the Forbidden City and the Imperial Palace and how they influenced Chinese culinary customs. The following episodes showcase regions such as Guangzhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hunan, and Xinjiang. Each episode has its unique cuisine, spices, herbs, and cooking techniques, making it a truly immersive journey through the culinary history and culture of China.

What sets Exploring China: A Culinary Adventure apart from other food shows is its focus on Chinese cuisine's cultural and historical aspect. The show takes into account how Chinese cuisine has evolved over the centuries, influenced by natural surroundings, climate, geography, and restrictive rules of Chinese emperors. The cooking techniques, ingredients, and herbs used in each region's cuisine reflect the local tradition, culture, and history.

Furthermore, the show also reflects China's dynamic modern-day culinary scene, including the new foods businesses and the food technologies that are driving the world towards new horizons. The show provides a glimpse into how the country's burgeoning middle class eats, in addition to giving an understanding of Chinese food production and the origins of the ingredients.

The picturesque landscapes, bustling markets, ancient holy temples, and stately tea plantations make the show visually appealing. The two presenters are passionate about their craft and exude enthusiasm, which is demonstrated in how they interact with local chefs, farmers, and food experts. Their sense of discovery and joy while exploring each culinary season sets this show apart from many others.

In conclusion, Exploring China: A Culinary Adventure is a feast for the eyes and the taste buds, a show that presents Chinese cuisine at the intermix of tradition and modernity.

Viewers will feel deeply engaged while watching, as if being guided on a personal journey of cross-cultural discovery. It is a must-watch for culinary enthusiasts, history buffs, and every food lover wishing to deepen their appreciation of Chinese cuisine.

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Seasons

4. Episode 4

April 22, 2013

For the last leg of their epic journey across China Ken and Ching travel to their ancestral homes. They start together in the southern city of Guangzhou the capital of the Cantonese region where Ken's family are from. Cantonese food is the Chinese cuisine best known in the West and while in the city Ken and Ching taste and cook typical dishes of stir fried seafood, sweet and sour pork, dim sum and won ton soup. Ching later leaves for Taiwan to visit her family and to cook a typical Taiwanese lunch while Ken enjoys a homecoming meal with long lost cousins on the old family farm. Please note, this version may differ slightly from the UK TX version.

3. Episode 3

April 22, 2013

In this episode, Ken and Ching discover a side of China that feels distinctly un-Chinese. Their culinary adventure will take them to the ancient city of Kashgar in China's Wild West and to the tropical jungle of Yunnan in the far Southwest, where they'll discover people and food as diverse as the landscapes. China's ethnic minorities make up only 8% of the population and little is known about them. But their cultural and religious practices have infused the national cuisine. In this episode we uncover hidden culinary traditions, discovering dishes with unusual ingredients like blossom flowers, trying regional delicacies like centipede, learning how to prepare lamb the Halaal way and cooking for the chief of a village. This is China and Chinese cooking as we've never seen it before. Please note, this version may differ slightly from the UK TX version.

2. Episode 2

April 22, 2013

Ken and Ching travel deep into southwest China, to Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, one of the culinary heartlands of the country. Here they explore the complex and almost addictive spices that set Sichuan food apart and make it the most memorable of all Chinese cuisines. They get to grips with the dramatic modernization that has made Chengdu the fastest changing city in China, and in a desire to get under the skin of the city, explore the back streets in search of the most authentic dishes and traditional snacks; and in homes and restaurants, banish the gloomy Sichuan climate with some hot and fiery cooking. Please note, this version may differ slightly from the UK TX version.

1. Episode 1

April 22, 2013

Ken Hom and Ching he Huang begin their epic culinary adventure across China in Beijing, the imperial capital for 800 years. It's a city where tradition and innovation sit side by side, and where quintessential Chinese dishes, noodles, dumplings and Peking duck, are being showcased with a new culinary confidence. As well as cooking for world class chefs in the fiery kitchens of the city's most celebrated restaurants, Ken and Ching visit the homes of ordinary Beijingers to learn traditional cooking methods. And in a break away from the city they travel to the forgotten village of Chuandixia where ancient traditions are being celebrated and preserved. Please note, this version may differ slightly from the UK TX version.

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