Rick Stein’s
Far Eastern Odyssey
“The
magical, colourful Far East is the
setting for Rick Stein’s Far Eastern
Odyssey as the charismatic chef takes
to the streets to sample the food,
marvel at ancient temples and meet
the people in such exotic places as
Thailand and Cambodia...”
RICK STEIN CERTAINLY KNOWS HIS STUFF. When it comes to cooking exotic meals,
he has experience by the pan-load and the courageous chef is not backwards in
coming forward when it comes to learning traditional cooking methods from around
the world.
Toss in a bit of culture, ancient history and local personalities and Rick
Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey is much more than just another food adventure
— it is a journey of discovery that gets right to the heart and the culinary
delights of the real people of the Far East who enjoy talking about food.
Rick seeks out traditional family-run restaurants, street vendors, night markets,
fishing villages and local farmers to learn about the authentic food in each
area he visits, finding the delicious spectrum of flavours. From ruby red chillies
to an incredible variety of seafood, fresh fruit and exotic vegetables, this
is a mouth-watering trip bursting with new taste sensations, vibrant flavours
and unusual recipes.
In Cambodia, with Mr Vuthy as his guide, Rick learns more about The Killing
Fields, where several million Cambodians were murdered by the Khmer Rouge; the
magnificent Angkor Wat, which is the symbol of Cambodia; and he samples the
distinctive and unusual Khmer cuisine.
One of the poorest countries that Rick visited, it is interesting to note that
small hotels are now opening in the dilapidated Kep-sur-Mer, once known as 'The
French Riviera of the Far East'. There he samples the national dish Fish Amok
with hotelier Stephàne Arrii before meeting Jerome Benezech, who is helping
to re-establish a local co-operative for Kampot pepper, and Ah Meng, who is
known as "Grandma" to the locals.
Rick is introduced to the baguette factory at Siem Reap Market by French chef
Johannes Rivere and he recalls how long Julia Child takes to explain how to
roll out baguettes in her book Mastering The Art of French Cookery.
Everywhere he goes, Rick finds delicious food cooked using the aromatic pastes
so important in South East Asian cooking and fresh ingredients from the "inspirational"
food markets. Travelling down the Mekong River on a vessel modelled on an old
rice barge to the more populated and once dangerous Vietnam, you could be forgiven
for thinking you have taken a trip back in time as you sail past the wooden
houses along the crowded banks of the river that are the Vietnamese fish farms.
In Hanoi, Rick takes a turn in a 1956 Citroen Traction 15 Familiale and in the
town of Can Tho, he samples Pho before heading for Saigon — or rather,
Ho Chi Minh City — and the Hotel Majestic, once the haunt of French officers
and where Graham Greene stayed to write.
Rick meets American-born Vietnamese Cathy Danh, who is passionate about food,
experiences the heady mix of Chinese and French influences that characterise
Vietnamese food and meets the man who raised the flag at the end of the bloody
regime of the Khmer Rouge.
Next stop is Thailand where he again samples the varied, tasty street food and
catches up with Christopher Change, whose infectious love of food fires Rick's
imagination before trying out Bangkok's China town and the oldest pad thai shop
in the city.
Finally, taking in the light and fragrant flavours of Bangladesh that have helped
shape the menu in many of the UK curry houses, Rick also makes food discoveries
in Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Bali.
As one of Britain's most revered chefs and successful authors, Rick Stein sets
off on an epic culinary journey to explore the Far East's most diverse food
cultures which are now popular the world over. Featuring new recipes to make
your mouth water and breathtaking on-location photography that evokes the magic
of bustling markets, exotic locations and exciting flavours, Rick Stein's
Far Eastern Odyssey is a culinary and visual delight. The sight of such
delicious food sizzling in the pan is enough to send you scuttling off to the
kitchen to prepare it for yourself!
Join Rick Stein on his latest culinary adventure — an ambitious journey
through the food and culture of the Far East that also captures the rich and
varying cultures of the Far East — away from the beaten track and tourist
hot spots in search of the authentic food of South East Asia. Also included
is the special Christmas Odyssey episode in which Rick uses the delicious
new ideas he brought back from the Far East to brighten up our festive dishes.
• Rick Stein recreates food discovered on
his travels for the tantalising DVD Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey
that is released on 22 February (2010). RRP: £19.99 | Catalogue No: BBCDVD3136
| Duration: 420 Minutes approx | 2 discs.
"The sight of such delicious food sizzling in the pan is enough to send you
scuttling off to the kitchen to prepare it for yourself!" — Maggie Woods,
MotorBar
Check out bbc.co.uk/food.
