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Private Notes
In the first episode of Luke Nguyen’s Greater Mekong, Luke discovers the iconic dishes and "old world" stories of Kunming – the capital city of Yunnan Province in southwest China. Luke is challenged to decipher the secret ingredients in Kunming’s favourite Muslim-Chinese dish. He explores the ethereal Stone Forest, and makes a fish-mint root salad. He also learns from master chef Pan why Yiliang roast duck is the most succulent in China.
In the second episode of Luke Nguyen’s Greater Mekong, Luke discovers the unique flavours and culinary traditions of the Bai and Yai people in the historic towns of Dali and Shaxi in China’s Yunnan Province. In Dali, Luke creates a textural vegetarian stir-fry with the Zhao family’s rice noodle, and has the best fishing experience of his life with the help of specially trained Cormorant birds.
In the third episode of Luke Nguyen’s Greater Mekong, Luke reaches the fabled town of Lijiang in China’s Yunnan Province, where the nightlife reigns and a Naxi "aunty" teaches Luke how to cook a local speciality. In Lijiang’s labyrinthine backstreets, Luke cooks a Chinese classic – Thousand Layer Pork. He gains insight into the long history of Naxi culture at the Black Dragon pool, and is taught by "aunty" how to make Baba the traditional way. Amid curious marketplace spectators, Luke catches a fish with his bare-hands and puts his skills to the test, cooking local-style barbecued carp for the first time.
In the fourth episode of Luke Nguyen’s Greater Mekong, Luke journeys to Xishuangbana, where China meets Southeast Asia, to experience Dai culture and cuisines, and try the acquired tastes of the famous tea horse trail. Luke treks to mist-covered tea plantations to cook sweet tea dumplings. He is invited to a nearby village where he learns the method for preserving tea, sampling some that has been buried in the ground for over a year. Boarding a Mekong River barge, Luke feels right at home in the tropical surrounds while he chargrills a typical Dai-style lemongrass fish. Finding sanctuary from the rain, Luke uses the local medicinal herbs to create a brilliant chicken dish.
In the fifth episode of Luke Nguyen’s Greater Mekong, Luke discovers the little known foods and flavours of Yangon – the former capital city of Myanmar. Luke begins his culinary education by learning the art of making the famous Mohinga, with one of the city’s lively Mohinga experts. He tries his hand at making rice paper sheets the traditional way at 17th street market, and cooks a traditional Burmese prawn curry described by locals as being “oily, delicious and a little bit spicy!” Luke gets lost in Yangon’s backstreets admiring the colourful colonial architecture, and experiences the epic Shwedagon temples.
In the sixth episode of Luke Nguyen’s Greater Mekong, Luke ventures to the Shan State, where entire villages and kilometres of tomato farms float upon Inle Lake. Luke experiences the warm hospitality of the Shan people when he is invited into a family home to learn the secret behind making chickpea tofu noodles. He pulls up his sleeves and helps to unload tonnes of tomatoes at nearby Nguang Shwe, and creates the local speciality – a green tomato salad. While admiring the skills of Inle Lake’s renowned leg-rowing fishermen, Luke prepares some crispy, spring onion fritters to enjoy with a cold, local beer.
In the seventh episode of Luke Nguyen’s Greater Mekong, Luke hikes to the hill tribe villages of the Shan State and the township of Keng Tung, where he cooks some unusual delicacies and local marketplace favourites. Luke teams up with Aye, an Anh Shaman, to make the aromatic dried beef dish Aye’s mother prepared for him before he went on hunting expeditions. He meets Maypear of the Paluang people to cook her favourite dish – a warm buffalo skin salad. Inspired by the flavours and smells of the local marketplace, Luke creates a textural pork dish wrapped in bamboo.
In the eighth episode of Luke Nguyen’s Greater Mekong, Luke makes it to the town of Chiang Khong in northern Thailand, where he literally catches the ingredients for his traditional Tom Yum fish soup and tasty northern-style frog curry. Mr Ta – a Mekong fisherman – takes Luke out onto the river where they pull in a 10-kilogram fish for Mr Ta’s special Tom Yum recipe. Luke gets muddy catching frogs to cook-up for the hard working rice farmers’ lunch. Under the watchful eye of Yoda – a young man from a Lahu village – Luke chops down a bamboo tree to use as a cooking utensil for his pork dish.
In the ninth episode of Luke Nguyen’s Greater Mekong, Luke arrives at mountainous Mae Salong, where he prepares a rustic tomato dish with Apear, an Aka grandmother. Getting off the beaten track, Luke sets up kitchen in a banana forest where he creates a jungle chicken curry. Luke travels further up the mountainside to the Royal Project, where he prepares an aromatic pork hock, and learns how the Thai king helped local farmers change from growing opium crops to farming sustainable produce.
In the final episode of Luke Nguyen’s Greater Mekong, Luke hits the bustling town of Chiang Mai, where he laps up the nightlife cooking Thai classics, such as green papaya salad. He also takes time out to offer his warm jackfruit salad as Alms to novice monks. Luke learns about the history of Chiang Mai and is educated by a local chef on the true diversity of Thai cuisine across the country’s regions.
