Asia's Appetizing Adventures

Culinary specialist Kentetsu Koh visits Canakkale, a city on the shore of the Aegean Sea. The area is known for high-quality cheese, and Kentetsu obtains hands-on experience as he learns to make traditional white cheese from an expert. He also gets the opportunity to eat bread and dumplings that come from homemade flour.

Culinary specialist Kentetsu Koh enjoyed some home cooking with a family in Sumatra, Indonesia. The food was the traditional cuisine of the Minangkabau people in the mountains of Padang, West Sumatra. Kentetsu learned why the region's dishes are popular all across Indonesia and in neighboring countries.

Join Kentetsu Koh on a culinary journey to Java, Indonesia. In the ancient capital of Yogyakarta, he found a light, healthy, veggie-rich dish at a food stand. He then visited the village where the famous Kalasan Temple is located. There, he was treated to some world-class fried chicken. The chicken was fried whole, making it crispy, juicy, and spicy.

Culinary specialist Kentetsu Koh visits a village of indigenous people in the northern part of Malaysia's Borneo island to experience their straight-from-nature cuisine. Most of the ingredients and tools they use come from the jungle, including bamboo. It's both a food and a cooking utensil. The villagers cook rice inside a bamboo tube and make one-of-a-kind dishes by stewing meat, vegetables, and fish. Kentetsu also enjoys nibbles made from durian and -- for something to drink -- a palm wine.

Culinary specialist Kentetsu Koh visits Penang Island, off the northwestern coast of the Malay Peninsula. He joins a cooking class on Nyonya food, the cuisine of Chinese Malaysians. He learns how to make laksa, Penang's famous noodle dish flavored with lemongrass, fresh pepper, shrimp paste, and tamarind. He also helps whip up a celebration dish in which pork, fish, and vegetables are stir-fried with spicy sambal sauce.