asia

UBON RATCHATHANI|THAILAND

Kak (PART II)

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Kak in front of his coal cooker on the terrace of his forest house.

ลาบปลาดุก | LARB PLA DUK | SPICY CATFISH SALAD

In this two episodes you will get to know Kak. Kak is 53 years old, studied architecture and lives in a simple forest house on the outskirts of Ubon Ratchathani. In his profession as a community architect, he tries to combine the knowledge of the ancestors with the challenges of the future.
Kak prepares four dishes and a dip in this double feature. Larb Pla Duk, the spicy catfish salad, a long bean som tam, grilled catfish, a chili dip made with charred chilies and vegetables, and a bamboo curry. All his impressive knowledge he shares in his two episodes of the Global Cookbook.

UBON RATCHATHANI|THAILAND

Kak (PART I)

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Kak at his dinner table in his forest home in Ubon Ratchathani

ลาบปลาดุก | LARB PLA DUK | SPICY CATFISH SALAD

In the next two episodes you will get to know Kak. Kak is 53 years old, studied architecture and lives in a simple forest house on the outskirts of Ubon Ratchathani. In his profession as a community architect, he tries to combine the knowledge of the ancestors with the challenges of the future.
Kak prepares four dishes and a dip in this double feature. Larb Pla Duk, the spicy catfish salad, a long bean som tam, grilled catfish, a chili dip made with charred chilies and vegetables, and a bamboo curry. All his impressive knowledge he shares in his two episodes of the Global Cookbook.

HANOI|VIETNAM

Oanh

Vietnamese Banh troi meet 77 years old Oanh from Hanoi
Oanh early in the morning in front of her house in Hanoi.

BÁNH TRÔI | GLUTINOUS RICE BALLS WITH SWEET FILLING

In this episode you will meet Oanh. She is 77 years old, was born in Hanoi and still lives with her husband in the same quarter of the Vietnamese capital. Every morning at 4:30 a.m. she prepares her homemade bánh trôi in her kitchen to sell them from 6 a.m. in a small alley near her house. Bánh trôi are cooked glutinous rice balls filled with a small cube of palm sugar. The simple but wonderful combination of rice and sugar was a delightful new taste experience for me. The sweet rice balls are especially popular at festivals and as offerings in temples.

HANOI|VIETNAM

Dung

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Dung enjoys her delicious Bún Cá with her friends in her apartment in Hanoi

BÚN CÁ | FISH NOODLE SOUP

In this Vietnam episode, Dung prepares the Vietnamese cuisine classic Bún Cá in her kitchen in Hanoi. Bún cá is a noodle soup with fried fish. It is an elaborate dish as it involves many individual preparation steps and needs a lot of ingredients. However, the taste of the soup is indescribably delicious and it is worth every single hour spent in the kitchen to make it. Together with Dung’s best friends I enjoyed her delicious recipe. Dung is 36 years old, originally from Haiphong and lives together with her sister, who is 16 years younger, in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. 

DA NANG|VIETNAM

Chi

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Chi in her dorm room in Da Nang

THIT KHO | BRAISED PORK BELLY

In this first of three Vietnam episodes, we meet Chi. Chi is 20 years old, comes from the old imperial city of Huế and is studying economics at the university in Da Nang. Together with a fellow student, she shares a small room in a dormitory. Da Nang is located on the South China Sea in central Vietnam and impresses with a beautiful city beach. In the small kitchen under her bunk bed, Chi prepares for us the delicious and very famous dish Thit Kho. It consists of pork belly and quail eggs and is eaten in everyday life as well as for the New Year or other special occasions.

BANGKOK|THAILAND

Nopparit and Somsamorn

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Nopparit and Somsamorn in front of their house on the outskirts of Bangkok

PAD CHA PLA DUK | SPICY STIR FRIED FISH

In Bangkok, you’ll meet an incredibly impressive family. Nopparit and Somsamorn have 16 children together, all of whom are professional Thai boxers. This is how father Nopparit managed to protect all his children from drug addiction, a danger in the poorer districts of Bangkok. To this day, the family trains daily in their home gym on a small river near the house. I was deeply impressed by the cohesion, joy and strength of this unique family. In the lively kitchen of the house, mother Somsamorn shares with us the secrets of her delicious Pad Cha Pla Duk, a spicy fish dish.

SIBU (BORNEO)|MALAYSIA

Queena

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Queena behind her stall at the central market in Sibu

QUEENA´S CHICKEN CURRY

In the fourth episode of the Global Cookbook, you’ll get to know a very unique person. When I first met Queena at the central market in Sibu (Malaysia, Island of Borneo) and looked into her curious eyes, we immediately started talking. I was fascinated by her enormous strength, her positivity, her humor and the many languages she speaks perfectly. In addition to her story, Queena also lets us in on the secret to her sizzling chicken curry. Watch the episode and I’m sure you’ll be as impressed with Queena, her life and her recipe as I am.

KUALA LUMPUR|MALAYSIA

Sofia and Azrul

Two people standing in their kitchen and holding a plate with a rice dish
Sofia and Azrul in their outdoor kitchen in Kuala Lumpur

nasi goreng kampung

In this episode you will meet Sofia and Azrul from Malaysia. They both live in Kuala Lumpur with their little daughter Zara, travel all over the country as interior designers and pursue a very special passion together in their free time. Together, Sofia and Azrul prepare a tasty classic of Asian cuisine for us, namely Nasi Goreng Kampung. Kampung means village and is the Malaysian version of Nasi Goreng. There are some secrets that are important for the preparation. Of course, the two share them with us in this episode.

europe

BERLIN|GERMANY

Michael

Michael sits in front of the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, smiling and looking up at the sky
Michael at one of his favorite places in Berlin, the Berlin Philharmonic Hall

roulades with potato dumplings and red cabbage

In this episode we are guests of Michael. He is 65 years old and lives together with his wife in Berlin. Michael is a particle physicist, is a grandfather of eight, speaks several languages fluently and loves concerts of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra at least as much as good food. At home in his Berlin kitchen, Michael prepares a real classic of German home cooking for us. Roulades with potato dumplings and red cabbage. 

FREIBURG|GERMANY

Rüdiger

A man stands in his kitchen
Rüdiger in his kitchen in Freiburg

Königsberger Klopse with potatoes

The second episode of Germany takes us to the south of the country, to Freiburg, probably the most famous city in the Black Forest. In his Freiburg kitchen, Rüdiger prepares a real classic of German cuisine for us. Königsberger Klopse (German Meatballs) with potatoes is a dish, which is not regionally native, but is eaten throughout the country. The special thing about this dish is its elegance of taste.