Food Safari

Food Safari explores the fresh flavors of Japanese food with passionate top chefs and home-cooks. Maeve O'Meara joins legendary restaurateur Tetsuya Wakuda who gives tips on the key ingredients in Japanese cooking and makes a simple marinade using just five ingredients, including his favourite miso paste. Top restaurateur Kimitata Azuma makes a fast and easy fresh tuna salad.

Maeve meets up with top chef Guillaume Brahimi, owner and chef of Bennelong Restaurant at the Sydney Opera House. He gives the rundown on the essential French ingredients - great butter and salt, bread, fresh herbs, mustard and cheeses. He cooks up a beef bourguignon and shares the secrets of the perfect potato mash. Former chef France Vidal makes a French Onion soup in half an hour.

Guillaume Brahimi from Guillaume at Bennelong, at the Sydney Opera House, gives a guide to essential fresh ingredients then shows how to cook the perfect steak. Maeve meets cheese expert Eric Moschietto from La Bergerie Cheese shop in Melbourne and learns that there are so many French cheeses, you can taste three a day for a year and still have some to try.

Food Safari plunges into the vibrant spicy world of Indonesian food with chef Rohanna Halim, who heads an all girl kitchen team at her restaurant Ratu Sari in suburban Sydney. She shows the key ingredients needed for Indonesian cooking, including many fresh herbs and spices. Rohanna makes a spicy chilli sauce called belado which goes perfectly with everything from prawns to vegetables.

Food Safari explores a different take on Mediterranean cooking with the rustic delights of Maltese food. Chef Paul Camilleri (Restaurant Sojourn) goes through the essential ingredients and then cooks his family recipe for the national dish of rabbit stew. Then it's time for the national snack food, pastizzi, and the national sandwich called Hobs Biz Zeit.

Some Pakistani dishes that are loved around the world - like biryani - the layered spiced rice and meat dish. Chef Sonya Kayani makes a marvelous version of biryani using goat curry which she layers with saffron and plain basmati rice. Restaurateur Basil Daniell runs through the key ingredients, herbs and spices and shares a very easy lamb dumpling recipe adapted with wonton wrappers.

Food Safari delves into the delicious world of Croatian food and Maeve enlists her friend Dennis Valcich, chef, author and passionate promoter of the food from his homeland to run through the key ingredients used in the cuisine. He demonstrates a simple and delicious recipe from his home on the Dalmatian coast - artichoke cooked simply with potatoes and broad beans.

Food Safari sizzles with color, flavor and texture as it savors the wonderful complexity of Singaporean food. Maeve meets up with two Singaporean friends to guide her through the range of ingredients - passionate home cook Helina Lee picks the top spices and sauces needed while chef Alex Lee shows off the range of fresh produce and seafood including mudcrabs.

Food Safari revels in centuries old dishes cooked by passionate chefs and home cooks as it explores Hungarian cuisine. Maeve meets up with chef Stephen Oroszvari who has a one man mission to excite the world about the flavors of his homeland - for instance did you know that Hungarians are so passionate about paprika, that they have nicknames for some of their favorite varieties.

Food Safari explores the colorful fresh flavors and seductive charm of Sri Lankan cooking. Maeve visits a fragrant spice emporium with top Australian Sri Lankan chef Peter Kuruvita from Flying Fish restaurant who hones in on the essentials. He whips up an elegant prawn curry with a creamy coconut sauce.

Food Safari revels in the clever combination of Portuguese and African cuisines that are the key to much of Brazilian cooking. Maeve teams up with two talented Brazilian cooks - Regina Kytzia from Casa Brazil Restaurant and Edna Barzel of Sweet Brazil, both of whom are passionate about their homeland and keen to show off the many ingredients used.

Food Safari ventures into the beautifully healthy world of Korean food, full of color and surprises. Martial arts champion and top Adelaide chef Chung Jae Lee of Mapo restaurant reveals the basic ingredients needed for his cuisine amongst the Korean grocery stores and the fruit and vegetable stalls of Adelaide's vibrant Central Market. He cooks up a simple delicious bulgogi.

Food Safari dives into the welcoming world of Mauritian food, one of the great Creole cuisines on earth, a unique mixture of African, Indian, French and Chinese cuisines. Maeve joins chef Kavi Hurrydoss who gives a rundown of basic ingredients for a Mauritian pantry - a combination of Indian spices, tropical produce and fresh herbs. He then whips up the food he misses the most, Dholl Puri.