Philippines is a beauty in its own right. From its untainted beaches to stretches of greenery, it is no wonder why Asian Food Channel chose to base their shoot in the lush Banaue, a UNESCO heritage site. Once dubbed as a protege of Jamie Oliver, and a famous face to many, Aaron Craze will be taking 12 bright-eyed contestants on a journey across Philippines, and pit them against each other to feed 50 townspeople.
Contestants will be trawling the forests and lush greenery in search of their cooking ingredients, and will then attempt to recreate traditional fiesta dishes, which will also be judged by Chef Rob Pengson and Fernando Aracama, staples in the Filipino culinary scene.
Being in a rural town and surrounded with immense heritage is certainly something that the contestants and hosts looked forward to, but that had to be taken with the less savoury bits too. Chef Aaron Craze shared that he was bitten and woke up with a massively swollen lip which was clearly not a sight to behold.
Food whipped up will generally be savoury and have a good dose of spice, which is iconic in many Asian cuisines. During the preview, we had the fortune of being led to prepare a refreshing Tuna kinilaw, tenderly seasoned with calamansi, coconut cream and is popular appetizer in the Philippines amongst the beer-loving crowd.
The Amazing Food Challenge: Fun in the Philippines premiered on Tuesday, 22 Dec 2015 at 9.00pm on Starhub Channel 435. For more information, click here.