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Far east feasts: U.K.'s Ching-He Huang eats through a continent

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Author: 
Andrew Warren / TV Media
"Ching's Amazing Asia" features a plethora of Asian dishes

"Ching's Amazing Asia" features a plethora of Asian dishes

With cheap air travel, 24-hour news channels and, of course, the Internet tying the whole wide world together, cuisines that were once exotic and mysterious are becoming part of our everyday lives. Not so long ago, going out for Asian food meant sushi -- or maybe the all-you-can-eat buffet serving up a rough approximation of Chinese food.

Authentic Asian restaurants are everywhere now, so whether you're craving Vietnamese cuisine or hankering for some Korean barbecue, your bases are probably covered. For a truly authentic experience, though, you have to go right to the source, and that's where Ching-He Huang has us covered with "Ching's Amazing Asia," premiering Tuesday, Jan. 31, on Cooking Channel.

The British-Taiwanese TV chef and cookbook author is a ubiquitous presence in the U.K.'s foodie scene, and with the launch of her new show on this side of the pond, she's bringing the cuisine of her native continent to foodies over here.

In each episode of "Ching's Amazing Asia," the host travels to a different corner of the massive Asian continent to check out its culinary scene. At every stop, she looks for the most delicious dishes on offer, meeting up with acclaimed local chefs to watch them work their magic in the kitchen. She also gets to eat that amazing food once the chefs are finished. Jealous?

In the premiere episode, Ching's in Kowloon, a part of Hong Kong's bustling metropolitan area. On this visit, she doesn't just watch the local chefs work, she lends a hand. She helps to make some mouthwatering dishes, including wok-seared lamb, snow-topped barbecue pork bao and golden spring rolls.

In future episodes, Ching swings by Taiwan to learn how to make crab lionhead meatballs, travels to Naha, Japan, for a unique Okinawan rice ball and visits Hong Kong island for the ultimate Asian surf and turf: a roasted suckling pig with lobster.

Asia is a massive continent, and every nook and cranny has its own culinary traditions and modern-day food trends. Ching-He Huang is determined to check out as many of them as she can when "Ching's Amazing Asia" premieres Tuesday, Jan. 31, on Cooking Channel.