Tondo is Manila's biggest slum and some residents survive on just US$400 a year. Food vendors like Loida and Rado have come up with clever ways to make food that even the underprivileged can afford. These innovative cooks create crunchy and spicy chicken from leftovers, flavourful soup using unwanted pig intestines and affordable fried pork belly treats.
The residents of Kampung Kesuapan on Gaya Island come from generations of sea gypsies from Southern Philippines, known as the Bajau. Home cooks Zaiton and Jalinah show us their traditional cuisine - creamy pufferfish stew, umami sea urchin rice and tender tapioca cakes. These are the bastions of proud migrant cuisine going strong in a water village that is shunned by the Kota Kinabalu mainland.
Klong Toey is Bangkok's most notorious slum, known for its high crime and drug abuse. But its residents reveal a different side of the slum - a place full of mouthwatering food on a budget. The street food vendors showcase their delicacies, from tangy raw 'dancing' shrimp, perfectly-grilled kidney and juicy pork, to spicy and bitter meat salad.
Borei Keila is Phnom Penh's infamous neighbourhood but residents and food sellers Thavy and Pen Rim cannot imagine living and working anywhere else. The popular dishes at their humble food stalls use wartime ingredients to create economical food. Perfectly-grilled spicy frogs, stuffed frogs with pork, and fermented fish dishes have become beloved dishes of Borei Keila, a haven for the poor.
Migrants from Indonesia's Bugis tribes have settled down in Kamal Muara, a fishing village in North Jakarta, for generations. They retain their culinary traditions, continuing to cook dishes unknown to many. Sardine ceviche, sago balls and chicken feet. The home cooks of this fishing village share their favourite dishes inspired by hometown Bugis and Javanese tastes.
Meet Dharavi slum's most famous Chinese-Indian cook serving delectable fusion treats with his signature sauce, and an idliwalla who shares his secret recipes for fluffy idlis and crunchy vadas.
In Pasil Cebu, the slum that never sleeps, these food vendors are cooking up filling meals for cheap, turning offal and offcuts into belly-warming dips and soups, and grilling up seafood for free.
Yogyakarta’s Kampung Kali Code is known for its colourful slum, dubbed the Rio de Janeiro of Indonesia, and the delicious, affordable delights sold at its angkringan, the iconic street food carts.
In Krabi’s Koh Klang, residents live well on the bounty of the sea, even though money is tight. Exotic catch like black mangrove crabs, stingrays and giant sea snails are turned into amazing dishes.
For the Iban people living in Bintulu’s industrial zone, a tasty meal is always within reach. The forest is your supermarket. When you forage and grow your own ingredients, you won’t go hungry.
For the residents of the Long Xuyen floating village, life on the river is just as good as life on land. The river provides a rich bounty of delicious, wholesome ingredients to fill their bellies.
Within the alleyways of Kumartuli, Kolkata’s potter enclave, slum entrepreneurs are whipping up quick and tasty staples for the local community.