What's on TV: Wednesday, November 28

A sharp wit on Twitter and encouraging on the recipe pages, Adam Liaw has shaped himself as a consummate modern food commentator. The former lawyer and MasterChef winner has been a mainstay on SBS with the Destination Flavour series, and the latest season allows him to dive into China and its regional cuisines. Starting in Beijing, Liaw gently nods to changes in Chinese history through traditional dishes such as Peking duck, which goes through 20 stages of preparation (with a few modern twists) that have been codified over 700 years of cooking.

Liaw has a deep knowledge that he casually shares, and while there are moments where his enthusiasm revs a little too hard, there's much more than classic dishes to be experienced here. CM

ARIA Awards

Nine, 7.30pm

"Australian music's night of nights" – as the host is legally obligated to say every year, even when there isn't a host – has always had an awkward relationship with television. There's rarely been the hysteria in the room of an MTV Awards, or the expensive pomp of a custom-made Grammys performance from a leading nominee.

But the event, which has bounced around the commercial networks over the years, is generally good for a perplexing moment or three (although nothing will likely top Madison Avenue's just add water performance in 2000) and it is a decent gauge to where the commercial end of Australian music is at (and who's considered commercial). Watch for Amy Shark, Troye Sivan, Mojo Juju, along with the late Gurrumul, to have an impact. CM

On the Ropes

SBS, 8.35pm

An imam stands at the doors of a Western Sydney mosque, greeting those attending prayers, with his daughter. "Do you want to come to the footy with your mother and me?" he asks her during a lull. SBS's new Australian drama is about the distinctions in society – religion, sexuality, and most importantly, gender – that pile up for immigrants and their children.

Set against a boxing scene where success is proving elusive, it has a constant quick jab of plot and escalating incident. Former Iraqi boxing champion and trainer, Sami Al-Amir (Igal Naor), comes into conflict with his daughter, Amirah (Nicole Chamoun), after she starts training a female hopeful, Jess (Keisha Castle-Hughes), and gets her a professional bout through promoter Strick (Jack Thompson). This is tough, pulpy storytelling, told with hand-held camera work and alert to the way families can only bend so far until they break. It's a welcome step up for SBS after Dead Lucky.