Chefs cook-up capital dishes
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-09-22 09:06

Diners have long stopped counting the number of dishes available in Chinese cuisine - and that is not a bad strategy considering that even after some 4000 years of history, China's restaurants and family kitchens continue to turn out new recipes by the dozen.

Li Xin, assistant manager of the Chinese Foods Section with Xi'an Hotel, shows off his "fine shred with pony" dish and other menu items of Xi'an cusines. [China Daily]

Of course, even those yet to visit this land of high cuisine have heard of Peking Duck, which is epitome of China's cooking pot. From soups to sandwiches, the chefs in this food-loving country have a knack of turning even the most plain ingredients into a mouthwatering experience. If you know how, common sweet potato chips are able to replace the expensive sea cucumber while giving its original flavour.

Earlier this month, a few lucky foodies were able to taste first hand, dishes cooked by scores of chefs from across China.

They had gathered at various times at five Quanjude Peking Roast Duck restaurants in Beijing.

The event, called the Third Cuisine Culture Exchange of Six Ancient Capitals, invited chefs from Hangzhou of East China's Zhejiang Province, Nanjing of East China's Jiangsu Province, Kaifeng and Luoyang of Central China's Henan Province, and Xi'an of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

All the above cities have at one time served as the nation's capital and therefore all have had a hand in the development of Chinese cooking.

The previous two such exchanges were held at Louwailou of Hangzhou in 1999 and Diyilou of Kaifeng in 2001. All these local chefs have inherited a rich cuisine legacy that can be traced back centuries. The popular Quanjude Peking Duck, however, has a somewhat shorter history, dating back a little more than 100 years.

Apart from the meticulous preparation and the variety of indigenous ingredients, many of the dishes served up at the event have their interesting stories to share, while others are served with ancient customs, or with analogies to beautiful poems and paintings.

For example, the West Lake in Hangzhou has attracted multitudes of visitors from home and overseas.

Among the local dishes, the Dongpo Red-cooked Pork remains a favourite.

Su Dongpo (1036-1101) was one of the most prominent prose masters of the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Famed for his remarkable talents in literature, painting and calligraphy, Su was also an excellent cook.

During his second tenure of governor in Hangzhou, Su carried out a rebuilding project to improve the environment around the West Lake, which greatly benefited local residents. During the Spring Festival, he received a great deal of pork from people as gifts.

With no intention of consuming his gifts all alone, according to ancient legends, Su cut the pork into pieces, cooked them in brown sauce and wine and then delivered the dishes to workers involved in the project.

The red-cooked pork was a delight for its crispiness and flavour.

Word spread far and wide about the governor's creative dish, which remains popular today.

The master himself summed up his cooking experience into a single line: "With gentle heat and a bit of water, the dish would surely taste good when it is done in its turn."

Salt and spice

"Luoyang yan dish," the most traditional cuisine of the "water feast" has white radishes as the main material and yellow peonies made of egg. [China Daily]

In contrast to the Zhejiang and Jiangsu cuisine characterized by its light, delicate and exquisite flavour, the local foods from Xi'an, once the capital of the prosperous Western Han (206 BC-AD 24) and Tang (AD 618-907) dynasties, are distinguished for their salty and spicy tang.

According to Guo Yuqi, deputy-manager of the 75-year-old Xi'an Hotel, the foods of Xi'an, today the capital of Shaanxi Province, represent the dominating flavour throughout Northwest China's five provinces and autonomous regions, including Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Among the six courses the hotel is best known for, four are cooked wheat foods - testimonial to the dry land of the northwest.

"The central Shaanxi plain teems with wheat fields," Guo says. "There are more than 200 kinds of wheat pastries and dishes."

Mutton cooked with all sorts of relishes is another speciality.

A cold dish called "Fine shreds with peony," gained its fame in the Tang Dynasty. The chef mixes cooked shreds of fresh pork kidneys with vermmicellis, and a piece of decorative salmon carved to resemble peony.

Of course, salmon was not available in ancient China. The original ornament was a circle of walnut meat, which gave the dish its earliest title, "Golden dragon fine shreds."

Henan Province may be famous as home of the Shaolin kung fu, charming peonies and the Longmen Grottoes.

As far as the distinctive local cuisine is concerned, local people recommend steamed dumplings filled with minced meat and gravy of Kaifeng. A slight bite sees a stream savory gravy immediately fill the mouth.

Luoyang cuisine provides diners a chance to experience different flavours, an integrated state banquet called "water feast" (shuixi).

The banquet first appeared as the official feast in the early Tang Dynasty, but became popular among common people in the Song Dynasty. Dishes are served one after another. That makes an exception in Chinese dining service, which generally places all courses on the table at the same time.

This service style sees some people compare it to floating clouds and flowing water, as all the dishes are served in big bowls of soups.

Usually it takes about 12 hours to prepare a pot of mouthwatering soup.

The Luoyang "water feast" strictly has 24 courses. The number stands for the 24 years, for which Wu Zetian (AD 624-705), the only woman emperor in ancient China's history, was on the throne.

Of course, the gala is on unofficially all year round for those who can sniff something good cooking in far off places - or just down the street.

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