Shandong Cuisine Champion: Tranquility for Best Cooking
ZHANG: Chen Yongming from Flushing, New York was the victor of NTD's International Chinese Culinary Competion in the category of Shandong Cuisine. Of all the experienced and talented chefs present, only he came away with a gold award. NTD asked him for his views on traditional cuisine.STORY: Chen Yongming explained that his winning dish, the "Red Lotus" originated in an imperial court dish of the Song Dynasty. In the unique process of creating the dish, the lotus is first baked, then fried.[Chen Yongming, Culinary Competition Winner]:"The feeling is as though the lotus has been brushed with a layer of cream."The Fried Skate Pieces dish was also traditionally prepared first with river water, then afterwards with cooking oil. Ancient cooking styles used less oil than today.Chen says that ancient Chinese attitudes towards food and cooking were based on the four seasons and the life cycle of the human being, as well the natural environment.[Chen Yongming, Culinary Competition Winner]:"Keeping pace with society is wonderful, of course, but the roots must be maintained. So whether it's food, or any other work or artform, the roots, the foundation, must be kept in place, just as in trying to build a sturdy building. Then whatever might be added on top of that, it will still forever be the most beautiful, forever the most solid and unbreakable."Chen says to create the finest end-product, preserving the foundation of the dish is the most important. When he first became a cooking disciple at age 12, his teachers would make him tie a brick to his knife whenever he picked it up, while still trying to maintain proper posture - only after a few months of this kind of training could he learn to properly slice shreds of ginger.[Chen Yongming, Culinary Competition Winner]:"It's just like DaVinci drawing an egg - I was taught not to stop cutting, never to stop cutting,and only then could I cut properly -- I remember one time, after tirelessly practicing... everyone I sawbasically looked like shreds of ginger. Finally, there was a day when I cut to the point that the shredscould be used like needles. My teacher told me then that my knife skill was 'just about there.'"Chen explained that, for a chef, with the knife and the flame as constant companions, the emotions can become irritable and impetuous, making one lose self-control in the kitchen. However he said his heart was in a most wondrous and peaceful state during this competition.[Chen Yongming, Culinary Competition Winner]:"After I came into the competition, I felt as though I had suddenly walked into a different world... it was something unseeable, and untouchable. Afterwards I felt my heart was very firm, very peaceful."Coming from Henan Province's city of Kaifeng, Chen Yongming achieved recognition in the Mainland as astar chef and won many prizes, before moving to New York. Now, with this competition, he is achieving recognition in the global Chinese community.NTD New York
Channel: Travel & Events
Uploaded: November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am
Author: NTDTV
Length: 01:52
Rating: 5.00
Views: 211
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