Huang Zhenhua, 74 years old this year, a national treasure-level culinary master, Guangdong Cantonese cuisine master, was awarded the title of "Chinese Culinary Master" by the state in 2000. In November 2011, he was selected into the "National Famous Chef" ceremony, and the Ministry of Commerce awarded the title of Chinese Famous Chef (Honorary Award), Chinese Cantonese Cuisine Master, China's Top Ten Cooking Masters, and Guangdong Top Ten Famous Chefs.
Huang Zhenhua is proficient in cantonese cuisine, perfectly combining traditional and modern cooking techniques, and has reformed hundreds of Cantonese dishes, representing dishes such as three-color lobster, one palm Dingshan River, one pint of tianxiang, etc., and developed famous banquets such as Manchu Feast, Five Dynasties Banquet, South Vietnamese King Banquet, Round Table Chinese Cuisine and so on.
The King of Nanyue Feast of Xiong Guan Dang Dao - Kitchen Cheng Yue Fa Cannon Small Dolphin
As soon as we talked about Cantonese cuisine, Master Huang Zhenhua's box opened. In the Spring and Autumn Period of more than half a century, hundreds of creative and reformed Cantonese dishes, he talked like a number of family treasures. This national treasure culinary master has researched and presided over the Cantonese Manchu Han Banquet, the Five Dynasties Banquet and the South Vietnamese King's Banquet, combining Cantonese characteristics on the basis of traditional skills and pushing Cantonese cuisine to a new level. In his view, innovation is the eternal theme of Cantonese cuisine.
At the age of 31, he became the youngest chef in Guangzhou
Born into a family of chefs, Huang Zhenhua has been influenced by the family atmosphere since childhood. After graduating from primary school at the age of 17, he went to Shamian Etan WineHouse as a handyman, and because of his hard work, he was favored by the famous chef Huang San at the time, and finally had the opportunity to "touch the knife" after three or four years. At that time, Guangzhou restaurant celebrity chefs Huang Rui, Li Long, Panxi restaurant dim sum master Luo Kun and other "kitchen bigwigs" often went to Etan Wine to sigh tea. Huang San and Huang Rui were in the township, so they introduced Huang Zhenhua to Huang Rui, and Huang Zhenhua remembered that Huang Rui told him at that time, "Learn your skills well, please do the wok!" These words took root in Huang Zhenhua's heart, and since then he has been single-mindedly improving his skills, ideally "going to work at a restaurant in Guangzhou."
Huang Zhenhua became a chef at a restaurant in Guangzhou at the age of 31, when he was the youngest chef there.
On October 31, 1970, Huang Zhenhua was transferred to a restaurant in Guangzhou as he wished, and he learned art from Huang Rui from then on. As diligent as he was, he also learned to cut ingredients with Master Li Long during the noon break; during the Canton Fair, foreign guests ate at more than 8 p.m., and the masters were off work, and he stayed to work. Talent coupled with diligence, Huang Zhenhua progressed rapidly.
Huang Zhenhua has won numerous awards over the years.
In 1976, the 31-year-old Huang Zhenhua succeeded Huang Rui as the kitchen chef on the third floor of the Guangzhou restaurant, the youngest chef in the industry at that time; in 1986, he became the vice president of the China Cuisine Association, when the rest of the presidents were in his old age, counting him as the youngest, 41 years old; in 1990, the 45-year-old Huang Zhenhua led the Guangzhou restaurant team to participate in the four-year World Cup cooking competition for the first time, and finally won the gold medal. In the 1990s, he paid 450,000 yuan to publish hundreds of Cantonese dishes he created into a book; last year, he paid 60,000 yuan to print menus such as the Manchu Han Feast and the Five Dynasties Feast into a book.
Cantonese-style Manchu full table: cleverly blend the characteristics of Cantonese cuisine
Huang Zhenhua's Cantonese"Manchu Full Seat" created in the 1980s has become a classic. Countless guests from home and abroad come to taste it. Japan's Osaka Travel Agency even sent someone to Guangzhou to discuss with Guangzhou restaurants to organize a one-day trip group to taste the manchu and Han Chinese seats. There are a total of 108 delicacies in the Cantonese-style Manchu Han dynasty, which are divided into 54 northern dishes and 54 southern dishes.
The King of South Vietnam feasted on ginger and milk
At that time, in order to make a full table of Manchu Han, Huang Zhenhua found a large box of materials about The Manchu Han to study, personally went to the birthplace to investigate, went to museums in Changchun and other places to learn Manchu food culture, purchased traditional specific ingredients, and transformed dishes according to the characteristics of Cantonese cuisine. On the one hand, modern and live ingredients such as fish, shrimp, crab, snail and mushroom mushrooms are used; on the other hand, the dishes are adjusted according to the tastes of Guangzhou people. In the north, "wonderful hump" is made with the technique of "grilling", Huang Zhenhua uses the Cantonese brine immersion method, first boiling water, and then soaking it several times with brine materials such as fragrant leaves and grass fruits to remove the fishy smell of the hump, and then stir-frying with shiitake mushrooms, horseshoe and celery grains. "Blue Sea Fish King" is made with Cantonese ingredients such as Sumei fish or Dongxing Spot, and is made in the Cantonese tang blanching method.
Huang Zhenhua said that at that time, they made a special trip north to learn to make "roasted sea cucumbers with green onions" from local masters. After completing his studies, Huang Zhenhua upgraded this dish to make it not only smell fragrant, but also taste more fragrant. In the end, the Northern Master in turn asked him for advice, and Huang Zhenhua also informed him without reservation.
The Feast of the King of Nanyue: Tracing the Origins of Guangzhou's Diet
If the "Manchu Han Banquet" originates from the north, then the Nanyue King's Banquet is "locally produced". In 2003, Huang Zhenhua traced the origin of Guangzhou cuisine based on the Nanyue King Cuisine, the ancestor of Cantonese cuisine with 2000 years of food culture, and carefully crafted the Western Han Dynasty food heritage from the aspects of dishes, tableware, clothing, etiquette, allusions, music and environmental layout, which represented the feast of ancient Yue culture - "Nanyue King Feast".
In order to make every dish have evidence, combine allusions, and fully integrate ancient and modern ingredients and historical materials, Huang Zhenhua and his team have been preparing for 10 years. He carefully selected food raw materials, and used the raw materials that best reflected the dietary characteristics of the South Vietnamese period, such as snakes, finches, seafood and other foods, and even snacks reflected lingnan characteristics.
"One Palm Fixes mountains and rivers": Conquering the cooking methods of Japanese masters
Since the 1970s, Guangzhou Restaurant has been invited by The Japanese catering company Yashouduo to exchange ideas in Japan. Huang Zhenhou went back and forth 7 times, and each time brought a different surprise to Yashouduo. In the early 1980s, the Wildlife Protection Act had not yet been enacted. Yasudo's masters went to China to study the practice of bear paws.
Huang Zhenhua serves as a judge at the Asian and Oceania Culinary Competitions.
Huang Zhenhua's bear paw dishes completely impressed the Japanese. Cooked bear paws are generally served until they are soft and thorough. Huang Zhenhua abandons the commonly used method, refers to the "Kirin bear paw" dish, cuts the soft bear paw into a Japanese shape, adds ham, mixes the edge with sea cucumber with northern mushrooms, mixes the pigeon with hundreds of flowers outside, and builds back the bear paw type on the table, which can be described as tender and smooth, which is for "one palm to fix the mountains and rivers".
Twenty years later, Huang Zhenhua went to Japan for exchanges, and the head chef of the Yashouduo Ochashui Hotel said to Huang Zhenhua: When they purchased a ton of frozen bear paws but could not cook it, they went to China to "learn the scriptures", from the northern method to the southern method have been tried, or feel that the Cantonese method is more suitable for them.
Taidou secret: see more, do more, learn more, and try more
"Master Fu must try it." This is the "secret trick" that Huang Zhenhua learned from his master Huang Rui. Soy sauce imperial chicken was a hot dish sold by restaurants in Guangzhou at that time, and Huang Zhenhua studied next to huang rui when cooking. He tried to follow the steps according to the amount of ingredients given by the master, but the taste was still different. Later, it was found that Huang Rui tried the flavor in the process of frying and made a timely adjustment of the intensity. It turns out that different ingredients in a dish may be tasted in different processing links, and the intensity is different. Tasting the flavor during cooking is the best way to ensure the taste of the finished product.
Nanyue King's Banquet of the "Blue Sea Fish Emperor"
Huang Zhenhua often went to the library and museum to find books to read, and as soon as he saw creative dishes on TV, he immediately videotaped them. After becoming vice president of the China Cuisine Association, he had more opportunities to visit different places, and he already owned a camera at the time. This camera does not shoot anything else, only the shape and ingredients of the dishes you see.
Wen/Guangbao all-media reporter Zeng Fanying
Photo/ Wang Weixuan, all-media reporter of The Broadcasting Company