Xu Xiaohong has many identities outside: the provincial representative inheritor of Sichuan cuisine intangible cultural heritage, a culinary teacher of Sichuan Tourism Institute, the chairman of Siji Catering Group, and the founder of black pearl restaurants such as "Yinba" and "Nanbei"... But his favorite thing is to be a low-key and diligent Sichuan cuisine craftsman.
Caption image: Photo courtesy of interviewee
Author: Li Zhuyan
Editor: Changle Weiyang
Chengdu has beautiful scenery and thousands of miles, this land of heaven has given birth to fresh and mellow, spicy and spicy Sichuan cuisine, and for decades, this cuisine can continue to grow, break the circle, prosper, and move to a bigger stage, which is inseparable from the continuous efforts of countless Sichuan caterers, and Xu Xiaohong is one of them.
In Xu Xiaohong's eyes, Sichuan cuisine is three-dimensional - length is the spirit of long-standing history and hard work, width represents the presentation of a hundred flowers and the expression of advancing with the times, while height represents a strong sense of identity, honor and cultural communication, in the 38 years since he entered the industry, he has never given up exploring the "length, width and height" of Sichuan cuisine.
Xu Xiaohong
△Image source: Courtesy of interviewee
"Long" -
Pass on the technique and spirit of Sichuan cuisine
Xu Xiaohong was born in Meishan, a native of Sichuan, and because his mother made good dishes, he developed a strong interest in cooking from an early age.
In 1986, Xu Xiaohong was admitted to Sichuan Culinary College (now Sichuan Tourism College), China's first culinary university, and officially entered the culinary industry.
Old photo of Sichuan Culinary College (now Sichuan Tourism College).
△Image source: Courtesy of interviewee
In the traditional catering industry, the teaching process is mostly completed in the form of master-in-apprentice and one-on-one practical operation, and most of the apprentices' understanding of cooking comes from their own masters; The school can invite dozens of influential chefs in Sichuan-Chongqing to give lectures, including many senior seniors who have worked in famous restaurants such as Rongyuan and Endeavor Restaurant, who not only teach cooking techniques without reservation, but also teach the experience and secret recipes they have cultivated over the years.
"It's like in martial arts novels, Shaolin, Wudang, Kunlun and other schools have their own unique skills, and we are like Guo Jing, although we have not joined the sect, we have learned the martial arts of the major masters."
Under the careful guidance of these culinary masters, Xu Xiaohong not only exercised solid basic skills, but also received the most comprehensive training.
After graduation, Xu Xiaohong was assigned to the hub restaurant of the Chengdu Post Office, starting from cutting and playing lotus, and soon he was able to stir-fry dishes, his modesty, diligence and studiousness made many seniors willing to give him guidance and help, and Master Shi, who was in charge of the red case, and Master Chen, who was in charge of the white case, also became friends with him.
What impressed Xu Xiaohong the most was that Chef Shi taught him many secrets to making traditional Sichuan dishes, such as the dish of returning to the pot of meat, which is boiled first and then stewed, this "original soup soaking" method not only retains the umami in the meat, but also reduces the loss of moisture, making the fried meat slices softer and smoother.
In 2002, Xu Xiaohong resigned and went to the sea to start a business, creating the "Rongjinhua Fish Head Hot Pot" brand, and the business was very prosperous. Two years later, his alma mater invited him to be a cooking lecturer, Xu Xiaohong considered that the technique of making hot pot is single, and the content that can be taught and practiced is limited, and in the same year, he founded the "Xu Ji Jia Po Cai", which focuses on traditional Sichuan cuisine, providing cases for teaching from multiple perspectives such as cooking techniques and catering operations, and also creating more internship and employment opportunities for students.
△Image source: Courtesy of interviewee
Sichuan cuisine has a long history, and in the process of changing from a student to a teacher, Xu Xiaohong unreservedly passes on the techniques and experience inherited from his predecessors to the next generation, cultivating a large number of outstanding culinary talents and making the ingenuity of Sichuan cuisine prosperous.
"Wide" -
Create a brand matrix with multi-dimensional innovation
In September 2016, Xu Xiaohong led the team to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and won the team gold medal and two individual gold and two silver medals in the 8th China Cuisine World Competition.
△Image source: Courtesy of interviewee
After returning to China, he carried out the second research and development and upgrading of the award-winning works and the culinary creativity accumulated over the years to create a new catering brand - Yinba.
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At the end of December of the same year, "Yinba" officially opened its doors on the shore of Xinglong Lake in Chengdu, the store only had a construction period of 45 days from site selection to opening, in order to make the decoration and production reach the perfect standard in his heart, Xu Xiaohong only slept a few hours a day, ate and lived almost in the store, with hard work and enthusiasm, to create a dining environment full of chef symbols - hanging cutting boards, whisks, mooncake molds, etc. on the wall, spoons, spatulas into chandeliers, steamers, pots and pans everywhere in the restaurant as decorations, step by step, Let guests can't help but take pictures.
△Image source: Courtesy of interviewee
In terms of production, "Yinba" is a traditional and fashionable "mixed race", Xu Xiaohong integrates molecular cooking technology in the production of Sichuan cuisine, and uses some common cooking equipment in Western food, such as cooking stock with a siphon pot, guests can see the whole process of air pressure pushing the soup against the flow, making cooking visual and interesting; Using the foam technology in Western food, ginger juice and beets are made into pink foam and stacked on squid kimchi rolls to make the shape more flexible; A low-temperature water bath can keep the chicken breast soft and silky, and also make the salmon show a "loose heart" texture cooked on the outside and raw inside, and obtain a more amazing taste...
Squid roll with ginger mustard
△Image source: Courtesy of interviewee
Silver Bara Collection
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If "Yinba" is an international expression of Sichuan cuisine, then "Nanbei" is a further exploration of the taste of Tianfu.
In 2018, Xu Xiaohong created the "Nanbei" brand, conducted in-depth research on Sichuan's fermented condiments and spices, and combined local seasonings with foreign ingredients to develop dishes such as Kung Pao snowflake beef, four-season lamb chops with potato horns, fresh abalone with sauce pepper with tomato, and Miaoling pigeon with Hanyuan Gong pepper.
△Image source: Courtesy of interviewee
At the end of the same year, Xu Xiaohong upgraded "Xu Jia Po Cai" to a new brand "Chixiang", with the theme of inheriting classics, integrating the 24 solar terms and farming culture into the restaurant, and launched signature dishes such as Dongpo slow-fire roasted meat, lotus bullfrog, red fragrant cold water tribute fish, and snowflake chicken nao.
△Image source: Courtesy of interviewee
So far, Xu Xiaohong's "Sichuan Taste Three Exceptions" has been established, and through the brand matrix of "Chixiang-Nanbei-Yinba", the classic inheritance, taste exploration and international integration have been completed respectively, so that Sichuan cuisine has a broader space for expression.
"High" -
Let more people fall in love with Sichuan cuisine
How to make Sichuan cuisine stand on a higher stage and be understood and appreciated by more people - this is a question that Xu Xiaohong has been thinking about.
Soon after the opening of "Yinba", Xu Xiaohong invited a number of Michelin chefs from Spain and France to taste dishes and exchange ideas, and later went to Amsterdam to make Sichuan cuisine and share seasoning skills at the Ferrandi Culinary Institute in Paris, insisting on bringing ingenuity to the world.
Xu Xiaohong shares how to make classic Sichuan dishes in Amsterdam
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In the process of creating "Nanbei", Xu Xiaohong also discovered the one-sided understanding of Sichuan cuisine by many people.
"Everyone's impression of Sichuan cuisine is heavy and spicy, rich pyrotechnics, but in fact, she also has a fresh and elegant side."
Sichuan condiments are extremely rich, among which bean paste, curd, kimchi, etc. are inseparable from fermentation, Xu Xiaohong took "fermentation" as a breakthrough to explore the different flavors produced by microorganisms acting on ingredients, and proposed the concept of "quantitative fermentation", that is, fermentation within a specified time, temperature and humidity.
For example, peas, usually need high pressure, boiling and other methods to make it soft, and Xu Xiaohong first soaked dry peas for a day, added an appropriate amount of yeast inoculation, stood for 3 hours and then kneaded evenly, and then stood for 1 hour, formed a lump and sent to the oven to heat, so that good peas have less moisture, strong aroma, and are easier to standardize.
To make it easier to control the variables, Xu Xiaohong built a fermentation oven with a sensor installed inside, and the information will be synchronized to the software in real time, so that the temperature and humidity can be monitored on the mobile phone.
With this fermentation oven, the research becomes more quantifiable, for example, when using green pepper to make chili paste, just pour the crushed green pepper, rapeseed oil, and tempeh crushed (containing yeast and subtilis) into multiple sealed bags, put them in the fermentation box, ferment at different temperatures, humidity, and time, and then observe the final effect.
After dozens of experiments, Xu Xiaohong found that green pepper paste is best fermented for 36 days in an environment with a temperature of 22°C and a humidity of 70%, which can not only retain the freshness of the pepper, but also have a very rich flavor of the sauce.
Using a fermenter to develop green pepper paste makes it easier to control variables
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In 2021, Xu Xiaohong combined his research quantitative fermentation process with Sichuan cuisine to create a unique "Sichuan cuisine fermented banquet", all dishes are made of fermented ingredients and seasonings, such as curd foie gras, drunken rice melon, chocolate tempeh with diced rabbit, yak tendon with kimchi juice, etc., and paired with Sichuan tea and Sichuan wine, with "everything can be fermented" throughout the banquet, so that Sichuan cuisine can be sublimated at another height.
"Sichuan Cuisine Fermentation Banquet" is divided into five chapters: nature, inoculation, maturation, fusion, and fermentation, and Xu Xiaohong shared his design ideas throughout the process
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The appetizers are the "five flavors of life", which are foie gras with curd milk, morel mushroom brewed hot pot, drunken rice melon, pocket tofu with braised beef, and fish-flavored eggplant
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Appreciation of Xu Xiaohong's original works
Akaka signature dish
Pair setting
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Each of the "Pairs" series consists of two dishes, one meat and one vegetarian, placed in a double-layer ceramic food box, and the sale is extremely exquisite.
The contents of the setting are constantly adjusted according to the seasons, and meat dishes include chicken, duck, fish, pig, rabbit and other ingredients, while vegetarian dishes are usually prepared with seasonal ingredients and complementary tastes. For example, the spring camphor duck has a light aroma but not a weak aroma, and the taste is delicious and not greasy; In summer, the oil brine gizzard is set with cherry radish, the former is made with green peppercorns to make the taste more fresh, and the pickled cherry radish is sour and juicy, which is appetizing... In addition, there are a variety of magical combinations such as garlic white meat with ginger and ginger, wasabi snail slices with ginger asparagus, sweet and sour ribs with sour and spicy blue head, etc., giving regular customers more freshness.
1985 lung film
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Subverting the traditional selling appearance of husband and wife lung slices, the beef tongue, tripe, beef marinated and cucumber into the same size slices, stacked and folded neatly, poured with red oil juice, and then sprinkled with peanuts, crisp soybeans, chopped vegetables, etc. as decorations, exquisite shape, beautiful color, this special presentation makes classic Sichuan cuisine glow with new vitality and vitality.
Ginba's signature dish
Gold medal low-temperature three-flavored chicken
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Because chicken breast is easy to taste woody after cooking, many restaurants will not consider using this type of ingredient, but Xu Xiaohong did the opposite, using the "low-temperature slow cooking" method in molecular cuisine, the chicken breast is heated in a water bath, locking in umami and nutrients, making it delicate and tender, soft and juicy.
When serving, Xu Xiaohong rolled the chicken slices into a rose flower, and served with bubble shoots and homemade pepper and sesame sauce and fish sauce, which made this dish very amazing in terms of appearance, texture and taste.
Golden fish head with handmade gluten
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The essence of this dish is a pre-cooked soup made with quantified fermented peas and naturally fermented bean paste, resulting in a bright red and complex flavor.
When making, choose the head of silver carp from Meishan Black Dragon Pool, add green onion, ginger, peppercorns and white wine to marinate for half an hour, then fry in hot oil at 170°C to set the shape, take it out and put it in a pot, pour it into thick soup and boil, and then put gluten to fully absorb the taste of the juice, the aroma is overflowing, delicious and attractive.
Beef bone marrow roasted handmade tofu
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This dish is an upgrade from the traditional Mapo tofu method - brush a layer of butter on a piping hot long plate, spread snowflake beef slices, fry until half-cooked using the heat of the vessel, pour in the roasted mapo tofu, put on the roasted beef bone marrow, and garnish with crispy bell pepper shreds, the shape is three-dimensional, the selling is red, and the aroma is rich, so that the home-cooked food has a different way of presentation.
Nanbei's signature dish
Fresh abalone with pepper and tomato
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The green peppers are minced, sealed and fermented for 36 days to make a green pepper paste, which is used to simmer abalone and eggplant, which is rich and fermented.
Hanyuan Gong pepper with Miaoling pigeon
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Put the suckling pigeon and Hanyuan peppercorns into Sichuan-style brine to boil into the flavor, take them out and then heat them in the oven until crispy, after these two processes, the hemp taste of peppercorns is weakened, the aroma increases, after serving, you can eat peppercorns first to open the taste buds, and then taste the pigeon, so that the flavor is more sufficient.
Pepper fish head in Nanbei sauce
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Bell pepper and lactic acid bacteria fermented for several days to make pickled pepper paste, cover the fish head and steam, sprinkle the minced lotus before leaving the dish to replenish the flavor, the fish meat is delicious and tender, the color is red and attractive.