life
Wang Qiansheng was born in 1940 in Taihe, Anhui. Elder-level registered Chinese cooking master, Chinese Dian cuisine special cooking master, catering industry national first-class judge. In 1955, he worked as a chef under Mr. Xie Dekun, a Dian cuisine master, and was proficient in red and white cases. He has served as the chief chef of the Chinese Embassy in France, the Chinese Embassy in the United States, and the Chinese Embassy in Morocco. He was awarded the "Chinese Culinary Master Lifetime Achievement Award" by the Chinese Cuisine Association. He is currently the executive vice president of Yunnan Catering and Gastronomy Industry Association.
Quotations from Wang Qiansheng
About learning to cook
Chefs must do a solid job of basic skills.
Chefs should learn more, see more, and do not press their bodies.
About love dishes
I grew up in Mongolia, Yunnan, eating Yunnan cuisine and loving Yunnan cuisine.
The first time I met Mr. Wang Qiansheng, a master of Dian cuisine, was at last year's Chinese top culinary masters skill exchange meeting, he was refreshed, kind and humble, and looked like he should be between huajia and gu rare. Later, checking the data found that he was born in 1940, he is 78 years old this year, and his healthy state is a projection of a peaceful state of mind and a happy life.
Become a chef because of the nobility
Wang Qiansheng's father, a native of Anhui, worked as a pastry chef in the Kunming Municipal Government Canteen. Wang Qiansheng first entered the kitchen industry after being introduced by the leaders of the municipal government at that time and entered the Beijing Hotel in Kunming as an apprentice. This high starting point was due to his father and the leader, but when he entered the kitchen, he experienced the same as other young people who had just entered the kitchen.
"Not even an apprentice. The daily work is to burn coal, dig out coal ash, wash intestines, kill chickens, kill snakes... It was a handyman, and anyone in the kitchen shouted to move. I remember one winter, I was wearing only a vest, but after a day's work, my whole body was sweating. "Sleeping late and getting up early, he really feels overwhelmed, and many apprentices can't stand it and give up."
Wang Qiansheng, who was 15 years old at the time, also retreated, but a nobleman enlightened him, "A kitchen teacher told me, you are not bitter, we used to be in the old society, much more bitter than you are now, and we will be beaten." Under the persuasion of teacher Fu, Wang Qiansheng survived. Two years later, Wang Qiansheng, who was serious about doing things, turned into an apprentice in advance and worshiped Xie Dekun, a Diancai taidou, as a teacher.
"I have several masters, and they are all my nobles. One is Master Yang Jinrong, who taught me how to make candy, one is Master Zhang Li, who taught me to make Chinese and Western dim sum, and the other is Master Liu Chongyun, who taught me Chinese pastry. My mentor is Master Xie Dekun. They taught me to open different doors and lay down the basic skills of white and red cases in different periods of my growth. ”
Thanks to the guidance of these nobles, coupled with personal diligence and understanding, Wang Qiansheng quickly grew into a chef who could stand alone.
The gain and loss of a bowl of noodles
"Stuffed Dragon Su Noodles" is Wang Qiansheng's proud pastry work, and its production is very challenging to the chef's skill, "beat the shrimp into a very fine mushroom, and then wrap the shrimp into the noodles, like making ramen, pull the dough to the thickness of the embroidery needle." The most special thing about it is that the shrimp must be bread in it, not simply mixed."
At the end of the 1950s, Wang Qiansheng went to Shanxi to visit a teacher to learn this noodle recipe, and now his skills are almost lost. In order to practice ramen, 20-year-old Wang Qiansheng has to practice for four or five hours a day, and the kitchen masters leave work at eight or nine o'clock in the evening, so he stays in the kitchen and practices ramen until one or two o'clock in the morning. When he was less than 30 years old, he could pull 8 kilograms of noodles alone, and it only took two minutes to pull 3 kilograms of noodles into dragon's whisker noodles. The success of "Stuffed Dragon's Whisker Noodles" (later changed to "Stuffed Dragon's Whisker Noodles") is based on his solid basic skills.
With this bowl of "stuffed dragon whisker noodles", Wang Qiansheng has won the praise of many people. It was also this bowl of dragon whisker noodles that became a regret for Wang Qiansheng.
In 1988, Wang Qiansheng went to Beijing to participate in the second national cooking competition, bringing three noodle works: stuffed dragon whisker noodles, four-flavored buckwheat buns and ham mooncakes. In the end, Wang Qiansheng won the silver medal for "Four Flavor Buckwheat Buns".
"Noodles with stuffed dragon whiskers" did not receive any awards because of their unworthy name. At that time, the judge asked after tasting: "Your noodles are called 'stuffed dragon whisker noodles', so where did your stuffing go?" The naming of the dish is also a kind of exquisite, requiring a veritable name, and Wang Qiansheng's practice does not "bring" the filling, which does not meet the naming norms. This mistake is still fresh in his memory, and he never shy away from it, whether it is in interviews or teaching apprentices, he often mentions it to remind future generations. Later, he changed his name to "Stuffed Dragon Noodles".
The Embassy Chef has a deep affection for the homeland
In the more than 60 years since he was a chef, Wang Qiansheng has made countless reputations, serving as the head chef of the Chinese Embassy in France and the chief chef of the Chinese Embassy in the United States for 10 years, cooking for many party and state leaders, receiving foreign vips such as the Queen of Britain, and packaging Dian cuisine for the first time on a state banquet.
In 1979, Wang Qiansheng was selected by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to work at the Chinese Embassy in France with his excellent cooking skills and excellent resume. This is an opportunity for chefs to meet and not to be sought, and it is a "very honorable thing". When he first arrived in France, he was a little unsatisfied, and his body was unwell, but fortunately, he met a Chinese doctor who came to France temporarily on both occasions and was able to survive safely. Since then, he has been busy with the daily catering work of the embassy all day.
One morning at 9:30 a.m., he was preparing the lunch of the day as slowly as usual, when he suddenly received a message: at noon that day, Prince Sihanouk of Cambodia would arrive at the embassy and plan to do three things: haircuts, talks, and lunch.
Yao Guang, who was China's ambassador to France at the time, called an emergency meeting of the chefs and made two demands: first, the chefs should quickly come up with a feasible recipe, and second, the taste of the dishes should be light, not too spicy, and must represent the characteristics of various regions in China. He especially called out to Wang Qiansheng and instructed: "The prince loves to eat Yunnan cuisine, you should think about it and make some special Yunnan cuisine." ”
At that time, there were 4 chefs in the embassy, Wang Qiansheng was from Yunnan, as well as a Cantonese chef, a Zhenjiang chef and a Shanghai chef. Wang Qiansheng had the deepest qualifications, and everyone listened to him. "The prince loves sweet and soft food, so he must use seasonal vegetables and vegetables."
After 15 minutes, a recipe was handed to Yao Guang's envoy, who carefully read it and signed it for approval, among which the dish of Dianwei cold chicken was well received by him. At that time, there were only 2 hours before lunch at 12 o'clock, which was simply an impossible task for the state banquet.
Wang Qiansheng is responsible for making 6 cold dishes and 1 hot dish of crispy duck, the focus of which is naturally Dianwei cold chicken. Unfortunately, yunnan native chickens cannot be bought locally, they are all French broilers, which are too big, so Wang Qiansheng especially let the little apprentice go to the nearby Chinatown to buy the smallest - a pound of young chickens. The material is not satisfactory enough, Wang Qiansheng worked the heat, boiling water, warm water cross-hot, 40 minutes later, the chicken is cooked tender.
The second focus is on the secret marinades of Yunnan. It is still a pity that there is no Kunming sweet soy sauce, Wang Qiansheng had to use ordinary soy sauce, and then add a variety of spices, with his own experience and secret recipes to prepare. "Dian-flavored cold chicken has a heavy taste, while crispy duck takes the route of burnt crispy crisp." He steamed the duck first with peppercorns and star anise, steamed the duck bones until soft, picked up the ingredients, fried the duck on high heat until crispy and charred, and then crisped it over low heat until it was golden.
The four chefs are in a hurry and have completed their tasks with rich experience. Envoy Yao Guangguang also specially praised Wang Qiansheng.
"At that time, Prince Sihanouk only said one sentence, 'Eat Chinese food, or get the embassy'." Recalling this, Wang Qiansheng was quite self-satisfied.
There are very few cooks in the embassy, there are many jobs, and Wang Qiansheng, who is busy all day, can't think about the east and the west. Good to have a good wife at home, taking care of the elderly and children. He said: "I found a good wife, a good wife, and she took good care of the family so that I could work outside with peace of mind." Really have to thank her! ”
After returning from France, Wang Qiansheng worked briefly at the Chinese Embassy in Morocco, returning to China in 1984. In 1988, Wang Qiansheng was transferred to the Chinese Embassy in the United States, where he served dozens of dignitaries. After returning to China in 1994, he has been working hard to promote Dian cuisine. At that time, many chefs who had worked in foreign countries would find ways to stay abroad, after all, the treatment was more generous, and the 5 chefs who went to the United States with Wang Qiansheng were the only ones who chose to return to China. He said: "The United States is as good as the United States, but I still love my country." ”
A family of culinary families
"When I was a child, when I thought about my father, I would go to the bottom of the bookcase to find a photo album. Gradually, I noticed that the bookcases in our house were basically all cooking books. There are so many delicious things in these books, and they can be made so beautifully, in my opinion, being a chef is a very remarkable profession. Although the figure of the father is missing in life, the material life has been greatly improved, and the father often brings some things back from abroad. What I was most proud of was the bicycle that my father brought back to me, a small BMX that could be retracted with a five-sheep brand, which was unique in our city at that time, and the rate of riding on the street was 100% round! My young vanity was most fulfilled. Maybe that's why I've loved this profession since I was a kid and dreamed of becoming a chef! ”
This is a passage written by Wang Gang, the son of Wang Qiansheng, and it is also the childhood of many chefs' children. Today, Wang Gang, born in 1971, is the Executive Chef of Intercontinental Chinese Cuisine in Kunming and a master of Chinese cooking, and he has also produced a set of Yunnan flower banquets for this issue of this issue.
When it comes to his son, Wang Qiansheng is more proud than talking about his own experience: "Wang Gang is very smart, his understanding is very high, he is now stronger than me, after all, he has culture." He has also worked in Chinese embassies abroad and as a chef in several five-star hotels. He paused and smiled, "My grandson may do the same." ”
This family is under the influence of their fathers to continue the inheritance of Yunnan cuisine and even Chinese cuisine, which is natural and simple. "I grew up in Mongolia, Yunnan, eating Yunnan cuisine, and I also love Yunnan cuisine. And my father was a chef, and I watched him stir-fry since I was a kid, so I was more interested. In addition to Dian cuisine, I also cook Huaiyang cuisine, Sichuan cuisine and other cuisines, but in comparison, I still like to cook Dian cuisine the most. Wang Qiansheng said. (Interview: Chu Hongyuan Character Photography: One Grain Dish Photo Courtesy of: Wang Qiansheng)
Q&A
Q: What are your criteria for receiving disciples? A: Good cooking, competent, respectful. Respect for a person depends on whether he respects his parents.
Q: What advice do you have for young chefs? A: Chefs must do a solid job of basic skills, to get more on the stove, even if they become managers, they must ensure that there are at least three or four days of cooking in a week, which is my hope for them. I'm older now, and I don't go to the stove to stir-fry hot dishes, but I still insist on making my own noodles, and kneading the dough is also exercise.
Wang Qiansheng's works are selected from Dai flavored mixed fish noodles
raw material
Mandarin fish meat 500 grams, fragrant willow 20 grams, wattle mustard 15 grams, coriander 20 grams, finger pepper 10 grams, mint 25 grams, sour tomato 2, egg white 2, ginger and shallot water 40 grams, clear oil 10 grams, garlic 20 grams, salt, chicken powder each appropriate amount.
Method of production
The mandarin fish meat is beaten and mushroomed, with salt, chicken powder, egg white, ginger and shallot water, and clear oil to make fish gelatin, and put into a flower bag;
Add water to the pot and burn to 65 ° C, squeeze the fish gelatin into the water to form a noodle line, heat the water to 80 ° C, fish out the fish noodles, cool it, and plate it;
Chop the willow, wattle, coriander, finger pepper, garlic, mint and tomato, add salt and chicken powder to make a chutney sauce, and drizzle it on the fish noodles when eating.
Comments
The fish noodles are smooth and tender, and with dai-flavored chutney, they have a very good taste and are a good summer cold dish.
Milk melon stuffed Erh sea shrimp
Yunnan wheat melon 6, Erhai shrimp 150 grams, edible flowers to taste, egg white 40 grams, ginger and shallot water 30 grams, clear oil 10 grams, soup 50 grams, salt, chicken powder each appropriate amount.
Wash the wheat melon, use a digger to remove the heart, and rinse the water for later;
Beat the shrimp into mushrooms, add salt, chicken powder, egg white, ginger and shallot water, and clear oil to make shrimp gelatin;
Add shrimp gelatin into wheat melon, steam it in a steaming box, pour in the second-rate mustard sauce made from seasoned soup, plate and garnish with edible flowers.
Wheat melon from Yunnan Pu'er, grown to a diameter of 3 cm ~ 4 cm when picked, the taste is crisp, tender and sweet and delicious, with Yunnan Dali Erhai shrimp meat, ingenious, excellent taste.
Tengchong large flakes
400 grams of pig ears, 2 sour tomatoes, edible flowers, mint leaves, 15 grams of wattle mustard, 20 grams of coriander, 10 grams of finger pepper, 20 grams of garlic, white brine, soy sauce, broth, chicken powder.
Wash and rinse the pig ears, boil them in a pot of white brine until they are seven ripe, scoop them up over cold, use a large knife to slice the pig ears into thin and large slices, put them into a dish, and garnish with edible flowers and mint leaves;
Chop the mustard, coriander, finger pepper, garlic and tomato, add soy sauce, broth and chicken powder to the juice and serve.
The production of this kitchen knife is particularly important, the pig's ears should be large and thin, which is the biggest highlight, dipped in juice when eating, crystal clear, sour and spicy and crisp.