Guardian of kitchen arts(2)
Fengze Yuan was the earliest and most authentic Shandong restaurant of the time, and its patrons included almost every major Chinese leader of the time, besides visiting foreign dignitaries.
In 1974, after working as an intern at two Beijing restaurants and a year in Yantai in Shandong, Yin was ready to sit for tests that would make him a formal chef. One of his judges on that occasion was former deputy Chinese premier Wan Li.
By 1977, Yin was already helping his mentor Wang Yijun manage the kitchen at Fengze Yuan.
Wang is now considered a grand master chef, the best in China.
Yin himself was certified as China's national level cuisine master in 2002.
Fengze Yuan still serves the classic signature dishes of Shandong cuisine. Its most famous must be the braised sea cucumber, for which the restaurant is unbeatable, according to critics.
There is also fish in sweet rice wine sauce and the classic cuttlefish roe soup, a standard order in any state banquet.
One characteristic of Shandong cuisine, Yin says, is that vegetable dishes are not bland, while meat dishes are not greasy.
And the secret is in the stockpot, a clear stock and a milky stock made from pork bones and old chicken. The stocks are added to flavor and moisten almost every dish.
Seafood is another specialty, with the preparation lovingly detailed and sometimes elaborate, like the traditional sharks fin and abalone.
In the last 20 years, Yin observes, the culinary industry has developed by leaps and bounds and private enterprises are pushing the boundaries, with major restaurant chains doing well and getting stronger.
The regional boundaries for cuisines are blurring.
Ingredients from other parts of China can arrive in Beijing within three hours and the introduction of Western ingredients has also changed the way chefs cook.
Fengze Yuan's signature braised sea cucumber with shallot used to have only three seasonings - sugar, salt and soy sauce. Now the dish is seasoned with about 10 ingredients.
Besides its two standard stocks, there is now an additional stock, the yellow stock made from chicken, duck and dried scallops.
"The Chinese went through a phase when they only sought to be fed. Now they enjoy an abundance of meats and are in turn looking for a nutritious, healthy and safe dining table," he says.
Cooking methods may need to change if Chinese cuisine is to go global, the chef notes.
Yin believes there will be the merging of many different styles in future, and many heavily flavored and spicy cuisines such as those from Hunan will be moderated to better suit a national palate.
"But the development of any cuisine must be built upon the firm foundation of culinary heritage. If we learn all the skills that the old masters pass down, that will be good enough."
