"2000 Generation" Cantonese chefs have both inheritance and motivation to challenge difficulties and constantly learn in cooking. They respect every ingredient and constantly use their ingenious skills to interpret the "delicious top moment".
called "accurate post-00s" chef Ding Zhimin for the first time, and he is in his position. From the phone, you can vaguely hear the crisp sound of the collision of dishes in the kitchen and the thud of cutting vegetables. In just a few minutes, people were constantly asking him how to solve certain problems in the kitchen. He reacted very quickly and explained it in one or two sentences, like an experienced kitchen commander.
So when I saw him, I was a little surprised at his youth - wearing the current popular thin-framed round glasses, meticulously carved her hair, and a necklace hanging on her chest. This image instantly reminded me of my cousin who was just going to college.
After seeing me, he first apologized for the hasty on the phone: "Because we have time requirements for meals." As long as we are in the kitchen, he must race against time to complete the timely production of each dish.
Ding Zhimin, born in 1999, is only in his twenties now. He is a graduate of the 2020 cooking class of Shenzhen Pengcheng Technician College. After only two or three years of graduation, he has grown into the director of hot Western cuisine at the Shangri-La Hotel in Futian, Shenzhen.
In recent years, the phenomenon of "de-chef" has become increasingly serious in the catering industry. During the epidemic, the "pre-made vegetables" industry that claims to be able to produce standardized has even taken the opportunity to take advantage of the trend. In an era when it seems that there is no need for chefs, are the new generation willing to do dirty and tiring kitchen work? What exactly attracts young people who are still willing to learn how to cook?
I hope to find some answers from Ding Zhimin.
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"I am really not very decent when working in the kitchen." Ding Zhimin was very touched. Not only did he sweat profusely when working in the kitchen, he also often had to do dirty and tiring work such as killing chickens, ducks, and geese. However, Ding Zhimin asked me, "But don't all jobs have sad side?" I understand what he meant: measuring the value of a job cannot only look at the degree of fatigue, but also whether it can give people a unique sense of accomplishment.
Ding Zhimin comes from Jieyang , a city where Chaoshan people and Hakka people live together. Since he was a child, his family has run a restaurant in his hometown. The restaurant is not big and belongs to neighborhood stores. In addition to hiring helpers in some peak seasons, he often relies on the whole family to support a store. Since the fifth and sixth grades of elementary school, Ding Zhimin has been helping in restaurants. At first he did the front room service, and later he would go to the kitchen to make and cut , try to fry some and make soup. Later, he learned to make a variety of Chaoshan and Hakka dishes. Braised pig's trotters and bitter melon pot are his two best dishes.
It can be said that Ding Zhimin grew up struggling in the kitchen. He said that his experience in the kitchen since childhood was more like a "wild way", because those who came to restaurants were familiar neighbors, so many times he cooked according to the taste of the guests. "At that time, there were no systematic techniques for cooking, and it relied more on exploration and imitation." Since then, Ding Zhimin has become vaguely interested in cooking.
After graduating from high school, Ding Zhimin entered Shenzhen Pengcheng Technician College to study cooking at the suggestion of his parents. Really entering the school to learn cooking systematically opened up a new world for him: "The experience in the kitchen in the past has become less applicable. From how to standardize the location of the stove in the kitchen to carefully learning the characteristics and processing methods of each ingredient, and systematically learning various cooking techniques, everything started from scratch." Ding Zhimin admitted that although he grew up in the back kitchen, he was not the best student at the beginning of entering the school. "Because of his small figure, he can't take the pot." Ding Zhimin said with a smile.
Steam, stew, fry, stew, fry, bake, roll, buckle... The cooking techniques of Cantonese cuisine are profound and profound.Cantonese cuisine focuses on the original taste of ingredients, and the cooking techniques must be just right to highlight the authentic taste. "These are all very profound knowledge, so the teacher of each dish not only talks about the method, but also talks about the origin behind the dish." The traceability of ingredients, the art of placing the plate, the nutritional ratio, etc. are all basic cultural knowledge they need to master, and the importance is no less than the technique itself.
In Ding Zhimin's view, the most basic of all the techniques of Cantonese cuisine is knife skills. There is a traditional dish called Caiyuan Fried Pigeon in Cantonese cuisine, which tests the meticulousness of the knife skills of the Cantonese cuisine chefs. The thickness of the meat slices directly affects the firmness of the taste of the pigeon in the mouth. Ding Zhimin introduced the core production process of this dish in detail: "You must slice the meat on the pigeon very meticulously, so that the bones and meat can be perfectly separated, ensuring that the meat on the pigeon is fully utilized and there is no excessive waste." In the cooking process, you must pay great attention to the adjustment of the heat, so that the fried pigeon slices can ensure the best taste and taste, which requires certain experience accumulation and familiarity.
Ding Zhimin said that for Cantonese cuisine chefs, every dish that can be officially served on the guest's table has countless unknown attempts and practices behind it.
Ding Zhimin
Shenzhen Pengcheng Technician College Cooking Major 2020 Graduates.
When he was in school, he won the fifth place in the cooking project finals of the 4th Guangdong Technical College Skills Competition;
The second Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area "Cantonese Cuisine" Skills Competition Chinese Cooking (Rookie Group);
2020 "Outstanding Graduates" and the 2017-2018 academic year Shenzhen Cooking Association High Power Scholarship.
is currently the director of Western cuisine hot dishes at Shangri-La Hotel in Futian, Shenzhen. He is mainly responsible for the production of cold, hot and Asian menus, training plans, various operations of stall kitchens, and handling of emergencies.
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Just on the eve of graduation, Ding Zhimin, who was intern in the hotel, suddenly received a notice from the school teacher, asking him to take leave to go for training for one month, with his goal: to participate in the second Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area "Cantonese Cuisine" Skills Competition. The specifications of this competition are very high, and it is a "big training" for the professional skills of Cantonese cuisine . 123 Cantonese cuisine chefs from 21 cities and cities in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau will gather in Guangzhou to compete, and will eventually determine 12 "Cantonese Chef King" and 12 "Cantonese Rookies".
This is also the first time Ding Zhimin participated in a cooking competition. During the training camp, he had to pinch the time and prepare a dish in about 40 minutes. In order to make up for the shortcomings of knife skills, he used knife skills to carefully break down three to four fish, four to five chickens and seven to eight pigeons almost every day. "Every process and steps are repeated every day to make a good dish in the shortest time."
In November 2019, Ding Zhimin went to Guangzhou to participate. At the scene, he saw Cantonese cuisine chefs gathered from all over the world. They each took out their unique skills to prepare the dishes on site. The dishes were cut quickly and well, and he instantly felt an eye-opening surprise. It was not until he saw the referee in charge of the inspection that he began to feel a little nervous: it was an unprecedented challenge for him to compete with so many experienced Cantonese chefs. There are three dishes in the
competition. The first dish is the designated dish: Chiayuan fried pigeon slices. The second dish is a self-selected dish. Ding Zhimin chose Jinxiu Yuqing Pills. This is also a very laborious dish. After the fish is bloody, take the meat by opening and removing. You must use a knife to slowly scrape out the fish bit by bit, then chop the fish into fine fish paste, then add egg white and other ingredients to beat it with force, and finally squeeze the fish green slowly into an olive shape, and then boil it with soup. The fish balls made in this way are white and clean, fresh and refreshing.
The third dish is black truffle Kirin chicken. Chicken is the highlight of Cantonese cuisine, and Guangdong has always said that "no chicken can make a feast". The core of this dish is the precise control of the ingredients of chicken.The first test is to grasp the chicken's maturity - soak the chicken bit by bit with a slow fire within about 50 minutes. Next is the precision of the knife work. Only 24 pieces of meat on the chicken body should be taken, each piece should be evenly cut. The bones should be removed and the meat should be taken to ensure the integrity of the chicken skin. Finally, use flower mushrooms, , ham, etc. to place it on the table and it is still the complete shape of a chicken. During the
game, Ding Zhimin kept staring at the clock, afraid that he would not be able to catch up, "The pressure on the game is still quite high." Within two and a half hours of competition, Ding Zhimin successfully completed all three dishes, and the next step was to wait for the experts to review. I asked Ding Zhimin if the review process was presented in the movie " God of Cookery ". After the participating judges tasted it one by one, they would wait on the spot for them to give a review of whether it was good or bad. It was very thrilling?
Ding Zhimin replied that it was just a dramatic presentation of the movie, and there was no judge at all on the spot. They all tasted the entries in other places, and they would not know which dish was made by which master, in order to be fair and just, and avoid the possibility of meeting acquaintances. The judges also have a very rigorous set of judgment standards, which are scored based on six parts: taste, texture, shape, color, innovation, nutrition and hygiene, with a total of 100 points.
Soon, Ding Zhimin received the final result - he won the seventh place in Chinese cuisine (rookie group), a very good ranking. Ding Zhimin said that after this competition, he began to "get addicted" to participating in the competition, because every competition has a broader horizon. He even went to various competition venues to watch on site to work as staff: "Watch other masters cooking, you can always see some techniques and crafts that you have never seen before, and learn some experience."
▲Cantonese cuisine focuses on the original taste of ingredients, and the cooking techniques must be just right to highlight the authentic taste.
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And in the way of cooking, diligence is endless. "The techniques of cooking are endless. To be a good chef, you must constantly learn and ponder." Ding Zhimin said that sometimes it seems that the steps are very simple to operate a dish, but only by investing in it yourself can you find that there are many details that need to be paid attention to. "No matter which dish you are cooking, it is difficult to feel the passage of time when you invest in it."
Return to the beginning of the article: Why does Ding Zhimin, a "quasi-post-00s" like cooking so much? Ding Zhimin's answer was, "Cooking is an art for me. I carefully make every process, mix the flavor, and finally think about how to put it on the plate, and then the dish is finally presented to the guests, imagining the guests' mood." - This feeling is very wonderful for Ding Zhimin. After graduating from
, Ding Zhimin worked in the pickled fish store, worked as a barbecue stall master in the buffet restaurant, and later entered the Shangri-La Hotel . From Chinese to Western cuisine, Ding Zhimin said that it is because he is very interested in the cuisines of various countries, especially the arrangement of Western cuisine. "I went to see a Chinese food competition and found that the new generation of chefs are basically made of Chinese and Western dishes. Some chefs also make the latest molecular cuisine, which is very different from traditional Chinese food and brings a lot of visual impact." This innovation and integration in cooking skills have brought Ding Zhimin a lot of freshness - this may be another reason why the new generation of Cantonese chefs choose to be chefs.
Ding Zhimin believes that to be a successful chef, you need to experience the customs and customs of different places in order to integrate the strengths of all parties. Not long ago, Ding Zhimin just participated in a unique online cooking exchange event in Shenzhen. This event was held simultaneously at Shenzhen Pengcheng Technician College and Guangdong Dynasty Restaurant in Madrid, Spain. The two famous Chinese and Western chefs exchanged their cooking skills through live broadcast links.
As one of the chefs, Ding Zhimin challenged the famous Cantonese dishes with the attention of many famous Cantonese cuisine chefs, food connoisseurs and live broadcast cameras, and cooked a crispy fried chicken with crispy outside and tender inside, color, fragrance and flavor on the spot. The Spanish chef also made local famous dishes such as Gasilian octopus and Spanish squid rice during the live broadcast. Ding Zhimin smiled and wanted to see if there were any new techniques, but found that they were actually the cooking methods of Western food that he was more familiar with.
However, there were unexpected surprises on the scene. Zhao Jinhai, Secretary-General of the Guangdong (Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao) Association of the Kingdom of Spain, is a well-known Chinese restaurant chef in the local area. He has been engaged in the catering industry in Spain for 40 years. On that day, he carefully purchased a batch of seafood with the style of Mediterranean , showing his compatriots in Shenzhen the unique skills of "eating in Western food". Cooking local Spanish ingredients with Cantonese cuisine has really brought some inspiration and inspiration to Ding Zhimin.
Food is the most important thing for people, and food is the most unblocked communication bridge.
▲Ding Zhimin said that for Cantonese cuisine chefs, every dish that can be officially served on the guest's table has countless unknown attempts and practices behind it.
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In Shenzhen, there are actually many new generation Cantonese chefs like Ding Zhimin, and they have injected various fresh elements into Shenzhen's food culture.
There is a well-known "Congji Lizhi Chaiyaki Chicken Shop" in Dapeng. Yuan Shuncong, the owner of the roast chicken shop, is a "Shenzhen Second Generation" born in 1994. In order to make a unique roast chicken in Shenzhen, he insisted on using ancient artificial and lychee firewood to make roast chicken without automatic baking. It is just because the roast chicken made in this way is not only sweet, fragrant, oily, mellow, crispy, but also has the fruity aroma of lychee. The pursuit of excellence in cooking has made Congji Lizhi Chaiyaki Chicken Restaurant a must-see check-in point for many people to go to Dapeng.
There are also the "Shenzhen Heroes" Lai Jinling who has been on the hot search several times. This "post-00" girl from Shenzhen once won the second prize in the cooking competition of Guangdong Vocational College Student Professional Skills Competition with her superb carving skills. She was able to carve an ordinary carrot into a "phoenix" and other works of art. The reason why she chose to learn cooking was not only related to her father being a Cantonese chef, but also felt that "Cantonese chefs are a job that brings happiness to people with food, which requires strong hands-on ability and innovative consciousness."
These young Cantonese chefs all have a characteristic, that is, they have both inheritance and the motivation to challenge difficulties and the motivation to learn continuously. They respect every ingredient and use their ingenious skills to interpret its exquisiteness. Every food has its "delicious moment" that requires the hard work and ingenuity of countless people, and the new generation of chefs are groping on this road and moving forward continuously.
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Source │ Jingbao APP
Coordination: Li Min
Reporter: Yu Zihong
Diagramming: Goute
Editor: Ye Hui
