Asian Cuisine Festival: Cantonese cuisine showcased in south China's Guangzhou
Updated 16:00, 23-May-2019
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We turn to Cuisine. "Eating in Guangzhou" has become the slogan of the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, thanks to its many food festivals. The Asian Cuisine Festival is now underway in Guangzhou, and the city is offering up some exquisite Cantonese dishes. CGTN reporter Ge Yunfei takes a bite and shows us what's on display.
From world-famous Dim Sum, to golden pork barbecue, and to the finger-licking good roast goose, Guangzhou is renowned for cooking up the world's best Cantonese food.
Their skills in making these delicacies can be traced back two thousand years ago.
Ancestors here used this bronze oven and this bronze fork to roast pigs, birds, and even mice.
This dish is called "HONG PI CHI ZHUANG", or suckling roast pig, perhaps the most famous dish at any Cantonese banquet.
It usually takes several hours and lots of complicated cooking methods to give it its best flavor.
ZHANG HUAFU, CHEF GUANGZHOU RESTAURANT "The procedures are so complicated that you need at least three years to study. You have to be very sharp and quick when roasting the pig. Otherwise, the skin will be over-cooked. It's a big test for a chef's skills."
Even when making Dim Sum, the flavors of desserts under different chefs might be vastly different. Take Ginger milk curd as an example.
QIN GUOGUANG, CHEF GUANGZHOU RESTAURANT "You have to keep the milk at 80 degrees Celsius. Any higher than that, the ginger milk will be too hot to curdle."
It's not easy to train a chef to become excellent when it comes to Cantonese dishes.
Moreover, to better promote the most original Cantonese cuisine to the world, they're also trying to standardize all cooking procedures.
YE JUNFENG, PRESIDENT GUANGZHOU LIGHT INDUSTRY TECHNICIAN COLLEGE "Firstly, we should focus on safety and environmental protection. Then we should set a universal standard to measure our food and service by learning from Western cuisine."
Ye Junfeng's school is one of the three main chef training bases in the city, producing over 200 chefs every year.
Now he is hoping his students can go overseas along the Belt and Road initiative region to bring the best Cantonese delights to parts of Asia.
YE JUNFENG, PRESIDENT GUANGZHOU LIGHT INDUSTRY TECHNICIAN COLLEGE "I think great taste and delicacies go beyond boundaries. We share the love for all things delicious. Food can be the bridge between different civilizations."
Ye also said closer communication between civilizations would give birth to more creative and delicious food. Ge Yunfei, CGTN, Guangzhou.