Tuesday July 29, 2008

By Majorie Chiew

In Martin Yan’s China, which premieres on Asian Food Channel (AFC) early next month, the famous chef criss-crosses all over China – from the back alleys of Beijing and the busy streets of Shanghai to the heart of Yunnan – exploring the many people, cultures and cuisines that make up this vast nation.

He does not just visit favourite restaurants but goes to the homes of locals, staying, working and experiencing life with them.

In Martin Yan’s China, which premieres on Asian Food Channel (AFC) early next month, the famous chef criss-crosses all over China – from the back alleys of Beijing and the busy streets of Shanghai to the heart of Yunnan – exploring the many people, cultures and cuisines that make up this vast nation.

“I want to experience local life and local cuisine,” says Yan in a recent interview in Singapore. China is not exactly new for him, since every year, his Yan Can Cook team organises gourmet tours to different parts of the country and Asia.

Chef Martin Yan with a Kawa tribesman in China. Yan criss-crosses the vast nation to explore its people, cultures and cuisines for his new show, Martin Yan’s China.

Martin Yan’s China gives a taste of China’s four regional cuisines – northern-style (Mandarin), Shanghai, Sichuan and Guangzhou-style (Cantonese). Yan also explored lesser-known provinces in the west such as Guangxi, Guizhou and Yunnan, where snowcapped mountains, Tibetan monasteries, highland tea plantations and proximity to the ancient Silk Road have influenced the culture and food.

At dinner at Singapore’s marvellous IndoChine restaurant, Yan says it took three months to produce the show, which also features guest chefs such as Tom Douglas and Jennifer Cox.

“I mortgaged my house to do Martin Yan’s China and I’m glad that AFC paid a fortune (for it).”

Soul of Chinese cooking

There are 56 ethnic minorities all over China, each having different lifestyles, cultures, heritage, history and languages. Half of them live in Yunnan.

Tune in to Martin Yan’s China on Asian Food Channel to learn how to whip up delicious treats.

“Many of them have different, very colourful costumes and do things differently. It’s an adventure for me to see things I’ve not seen before,” says Yan.

He is also excited about their cuisines, which include lots of fungus and wild plants.

“It’s all fresh, local ingredients. With no refrigerator in the house, they pick things from nature. They live off the land, the river, the ocean,” he quips.

“They grill things on-the-spot, pan-fry, deep-fry, steam ... all basic techniques done throughout China,” says Yan of his street foods sampling sprees.

“The essence of Chinese cooking is seasonal fresh ingredients, using the simplest ingredients to retain the original integrity of the ingredients,” says Yan. “If it’s fish, I want to use minimum seasoning. I want to taste the fish. I don’t want to use a whole bunch of spices to cover the flavour of fish. Then, all you enjoy is the spice. But many other cultures don’t have the luxury of refrigeration, so sometimes the ingredients may not be as fresh. If you get used to spices, you can’t eat without them. When you go to Sichuan, they use a lot of Sichuan peppercorns. It’s so numbing.”

Martin Yan’s China will premiere on Aug 4 on Asian Food Channel (Astro Channel 703), Mondays to Fridays at 9pm.

Source: star-ecentral.com