Peter Lin is the Senior Sous Chef at Sir Elly’s Restaurant at the The Peninsula Shanghai. Chef Lin was recently placed first at the Bocuse d'Or China 2013 National Selection, and will go on to represent China at Bocuse d’Or Asia Pacific, held in Shanghai in June 2014. The winner of the Asian regional section will then go on to the final in Lyon, France in 2015. Bocuse d’Or is often referred to as the culinary Olympics.
As China becomes more open to the world, the more the international community will learn about Chinese food along with its fantastic ingredients and cooking techniques. China has a colourful history of cuisine dating back 3000 years. During the Zhou Dynasty 476 BC, the first organised kitchen was formed, still very much similar to the hierarchy in a modern kitchen today.
From back-alley dumpling shops to five-star banquet halls, China has one of the world’s finest palates. Cultural precepts of Yin and Yang (balance and harmony) are evident in the bowl: with food for the day including cooling foods, such as vegetables and fruit, to counter warming spices and meat. The Chinese revere rice but also choose noodles, with at least one of the two almost always accompanying a meal. A range of regional specialties also exists; the variety influenced by geography and a long history. Classical Chinese ingredients are also well adapted into Western Cuisine, and this is clear to see throughout the world.
Always important in this day and age, Chinese food – when authentic – is probably the healthiest food in the world! Good Chinese cuisine is prepared and cooked with poly-unsaturated oils. Chinese food does not require the use of milk-fat, dairy ingredients such as cream, butter or cheese. Meat is used, but not in abundance, which makes it easy for those who love authentic Chinese food to avoid high levels of animal fat. Many believe that authentic Chinese food is really the “ideal diet”.
I believe that Chinese cuisine can be compared to the culinary heritage of Bocuse d’Or’s origins, France. China has a very long history associated with food, and different culinary regions have their own distinct dishes, cooking techniques and ingredients native to that region, in a similar way to France. China is rich with luxurious ingredients including Cordyceps and matsutake mushrooms along with Su Mei and Garoupa fish. In addition, shark fin could also be comparable to Foie Gras for its publicity.
I intend to utilise Chinese history in the competition, not only with interesting ingredients but also balance and harmony in the presentation, taste, texture and cooking technique. For instance, in the Bocuse d’Or national selection round, I demonstrated an East-meets-West concept. I combined the presentation of Soup And Noodles, which is very Chinese-inspired, with the use of a clay teapot for the soup and a modern teacup for the noodles. I also folded the noodles to represent the five rings of the Olympics, signifying an Olympic chef in the making. For me, it is a great honour to represent China at Bocuse d’Or, which holds such a great culinary reputation.
