Allez Cuisine: "The Middle Country"

Once again I stepped into this familiar country, China. I was extremely fortunate to go to Suzhou, China, for overseas industrial attachment program with Asian Business Fellowship Award in 2004. It was my first overseas trip. Not only that it was my first time traveled by airplane, and also my first time traveled by the most prestigious brand, Singapore Airlines. Till now I am still quite excited to travel by airplane even though I flew countless of times these few years. I was from a humble family, meaning my father, the greatest father in the world, earned just enough each month to send me to Ngee Ann polytechnic to study Mechatronics. I absolutely grateful to my father and I would like him to see me wearing Master graduation gown once again for my convocation this year July.

My new company gives me an opportunity to go to China to work. I could not describe my feeling once my flight landed Shanghai Pudong International Airport. I found myself saying this: "Welcome back to Home." Somehow in my heart, China occupied a big place in my heart. I had been staying in China for more than 9 months and I know the culture and the F word. I mean Food! My first turning point happened in Suzhou. I regained my confidence which I lost before I went to Suzhou, I knew some of my best friends in Suzhou and I knew my first girlfriend.

I wanted to go back to China for work and food. It was a great opportunity for me to taste some of the humble, yet absolutely amazing food in China. I flew to Chengdu and taste the most amazing Mapo Tofu. The only restaurant that do justice to Mapo Tofu is Chen Mapo Restaurant. Madam Chen was the pionner of the restaurant and also the creator of Mapo Tofu. She was a widow and her face was disfigured by pockmarks, thus she was known as Chen Mapo ( Ma means pockmarks and Po means granny in Chinese). She owned a stall at the outskirt of Chengdu selling her absolutely delicious creation, Spicy Tofu. Her diners absolutely love this dish and thus they named this dish by her name, Mapo Tofu.

Liang Fen (Cold Rice Jelly) with spicy sauce is delicious as well. I personally think I wanted pig intestine to be accompanied with this dished, it will be absolutely delicious. The spicy sauce bind the rice jelly and intestine together and enhance the taste; the soft and smooth texture of the rice jelly and chewy texture of the intestine brought contrast yet complement to each other.

I return to Shanghai and taste the most amazing and delicious Crossing-The-Bridge Rice Noodles. This dish was originated from Yunnan Province. The story is like this: A fine, smart and handsome young scholar retreated to an rural area to study for his imperial examination in winter. His beautiful, considerate yet lovely wife traveled and cross a nearby bridge to bring him his meal daily. However his meal turned cold by the time it reached to him. One day the wife discovered a bowl of chicken soup could keep warm with a layer of oil on top by chance. After this extraordinary discovery, she served the noodles and meat slices with the oil layer soup and the young scholar told his beautiful: "Darling, it is absolutely delicious. I want to eat this everyday". His wife replied to him: "OK lah". So his wife made this dish and brought it to him everyday. When the scholar did well in the examination, he credited his success to his wife's noodles hence, this dish Across the Bridge Rice Noodles was made known.

After I finished my crossing-the-bridge rice noodles, I discovered I forgot to shoot a image for my ingredients before I dumped them into the soup. I was very regretful about this. Folks, I am a normal man and I can not resist absolutely delicious food. So I decided to shoot at the plates that served the raw ingredients and cooked rice noodles to make you all "happy". I personally thinks this dish bring job opportunities because there was a lot of plates needs to be washed this single dish.

I promise you all I will shoot at the ingredients when I return to Shanghai in mid April or early May, a good excuse to return to the restaurant and eat rice noodle. :)

The side dishes served with the rice noodles looks interesting as well. Did you see the dish located mid-right of the image? Can you guess what is it?