Chef's Glory: Zhang Li

📍 Suzhou · 👁 85 reads

[ A Dinner by The Grand Canal ]

Not long ago on 'Chef's Glory', I had a bowl of 'Yulan' (magnolia).

It was actually tiny magnolia blossoms carved from wild rice stem, resting on jellyfish, drenched in a tangy-spicy savory sauce poured from above, the texture going from tender to crisp.

Magnolia flowers, those were old-time perfumes in my memory, usually a row of three strung on a big safety pin. When I was little, my grandmother would buy a cluster by the roadside in summer and pin it on my chest.

In old Suzhou and Hangzhou, people moved slow as water. My grandmother is gone, but the fragrance she left me lingers in my memory. She said it was a habit of Suzhou girls that sailed with the canal to Hangzhou; by the Ming Dynasty, gardens already grew magnolias.

Not the large southern magnolias seen everywhere on streets, but small and full of grace. Wen Zhengming, one of the Four Great Talents of Jiangnan in the Ming Dynasty, named his library 'Magnolia Hall.' He wrote, 'The fairy from the Gushe Mountain, heaven sent rainbow robes to try feathered dress. Shadow falls on empty steps, the new moon cold; fragrance rises in the other courtyard, evening breeze gentle.' Fitting, for this time of year.

Many gourmets also follow the scent here.

The Grand Canal from Beijing to Hangzhou carries the finest flavors of each place along its route, embodying the spirit of delicious exchange on the water—a joyful gathering of masters. Following the thread of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, an old Suzhou-made canal boat sails from north to south. Gourmets trace the canal like a map, as a trade bridge along the water route linking aquatic ingredients and their cuisines, discovering on the Grand Canal the shared lineage of north-south food and culture.

Summer Canal Banquet: Ripples Glittering, Feasting in Suzhou.

Ripples meld with water, water meets sky. At this moment, I and fellow gourmets are seated at the Su Yan table, admiring works of Mr. Xu Hailin, inheritor of Suzhou's boat-making intangible cultural heritage, quietly awaiting delicacies to unfold like magnolia blossoms.

Gourmet and pianist Zhao Yinyin, writer/gourmet Lin Zhenbiao, writer and artist Ye Fang, writer Jiang Hong, master chef Lin Zhenguo, president of Guangzhou Catering Association Peng Shuting, master chef Shuai Xiaojian, master chef Huang Jianyi, writer/gourmet Yan Tao, gourmet Xiao Kuan, gourmet Dizhulu, naturalist gourmet 'Aquarium's Biological Boy,' gourmet Gao Wenqi, gourmet Yao Ge, photographer Li Xiaonan, and more.

With the beauty of the Yangcheng Lake Boat Culture Museum as our oar, we dined from summer's splendor to autumn's flamboyance by the water. 'Ripples Glittering,' in this flowing feast that bridges past and present, everyone witnessed Chef Zhang Li unfold a magnificent taste experience.

In summer, we sat leisurely in the courtyard, watching the intangible heritage Suzhou-style dim sum, like turning a page of 'Recipes from the Sui Garden,' with the dog-eared corner marked by the delicate sweetness and elegance of an old salt merchant's home.

This menu began with an appetizer echoing the verse, 'When you come to Gusu, you'll see homes all nestle by the river.' A single crab shell yellow, heart-warming fragrant, readying for wine.

Then, a mildly spicy trio awakened midsummer taste buds: palm slices in green chili oil dotted with teardrop chilies, drunken shrimp with ginger juice and sweet bamboo shoots, lotus root with perilla flowers, scallops and termite mushrooms… accompanied by cold-brewed chrysanthemum (jasmine) sparkling tea and champagne.

The soup course arrived just right, soothing from its very name: 'Chicken Soup for the Soul.' The beauty of the traditional Suzhou dish 'Three Treasures' needs no cloying appearance of chicken, duck, and pork trotter—it's all in the broth.

Winter melon hollowed into little whistles, stuffed with bird's nest and a thread of carrot; when the clear 'Three Treasures' broth rushes in, it's utterly charming.

The broth itself is ingenious, fragrantly enhanced by water shield buds and the first-plucked Biluochun tea. At the foot of Piaomiao Peak on West Dongting Hill by Taihu Lake, Suzhou, at 6 a.m. in early spring mornings, tea farmers under stars and mist begin the most crucial moment of the year—the 'first picking.' The taste is incomparably fresh and brisk.

Main courses balance richness with restraint. Ginger-spiced crayfish, its outer layer meltingly crisp like tempura, enhanced and lightened by chef's litsea oil. The sommelier paired it with a New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from the same region as the crayfish, overflowing with floral notes.

There's also 'rich oil and thick sauce'; I especially loved the creativity of 'Summer Flower Sheng Qiao'—Suzhou-style sheng qiao bound in fish maw, beside a pumpkin flower stuffed with the 'Eight Aquatic Immortals': wild rice stem, lotus root, water celery, foxnut seed, Chinese arrowhead, water chestnut, water shield, and water caltrop—all fresh in the bloom, evoking a black-awning boat gliding on summer Yangcheng Lake in Jiangnan.

This dish was paired with a silky Cabernet Sauvignon from Stag's Leap Wine Cellars in Napa, USA; the rich sauce gained a fruity freshness, no burden on summer, but adding lingering pleasure.

Everyone adored the 'lion's head' meatball made of foxnut seed, yam, and white fungus in dregs, and the matsutake chilled noodles—proof that in this era, carb-making skill truly tests a chef.

Finally, the dessert, seemingly 'soft Wu dialect through painted screen,' was not only refreshing and lovely, but charming from its name: 'White Jade Clear Dew.' It's actually oolong tea jelly with fermented rice wine, paired with Biluochun and intangible heritage lotus crisp.

Nick's cocktail also made the menu, called 'Moon Shift.' With such a meal, the moon couldn't help but peek through the window.

Teacher Zhao Yinyin said this was among the top five meals he's had in three years of high-end dining around the world.

A Ripples Glittering feast, from form to logic, won unanimous praise from the gourmets. As a judge on 'Chef's Glory,' I truly felt Chef Zhang Li's commanding presence on the spot. His fundamentals are solid; he is a prized protégé of a renowned Jiangnan cuisine master.

Autumn Canal Banquet:

Sip a good tea from Brother Biao,

Listen to Mr. Dong talk 'Beauty'.

Summer ends, autumn dew appears, and a Suzhou-built old canal boat continues on its way, sailing toward Beijing's 'Da Dong Gastronomy Academy,' the source of Chinese conceptual cuisine. Merchants and gourmets trace the canal as a trade bridge; aboard are Hunan spices, Teacher Lin Zhenbiao's Chaoshan teas, and Teacher Jason's Jiuqu Hongmei, fully showcasing Jiangnan refinement and northern magnanimity.

Founder of Da Dong Roast Duck and Da Dong Gastronomy Academy: Mr. Da Dong

Dean of Da Dong Gastronomy Academy: Shan Rui

The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was built in the Spring and Autumn period, total length about 1,794 kilometers. Every place along it has its own unique cuisine, and each local specialty is imbued with the spirit of the Grand Canal. Tea-drinking is everywhere on the canal, and locals treat guests with tea as a custom.

If I had a cargo boat this season, I'd certainly stock seafood and mushrooms. The banquet opening of vinegar fish flower with ginger buds used Dalian wrinkled abalone and sushi sauce as petals. That mushroom was remarkably lifelike; lifting the crisp 'cap' revealed a tender, soft large round eggplant, plus Dalian sea urchin and Yunnan termite mushrooms. Because of these two dishes, I fell in love with photographing the kitchen trolley—delicious and beautiful things, the more the better!

Emperor Qianlong's incognito travels also benefited from the Grand Canal; pairing Longjing tea, all sweet and smooth things caught. Fujian's 'fish tongue' and Suzhou Dongshan water shield compete in silkiness—anyway, both glide into a winter melon tureen, creating a sweet divine vessel of summer.

Taihu Lake No.1 rosenbergii shrimp, drunk after cooking, stuffed with wild rice stem and soybeans—a universe in a large head, it's like savoring Taihu ice cream.

Lotus-scented meat was a slice of pumpkin and a slice of taro; lifting them, I discovered beef ribs hidden underneath, with perilla leaves lining the bottom to enhance fragrance, richly aromatic.

Among the new dishes this time was 'Milk Broth with Cattail Shoots,' the 'crown of Jinan soup dishes,' interpreted by Zhang Li into a tender haven with bamboo fungus as robe and egg white as bed.

The carbs here are flawless, just exquisite and precious. Claypot rice made with freshly picked crab meat from 'June Yellow' crabs, topped with crispy-coated silver fish. One 'June Yellow' crab weighs about 2 taels; to stir-fry a portion of crab paste, you need about 30 crabs as ingredients.

The chef rendered crab oil from the shells, then added the picked crab roe and meat, stir-frying into a fragrant, flavor-bursting 'crab gold.' Unlike mature hairy crabs, June Yellow crabs have thin shells, tender meat, and smaller bodies; every little bite I had tasted of the kitchen's time and dedication.

People along the water route love sweetness, but not sugar-related—the umami sweet. The final dessert was a suspended lotus pond, echoing the beauty of W Hotel's The Kitchen Table—suspended garden.

At the Canal Banquet, hundreds of streams converge; artist Teacher Ye Fang leisurely discussed the aesthetics of tableware, Marriott Greater China's Culinary Director Eric Ong talked about sustainable ingredients, and amid the mingling celebrities and famous chefs... it was intellectually nourishing.

I kept my ears wide open at the table, but my eyes couldn't help lingering on the dishes of this feast. Guang Zhou Restaurant's executive chef, also the renowned star chef Huang Jianyi, brought yesterday his mentor Master Lin Zhenguo's signature char siu, a crowning touch to the banquet. This Iberian pork, after the divine Maillard reaction, carried lingering nutty and coffee aromas—truly a meat beyond compare!

I thought, 'Oh no, I'm going to put on weight again...' Brother Biao said, 'No worries, we have superb yan yun rougui tea and jasmine-scented Mengding ganlu; if not, just follow the vegetable methods in his book. Try it every day!'

Canal 'Good Morning':

'Guanyin's head, crucian carp's back,'

Canal 'Good Night':

Whispering clear autumn in the Peony Pavilion.

Upon opening my eyes, Chef Zhang Li had already prepared the noodles and toppings. Having trouble choosing, right? A pilgrimage-like 'early rise' for a bowl of first-broth noodles specially made by Suzhou W.

Three-shrimp tossed noodles, red broth Aozao noodles, white broth (chicken) noodles

White braised pork, red braised pork, hot pepper large intestine, sea cucumber stir-fried meat, Su-style fried fish, braised duck, mushroom eel shreds, pickled vegetable edamame, gluten vegetarian topping, shrimp roe wild rice stem, stir-fried amaranth, sunny-side egg

I was still half-asleep, bad at math. If picking just one topping, 3×12, there are 36 choices. For two toppings, ignoring order, it's 3×12×11/2, 198 possibilities; considering order, 3×12×11, 396 ways… For instance, Fengzhen fatty pork, if cold, warm it in the noodle soup and eat when the white fat turns translucent. If in a hurry, just eat. If you're a straight man or iron lady and refuse heart-shaped sunny-side eggs, it's 3×11×10, 330 types.

I'll take them all, order doesn't matter, just one type. You?

'Guanyin's head, crucian carp's back'—that's the proper appearance of a bowl of excellent Suzhou broth noodles served. Red and white broths, I lean toward the traditional red broth, best when made with newly brewed autumn soy sauce exposed to the first dog-day sun. 'Heavy green,' 'crossing the bridge,' 'wide broth,' 'double toppings'—all to personal taste. Gourmet Teacher Dizhu immediately spotted the key: 'Chef Zhang Li gets up early to prepare first-broth noodles, even braises the pork himself, impressive.'

For a bowl of first-broth noodles with a 'core' of premium clear and refined soup, old Suzhou folks would forsake 'face' to queue. Early-rising gourmands satisfied themselves right at Suzhou W Hotel—how could one not be touched!

Though toppings dazzle like a riot of blossoms, one sip of soup and every pore opens with the taste buds, making you understand the Suzhou saying: 'Eat noodles for the soup; listen to opera for the vocals.' For old Suzhou natives, first-broth noodles are never superficial. Soup scalding, noodles scalding, bowl scalding, toppings scalding—all 'four scalds' present, that's minor. But if the broth is used too long, too much starch makes the noodles sticky when cooked—that's major. They believe only first-broth noodles come out clean and refreshing.

Soul photographer Teacher Ruan Wen captured the 'apparent separation but spiritual union' between Teacher Dizhu and me. I said, well, everyone having first-broth noodles needs a morning C. He had champagne, I coffee.

On the Grand Canal today, laughter and joy have long transcended ancient and modern, blending East and West, so much more sophisticated than the feasts of Emperor Yang of Sui. The view outside and the table setting make you feel like you're touring a painting!

Suzhou flavors interweave old and new, telling a montage story on the tongue. The old Chang Men is like a time tunnel, naturally dividing Suzhou into two cities, new and old. Cao Xueqin, in the first chapter of 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' also called the Chang Men area 'the most prosperous and romantic place in the mortal world of the first and second rank.'

Hangzhou and Shanghai actually inherited much of old Suzhou's culinary refinement, such as the crispy-juicy June Yellow batter-coated crab, a Shanghai favorite originating from Suzhou. Soup dumplings, rice cakes, flaky pastries, noodles… When I looked up origins, Wuxi, Changzhou, Suzhou often took turns appearing, and I later realized that historically, Wuxi sometimes belonged to Suzhou, sometimes to Changzhou.

Did xiaolongbao originate in Changzhou, Wuxi, or Suzhou? This question can be researched in old county annals, but Hangzhou and Shanghai aren't qualified to join the debate.

Zhang Li is a chef fond of studying Suzhou cuisine culture and ancient recipes; chatting with him is enlightening. As I mentally noted Hangzhou's love for quick-fried river shrimp, I listened to Suzhou W's Chef Zhang Li recount old Suzhou's prosperity: 'Suzhou is indeed the most refined place in the world for eating shrimp.'

Ears perked, our whole table of foodies quickly stuffed whatever was on our chopsticks into our mouths, then reached toward the spiced shrimp, oil-blasted shrimp, and hand-peeled river shrimp.

Suzhou's nearly lost 'Three Treasures' (whole chicken, whole duck, and pork trotter) only two pots a day. I felt honored to eat it, but couldn't help thinking, though the soup requires hard work, how nice if no MSG were added. Old Suzhou cuisine deserves confidence.

I still miss the 'Three Treasures' with water shield at the Canal Banquet, enhanced by first-plucked Biluochun; past and present in the same vein, the water here is just so sweet.

Full and content now, I especially understand Zhang Han's excuse to resign and return to Wuzhong. I'd love to stroll through the Humble Administrator's Garden at night. And then, with Kunqu opera, breeze carrying lotus from all around, light rain bringing distant fragrance.

Moonlight leaks through the woods,

Sparse like leftover snow.

Only fear the night deepens and flowers fall asleep,

Bright moon, cool breeze, you.

Come to Suzhou in autumn.

Do you like Suzhou?

'Zhang Han was in Luoyang,

upon seeing the autumn wind rise,

he longed for water shield and wild rice stem in Wu,

and said: In life, it's precious to be at ease and forget;

why be tied down as an official thousands of miles away just for fame and rank?'

— From the Biography of Zhang Han, Book of Jin