Chinese frying pan wows top Spanish chef

By Ye Jun (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-30 10:12

Counting Chongqing fried chicken with chili, Peking roast duck, and jiaohuaji (marinated chicken in lotus leaf) among his favorite Chinese dishes, Albert Adria says, "I'm impressed by the energy of the Chinese frying pan."

"I consider Chinese food the most powerful system among world cuisines."

That's high praise from the chef of Spain's famed elBulli restaurant, consistently ranked one of the best restaurants in the world for the past four years.

It is open for just six months every year, and seats only 8,000 guests annually. Last year, 2 million people tried to get in.

Chinese frying pan wows top Spanish chef

Albert Adria is the younger brother of elBulli chef Ferran Adria, and one of a team of gastronomers at elBullitaller, the restaurant's food laboratory, which is trying to create an entirely new 30-course menu.

He was in Beijing for a week to promote Spanish food and wines, supported by chef Brian McKenna and Instituto Cervantes de Pekin. Adria also presented his new book Natura and two documentaries - elBulli History and A Day at elBulli. Adria joked that promoting his book was just an excuse, so that he could try good Chinese food.

The chef described Chinese dishes as "elegant, exquisite" and "sexy" and lauded the great variety of tastes in the cuisine.

"I had thought Chinese food would be vehement, from the cooking process. But now I find Chinese dishes can be very mild."

He also visited a local vegetable market to try pancake with egg, deep-fried flour sticks and spicy sauce for breakfast.

He says his brother Ferran was the first of elBulli's chefs to come to China about seven years ago.

"He told me China would be the future of the world," he says. "He particularly liked Chinese sauces and the pressure cooker."

Adria also hosted two cooking classes for professionals and passionate foodies, where he used chili oil and "golden needle" mushroom, two frequently-used Chinese ingredients.

Speaking of the legendary restaurant he says, "At elBulli, 40 chefs serve 50 guests."

He believes it is his duty as a chef to play with cooking techniques and mediums, to create something new, joyous and impactful.

The secret of his success at elBulli is continuous innovation to surprise patrons. "No one knows what will be the next popular food trend," he says. "As a chef, I always try to satisfy my guests with healthy and fashionable-looking foods."

In a conversation with Adria, Dong Zhenxiang, general manager of Da Dong Peking Roast Duck, said elBulli represented the world's best in cooking, and many Chinese chefs have tried to learn from the Spanish restaurant.

He told Adria that there were more than 5,000 classic Chinese dishes recorded in the history books, which could take a lifetime to learn. He explained that many Chinese dishes comprise a mixture of tastes. For example, sugar is added in salty dishes, to soften the saltiness and heighten its freshness.

Adria says he wants to bring his team to China for a culinary tour, and learn from Chinese foods.

"Maybe in the future, the West will also have iron pot dishes heated with alcohol cans from below, and hot pot restaurants, which are so popular in China."