China News Service, June 15th, according to Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao, Singapore’s Chaozhou cuisine chef Wang Zhenguo is from Fujian, but because he followed a Chaozhou chef when he was a chef, he not only learned to cook authentic Chaozhou cuisine, but also spoke fluent Teochew dialect. In the years since the long-established Chaozhou restaurant in Singapore, he insisted on making exquisite traditional Chaozhou cuisine.

  At the age of 19, when he came to work in Singapore's kitchen from Penang, Malaysia, Wang Zhenguo knew nothing about cooking. After two years as a handyman, a friend introduced him to the Chaozhou restaurant in the NUS Graduates Club and met Chen Jinfa, a teacher who led him into the Chaozhou cuisine world.

  The work was hard during the apprenticeship, but Wang Zhenguo still clenched his teeth and continued to do it. He said, "Master really treats me as his own child. I live in his house and go to work with him every day. Master didn't understand the Hokkien words I spoke at that time because the Hokkien dialect in Penang was not as good as that in Singapore. Similarly, he wanted me to speak Chaozhou dialect with him, so he also learned."

  After working for many years, Wang Zhenguo gradually upgraded as a master chef and won many international culinary awards. In the past few years, he represented the Singapore Chinese Kitchen Association, leading chefs to participate in international competitions, to teach and share experience.

  You must be creative and entertain yourself when you enter, but when you return to Chaozhou cuisine, Wang Zhenguo insists on traditional characteristics.

  "Chaozhou cuisine has a lot of processes, and every step must be done to be successful, such as pig head dumplings (a piece of appetizer like thick dried meat) and pork feet frozen will take four or five hours. We must It's more fragrant to pack with pork net oil. Chaozhou cuisine uses fish sauce (Guangdong people use oyster sauce), as well as dried flat fish (preserved iron), celery, coriander, winter vegetables and preserved vegetables."

  Singapore’s old Chaozhou restaurant has been closed down in recent years due to subjective and objective factors, which is regrettable. Wang Zhenguo has witnessed the splendor and decline of Chaozhou cuisine, and has felt its return in recent years.

  "In the early days, mainly Fujian cuisine and Chaozhou cuisine, Chaozhou cuisine in Singapore can be said to be the first. The secret of the master is not passed on, so there are fewer and fewer masters. Later, Hong Kong style and Sichuan cuisine came, which put Chaozhou cuisine into the third place. Fourth. However, there are still many people who like to eat traditional Chaozhou cuisine, so many new restaurants opened in recent years are known as Chaozhou cuisine."

  Wang Zhenguo revealed that many Chinese chefs who currently make Chaozhou dishes come from Shantou and have some knowledge of Chaozhou dishes, but only a part of the ingredients and seasonings used locally come from Chaozhou, and most of them are local. So this batch of Chinese chefs come to Singapore, the taste and practice still need a period of break-in. (Chen Aiwei)