22 | Friday, December 14, 2018 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY LIFE

Eat beat

NUO upgrades Shaobing warrior brunch offering

Feng Huaishen is fighting to keep the craft of making traditional Beijing snacks alive, Li Yingxue reports.

or over five decades, more than a meter long and very Most of these doughy delicacies 62­year­old Feng Huaishen thin,” explains Feng. “That single hark back to the Forbidden City, has been playing with flour. movement can take people years to when they were originally prepared By the end of the 1970s, he master.” for the imperial family. Feng decid­ Fwas making around 3,000 shaobing One of Feng’s apprentices took ed to learn how to make them from (sesame­seed cakes) each day. seven years to learn that single step, Cui Baolong, a third­generation N’Joy at NUO Hotel Beijing is In those early years of preparing while many others were still practic­ successor to the art of Fangshan launching its upgraded Sunday the snack for Beijing’s peckish mas­ ing. cooking, which imitates imperial brunch in December, with choi­ ses, it’s a fair bet that a great number “It’s the secret to making a shao­ cuisine from the Qing Dynasty ces ranging from sea urchin and of the city’s residents would have bing with 18 layers. Without this (1644­1911). NUO caviar to welcome canapes tasted one of his doughy morsels at step, the dough would not be thin “Now when I eat snacks in restau­ and Brazilian churrasco along­ one time or another. enough and you can only achieve a rants, I will ask their chefs how they side 450 other dishes. The buffet These days, however, while it is few layers when you roll it,” Feng make it,” says Feng. “We have lost also has authentic Middle East­ easier to find someone selling shao­ notes. the precious skills required to make ern meat rolls, Thai salad, Indian bing, it is very difficult to find the “We used to have a special tool to some of them by hand, and they curry and a cheese table. The same quality as Feng’s fine fare. roll the dough into a fan shape. I have been replaced by machines. hotel sources the finest ingredi­ Each one looks exactly the same — only have one in my home as a col­ “Take the yellow­pea cake as an ents from all around the world — a diameter of 7 centimeters, weigh­ lector’s item, but most people example. Some chefs only take 20 fresh oysters, premium tuna, ing 80 grams and filled with more couldn’t figure out what it is.” minutes to finish preparing it, but sweet and succulent lobster, than 18 layers — a rarity among the Shaobing opened Feng’s eyes, and in the traditional way, just washing mussels and superior oscietra. now­ubiquitous shaobing vendors he began an exploration of pastry, the peas thoroughly takes 20 min­ No 2A, Jiangtai Road, Chaoyang scattered around the city. learning how to make other tradi­ utes.” district, Beijing. 010­5926­8281. “It’s not because my shaobing is tional Beijing snacks, some of which A traditional bean roll, which not tasty any more but because it have seemingly otherwise disap­ would take Feng six hours to make, Atmosphere has takes a lot of work to learn and prac­ peared. has to be eaten within half a day. tice. Few people want to make that In 1990, when Beijing held the “The flavor and taste of hand­ new cocktails effort,” says Feng. Asian Games, Feng was assigned to made bean rolls can never be Feng applied for the traditional ship snacks to the athletes’ village, replaced by machines,” Feng says. Beijing shaobing skill to be listed as during which time he became In the 1990s, Feng traveled almost part of the intangible cultural heri­ intrigued by an exquisite­looking all of China to learn new baking tage of Beijing’s Fangshan district. It snack, a sweet treat that was formed skills. In 2002, he even took a job as was approved last year. of four delicately fried pastry bub­ the chef of a Chinese restaurant in “You can find shaobing in differ­ bles. Africa, where he created his own ent sizes and with only few layers, As soon as he returned to the kitch­ version of Peking duck — impress­ but I want to set a standard to show en, he asked his master to show him ing the local diners. people what real shaobing is,” Feng how to make the snack, which is Now, Feng is the pastry consult­ says. called tangpao. Nowadays, you can ant at Yiwanju restaurant in Beijing. The Atmosphere at China World Besides being a regular guest on no longer find it for sale, as it requires He makes his own version of nai­ Summit Wing, Beijing has a new television, presenting the skill of a superb level of skill to make. lao — a form of Chinese cheese, menu of signature cocktails con­ making shaobing, Feng recently where rice liquor and sugar are add­ ceptualised by head bartender wrote a book entitled Xiaochidayi ed to fresh milk and distributed in Dicky Hartono. The series of (Little Snacks, Great Skill), in which bowls. The bowls are then heated eight cocktails are inspired by he collates stories about traditional before being left to cool and set. The deities from eight global cul­ Beijing snacks. sweet creamy snack attracts many tures, ranging from the ancient Feng was assigned to Longfusi That single foodies to the restaurant. Aztecs to the Roman goddess of love. The Crescent Mist on the snack shop as an apprentice in 1975. movement can take He started to formally take on He worked under Wang Fuyu, a sha­ apprentices in 2016, as he wants to new menu is inspired by Three obing master, who led him on his people years to pass on his skills, but he is careful to Kingdoms (220­280) hero Guan Yu of China. The cocktail is a sub­ path to shaobing fame. master.” select those who really care about At first, Feng did not like his job. reviving the art of making tradition­ tler and gentler interpretation of Most of his classmates were given Feng Huaishen, pastry chef al Beijing snacks. a whiskey sour and features jobs in factories, and he thought Wang Chunqiang has studied Michters Bourbon, sous­vide working in catering would not earn under Feng for seven years and is chrysanthemum­infused baijiu him much respect. used to Feng’s high standards. (white liquor), homemade kum­ However, despite having to per­ “Feng’s shaobing will not shed a quat honey syrup and fresh lem­ form menial tasks like igniting the single sesame seed, which is incredi­ on juice. oven (which always left his face plas­ ble,” says Wang. No 1 Jianguomenwai Ave, tered in coal ash), his master Feng explains that he once heard Chaoyang district, Beijing. showed him how excellent a pastry a comic dialogue that stated shao­ 010­8571­6459. chef can be — even if he is just mak­ bing always lose sesame seeds, and ing a common shaobing. that sparked his imagination to find Barbeque of To achieve such excellence, he a way to ensure all the seeds stayed Mediterranean style would start with the dough. It on the snack. requires 1 kilogram of flour mixed “The secret is to wipe a layer of with 600 grams of water — the bal­ water mixed with flour before ance is always set at 1.6 kilo­ dipping it in the sesame grams — per batch. Wang seeds,” says Feng. would throw it on the scale Feng plans to open his and every time it would own snack studio in Bei­ always be exactly 1.6 kilo­ jing, at which he can grams. He never once moved bring all the tradition­ the balance. al local snacks he Fresco Steak and Seafood House, Feng devoted himself to knows how to make to which opened in Beijing recently, learning from Wang, and aft­ the munching masses features Mediterranean­style er a couple of months, he per­ of the city once more barbeque. Steak is a signature fected the skill of cutting the — including the ones dish. But grilled seafood and sea­ dough to the exact weight. that people in their 20s food paella are also must­ The next step, however, is the and 30s may never have tries. The secret of the barbeque most challenging, and a bit of a tried. It’s not quite ready yet is the Spanish Josper oven that trade secret: “Throwing the fan”. — like his baking, Feng wants brings out the Mediterranean fla­ The idea is to roll and flatten the to take his time and get it right. vor. French blue lobster, Spanish dough into a fan shape, before But we have waited this scarlet shrimp and seasonal oys­ Top: Each of Feng Huaishen’s shaobing has more than 18 layers throwing it onto the counter, long. So, a few more months ters are all included in the Medi­ and looks like a book when cut open. Middle: Zhahuitou, fried making it longer and thinner. will just whet our appetites terranean treat. dough with meat filling, is a traditional Beijing snack. “The key is to hold the fan­ even more. No 27­1, Dongzhimenwai Ave, Above: Feng makes his own version of nailao — a form of Chinese shaped dough, whirl it in the air Dongcheng district, Beijing. cheese, where rice liquor and sugar are added to fresh milk. and throw it hard onto the Contact the writer at 010­6461­8100. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY board. You’re trying to make it [email protected] Hotpot restaurant Yak as a snack — a new kind of noodle­and­meat treat opens new outlet

By LI YINGXUE The thick­sliced yak, yak kebabs and mutton kebabs on tamarisk The Chinese character bu consists sticks, cold rice noodles and pickles of two parts — gong on top of fu, are also worth trying. which also means kung fu. The milk tea made using brick tea After Kung Fu Panda was and milk is another must­try. released, the word bu got a new “In Northwest China, people’s meaning, referring to people who diet is a bit greasy. So, we drink milk know kung fu. tea to neutralize the grease,” says Chengdu’s Malubianbian, a Sich­ A Bu Noodle is on the B1 floor of Ma, adding that you can also enjoy uan hotpot restaurant, is launch­ the Hopson One shopping center in homemade yogurt. ing its third brunch outlet in Chaoyang district of Beijing — and Dry noodles with sauce and minced yak, thick­sliced yak and pickles are among the signature dishes of The restaurant is located next to Beijing. The decor of the restau­ the name hints that it serves kung fu A Bu Noodle, which focuses on yak meat with Qinghai flavor. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY office buildings, so its customers rant is hand painted with ele­ noodles. are mainly office staff on week­ ments from the last century. The According to Ma Zhonghua, the days. main condiment of the hotpot is manager of the restaurant, the eat­ “Yak meat is rich in protein, ami­ nated the night before, and stewed texture of these noodles comes from Ma says the food is delivered to chili powder and minced pean­ ery is a noodle house focusing on no acids, carotene, calcium and for hours before being served. dozens of procedures. The chef has diners’ table within minutes of the uts. Spicy small potatoes, spicy yak­meat kung fu noodles from phosphorus. It’s low in fat. So, it’s Similarly, the soup is made from to rub the dough using the same ges­ order. porcine brain and spicy tender Qinghai province — all the meat called the champion of beef.” yak bones and marrow, which has to ture for more than half an hour. “The noodles need only 30 to 40 beef are all must­tries at this eat­ they used is fresh yak delivered to A Bu’s menu is simple — their sig­ be boiled for eight hours. “There are several types of noo­ seconds to boil and can be deliv­ ery. the restaurant daily from Qinghai. nature noodles are yak­noodle soup “The noodles really need kung fu dles. So, if you have a preference, ered to the table in under three 105­1, No 10 Dongbojie, Chaoyang “The yaks live on the Qinghai­Ti­ and dry noodles with sauce and to make,” says Ma. you can tell the chef. Otherwise, minutes. district, Beijing. 010­5335­5209. bet Plateau, which is 3,600 meters minced yak. “Unlike the regular Lanzhou you get the one with the regular “And diners can ask for more noo­ above sea level,” says Ma. The slices of yak meat are mari­ hand­pulled noodles, the springy width.” dles for free.” CHINA DAILY