(http://youtu.be/cEzpTebQQgs)
And finally... after months of preparation, NTD's 4th annual International Chinese Culinary Competition draws to a close Friday. NTD's Chris Chappell takes us there and shows us what it takes to be a Chinese culinary master.
Congratulations to the other winner of our competition. Taking home the gold awards were Zhixue Zhang with North Eastern cuisine, along with Robin Luo who prepared Cantonese cuisine.
Taking home the silver awards were Yichun Chen who prepared Sichuan cuisine, alongside Shandong specialist Kejiang Bi. And winning the bronze award was Kanda Masayuki, who cooked up North Eastern cuisine.
Not even the rain can stop the fires of NTD's fourth annual International Chinese Culinary Competition.
[Chris Chappell, NTD Reporter]:
"Well, the weather's taken a bit of a turn on us a bit today, but do you think that's going to get in the way of the greatest Chinese culinary competition? Not on your life! Today are the finals, and for the chefs, it's getting a bit dicey. Let's have a look."
Out of nearly 100 contestants, only 23 remain. These are the masters of an ancient culinary craft. They move like the mist and wind, splitting through their dishes like a river through a mountain.
NTD has gathered these chefs from the four corners of the Earth, transforming the heart of New York's Times Square into the image of China's glory days.
[Qu Yunqiang, Jury President]:
"In Manhattan, I haven't heard of another similar competition about Chinese cuisine. For Westerners, they have this opportunity to get to know many culinary skills of Chinese cuisine. And Chinese traditional dishes also carry Chinese history and culture. Therefore only NTDTV can hold such a show that revives real Chinese traditions."
But what are these cuisines from 5000 years past? What is traditional cooking?
It involves not only precise knife skills and the proper use of seasonings, but also a certain mental attitude, a spirit that gives the cooking its inner life.
The different cuisines—Sichuan, Shandong, Cantonese, Huaiyang, and Northeastern—each has their own unique style and flavors. So what does it take to pick a winning dish?
[Qu Yunqiang, Jury President]:
"We mainly judge from color, aroma, taste, appearance, and knife skills. In spite of these, there is also another important criterion, which is on-site operation; it includes chef's conversation manners, their understanding of the dish, etc. In our opinion, if we treat a dish as a living thing, then the taste is its soul. The chef's mentality is also crucial in the process, because we believe that 'matter and mind are one thing.'"
And this year it was Zhang Zhixue, with his dish of fried sweet potatoes, that best embodied these qualities, and the essence of traditional Chinese cooking.
If you missed this year's competition, not to worry. Though you might have missed out on some good Kung Pao Chicken, there'll be plenty of pow at NTD's third International Traditional Martial Arts Competition, kicking off in October.
This is Chris Chappell, NTD News, New York.
From - http://english.ntdtv.com
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