Copyright kyodonews
BEIJING - Three Chinese chefs showed off their cooking skills at the first Japan cuisine contest held at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing in mid-October, presenting creative dishes made with ingredients from both the Asian countries that pair well with sake. The contest organized by the embassy to promote Japanese foodstuffs in China pitted the three chefs from Japanese restaurants in Beijing, Changsha and Chengdu against one another. They all passed a preliminary competition between some 30 chefs in September to qualify for the final stage. They were required to prepare dishes that accompanied sake rice wine well and were themed on the fall season, using rice from Hokkaido, "yuzu" citrus fruits from Kochi Prefecture and mushrooms from southwestern China's Yunnan Province. In an effort to elevate the Sino-Japanese fusion, Lu Min from Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, used pigeon broth instead of chicken broth for his dishes. Roasted pigeon is a popular item in Chinese cuisine. Han Shaowen from Beijing won the contest, with Ikuo Hori, a chef at the embassy who served as a judge saying he was "moved" by the taste of Han's seasoned rice dish. Hori also praised his strict hygiene controls while preparing dishes. Japanese Ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi said at the event the food cultures of the two Asian neighbors have become enriched by "influencing each other in their long history." Japanese food has "earned a reputation for being safe and high-quality" and an increasing number of Chinese people who visited the neighboring country and tasted authentic Japanese dishes say there is a familiarity to them, the envoy said. Hori said the three chefs displayed their "sincere attitude to explore" Japanese cuisine at the contest and presented new opportunities for Sino-Japanese food exchanges. About 50 Japanese food companies and local government offices displayed products, including soy sauce and "natto" fermented soybeans, at the event.
