DESIGN MAG VOL 3:BEATING FOOD FASHIONS WITH TRADITION AND CREATIVITY-Homa Refrigerator | Refrigerator Manufacturer

At 66, Deng Huadong is considered the master of Sichuan cuisine. His iconic restaurants are a place of pilgrimage for foodies and learned lovers of traditional Sichuan cuisine from all over the world.

Beyond providing an extraordinary food journey into authenticity and a true gastronomic experience, a meal at DH’s is about rediscovering a way of life and a twice-millenary culture. Everything slows down, and time reverses to the origins of one of the most refined cuisine of China’s immensely diverse gastronomic landscape. The master loves talking to his guests, explaining the reasons behind every technique and ingredient, making the experience even more enjoyable and enriching.

Young Deng Huadong never planned to become a chef, though, as he was hoping to embrace a military career. Things didn’t turn out as he’d expected, and he started training as a professional cook, but he soon learned that as a chef, knowledge about produce and how to best treat it in the kitchen, combined with a personal touch of creativity, could turn a simple, common dish into a work of art.

Creativity doesn’t come from nothing, it needs solid foundations

Deng Huadong took every opportunity to learn and practise his craft. First moving from his hometown Chengdu, in a minor rural community, to Shenzhen in 1986, working at several hotels, then continuing his professional education abroad, in Indonesia. All along he kept faithful to his original passion, Sichuan cuisine, and acquired every skill he could to excel in it and bring it to a level of perfection rarely equalled.

Deng returned to China in 1994 as a consultant for the catering industry, though he did not like this new role because the objectives were always and only financial and many of his ideas were instead related to the quality of the kitchen rather than to short-term profit. In 1997 he opened his own restaurant in Shanghai, and set himself as a priority to convey all the variety of Sichuan cuisine and enhance the entire range of its specialties, not only the most well-known dishes. Sichuan cuisine has many nuances derived from local tradition such as Chengdu and Chongqing, which inspire Sichuan cuisine and deserve to be represented and recognised.

Sichuan boiled beef

There are three elements to a dish that need to be perfectly balanced: colour, fragrance and flavour. The original colours of the ingredients are important, since they get mixed, together with those of the sauces, which also play a crucial role in balancing the fragrance.
This is particularly true in Sichuan cuisine, since it makes ample use of them. All this must be taken into account right from the early stages of preparation. For DH, the most important element still remains the flavour. In China, taste has evolved along with society, and in recent years, spicy was, literally, all the rage! If spices offer a way to further bring out nuances and delicate flavours, plain hot is just too easy and cancels out all other tastes. Again, balance is fundamental.

Form is important, especially in ceremonial dishes, and here too, trends in Chinese society have influenced chefs across the country. In the past, especially in the luxury establishments he had been working at, DH had been asked to produce very elaborate dishes, going as far as representing rural scenes that included Pandas, a symbol of Sichuan, frolicking in the wild. Needless to say he highly disliked this kind of unnecessary frills, but the taste for over-elaborate plating seems to have since faded out, and cold trompe-l’oeil elements carved out of vegetables and other ingredients are now officially untrendy.

The most beautiful form of a dish is the most natural

Steamed Chinese Cabbage in supreme soup

The simplest is the best, and Deng is more interested in serving food straight as it comes out of the wok, privileging substance over form and geometry. Ceremonial dishes are not served in his restaurants, meals are pre-ordered and served in private rooms, with the master supervising every table, every day, making sure his concepts are respected throughout and seeing that his guests enjoy their experience to the fullest, providing in that sense for some quite extraordinary customer journey.

The worst sin is homologation, which equals to loss of identity

Kung Pao chicken

Today we have the opportunity to come to know many different cuisines from around the world, which is enriching, in addition to the fact that it means more choice. According to Deng, this newly acquired knowledge can be utilised and integrated into one’s own cuisine, while maintaining strong traditional values. For example, traditional “fish-fragrant pork” (yet there is no fish in this dish, Ed.) can be reinterpreted in many different ways, even substituting the main element with a new ingredient, provided that the substitute is treated in the way it should be treated, and not merely thrown in as a replacement.
Deng Huadong made the most out of his encounters with other cultures, chefs, and traditions, importing practices, ingredients and tours de main into Sichuan cuisine while respecting it entirely. Many of his most appreciated dishes were born this way, and his menus reflect this philosophy, an enticing mix of traditional dishes alongside new creations, but all authentically cooked and served in pure Sichuan spirit.
According to the master, a chef has a duty to always be professional and true to his craft: cooking is an emotional affair first, then it’s a business, and as such today’s restaurants need to be managed as businesses and be accountable to their employees and to their customers. All this requires competence and seriousness, but above all passion, and love.

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