CRI听力:Xiba Doufu, Another Bite of China?

Lu Bingsong is a local girl from Leshan. She knows nearly all the best places to eat in the city, from street snack vendors to renowned restaurants. But according to Lu, 25 kilometers downstream from Leshan, there is a town called Xiba; and it is there where one can enjoy the most amazing Doufu banquet.

"Other restaurants are unable to recreate the taste of the Doufu that is cooked in Xiba. Local Leshan people believe that the water in Xiba is better, and because of the technique used, the Doufu in that one particular restaurant is tender and fresh. They can make Doufu into various dishes."

The restaurant that Bingsong refers to is Fang De Restaurant. 68-year-old Zou Fangde is the restaurant's founder. Zou's Doufu cooking technique is listed on the Provincial Intangible Culture Heritages.

Zou realized her love for cooking when she started work in a small state-owned restaurant. She especially enjoyed cooking Doufu. Whenever she would sample a special type of cuisine, she tried to recreate it using Doufu. She remembers the moment that her unique Doufu dish was firstly recognized by a group of prominent visitors.

"Our Doufu was at the bottom of the menu on the banquet. As a chef, I was depressed because who cares for the last dish? But after my Doufu was served, the diners yelled out, saying they want to eat nothing but my Doufu. After that, my Doufu dish started to gain a reputation. Many people came to my restaurant to try it, from important figures to people from remote villages."

Zou Fangde says Xiba's clean water and high-quality yellow beans are two keys as to why her Doufu tastes unique. Aside from these, years of practice and study also help to explain why so many people come from far and wide to enjoy her Doufu banquet.

"If you look at 'Bear Palm Doufu'; even an experienced chef may not be able to cook it well, because it's a compound taste, including sour, sweet, salty and spicy notes. It has multiple layers of flavor. One flavor cannot overpower the others. It's not like western cooking; every ingredient is accurately measured. The chef adds ingredients according to his or her experience. It's not an expensive dish but it's the one which reveals the true skill of a chef."

From the common dishes that cooked with seafood and fungus, to the utterly unique ones such as Kung pao Doufu, the 100-plus dishes are the results of Zou Fangde's study and imagination. Now, Zou is retired and the business has been handed over to her son Dai Xuanxuan. In an era when nearly everyone wants to expand their business and open more franchises, Dai says that opening franchises is not an easy task.

"On average, the time for making each Doufu dish is 6 to 8 minutes. Some complicated ones may take as long as 20 minutes. That's way longer than simple stir-fried dishes, which take no more than a minute. We previously opened a restaurant in Chengdu. But we really can't serve that many diners at the same time. So, our Chengdu business lasted for just one month. However, every year we still have to reject more than 20 people who intend to open franchises. Also, learning our technique is time consuming. I inherited my mother's technique because I enjoyed it. But my child is not interested in it. I am worried."

Finally, Zou Fangde adds Doufu can complement nearly every flavor while maintaining its own taste. This feature is similar to the hospitality and tolerance of Chinese people. They welcome all guests from around the world to take a bite of the Doufu that they create through hard work and dedication.

For CRI, I am Li Dong.