The Ritz-Carlton’s Chinese chef shows us his noodle acrobatic tricks and how he learned the traditional Chinese art of dough stretching.
Flying through the air, twisting and turning, wobbling and stretching; the noodles at Li Jiang come with a show. The Ritz-Carlton’s South-East Asian restaurant is becoming increasingly popular, and for very good reason.
The noodle expert, chef Miami, is not only a good cook, but also a performer. The art of lamian, a traditional Chinese method of making noodles, is an entertaining one. He makes the dough from scratch with fresh ingredients, and then twists and lassoes the strands, stretching them to the optimum texture and thickness, and then submerges them in hot water. All before the diners’ very eyes.
It’s a 600-year-old tradition that ensures the noodle-dough is at the right freshness and thickness for cooking. ‘You know, in China, many people learn this. But here, with the international mix, it’s a fun novelty and people enjoy watching it – I think it’s more exciting to be here with this skill,’ chef Miami tells us.
There are plenty of excited diners coming to watch the noodle-stretching – recently a group of 30 children visited for a party.
‘It was fun, they loved it and then they wanted to try. It was a mess,’ he says with a chuckle. ‘I love seeing people’s faces when they watch for the first time.’
Chef Miami says it took him more than six months to perfect the technique. ‘I learned this at chef school in China, as a specialty. It’s funny though, because it looks quite simple to do, but when you try, it’s definitely not simple.’
It wasn’t always his forte, he recalls: ‘Sometimes when I would practise when I started, the dough would go flying across the room. I had to practise every day.’ Always wanting to be a chef, Miami remains passionate about his work: ‘I love my job. You know, when you love your job, if your heart is in it, everything becomes simple.
I think one day, we might offer cooking classes in Li Jiang for people to learn some tricks – I don’t recommended for people to attempt noodle stretching at home.’ A man of simple tastes and a humble attitude, he says he loves Chinese food; his favourite takeaway in Abu Dhabi is Beijing Restaurant.
Chef Miami’s skills are on show at Li Jiang six nights per week. Making a reservation is highly recommended, or you can watch a video of him at work by visiting www.youtube.com/ritzcarlton. Li Jiang, Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal, Khor Al Maqta’a (02 818 8282).
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