Culinary Skill Exchange between Italy and China

I travel with my chef knife, trying to bring people more flavors from China.

My friend Bernardo is a mediator and lawyer living in Rome. After the event we both participated, The Marco Polo's Series Conferences - The Sino-Italian Brand Cross-Cultural Collaboration in Entering into the Market, Bernardo and I did another event in the his kitchen.

On Dec 2nd evening, I cooked 4 dishes.

Top Center: 【A Must】水煮肉片（Spicy Pork Belly Soup）: Featured Sichuan Dish. Sauté a variety of vegetables, then make a soup. Then add the pre-marinated meat slices. Finally, add crushed chili peppers to the soup surface, and then pour hot oil on top to stimulate the fragrance of the chili peppers.
Down-Left: 可乐鸡翅（Coca-Cola Chiken Wings）: Innovated Sichuan Dish. First, sauté various spices, and at the same time add brown sugar to caramelize. Then, add the chicken wings that have been blanched in water to the pot and stir-fry until the chicken skin is golden brown. Add Coca-Cola and simmer for 10 minutes, then uncover and continue to cook over low heat until the sauce thickens. During the reduction process, you need to turn the chicken wings 2-3 times to ensure that the flavor is evenly attached to the chicken wings.
Down-Center: 麻婆豆腐（Tofu with Red Chilli Oil and Pepper Corn）: Mapo tofu is one of the representatives of Sichuan cuisine. It is simple to make and has a rich flavor profile. The dish is bright in color and has a spicy and savory taste. When paired with rice, it can make you eat more. The ingredients include medium-firm alkaline tofu, Sichuan Pixian bean paste, Sichuan peppercorn, chopped scallion, ground meat, ginger, and other seasonings.

On Dec 3rd, Bernardo made 3 dishes.

On Dec 4th, I cooked Sichuan Spicy Noodle with Minced Pork, also called as 素椒杂酱面（Su Jiao Za Jiang Mian）.

杂酱面（Sichuan Meat Sauce Noodles）: This is a typical lunch, some people eat it every noon. The most important part of meat sauce noodles is the meat sauce. I decided to make this dish after Bernardo made me Pasta Bolognese. The cultures of the East and West are similar in some deep logic, but the difference is that we have different flavor structures. Sichuan meat sauce is slightly sweet, salty, and slightly spicy. It is served with refreshing cucumber slices, which makes it very appetising.

On Dec 5th, I cooked Double-Cooked Pork and Stir-fried Sliced Potatos.

Top: 【A Must】回锅肉 (Hui Guo Rou) is a classic Sichuan dish that is made with twice-cooked pork. The pork is first boiled, then stir-fried with a variety of spices and vegetables. The dish is typically served with rice or noodles. The name "回锅肉" literally means "twice-cooked meat." The pork is first boiled to remove any impurities and to tenderize the meat. Then, it is stir-fried with a sauce that is made with chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, soy sauce, and other spices. The sauce gives the dish its characteristic flavor, which is a combination of spiciness, sweetness, and umami. The vegetables that are typically used in回锅肉 include green peppers, garlic, and scallions. The green peppers add a bit of heat to the dish, while the garlic and scallions add flavor and aroma.

Down: 青椒土豆丝（Stir-fired Sliced Potato with Green Peppers, Qingjiao Tudousi） is a popular Chinese dish made with green peppers and potatoes. It is a simple dish to make, but it is full of flavor. The green peppers add a bit of heat and sweetness to the dish, while the potatoes add a bit of starch and crunch. The dish is typically made by first cutting the green peppers and potatoes into thin strips. Then, the vegetables are stir-fried in a pan with oil until they are tender. Finally, the dish is seasoned with salt, pepper, and other spices. Qingjiao Tudousi can be served as a main course or as a side dish. It is a versatile dish that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

I will start making the recipes one by one in near future.

To be noted, I travel with my chef knife, believing that sitting down and eating and drinking are the best ADR.

All pictures are copy righted. The use of the clip has been also solely authorised to Hans Ngo | Shiling WU to promote cultural events in order to bring mutual understanding between people from the west and the east.

So many thanks to my friend Bernardo Cartoni.