Cutting the fish while heating the pan, chef Jia Weile spends no more than 40 minutes completing an all-fish feast featuring fried, boiled, stewed and steamed fish dishes.
All-fish feast. [Photo/Dahe Daily]
Jia grew up with the water and fish in the Kuhun Reservoir where his home town Wan'an village of Luoyang's Songxian county lies. So Jia has a deep affection for the Reservoir.
Jia was working as an apprentice in a hostel in Yichuan county of Luoyang city when he was 15, where he learned some cooking methods for home-style dishes under the head chef's guidance after finishing his routine work. More than 2 years later, he became a head chef.
Chef Jia Weile. [Photo/Dahe Daily]
Tasting fresh, delicious and tender, Jia's all-fish feast has been widely accepted. Some foodies from other places even drove one or two hundred kilometers to satisfy their taste buds. According to Jia, the secret of his all-fish feast lies in freshness! All-fish feast must be made with live fish, mainly including the Reservoir's spotted silver carp, silverfish, carp, gurnard, etc.
With the arrival of summer, Luhun Holiday Village where Jia is working has ushered in the peak tourist season due to the increasing number of tourists coming to the Reservoir for summer vacation. At noon, the temperature in the kitchen reaches more than 40 degrees Celsius. In front of the fire, he often sweats profusely with a heavy iron pan while cooking.
"I have to drink at least 8 cups of water every day, each containing 1 kilogram." Jia told the reporter that the kitchen becomes a sauna room in the summer, so his clothes are all wet throughout the day.
Never tired of cooking, Jia can use different methods to cook fish. The praise from customers gives him a sense of accomplishment. (Chinese source: Dahe Daily Translator: Wei Wei Proofreader: Bai Yujie)
