Fried globefish. (Photo by Xing Yi/China Daily)
"I used to sneak into my father's workplace to taste at the food," he says.
"I used to ask my father to tell me about grandfather's time in the royal kitchen."
Jing Changlin started to cook independently when he went to Zigong, in Sichuan province, in 1966.
There, he taught local chefs how to cook Beijing cuisine, and learned about spicy Sichuan cuisine from them.
The recipes he shared with the Sichuan chefs included sidazhua, or four grab-and-fry dishes.
For that, the chef has to grab a handful of chopped tenderloin, sliced fish, shrimp and pork kidney, he says.
"Deep fry first, then stir fry." The crispness is essential for the success of this dish.
Sidajiang, or dishes made with four fermented sauces, is another recipe Jing Changlin took to Sichuan.
The base of the dish is four fermented sauces－cucumber, hazel, carrot and pea－and it requires the chef to be able to watch the heat in the wok when frying pork chops and other key ingredients.
Jing Changlin returned to Beijing in 1969, and worked as head chef in many high-end hotels.
