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Jump, Buddha, Jump! by Florence Dinar During the Qing Dynasty some men of letters went for a day out in the western suburbs of Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province in south China. In their picnic hamper were more than 20 different delicacies from their hometown, including shaoxing rice wine, ginseng, shark's fin, abalone, chicken and duck. These were wrapped in leaves and sealed in a jar, then put on a slow wood fire to cook. When the lid of the jar was lifted after a long, long time cooking, a mouth-watering smell came out. The scholar's songs and the melody of their bamboo flutes wafted the delicious scent to an ancient temple. The monks inside could not resist the magical aroma and jumped over the wall to enjoy the delicacies. One of the most prestigious Chinese dishes was thus created - the "Buddha jumping over the wall." When former US president Richard Nixon visited China in 1972, he ordered the dish, so a Fujian chef was specially flown in to cook it for him. Traditionally this dish needs to cook for two to three days, so bookings had to be made well in advance, but Royal Restaurant manager John Lim has patented a technique to prepare it in minutes. His technique allows the thick broth to be preserved for several days without altering its taste. Other ingredients are added and the whole is cooked for a few minutes. Lim, who formerly worked as a designer, also takes care of the restaurant's interior decoration. Every week he goes to Panjiayuan Curio Market to seek material as well as inspiration. He has covered the walls with Chinese paintings and ancient wooden sculpted partitions depicting historical stories and legends. A Singaporean Chinese, he has always had a strong wish to promote the culture of Chinese food and to make Chinese food simpler and more popular. To match the dish's royal content, the cutlery and plates are gold-plated. The Buddha jumping over the wall is served in earthen jars designed and produced in Fujian specially for the restaurant. Lim says his restaurant offers the lowest price for Buddha jumping over the wall in Beijing: 188 yuan for a medium-size jar. If you eat it with shark's fin (148 yuan and above per pot) as part of the restaurant's promotional set dinner, it only costs a modest 288 yuan altogether. So, no need to jump over the wall to enjoy this delicious Fujian food; take a cab to the China World Trade Center instead and climb to the west wing, first floor. The Royal Restaurant is open every day from 9:00 am to midnight. The restaurant also does home deliveries and take-away. Address: 1F, West Wing, China World Trade Center. |
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