A Post-1980s Head Chef from Luoyang Works on All-fish Feast for 10 Years

A Post-1980s Head Chef from Luoyang Works on All-fish Feast for 10 Years

洛阳80后小伙从小在库区长大，已经与鱼宴“打交道”整整十年

 

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.

剁鱼头、切鱼肉、起锅烧油，在厨师贾未乐的手里，用时不到四十分钟，一桌包含煎、烧、炖、蒸等多种烹饪手法的“全鱼宴”就制作完成了。

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.

贾未乐今年35岁，家住河南洛阳嵩县库区万安村，他从小喝着库区的水，吃着库区的鱼长大，对陆浑水库情结很深。

 

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.

从15岁那年起，他就在伊川县一家招待所做学徒，从洗碗、择菜、端盘子这些杂活做起，趁着闲暇之时，跟着店里的师傅学做家常菜。经过2年多的努力，他一步步晋升到掌勺大厨。

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.

贾未乐做出的全鱼宴鲜香美味、爽滑可口，颇受顾客好评。一些外地的资深食客，驱车一两百公里，也要到此尝上一桌全鱼宴。他说，其实他做全鱼宴的秘诀就是一个字：鲜！全鱼宴必须是活鱼现做。食材主要选用陆浑水库盛产的花鲢、银鱼、鲤鱼、鲂鱼等鱼类。

 

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.

夏季来临，来水库周边避暑度假的游客暴增，陆浑度假村也迎来了一年中的旅游旺季。在酷热的中午，厨房里温度高达40多摄氏度，守在火炉前，掂着沉重的大铁锅，热到大滴大滴的汗水往下掉。

 

"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.

2斤的杯子，我每天至少要喝8杯水。”贾未乐告诉记者，一到夏季，厨房就变成了桑拿房，衣服从早到晚都没干过。

 

Never tired of cooking, Jia can use different methods to cook fish. The praise from customers gives him a sense of accomplishment.

做厨师工作虽然辛苦，但贾未乐却乐此不疲。能把一条鱼做出很多种吃法，得到顾客的夸奖，让他的内心很有成就感。（中文来源/大河报 翻译/魏蔚 审校/白玉杰）