Chaoshan, a region in the eastern part of China\u2019s Guangdong province, is known for its unique culture and food. For chef Huang Jinghui, the essence of the region\u2019s cuisine is rooted in the salt air of Huilai county, on the coast just south of Shantou.<\/p>\n
Growing up near Huilai\u2019s historic Shenquan Port, he would listen to his grandmother\u2019s stories of families who, unable to afford cooking oil, relied on sa sek<\/em>: the method of boiling catch directly in seawater.<\/p>\n This necessity gave birth to the classic Chaoshan dish yu fan<\/em> (literally \u201cfish rice\u201d), which typically comprises whole fish served in shallow bamboo baskets, accompanied only by soybean paste.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite its name, yu fan<\/em> contains no rice,\u201d Huang says. \u201cThis speciality embodies the wisdom of fishermen. With no refrigeration at sea, they would cook their catch in seawater. This was fish, but also their \u2018rice\u2019 [their staple food source].\u201d<\/p>\n But the road to success was not easy. Huang lost his father early in life, which prompted him to leave school \u2013 even though he was a good student \u2013 and build his future in Guangdong\u2019s capital, Guangzhou. He was only 16 when he became an apprentice at Guangzhou\u2019s Tian He Bin Guan hotel, and had become a restaurant executive chef by the time he was 20.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Huang](\"https:\/\/img.i-scmp.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto\/sites\/default\/files\/d8\/images\/canvas\/2025\/12\/03\/bc9ecc0d-3716-4cf3-8eab-23f77736ecde_72490d4e.jpg\" "\\"Huang")
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