In America, a lavish meal might be described as “fit for a king.”
In China, it’s the emperors who enjoyed the best of everything.
China’s last emperor abdicated in 1912, but one can still eat like an emperor in Beijing,
capital of the People’s Republic.
With his guide K. F. Seetoh, author, TV host, and Asian food authority from Singapore,
Steve will visit a 250-year-old restaurant whose founders had the rare privilege of delivering meals to the Forbidden City.
The food served at Yue Shen Zhai today
is still probably very close to what the emperors might have had.
[K. F. Seetoh speaking] Steve, welcome to an institution in Beijing!
This place don't look like much, but....
They have been doing what they have been doing for the last 250 years, my friend....
You know the Emperor loved their food so much, that they accorded them —
— neo communists the permission to bring their food into the palace courtyard.
That is like rare. You are allowed to go to heaven and to that effect.
And, uh, they are Muslims and yeah, you can ask me so what are they selling?
[Chef Steve Jilleba] No, I was gonna say, what are we eating? [KF Seetoh] We'll find out, but, uh....
[KF Seetoh] We're gonna partake of a recipe that's 250 years old. This should kind of get it right by now.
[Chef Steve Jilleba] I think they must have it down. [KF Seetoh laughs] They must have it down.
[KF Seetoh] Now this is the thing. This is the little badge that those communists were given by the Empress.
So, it's like an access pass.
And that's technically a photo of those days, long before photography.
They put your name down there. How old you are.
And this describe the little traits — beard, tall, you know, kind of six foot, you know.
And so when you go in, if you don't look anything like this....
[Chef Steve Jilleba] You're in trouble. [KF Seetoh] You're in deep soot. (laughs)
[Chef Steve Jilleba] You couldn't use my badge. [KF Seetoh laughs] I know.
[KF Seetoh] Come, let's go check it out.
This is a Muslim restaurant. It has a big Muslim food culture in Beijing.
And they had been doing this specialty which is basically lamb and beef.
They braise and pickle them and then they fry them.
And they are very well known and they were the one of the very few caterers (if you must) way back when,
who were given this very exclusive permission to go to the court and personally serve this to the Empress.
[Chef Steve Jilleba] These meats to go to the Empress. [KF Seetoh] Yeah, yeah, to the Empress. It was a big thing, so....
It's like, hey, Obama call me up, "Hey, Steve, could you come send me one of your famous healthy burgers?"
So, what they do, they've got lamb that comes specifically from Inner Mongolia.
That place is very well known for, you know, verdant land, good air, good water, good grass....
And their beef comes from [....], which is north of China.
Place very well-known for beef, too.
So, they essentially take this and they cook it in a special flavoring mix.
[Chef Steve Jilleba] We've actually looked at some of the spices before. I mean, I know the lamb one, they had a lot of anise and....
[KF Seetoh] Yeah, you saw some of the spices outside.
So, it's got that kind of flavor, kind of Muslim flavor.... Star anise, cumin, peppers in there....
And the salting agents come from two sources: rough sea salts and bean paste....
Kind of like Chinese.... Kind of like miso. Chinese style miso.
So, that goes into a pot of stock which has been boiling forever.
So every day they keep half of it and they replenish....
....and keep half of it and they keep replenishing.
[Chef Steve Jilleba] I notice they put a little bit of that stock or.... Because we notice some fat on here....
[Chef Steve Jilleba] So, they mix that with the salt.... [KF Seetoh] Correct, correct, the existing....
....stock that was left over from yesterday, with a bit of the fat that they creamed off....
.....and they mix it into here it goes back in there again.
[Speaking Chinese]
[KF Seetoh] So, this dip is a special spice mixture for lamb.....
...and a spice mixture for beef. So, I think it's just to utilize the gaminess.
[Speaking Chinese]