Creative Japanese Cuisine with Local Taiwanese Ingredients – Chef Ah Chang Shares His Knowledge and Skills in a New Book

▲Chef Ah Chang hopes to pass on his experience through his book. (Photo / Huang Shih-yuan)

Reported by Huang Shih-yuan / Taipei

Chef Ah Chang (Chen You-teng), former head chef of the Japanese restaurant "Bamboo Forest Pavilion" at Spring Hotel and taste director of the renowned Japanese restaurant "Divine Seasons Creative Kaiseki Cuisine," has published a book! Chef Ah Chang said he hopes to pass on his knowledge and culinary skills through writing, enabling more people to learn about Japanese cuisine. The launch event for his new book was specially held at a cooking classroom, where he also demonstrated two signature dishes: "Japanese Taro Cake" and "Golden Kimchi."

In his newly published book, *Chef Ah Chang’s Creative Japanese Cuisine with Local Taiwanese Ingredients*, he shares many gourmet dishes—featuring color, aroma, and taste—that are typically found only in high-end kaiseki restaurants, representing the flavors of all four seasons. These include spring’s "Pan-Seared Duck," summer’s "Tea-Oil Fish with Sweet Mustard Greens," autumn’s "Beef with Mulberry Leaf Grilled Wrap," and winter’s "Wild Taro Stone-Flavored Pancakes." In addition to sharing his notes and seasonal creative recipes, Chef Ah Chang also introduces many locally sourced Taiwanese ingredients. He also emphasized that it’s important to eat the right foods at the right time, which is why the book is divided by season and features recipes designed using local ingredients.

Yan Yu-mei, general manager of Jueshi Image Production Co., Ltd., which published Chef Ah Chang’s new book, said she has known him for many years and greatly admires his dedication to ingredients and creativity, as well as his pursuit of perfection in his cooking. She described him as someone with many stories, and wanted to help share his philosophy with more people. That’s why she convinced him to publish *Chef Ah Chang’s Creative Japanese Cuisine with Local Taiwanese Ingredients*, hoping it will be helpful to those who love cooking.

Speaking of cooking, Chef Ah Chang said discipline, love, and responsibility are essential. Without love, you can’t create delicious food, and discipline means practicing tirelessly and preparing ingredients every day. Responsibility means making good food—if your dish doesn’t measure up to what your mom makes at home, then you lack responsibility. Having been in the industry for 40 years, what Chef Ah Chang is most proud of now is being able to instantly think of two or three ways to cook any ingredient he sees.