Superchef!

Jiang Xianwu is known for his "super hands", which can scoop out scalding food from boiling oil.

The chef and restaurant-owner from Zunyi, Guizhou province, holds a Chinese record granted by China Records Headquarters in Shanghai, for pulling 12 1 yuan coins out of 250 C oil in a minute.

"Most people's hands can stand temperatures of 60 C," he explains.

Jiang says he doesn't know why his hands can withstand such high temperatures.

"Some people believe I have a super power," he says while sharing his story with guests at the Summer Palace, Chinese restaurant of China World Hotel.

The 60-year-old looks younger than his age and always wears a smile. He is working as a guest chef in the five-star hotel until Aug 21, presenting his signature dishes, including sour and spicy sliced fish.

The first time Jiang became aware of his talent was in the 1970s, when he was a solider cooking for his regiment.

"I was deep-frying some pork when I realized the scoop had disappeared," he recalls. "It was a time when pork was expensive and valuable. If the pork burned, I would have been severely criticized or punished. So, I decided to just use my hands and get it out."

Two co-chefs' hands were burned and blistered while trying to help.

"But I only felt it was lukewarm when I dipped my hands in the boiling oil," Jiang recalls.

As Jiang became famed for his talent, he was chosen by the China Cuisine Association to be a member of a cooking stunt performance group and toured domestically and abroad. He performed at more than 30 TV stations.

Besides picking out coins from boiling oil, Jiang has developed his repertoire to include frying dishes and pulling noodles out of hot water with his bare hands. He has performed the stunts to guests and waiting staff at Summer Palace.

But that is not enough. The chef wanted to do something more artistic. As a member of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Art Research Association, he learned to do writing stunts. He can write Chinese characters in reverse, with a pen, or a pancake spatula.

"I was just bored and trying to find something interesting to do," he says. "It looked impossible at first, but it actually just took hard practice."

His pursuit of the novel is ongoing. He is about to expand his business in Zunyi. Part of the incentive of his work as a guest chef is he wants to learn more about Cantonese and Yangzhou cooking.

Jiang says he is working on a cookbook about Guizhou cuisine.

Guizhou cuisine places an emphasis on original ingredients and flavors, Jiang says.

The region is known for its preserved pork, preserved sausage and fish in sour and spicy soup.

"Guizhou people prefer spicy flavors, but it is an aromatic flavor, compared to the tongue-numbing spiciness of Sichuan," he explains.

"I'll share some of my cooking secrets in the book. I plan to name it The Secrets to Good Flavor."

IF YOU GO

SUMMER PALACE

Daily: 11:30 am-2:15 pm, 5:30 pm-9:45 pm, 1/F China World Hotel, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District, Beijing. 010-6505-5838ext5630