♪ >> Around Chengdu and throughout Sichuan Province, there are many spectacular mountains.

For thousands of years, they have been home to many ethnic groups.

Mountain culture is unique, with its own history, cuisine, and customs.

And it's also a very vocal culture.

Natives around here like to tell their story through songs.

>> [ Singing in Chinese ] >> Listen -- the voice of the mountain, next, on "Yan Can Cook."

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[ Man singing in Chinese ] [ Singing continues ] ♪ ♪ ♪ >> [ Exhales ] I thought I was in pretty good shape, until I met Mr. Zhang.

He's 80 years old and a living legend around here.

He's a scholar, a poet, a gentleman/philosopher, and he is a famous singer.

Mountain songs make up a vital component in Chinese folk music.

The tradition dates back thousands of years.

People who live in the mountains like to chronicle their daily life in songs.

It is a unique way of storytelling.

>> [ Singing in Chinese ] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> A good hike, plenty of fresh, mountain air -- it works up a good, healthy appetite.

So, finally, I can be useful.

I'm cooking lunch.

With me is Mrs. Zhang, and she is the grandmother of this operation.

Make sure you coat the whole thing.

And then the first thing you do is get some garlic.

Garlic -- put it right in here.

[ Sizzling ] And then, chili.

[ Speaking Chinese ] Ah, chili sauce -- the local pickled chili sauce.

And then, black beans.

Salted black beans.

Ahh!

Yang cong.

Okay.

We look at this big piece of cured meat.

Look at all of this from here.

Ah.

Ahh!

Okay.

This is what you call teamwork.

Wine.

A tiny bit of salt, tiny bit of sugar.

Okay?

That's all you need.

This is plenty of flavor.

You see that?

This is what you call teamwork.

You know what?

The whole thing is done.

It is simple as that.

When it's done... [ Speaking Chinese ] Mm.

[ Speaking Chinese ] >> [ Speaking Chinese ] >> Huh?

[ Laughs ] Mrs. Zhang says, "Good job, good job!"

Mmm.

We're going to serve it to our hiking buddies.

[ Speaking Chinese ] Ha ha!

Specially cooked for my hiking buddy.

Ah.

You know, all of these are local ingredients -- the cured meat, the leek, the onion, all grown around here.

Pepper.

Mr. Zhang actually wrote a lot of poems and a lot of songs in Chinese, and then to describe life and the people and the nature in this Xiling Snow Mountain.

[ Both speaking Chinese ] It's for me.

>> [ Speaking Chinese ] >> Oh.

This, the title is, "The Spirit of the Mountain Music."

Amazing.

In the old days, hundreds of years ago, the local people communicate through songs, and they sing in mountains so everybody can hear, and that's how they communicate.

Today, we communicate with songs, with food.

[ Speaking Chinese ] Mmm.

Everything is fresh, local, organic, grown right here.

Farm to table.

Mr. Zhang is much more than a performer and entertainer.

He writes his own lyrics, and he is a legendary teacher.

Mountain singing is an oral tradition.

It is passed on from one generation to the next.

>> [ Singing in Chinese ] >> [ Singing in Chinese ] [ Singing continues ] [ Singing continues ] These days, I'm often reminded of the wonders of modern medical technology and how it has prolonged life for all of us.

I believe it.

But, at the same time, I'm also a firm believer in a healthy lifestyle.

Mr. Zhang was a great inspiration.

He loves his life up in the mountains.

Big lights, big city don't impress him at all -- not in China and not in America.

He keeps company with his peace of mind and spirit every day on the mountain trail.

Can we say the same thing for ourselves?

Even though today's Chengdu is a modern, industrialized city, there are many small mountain villages that are just a short drive away.

A trip up to those mountains perhaps is really a journey to a different time.

So, today, we're doing shows and doing dishes that are very comforting.

Today, not only we use chicken.

We also use ginko nuts and our ginger.

Now, the way I use the ginger is, and I cut the ginger like this, in chunks, okay?

Okay?

I crush this a little bit, like this, okay?

Crush.

Crush.

Crush.

Done.

Okay?

Nice, simple broth.

I dump the ginger right here.

I put this green onion.

I just trim the little tip, and then I cut this in half, in half, and I dump the whole thing in there.

I just want the flavor into it.

This one, I cut in half.

I cut it right here.

Okay?

This.

Cut in half.

One half is here, and one half is here.

Cover this up.

And let it boil almost 45 minutes.

While we're doing this, we're gonna quickly show you how easy it is to do another dish.

This is long bean -- yard-long bean.

I cut it like this.

I stack them all up, and I cut it like this.

I stack them all up, and then now, all I have to do is go one, two, three, four.

Okay?

This is how fast you can do something.

And I heat this up.

This is the fresh one.

This is the pickled one.

I cut it up, also put it right here.

This is the pickled one.

Look at the color difference.

And then, I have some ground meat and some green onion.

Green onion.

Green onion is very, very good.

So, green onion.

We will cut up this -- and color contrast.

Trim this.

And then beautiful -- nice color contrast.

When you do a dish, the whole idea is about contrast.

And set aside.

Look at how colorful this is.

Okay?

And you have tiny bit of green bell pepper.

And then, I have red.

I want to show you.

If you don't want to make it too hot, you cut.

This is the red one.

And then you literally do it like this.

Get rid of the seed.

But this is the red one.

You get rid of the seed like this.

Get rid of the seed, get rid of the seed.

You see that?

See?

And then you cut it up, cut it up.

This way, you got the flavor but not too much heat.

And that's how you do it.

This way, the dish is gonna be beautiful.

Now, on top of these, I have some ground meat.

You can use ground pork, ground beef or ground chicken or ground turkey.

It doesn't matter.

Now put a tiny bit of oil.

Garlic.

Crushed garlic.

Put it right here.

And crushed garlic.

Put it right here.

Crushed garlic.

Put it right here.

Crushed garlic.

Put it...right here.

And that's done -- crushed garlic.

Now, when it's done, we will stir-fry.

Put a tiny bit of oil, garlic.

[ Sizzling ] Tiny bit of pickled chili.

And then ground meat.

Very good.

And then you put the rest of the stuff in.

The rest of the stuff in doesn't take too long.

Pickled, color, fresh.

[ Sizzling continues ] All kind of colorful vegetables.

And then set it aside.

And then I'm gonna put a tiny bit of sugar.

Balances the flavor because sugar cuts down on the heat.

Okay?

Sesame-seed oil is always, always very popular in Sichuan cuisine -- always.

They, in fact, sprinkle sesame-seed oil in their rice when they eat rice.

And a tiny bit of soy.

Okay?

And then, a tiny bit of wine if you are drinking wine.

Tiny bit of broth.

And then thicken it, and the whole dish will be done in no time.

Stir, stir in tiny bit.

And that's it.

That is so beautiful -- just the right amount.

And it's done.

So fast.

Look at that.

Look at the color.

I am not kidding.

It looks good.

[ Laughter ] So, this is a wonderful garnish.

And you put it right over here.

Look at that.

Let me check our chicken.

Ahh!

Look at the beautiful chicken.

And then we'll put the ginko nuts right in here.

And then we'll cook it for another two hours.

So, the chicken really, really nice and tender and juicy.

That's the key.

Now look at this.

After 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

Huh?

Time flies.

This is cooked.

Look at how nice and soft.

Nice and soft.

Then we flavor it with a tiny bit of salt and pepper.

That's all because the chicken broth is very beautiful, nice.

Salt.

Don't use too much salt.

This is sea salt.

You can use rock salt.

Tiny bit of pepper.

Just a tiny bit -- always go well.

And then, always put a few drops of sesame-seed oil, okay?

Sichuan cuisine.

Tiny bit, a sprinkle, tiny, tiny bit of wine.

Okay?

This is rice wine.

And then -- ay-yah!

Be careful.

Look at how beautiful this is.

Huh?

Is it amazing?

And then we will serve.

Just tear them apart like this.

Look at this.

The whole thing comes out beautiful.

And then, tiny bit of broth.

And then, with the ginko nut -- look at the ginko nut.

>> Oh, they're still whole.

>> Beautiful.

Ginko nut.

Lynn... >> Thank you.

>> ...please enjoy.

Now, today, we show you two of the most typical dish -- ginko-nut chicken now and this pickled long beans with ground meat.

So, dinner served -- enjoy.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ There are so many mountains outside of Chengdu.

Just a few hours northwest of the city is the spectacular Mount Qingcheng.

Aside from its natural beauty, it is also a very important Taoism center.

In fact, many credit this place as the birthplace of Taoism in China.

Altogether, there are 36 peaks connecting to Mount Qingcheng.

Many of them are home to ancient temples and pagodas.

In the old days, visitors had to track up narrow footpaths that wrap around the mountains.

Today, we have the gondola.

Thank God for progress!

Pengzu is the highest peak here.

It rises over 4,000 feet above sea level.

On top of that peak, we'll find the magnificent Laojun Pavilion.

Many of the temples, palaces, and pavilions up here date back to the Tang Dynasty some 1,500 years ago.

They've all been restored by very talented local artisans.

In addition to all the historical temples and breathtaking scenery, Mount Qingcheng is also home to the Qingcheng Tai Chi Academy.

I'm fortunate enough today to meet its grandmaster, Master Liu Suibin.

I am a big fan of Tai Chi.

Maybe he will be kind enough to give me a few pointers.

♪ Grandmaster Liu is a renowned Wushu master and the head of the Qingcheng Academy.

He has students who come here from all over the world to enroll in his academy.

Up here, Tai Chi is not only a relaxing form of exercise.

It is also a legitimate form of Wushu, or martial art.

♪ ♪ ♪ Now, that doesn't look that difficult.

Maybe you can join in.

Over the years, Grandmaster has literally thousands of students but only a handful of disciples.

And a Sifu and a disciple?

He has an interesting answer.

Everybody knows this is a just a regular sewing needle -- 2-inch long.

And Master Ma, the young, talented martial artist, is going to show us.

Use, practice, and inner energy will pierce through the glass and puncture this balloon.

And watch.

[ Birds chirping ] [ Applause ] [ Ding ] [ Ding ] [ Ding ] Oh!

♪ ♪ Ahh!

[ Speaking in Chinese ] It smells so good.

Pickled vegetables here.

Chef Liu is gonna show us and tell us there are four very famous local specialities.

First specialty is pickled vegetables, right here, okay?

Second specialty -- Qingcheng, the local green tea.

Priceless.

And then... >> [ Speaking Chinese ] >> ...Sichuan-style cured meat, right here in Chengdu.

And then, baijiu.

And, of course, the last specialty is... >> [ Speaking Chinese ] >> ...ginko-nut chicken, slow-cooked.

When it's cooked, the ginko-nut chicken.

Ours still cooking.

In the meantime, we're gonna ask Chef Liu, show us quickly how to do pickle.

And then inside there, inside there is all of this, okay?

This is dried pickling.

You can pickle green long beans, any vegetables.

This is easy -- one-day pickling.

It's ready to eat.

Ah!

This is something you have never seen before.

[ Both speaking Chinese ] It looks like a screwdriver, like a little pagoda.

Sometimes, I don't know why, they called it "Chinese artichoke."

Four hours, you have this ginko-nut chicken.

Now, you have the wonderful four specialties in Qingcheng.

Qingcheng, the name of the city, "Qing" -- green city.

Pickled vegetables, cured meat, tea, baijiu, and ginko-nut chicken.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Chef Liu.

Chef Liu!

[ Both speaking Chinese ] The local baijiu, local spirit.

[ Both speaking Chinese ] ♪ ♪ I grew up in southern China, and most of my life, I lived near water.

Maybe that's why I find mountains so fascinating, as well as inspiring.

We crave to explore and discover what is new and different.

Life should be an adventure, right?

♪ >> You can visit our website to learn more about Martin and his travels, get information about upcoming events, find and print selected recipes, provide e-mail feedback, and more.

It's all at yancancook.com.

"Yan Can Cook: Spice Kingdom" is brought to you by... >> ♪ Yeah, yeah ♪ >> Circulon cookware.

Circles for life.

>> Monogram.

A full line of professional appliances designed for food and entertaining enthusiasts.

♪ ♪ By Melissa's.

The freshest ideas in produce.

By Lutian.

Tasting the essence of lotus.

By Granite Expo.

Offering a wide selection of cabinet and countertop solutions.

And by B&G Group of Malaysia.

♪ Building Malaysia's tomorrow.

♪ ♪ ♪