Cozy Winter Cuisine shows there's 'more to Chinese food than chicken balls and ginger beef'

This story originally published March 24, 2022.

Matthew Ye came to Saskatchewan to learn to prepare Western food in a commercial setting: burgers, french fries and clubhouse sandwiches.

"When I was still in China, I heard poutine is good," said the 25-year-old, laughing.

He moved here from China to study professional cooking at Saskatchewan Polytechnic in Moose Jaw, Sask.

But when Ye tried Canadian Chinese food, he saw an opportunity to introduce Chongqing hot pot to Reginans. So, in May 2021, he opened Cozy Winter Cuisine in the Warehouse District.

"I know lots of people in Regina know international food and understand there is more to Chinese food than chicken balls and ginger beef. They know real Chinese flavours. I want to give them that," said Ye.

His family wasn't so sure.

"Chinese people like hot pot, but do Canadians?" he recalled them asking.

Ye is from Chongqing, a municipality of 31 million people in southwestern China, famous for its hot pot style of cuisine. He explained that the tradition of cooking in a pot of steaming, bubbling, spicy broth originated among labourers in his hometown, who would congregate to cook their food in the pot, each within a dedicated section (one ninth, to be exact). The cooking would therefore use less fuel and the labourers could split the cost. Over time, the tradition appealed to many as a social activity.

Chongqing hot pot has a global reputation. According to China Central Television, there are nearly 27,000 hot pot restaurants in the city.

Ye said traditional Chongqing hot pot is a spicy broth with dried Sichuan peppers, peppercorns, bay leaves, star anise, ginger and Chinese herbs. But Cozy Winter Cuisine offers other broths, like tomato, mushroom and seafood.

The most popular menu items for boiling are mussels, shrimp and sliced beef. The menu also features traditional Chongqing fare like organ meats.

Ye opened Cozy Winter Cuisine with a Toronto-based partner, which is handy because a lot of their ingredients are shipped from there. It means he's able to get a better variety of ingredients and fresher products.

"Because the vegetables especially are served uncooked, you can really see how fresh they are," Ye said. "Same with the shrimp, which are served with the heads on. Shrimp with heads have more flavour and are more fresh."

Veggie options range from Napa cabbage and turnips to Chinese winter melon and taro cakes.

There is a side sauce station, where you fill a bowl to bring to your table in which to dip your cooked items. Ye recommends sesame oil and sesame sauce. He also likes minced garlic, a little bit of chili oil, green onion and cilantro.

At first I was bashful about making a mess. Broth was dripping on the table and I was using lots of napkins, unsure what to do with them after.

"Don't worry we'll clean it up later," Ye reassured me.

Opening any type of restaurant during a pandemic would be difficult, and a hotpot one is not conducive to takeout ordering. The in-person dining experience is similar to fondue: everyone is dipping and drawing from the same pot. It is a group event. There is no social distancing. Nevertheless, Cozy Winter Cuisine does offer takeout and delivery, and the restaurant has grown a loyal base of dine-in customers as restrictions have lifted.

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Ye's goal in opening Cozy Winter Cuisine was to "introduce real Chinese food to Canadians," and he's been successful in that regard: he estimates the vast majority of his customers aren't Chinese.

The Mandarin name for the restaurant translates to "winter still warm," but Ye assures me the hot pot is a great way to eat in the summer months as well.