Sertar Sichuan,Larung Gar Buddhist Institute,

Sêrtar County is a county of Sichuan Province, China. It is one of the 18 counties under the administration of the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, covering some 9340 square kilometres. Sêrtar, which means "golden horse" in Tibetan, lies in the southeast of the Tibetan Plateau and in the historical region of Kham. The vast majority of the population is Tibetan, followed by Han Chinese.

Sêrtar comprises 17 towns and 66 villages. It is home to the Larung Gar Buddhist Institute, the largest Tibetan Buddhist institute in the world. The institute, which was founded bylama Jigme Phuntsok in 1980 and started off with just a few monks, now houses tens of thousands of monks and pilgrims from around the world,^[1] which constitute the vast majority of the Sêrtar population. Most monks spend six to 13 years completing their training. The institute, divided into two main segments and spread over just a few square kilometres, is located in a valley and around 15 kilometres from the town of Sêrtar. A permit is occasionally required for non-Chinese nationals to enter the institute.

Sêrtar is remotely located and requires more than half a day's driving if travelling from Chengdu via Maerkang. It is also possible to travel from Xining, the capital of Qinghai. Sêrtar is at an altitude of around 4,100 metres above sea level. Temperatures range from 30 degrees Celsius in the summer and -25 degrees Celsius in the winter.

Traditional "Roti Kok" baker

What is it about rusk made the traditional way that makes it taste so good? Can you find the answers to this enigma with my photo?

Is it because the dough has been kneaded, punched, rolled and shaped entirely by human hands, relegating the electric rolling machine to a far corner? Even using a wooden cutter to divide up the dough? Is it pure sentimentality or does minimising contact with metal really improve the rusk's taste?

Or can it be because the 78 year old baker, Pan Zhen Bo, himself is old school Chinese and has started his day, by paying respect to his ancestors and thanking his deities? Can it be that the baker has insisted on proofing the dough naturally in our hot Malaysian temperature, instead of in a proofer box? Can it be his baking the rusk in his half-a-century-old clay oven?

Has it anything to do with the old baker's spot on judgment at every point of call – when to continue and when to stop – borne of decades of experience? Has his passion for baking the 'best rusk ever' infused tastiness into it? Has his personal involvement in the process from start to end been pivotal in creating the rusk's scrumptiousness ?

Whatever the whys and wherefores, let's savour traditionally made rusk now before it is too late. Traditional methods and the human touch will soon be a thing of the past, especially when artisans of the old baker's vintage pass on. Tradition will soon fall through the cracks of automation. Soon all we will get is: machine made rusk which will taste somewhat like the robotics that made it.

Below are mine sourdough starter. Is really active. This is a view of an active natural yeast.

Photography is my passion. Been doing this for more than 20 years. Beside photography baking & cooking is my passion when at home.

When i'm in my kitchen, I feel like the world is all mine and ready to prepare a nice & delicious meal for my lovely daughter ZiYing & PeiYing. Also not forget my dearly wife Owin.

Photography & food is a matching combination which I will snap up the food that I cook or bake.

I'll wish I could publish a cooking or baking book of my own. That's is just a dream...........

Rustic Sourdough Pain de Champagne

This a a natural ferment bread that uses own cultivate sourdough or natural levain.
The character of a rustic bread is chewy but with nice wheat aroma.
Been making sourdough bread fr 3 years by now.

This is my first blog, will post more with recipe very soon.......