APEC峯會菜餚東西合璧 少用蔥蒜防口氣

Chefs preparing the menu for US President Barack Obama and other Asia-Pacific leaders meeting this week have been told to cut back on the garlic and onion to ensure the talks are not an olfactory challenge.

Executive Chef Jess Ong, charged with feeding the 10,000 delegates at the 21-member Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Singapore, told the Today newspaper that menus will consist of healthier, less pungent versions of signature local dishes such as spicy chicken soup and chilli crab.

Dishes will also have less salt and less sugar, Ong said. Breath mints are also readily available, the daily added.

Ong's menus will include modern twists on Singaporean classics such as spicy chicken soup with scallop mousse, fiery Rendang baked lobster, braised beef ribs in five-spice sauce and a cold appetiser of chilli crab with mango salsa.

The APEC member economies are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, the United States and Vietnam.

亞太經合組織領導人峯會將於本週舉行，爲美國總統奧巴馬和亞太地區領導人準備餐食的廚師們被告知要少用大蒜和洋蔥，以免與會貴賓口氣不雅。

亞太經合組織共有21個成員，負責爲本屆新加坡峯會的1萬名代表供餐的廚師長王傑斯在接受《今日》報的採訪時說，峯會菜餚將包括辣雞湯和辣子蟹等新加坡當地特色菜，不過會把它們做得更加健康和清淡。

王廚師長說，菜餚中還將減少鹽和糖的用量。《今日》報稱，本次峯會組織方還爲與會代表們準備了足夠的薄荷糖。

王廚師長制定的菜單爲新加坡傳統菜餚增加了新花樣，比如在辣雞湯中加入扇貝慕司，並將提供火烤巴東醬龍蝦、五香燉牛排和芒果沙司辣子蟹開胃菜等特色菜餚。

亞太經合組織的成員包括澳大利亞、文萊、加拿大、智利、中國、中國香港、印尼、日本、韓國、馬來西亞、墨西哥、新西蘭、巴布亞新幾內亞、祕魯、菲律賓、俄國、新加坡、泰國、中國臺北、美國和越南。

Vocabulary:

olfactory: of, relating to, or contributing to the sense of smell 嗅覺的

scallop: edible muscle of mollusks having fan-shaped shells; served broiled or poached or in salads or cream sauces 扇貝

mousse:a molded dish containing meat, fish, or shellfish combined with whipped cream and gelatin 慕司

Rendang: a dish which originated from the Minangkabau people of Indonesia, made from beef (or occasionally chicken, mutton, water buffalo meat, duck or vegetables like jackfruit or cassava) slowly cooked in coconut milk and spices for several hours until almost all the liquid is gone, leaving the meat coated in the spicy condiments 巴東醬

braised: cooked by browning in fat, then simmering in a small quantity of liquid in a covered container 燉煮的

salsa:a spicy sauce of chopped, usually uncooked vegetables or fruit, especially tomatoes, onions, and chili peppers, used as a condiment 辣調味汁