A

Dialogue

In A Dish

R e c i p e s / 美味食谱

For Chef Rap

hael Gamon,

using Chinese

herbs in

his dishes isn

’t meant to

heal all woun

ds. Instead,

he tells Iliyas

Ong that

they’re there

to create a

dialogue betw

een past

and present.

对名厨Rapha

el Gamon

来说，在美食

里使用中

草药并不意味

着要治百

病。究其实，

中草药的

登场只是为了

穿越时光

隧道，创建一

场过去与

现在的对话。

Food Photogr

aphy:

Devon Steph

ens /

Roatan Photo

graphy

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接触到大自然。因此，如果我的菜肴能令他们体验到旧时纯朴的美好，那我自己也无限欢喜。”

Gamon是在2006年获邀，把中药入馔的概念在本区域发扬光大。他当时在泰国度假，一听说有机会把中华传统医学带进时下年轻人的世界，“我当时的感觉是，‘这真是太完美了’”他悠悠回忆道。

Gamon在2007年完成他的顾问职务后回到了美国，但以中草药入馔的欲望依然在他内心中蠢蠢欲动。于是，他开始开班授课，自号为传统中草药厨师，第一堂课便颠覆了大家的想象。他不培训学员的烹饪技巧，反其道而行要他们用心去领会使用这些食材配料的种种“为什么”：它们会带来哪些健康助益、能减轻什么毛病症状等。

“人们确实应该在口味上作出调整，因为你吃什么，你就是什么。”他解释，“我们还年轻时怎么样都无所谓，人到中年就会意识健康饮食的重要，但可能已无从着手。”

这位名厨宣告，在他众多拿手好菜中，没有一道会让你吃了更健康时，简直令人震

撼！因这位私人名厨兼烹饪导师是以其中草药知识渊博而著称，最擅长以它们来入菜，所以我们理所当然指望他烹制的杰作具有医疗或养生的功效。事实却不然。

“药膳的构思，其实是要企图唤醒人对中草药的认知。”Gamon解析，“最主要是引起关注和讨论，而不是提供什么疗效。我只是想要传达一种信息。”但他也补充说，若每天食用，这些菜肴还是会发挥本身的功用，既作为预防性的药物，而非治疗性的。

Gamon是在24岁左右才全情投入食品与其自然属性的世界。他认真和仔细地做研究，掌握草本食物对食物及人体的作用，从而着迷。

他披露，“我认为我们有必要返璞归真，因为大家已变得太过现代化。在繁华城市里，大家没机会

hen Chef Raphael Gamon bravely declares that none

of his dishes will make you any healthier, it comes as a shock. The private chef is known for infusing Chinese herbs into his culinary repertoire, so you’d expect him to extol their benefits.

“The idea was to awaken people to the fact that these herbs exist, and have been used for a long time,” Gamon explains. “They’re fun dishes meant to start a discussion, not provide a cure; the intention was to be informative.”

It was only when Gamon was “24 or 25” that the preoccupation with foods and their properties became more than a pastime. He began researching the effects of herbs on the human body, finding it “incredibly fascinating” that it had such a big influence on how we feel.

“I’m a traditionalist by nature,” Gamon reveals. “I think we need to go back; we’re becoming too modern. In the cities, people... have no exposure to nature, and the fact that I could bring that to

them with my dishes was very pleasing to me.”

Gamon was vacationing in Thailand when he was persuaded to take his passion for infusing Western-style dishes with TCM herbs to this part of the world, working as a consultant on F&B projects. “The idea was to bring TCM to the youth,” he shares.

After his consultancy ended in mid-2007, Gamon headed back to America, where he felt the urge to do something similar. So he began giving cooking classes, calling himself a TCM Chef. The first class was a huge hit. More than just techniques, participants learnt the ‘whys’ of using certain ingredients: what health benefits they impart, what ailments they alleviate, and so on. It was knowledge from the past reworked to suit the palate of the present.

“People should start eating different because you are what you eat,” Gamon muses. “When we’re young, we think it doesn’t matter and when we’re middle-aged we realise that it does, but [it’s too late because] we never learnt how.”

W

当

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R e c i p e s / 美味食谱

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You can add ginger and peppermint to the salad. Peppermint, in TCM, is good for graying hair, and ginger gives beautiful balance and harmony to the salad. I love the combination of fresh ginger and sesame

Fresh Arugula Salad with Shrimp tossed with Tomatoes, Buckwheat and Black Sesame in a Ginger–Sesame and Lemon Dressing

InGreDIenTS (ServeS 4)1 cup Buckwheat1 teaspoon Black Sesame Seed2 tablespoons Sesame Oil2 tablespoons Lemon Juice1 Tomato, cut into strips1 bundle Fresh Arugula (or any garden green)1 lb Fresh Shrimp (peeled and deveined)Salt and Pepper

DIrecTIOnSSimmer the buckwheat in hot water until tender. Strain and cool.Combine in a bowl the sesame oil, lemon juice and sesame seeds. Spice as needed.Gently mix in the Buckwheat and Tomato strips. Prepare your salad plate and pan-fry at the last minute the shrimp. Serve warm.

新鲜的虾仁芝麻菜沙拉，伴以番茄、荞麦和黑芝麻，淋上姜芝麻及柠檬酱

材料（4人份）1杯荞麦1茶匙黑芝麻籽2汤匙麻油2汤匙柠檬汁1粒番茄，切成条状1束新鲜芝麻菜（或任何绿色蔬菜）1磅鲜虾（去壳、去肠）盐和胡椒

做法：把荞麦浸入热水中，直至变软。沥干及冷却。把芝麻油、柠檬汁及芝麻籽倒入一个碗中，随需要加入香料。轻轻把荞麦及番茄条拌入。准备好沙拉盘，并在上菜的前一刻才把虾煎熟。趁热上桌。

您可在沙拉中加入生姜及薄荷。从传统中医的观点，薄荷能改善花白的头发，而生姜则可令沙拉达致美丽的平衡与和谐。我特别喜欢新鲜生姜与芝麻的组合

STArTer

头 盘

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R e c i p e s / 美味食谱

Butter-braised Oysters or Scallops with Pearl Powder and Lemongrass-infused Sour cream, sprinkled with Fresh chilli in Astragalus-steamed Broccoli, accompanied by Quinoa and Lotus Seed Pancake

InGreDIenTS (ServeS 4)8 large or 16 small Oysters or Scallops (or Shrimp and any white fish)1 Chilli, finely chopped1 Onion, cut in strips2 pieces Astragalus Root Chip4 portions Broccoli1 cup Quinoa (red or white)1 cup Lotus Seed, soaked1 Egg1 tablespoon Flour1 stem Fresh Lemongrass1 cup Sour Cream1 Lime, zested and juiced1 dash of Pearl Powder Olive Oil or Butter for braisingSalt and Pepper

DIrecTIOnSCool the Quinoa and Lotus Seed until tender. Mix together with Egg and Flour and fry four pancake-sized cakes. Set aside.Combine Lemongrass, Sour Cream, Lime and Pearl Powder. Spice as needed. Fill into a piping bag. Heat water with the Astragalus Root and blanch with Broccoli for 3 minutes.

Reheat the pancakes and assemble your plate.Preheat a frying pan and quickly braise your onion with the Scallops. This will only take a few minutes.

牛油焖蚝或扇贝，蘸珍珠粉和柠檬香草酸奶油酱汁，再撒上鲜辣椒及黄芪蒸西兰花，伴藜麥和莲子煎饼。

材料（4人份）8只大的或16只小的生蚝或扇贝（虾或任何白肉鱼亦可）1条辣椒，切碎1粒洋葱，切成条状2片黄芪根4份西兰花1杯藜麦（红色或白色）1杯莲子，浸泡备用1粒鸡蛋1汤匙面粉1束新鲜的香茅1杯酸奶油1粒莱姆，削皮榨汁1点珍珠粉焖煮时所用的橄榄油或黄油盐和胡椒

做法：冷却藜麦和莲子，直至变软。与鸡蛋和面粉搅拌在一起，煎出四片煎饼般大小的糕饼。备用。把香茅、酸奶油、莱姆及珍珠粉混合。加入适量香料。装入挤袋中。把黄芪放在水里加热，用它来氽烫西兰花3分钟。把煎饼重新加热及摆盘。预热煎锅，并迅速把洋葱和扇贝焖熟。只需数分钟。

Pearl powder has been used for beautification of the skin and to give lubrication to joints. There’s no harm adding it to your food. It’s flavourless, but it makes the cream take on a pearly, silvery colour, so this introduces TCM very elegantly

mAIn cOurSe主 菜

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珍珠粉可养颜美容、润滑关节。以它入撰并无危害。它虽然无味，却能令奶油焕发出珍珠般的银色，晶莹亮丽、显得优美典雅

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R e c i p e s / 美味食谱

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Bird’s nest-perfumed Panna cotta with a dash of manuka Honey

InGreDIenTS (ServeS 4)200ml Soy Milk (preferably vanilla-flavoured)200ml Whipping Cream2 sheets of Gelatin (soaked)8 teaspoons Manuka Honey1 Jar Bird’s Nest

DIrecTIOnSHeat the Soy Milk to just below the boiling point and add the cream. Whisk in the gelatin, but slow down your movement to reduce foam. Do not boil.Take off from the stove and add 4 tablespoons of Manuka Honey. Fill into dessert dishes or ramekins. Add Bird’s Nest and cool in fridge. Before serving, top with remainder Manuka Honey.

芬芳燕窝意大利奶冻，蘸一些麦卢卡蜂蜜

材料（4人份）200毫升豆浆（香草味为佳）200毫升泡沫奶油2张明胶（浸泡备用）8茶匙麦卢卡蜂蜜1罐燕窝

做法：把豆浆加热到略低于沸点，然后加入奶油。加入明胶搅拌，但要放慢动作以减少泡沫的产生。不要煮沸。从炉上移走，并加入4汤匙麦卢卡蜂蜜。盛入点心盘或烤盘中。添加燕窝然后放入冰箱冷却。食用前，将剩下的麦卢卡蜂蜜蘸在甜品上端。

China’s emperors ate Bird’s Nest because they believeD it made them beautiful. There isn’t enough of it in this dish to change your life, but if it introduces you to something new and it tastes good, then it opens up new avenues of possibility

中国皇帝嗜吃燕窝，因为他们相信这能令他们保持青春美丽。当然，单单吃这一盘不会为您的生命带来什么改变，可是如果它能启发您对食物的新认知，而且到美妙的风味，那么它就是开辟了崭新的途径，增加美食的无限可能性

DeSSerT

甜 品