Female artist reveals secret to choosing dishes to treat APEC leaders

The lunch menu at the APEC Leaders' Summit on November 11 includes dishes typical of Vietnamese culinary quintessence.

The luxurious Citron Restaurant within the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort is where the leaders of the 21 APEC economies had lunch right after the first closed session in the morning.

This lunch menu was carefully prepared over 4 months, through many rigorous selection rounds, from choosing dishes to choosing ingredient suppliers.

The menu features dishes typical of Vietnamese culinary quintessence such as crab spring rolls, crispy roast duck, steamed sea bass with five spices, purple sweet potato dessert...

Culinary artist Anh Tuyet, who was in charge of creating the menu for this special lunch, shared: “The resort team went with me to all the markets, restaurants, and traditional street food stalls in Hanoi to learn about Hanoi's typical foods, from spices to how to prepare the dishes.”

All foods, spices and herbs are carefully selected and even transported from Hanoi to Da Nang to ensure the most distinctive taste.

Some dishes at the luncheon for APEC leaders

According to Ms. Anh Tuyet, the menu for heads of state was created after a period of careful research on four factors: religion, eating habits, culinary culture of each country, and finally the goal of introducing the quintessence of Vietnamese culinary culture to international friends.

The staff are instructed by artisans on how to prepare dishes with standard and delicate flavors.

“As simple as making crab spring rolls, not only do you have to choose the freshest crab roe, but the challenge is that the spring rolls must retain the moisture and sweetness inside while still being crispy on the outside. Technically, you also have to calculate how to make each spring roll a round bite. This seems simple but requires meticulous technique because how to make a spring roll about half the size but still ensure full ingredients, spices and nutrients,” said artisan Anh Tuyet.

Didier Jacob, the resort's head chef, is responsible for decorating each dish.

“I am very happy because the APEC economic leaders ate almost all the dishes on the menu. It can be said that it is the greatest happiness in my cooking life,” said artist Anh Tuyet.

Artist Anh Tuyet (middle), the person in charge of creating the menu to treat APEC leaders at noon on November 11

According to VNN