[Photo/China Daily]

Luxe temptations

Recipes such as freshwater crayfish and pomelo salad from Thailand and fragrant pumpkin and tempeh curry from Indonesia are among the highlights of The Pleasures of Eating Well: Nourishing Favourites from the Como Shambhala Kitchen. Fashion and hospitality entrepreneur Christina Ong, the moving force behind the luxury boutique hotel's holistic wellness brand, has spent 10 years with her executive chef in pursuit of a proper healthy diet that avoids calorie counting but instead offers enjoyable food, intelligent portions, variety and balance. Dishes are built around ingredients reflecting the seasonal bounty from Como destinations, such as the prized matsutake mushrooms from the Himalayan forests around its Bhutanese hotels, which lend their aroma and texture to carpaccio of yak.

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