Food is a little like a glorious alphabet. The most humble and exotic of ingredients can be magicked together in the most enchanting of ways and combine to evoke wonder, satisfaction and story.
Last night we transported ourselves to Japan. It turns out that there is a lot more to this cuisine than sushi!
The table shuddered under the weight of dish upon dish, lavishly created by each guest. The delicious crunch of –panko-fried prawns with shichimi mayo and sweet potato and sesame croquettes , okonomiyaki pancakes, the moreish Japanese fried chicken. There were curries and stews of sweetness and depth – a sweet soy and stout braised pork belly, beef and potato stew, pork with ginger sauce, curry rice, a mushroom pilaf and a bubbling pot of broth waiting to swallow an array of hot pot ingredients. There were slippery noodles, a crunchy cucumber salad and edamame, candied sweet potato wedges and steaming plates of rice.
No banquet is ever complete without dessert and drinks, and the options were divine – the lemon-imbued Japanese cheesecake with its intricate texture, an espresso jelly that felt wonderfully cool and refreshing, and Okinawa style donuts with a sinfully sweet brown sugar syrup. The Umeshu Cooler cocktail was far too easy to drink and it was interesting to try Sake (not my favourite, I’m sorry to say!).
Luckily, as a complete novice to Japanese culture and food, I found the process of planning the banquet made very simple because of one comprehensive book: JapanEasy by British chef, Tim Anderson. He breaks it down into accessible recipes and his clear passion for the cuisine comes shining through.
After our grand plans of hosting an Enchanted Table gathering every month, we were toppled at the first hurdle when our whole family decided to share gastro in a slow-motion horror of sorts. Then there was our road trip to the Blue Mountains and Harvey’s birthday which took up . I only gave a few weeks notice for the banquet but it seemed to come together quite easily, particularly because of everyone’s keen desire to savour Japanese food.
Because of the shared ownership of these nights, it honestly doesn’t feel like such a big deal to put together (although when I counted up the guests and realised there would be 27 adults, 12 kids and three babies I had a brief moment of panic!). The real work is in the transformation of the house to accommodate a sit down meal, setting the table and rearranging all the furniture. When the structure is in place, the rest just falls into being.
There was a slight miscalculation (of mine) with the timing of the food which left the kids a little hungry and very crazy, but after they bravely sampled the food (‘spicy!’) they tore off into the darkness to play ‘Day of Doom’ and ‘Graveyard’. (Don’t ask me what those games involved, but from the shrieks of laughter I think it is safe to say they had fun).
Even the clean up felt remarkably approachable with so many helping hands in the kitchen. I love seeing the natural ease in which everyone converses, many never having met each other before. The investment into the preparation of the night, the easy means of conversation over recipes and techniques (and the wine!) makes it such a great way to connect friend groups and meet new people.
Unfortunately the night didn’t go to plan for one of our guests who burned himself rather badly in the afternoon while making his curry and ended up in hospital. We definitely missed his (and his wife’s) company and hope the hands heal in time for the next feast!
Another regret was that I failed to take many photos because the night just got away from me. Ah well, now all that is left is to come up with the next food destination….. I’m musing over Moroccan or Argentinian this time… so many great options!
If you ever want to host a feast of your own, just let me know and I can provide you with a menu guide (Japanese, Turkish or Portuguese). Of course, it is very simple to come up with your own plan as well, it only takes about an hour and a recipe book or two to break it down into appetisers, sides, mains, desserts and drinks.
