japanese home-cooking

after one too many japanese supper clubs, i'm convinced that i too can muster up sufficient proficiency to cook an elaborate japanese meal. needless to say, that wasn't quite how it turned out. it was a somewhat belated celebration. our dear friend K graduated the MBBS with merit (!!!), R the neurosurgeon was officially welcomed to cool surgeons' club (there's a fancier name but i forget) and A may have just found himself a ladyfriend. all milestones defo worth celebrating and seeing how we've known them since forever it's wonderful they're based in londontown too :) having last had them over around easter, when they were absolute dream guests, it was high time for our next dinner party. plus it's the mister's birthday soon and i thought it'd be nice for him to have a boys night in - where they can eat all the fried food they want and wash it down with good sake.

went a little overboard and attempted a ten course meal. didn't help that i couldn't count and inadvertently scaled up to cook for 9 instead of 5. math fail :(

appetisers 

tori kariage (bite-sized pieces of fried chicken) 

pork gyoza

green beans with sesame dressing

steamed course

chawanmushi

tempura course

prawn tempura

vegetable tempura 

simmered course

beef steaks in home-made terriyaki sauce

soup course

salmon miso hot pot

rice course

garlic fried rice

dessert 

chocolate pound cake with summer berries

genmaicha

 

monkey see, monkey do! 

super thankful it turned out mostly o-k, and for the help along the way. gimme dinner guests who are good around the kitchen any day! although i did feel quite bad making them cook part of their supper. only managed to take a photo of the beans with sesame before it descended into mayhem. what did help was the sparkling sake we began with, before moving on to bubbles. the genmaicha (green tea with roasted rice) at the end was a relief and i love how R described it as "popcorn tea". who cares if it's "peasant tea" in japan - it's the perfect end to a full meal.

(photo credits to R & A, sans the one of beans i managed to take before they arrived)