A flickring hope, still hopeful

And so it came to pass, on the seventh day, they took part in Nomnomnom. Again. Like two (well) seasoned veterans of the competition, bringing unlimited enthusiasm and limited talent.

A flickr of hope were Kai and Jonathan. Cooking a Chinese/English fusion for this Olympic nom challenge. And what a challenge it was; just see how keen they were to get eating...



The challenge? A three course menu for four. The menu?

Starter: Mango and papaya salad
Main: Chinese roast belly of pork served with mash and English & Chinese greens
Desert: Spiced apple gyoza

How did it happen? Well, let's start with the starter. Whilst Jon was playing around with the locally sourced farmers market potatoes, Kai got cracking on the papaya and mango (not quite so local or seasonal).



And whereas Kai was busy sourcing the belly from Ginger Pig, Jon lamented the absence of cheese from the menu.



But then again, Kai was very excited about making the pork marinade.



Yeah. That was some pork. But then it was on to the gyoza, and making the pastry. This is where the magimix came in handy, making light work of mixing flour and water into a nice doughy mixture. (Incidentally, Jon tested the magimix before the big day by making bread, and found it super easy using some lovely Allinson flour from a previous nom goody bag! Not that he hoards ingredients for ages.)



From there it was time for more chopping, like any good chef-y team.



After an hour, the spiced apple sauce had been made by cooking down some organic Bramley apples with brown sugar and cinnamon. Imagine those smells together. Y'up, it was that good.



And so to the fiddly bit - making the gyoza. Now despite Jon trying out the fiddly gyoza folding beforehand, Kai brought along some very clever contraptions that made perfect gyoza shapes. (and no that's not cheating, as we'd already done it - proof).



So after making a whole host of gyoza, it was time to cook them in some butter and sugar, mash the potatoes, stir fry the veg, carve the pork belly, serve up the salad and try not to panic. And panic we did not, serving up what were some pretty respectable looking (and tasting) plates of food.

The starter: Mango and papaya salad (with coriander and chilli)



The main: Chinese roast belly of pork with two types of mash and Chinese & English vegetables



Desert: Spiced apple gyoza with cinnamon cream



If you like the look of the whole dinner, you should probably vote for us. Go on.



Yeah. Go on and vote. It will make us very happy :-)



VOTE FOR A FLICKR OF HOPE