China-Pak Co.
>> Thursday 26 July 2012
china-pak co. as photographed by chris osburn |
I was quite
nervous about Nom Nom Nom 2012 mostly because it felt like being on a blind
date. Not only had I never met my cooking partner Xin, I had never cooked any
of the recipes that we had agreed on. To top it all I had been out of the
country until the week before the competition so Xin and I did all our planning
virtually. But that’s the thing about cooking together; it brings about a sense
of camaraderie. Clearly we were not the only team in this situation as a lunchtime
chat revealed that Fiona Maclean from the Gaelic Girls was cooking an
unfamiliar menu sans her original teammate.
the wonderful and warm rosalind rathouse by come con ella |
Our day at
Cookery School began with breakfast. I have very fond memories of Rosalind’s
Kitchen breakfast and happily tucked into a bowl of warm creamy porridge
sweetened with rhubarb compote. After this early morning fortification all of
the teams dispatched themselves to Marylebone Village to pick up the
ingredients for their culinary creations. Xin and I had small concise list,
which was quite helpful primarily because of the uncooperative British summer.
It has been all temper and tantrums with a scarce sunny disposition, a state of
mind not quite convenient for shopping at a farmer’s market. I provided much
needed umbrella services whilst Xin negotiated her way around the fresh produce
to pick up a medley of vegetables. We then walked over to Ginger Pig to pick up
some minced pork for our wontons. A quick trip to Waitrose gave us our seasonings –
Sichuan peppercorns with a subdued pungency and rice wine vinegar. Xin had already
brought along five spice smoked tofu and the wonton wrappers.
some of our ingredients photocredit come con ella |
magimix at work - sesame and peanut paste photocredit come con ella |
With our
shopping tucked into our sustainable and reusable Cookery School bags Xin and I
headed back to get cooking. Our preparations included much julienning and
chopping so we set to work on our cucumbers, carrots and smoked tofu. Our
starter was a simple smoked tofu salad with a play on textures – firm carrots,
soft and summery cucumbers and the soft bite of spring onions. Otherwise bland
tofu was dressed up with Chinese five-spice. The dressing was nutty with the
addition of sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds. Once this was prepared Qin set
about to make the wontons. I was not much help on this front having never made
them before but I had my hands full with toasting sesame seeds in batches, as
these were to add a finishing touch to our salad and form the base of our
dessert. The Magimix gave us the stuffing for the wontons and the glutinous
rice balls happily whizzing away the pork, lettuce, ginger and spring onions
for the former and the peanut butter and toasted sesame seeds for the latter to
a smooth consistency.
preparing the smoked tofu salad photocredit to chris osburn |
The quiet
steadiness that had lasted us through most of the preparation dissipated at the
end. I think this was mostly because Xin and I were first time participants in
a competition but also because we have very different planning and management
styles. We made it to the finishing line by a very thin line!
peanut sesame glutinous rice balls photocredit to chris osburn |
The Cookery
School staff that had spent the day whizzing around the kitchen disappearing
dirty dishes and catering to the many needs of the participants now suddenly
shifted gear. Tables were whisked out, table linen was draped, folding chairs
appeared from thin air and flawless crockery and cutlery was set down. We all
pitched in to get lunch on the table as quickly as possible. Liquid
fortification in the form of cider and wine began the lunch. When it came to
lunch the array of dishes was a true representation of the diversity of London
with food from Singapore, India, Pakistan, America and so forth.
time for lunch photocredit come con ella |
The tail end of
lunch was met with the food quiz that won me two books – a much-loved Fast
Puddings by Nigel Slater and one on Dim Sum. Then the judges came along and
delivered their verdict. You can read about the winning teams here.
The afternoon had quickened pace once again as all of us were whisked onto the
street where a brief respite from the rain allowed Chris to take a group
photograph of all of us. And then we were on our way laden with treats from the
day… I spent my tube journey back rifling through the contents and instantly fell
in love with the bright pink electronic scales. They have been put to good use
since they came home. The same can be said about the Masterclass Wok. Allison’s
flour became the base of a lovely English
Apple Cake by Britain’s beloved Nigel Slater.
the foodie goodie bags photocredit chris osburn |
Salutations and
thanks to the Cookery School and
the Judges who
donated their day of rest to Nom Nom Nom 2012, to Chris Osburn,
Annie Mole and Monica Shaw for a wealth of pictures and to the sponsors for our
goodies. But more importantly in true Cookery School ethos is the support for
Action Against Hunger. Hunger is a concern at home and abroad. The Guardian’s
series on Breadline
Britain is an eye opener on the impact that the recession has had on families
and individuals in the United Kingdom. Action Against Hunger works globally to
alleviate child hunger. So go on and show your support by donating to Action
for Hunger’s Foodie
Fundraising Raffle.
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