I’m back after a bit of a break and….. okay that’s it. I just took a break. I did apply to speak at a conference and register for classes, but other than that, I’ve been potatoeing on youtube. I figured I could at least get creative in the kitchen. And… since mum is the only one of us who hasn’t gone to Japan in the past two months, treat her to something special.

Once or twice a year, I come up with and execute a fancy menu for my family. The dishes are typically only loosely connected either through a theme or technique threaded through the dishes (e.g., Asian, smoked…). This menu centred around one star ingredient: Conger eel. Why conger eel? It’s mild tasting, meaty with just enough fat to keep the meat juicy. Eels are also at their best right now.

The first step was, of course, to obtain an eel. It would be really nice to have gotten a wild caught eel; that wasn’t going to happen. I went on the Fresh Hippo (alibaba grocery) app and ordered a farmed eel. I guess I should be glad I get fresh eel at all.

The downside of fresh eel?

I had to fillet it myself. Not the easiest for a first timer armed with fruit knives, but it got done.

Now for the food:

I started with eel broth jelly with pea shoots, boiled eel, hen in the wood mushroom (in the broth) and golden caviar

The broth was made with wok smoked bones, head and tail then added a touch of gelatin. I’m not convinced the smoky flavour actually got through, but it had a rich and distinctive eel flavour.

Since I had the “smoker” set up, I figured it would also be an idea to try smoking some eel.

The smoky flavour actually came through here and paired well with the umami, brininess and slight sweetness of the miso mustard.

After the two appetisers were hot dishes: pan fried eel with smoked tomato and asparagus and Teriyaki eel on rice.

Not going to lie, these were a bit underwhelming. The flavouring was pretty good, but I didn’t render the skin long enough so it was still quite rubber. I also added way too much cornstarch into the teriyaki sauce, which prevented it from sticking properly to the eel. Next time I’ll broil… and remember to salt the asparagus.

After slightly disappointing “main courses”, the dinner ended on a high note with dessert.

It’s traditional to have fruit as dessert, but I wasn’t just going to cut up fruit and put it on a plate. Hence, lychee “sorbet” with bayberry and limenade jellies:

Sorbet and jellies are a refreshing way to end a meal that was on the heavier side and take full advantage of seasonal fruits. The tartness from the berry and limenade balanced the sweetness of lychee and added a pleasant springy texture. I also snuck in a tad bit of kirsch into the sorbet to make up for the lack of alcohol otherwise 😉

Finally, it is traditional to end dinner with a light snack and a tea.

I made sesame brown sugar cookies and rice tea with ginger to finish the meal. These were light, fragrant and not too sweet. With that said, I overbaked the cookies- one minute less.

Overall, it was a very successful meal and I look forward to making the next one. I hope everyone has a great week. Until next time, Bye!

• Dining