Fusion Effusion

I started writing my first novel. Ten hours a day, at the dining table with my back to the mountains, tapping fervently on my trusty macbook keyboard. Weeks flew by, the story poured itself out relentlessly, almost like I had no choice in the matter.

Emily, an ordinary eighteen-year old girl living in a small Japanese ski village (read: Hakuba), meets an inhumanly captivating young man and finds herself embroiled in a world of magic, mystic and deceit. This culminates in a final showdown between Heaven and Hell in the quest for the ultimate prize - her love.

With so much writing going on, there was hardly time for anything else, much less my other love, cooking. The timely announcement of a friend getting married and leaving Japan necessitated a dinner party and an excuse to clear the dining table of novel-writing clutter.

Inspired by my book, I endeavoured to transport the East-meets-West thread from the literary space into the kitchen. What resulted was Oven-Roasted pork belly in a five-spice and apple cider marinade, and fried rice with cashew, coriander and raisins.

The “Asian Fusion” dishes proved a hit, with nary a morsel left by the time the night was done, washed down with more bottles of wine than you could poke a stick at. A rather common occurrence really, when your guests include four large, hungry, thirsty Aussie men, who, incidentally, are not the target audience for my novel.

We’re back in Sydney this morning, which only means one thing - Distractions with a capital “D”. Errands to run, people to see, boxes to unpack. Hopefully, I’ll find time to tweak my novel and network at the Sydney Writer’s Festival this weekend. It will be the first of what I am sure will be innumerable such events I will be attending in my pursuit of my newfound career/calling. I expect to be awed by the genuine/real mcoy artsy/writer types and eager to infuse myself with their creative juices and experiences through osmosis. What I lack in MFA, I intend to make up with MBA - a thick hide and a “can-do” attitude. Wish me luck!

Five-Spice Pork Belly

Serves 4-6

1.5 kg Pork loin/Belly or Chicken Wings/leg

3 tblspn apple vinegar

1 tblspn tomato ketchup

4 tblspn soy

1 tblspn sesame oil

3 level tblspn brown sugar

1 tspn white pepper

1 tblspn minced ginger

1 large clove minced garlic

4 tblspn chinese five spice powder

DIRECTIONS

Rub meat with 5 spice powder. Mix remaining ingredients to make marinade and marinate meat for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. Oven at 220 degrees, baste every 10 minutes.

Cashew Nut Fried Rice

Serves 4-6

Cooked medium-grain rice

cashews

spring onion

coriander

sultanas

chicken stock

salt and pepper

garlic and ginger

DIRECTIONS

Fry ginger and garlic in oil. Add rice and heat through. Add rest of ingredients and stir fry.