Iron Frog Sushi: the Chifley verdict

The tasters consider the verdict.

Let's start with presentation.

Looks pretty fine - although it does seem that the Chifley challengers are unable to get their nori rolls to stand on end and look neat in quite the same way that the profesionals do.  And the sashimi was perhaps not quite geometrically perfect.

So let's go with 4/5

Flavour

The tasters struggled a little to get their teeth into the sushi - but we quickly realised this was cos the seaweed was tough.  So for the next rolls (we ate as we rolled) we crisped up the seaweed on the hotplate (no mean feat when you have electrickery not gas) and it all became much easier. And ot all got eaten!

 4.5/5

Innovation

Does chicken teriyaki nori roll count as innovation?  I think so.  And the pan-fried salmon.  All of which was delicious.  Oh - and the clever crisping of the seaweed. 

Let's give it a 3/5.

Mess

Oh yes - plenty of this.  From rice that seemed to leap out of rolls as they were being eaten to just the general disarray of the kitchen.  Probably we'd have to give ourselves a 2/5.

Total score? 

13.5/20

Beat that Randwick!

Iron Frog Sushi: Chifley plates up

Frog inspects the nori rolls.

From left to right: Teriyaki chicken, fresh salmon and avocado with pickled ginger, prawn and cucumber.

Sashimi.  Frog is somewhat impressed.

The children are less thrilled.

Tomorrow: the verdict.

Iron Frog Sushi: Chifley prepares

So we shopped. 

And then we chopped.

From top left:

Avocado, panfried salmon, frog, raw tuna strips, raw salmon strips, sashimi tuna, teriyaki chicken strips.

We stirred.

Well, Rosemary stirred in the rice vinegar.

Frog provided moral support.

We introduced rice to seaweed.

And that, my friends, is how we roll!

Tomorrow, the fruits of our labour.

Iron Frog Sushi: the Chifley challengers

There was much delight amongst some readers of this blog when the new Iron Chef challenge was revealed. 

Rosemary, in particular, is a great fan of Sushi.

So on her birthday we decided to attempt Sushi for lunch. 

We bought:



To be continued...

Frogspawn (again)

It is either a bowl of frog spawn or a bowl of sauteed banana in coconut cream with a lot of sago and a few strangely shaped bits of something or other in bright pink and green lurking in the depths.

Having looked at a couple of other samples...

...my money is on the frog spawn.

Frog stack (2)

A room of one's own

Another cousin recommends the family relocate to Melbourne Zoo. 

Where the frog ponds have to be seen to be believed.

However, Potato seeks further advice and finds that although the zoo may have its attractions...

...it also has risks.

Some frogs just don't like to share.

In search of design perfection

Options for new houses start coming in from friends and frogs, both near and far.

One Melbourne based cousin liked these ones:

Frog Stack

Please don't tell me if this was digitally enhanced.  I like it just the way it is.

Biology for the squeamish

May I never cease to be amazed at what some people will knit.

Check this out.

And you thought knitted plagues were odd

A quick detour down memory lane.  Remember the knitted plagues?

Well now, there's knotted food.

Thanks to Oddity Central for this one. 

Those of you who like to wander on the weird side may like to check out a few of the other pics on the blog.

"Are you sure you're sure?"

Potato is not convinced that Frog's attempt to knit them a new home will meet with success.  She fears her concerns are falling on deaf ears.

(She has a good point. Frogs are kind of lacking in the ear department.  They can hear - but they do it through their skin and their lungs.  Don't ever say this blog aint educational. Wrong sometimes.  But nevertheless, educational.)

Quietly she sends out messages to all the Frog cousins asking them to seek out alternative design options should Frog's grand design fail.

I mean seriously.

Who ever heard of a knitted house?

Apparently...

...quite a few people.

(Thanks to these websites for the pics:

House 1 and House 2  - weird

House 3

House 4 - cool).

Everyone's a critic

Frog, as you may recall, is knitting the Eiffel Tower.  The plan is that he, his beloved wife Potato and their zillionty-one offspring will move in to the new home in the spring.

Frog is making excellent progress.

Potato comes and checks out the plans. 

"Are you quite sure you know what you are knitting here?" she asks.

Frog pays her no heed and knits on regardless.

Frogs and Eiffel Tower

I loved this story that I found here when searching for photos of frogs and the Eiffel Tower.
There once was a bunch of tiny frogs who arranged a climbing competition to Eiffel tower. The goal was to reach the top of this very high tower.

A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants. The race began. No one in the crowd really believed the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower.

Heard throughout the race were statements such as, “Oh, way too difficult,” “They will never make it to the top,” “Not a chance they will succeed,” and “The tower is too high.”

The tiny frogs began collapsing, one by one—except for those who, in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher. The crowd continued to yell, “It is too difficult! No one will make it!”

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up. But ONE continued to climb higher and higher. This one refused to give up!

At the end of the race, all had given up climbing the tower except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!

All of the other tiny frogs wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it. They asked him how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal.

It turned out that the winning frog was DEAF!
Make your own moral folks.  You know you want to.

Eiffel Tower - the building materials

Frog is determined.  He will build his own version of the Eiffel Tower on the site of the old frog pond.

But what to build from?

Inspiration!

He will knit his new home.

With thanks to Gretchen for the loan of her knitting.  And yes, she is actually knitting the Eiffel Tower.

Eiffel Tower - the risks

Inspriation (2)

Having demolished the old home, Frog now starts to look around for some iconic building that he can use as the inspiration for his new home.

He recalls a snapshot sent by a cousin...

 Could this be the one?

Nothing to do with frogs

In the middle of the city.

On ice.

With a penguin.

Who says Canberra is boring?

Inspiration

Frog is so inspired by watching Grand Designs that he decides it is time to build a better home. 

He starts by clearing and draining the frog pond.

Frog is amazed at just how much stuff he and the family seemed to have accumulated over the years. They were able to fill a clam-shell skip.

The hired help wonders if that mud will ever wash out.

Sunday evening in front of the TV

After a busy weekend, Frog just wants to relax. 

A nice evening in front of the TV sounds like a good plan.

But what to watch? 

Grand Designs?

Or MasterChef?

There's no one else around so Frog feels safe indulging in a guilty pleasure...

Grand Designs!

Let them eat cake

All good parties involve cake.

And lolly bags.

And by the time they have eaten their own body weight in sugar, the froglets are feeling just a wee bit...

...sick.

Their mums and dads come and collect them and take them home to sleep it off.

Til the next time.

Party games

Limber up and limbo down.

The party girls demonstrate limbo.

And the frogs are right into it.

Weeeeeeeeeeeee.