>HYPER JAPAN LONDON 2010: Brand New Japanese Food & Pop Culture Event

>Date: 1st – 3rd October 2010

Venue: T1 Hall, The Old Truman Brewery91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL, London

Web: http://www.hyperjapan.co.uk/

HYPER JAPAN LONDON 2010 on is a brand new event, presented by the EAT-JAPAN brand, showcasing the very best of contemporary Japanese culture and cuisine. Held over three days in the iconic Old Truman Brewery, London, HYPER JAPAN will bring diverse elements of Japan’s pop culture together into a vibrant whole that features anime (animation), manga (graphic novels), sushi, sake (rice wine), street fashion, cosplay (dressing up as anime/manga characters), snacks, technology, and exclusive branded goods. The event has been conceived to make modern Japan accessible to a young and trend-conscious audience in London. Highlights include:

KERA PRESENTS: HYPER STYLE A GO GO
(Saturday 2nd/ Sunday 3rd October, HYPER JAPAN main stage)
A world exclusive! Japan’s hottest street fashion magazine, KERA, is coming to the UK to present an outrageous and unique collection of Tokyo street style, including top brands Innocent World, SEXPOT ReVeNGe and Angelic Pretty, and we are looking for models to take part in the show. Models will get to keep their outfits and we will be welcoming a special kawaii fashion guest too!

HYPER JAPAN UK COSPLAY AWARD
(Saturday 1st October, HYPER JAPAN main stage)
A brand new, top-level cosplay competition with a trip of a lifetime for the winners! The team of two will win return flights to Tokyo and five nights in a four star hotel. Entry opens Wednesday 1st September for the Award and two other brilliant cosplay events – the Grand International Cosplay Ball Talent Search on Sunday 2nd October and the all ages and levels COSParade, held on Saturday and Sunday before the main cosplay events.

JAPANESE FOOD & DRINK COURT
For the past ten years, EAT-JAPAN has been dedicated to showcasing the very best of Japan’s food and drink to the UK. Now, HYPER JAPAN LONDON 2010 will continue that tradition: its food & drink court will present dishes from top Japanese restaurants, from classic sushi to Japanese-style curry. A great way to try a variety of popular and authentic street food. Wash it down with a selection of Japanese soft drinks and a choice selection of sake (rice wine). Home cooks can stock up on essential Japanese ingredients, too. Cooking and sake demonstrations and seminars also scheduled.

Other event highlights include: exclusive Evangelion store, Milky Holmes animation voice artists as presented by Bushiroad, Japanese cuisine demonstrations, an introduction to sake and shochu, a manga drawing seminar, as well as the chance to try on authentic kimono, splurge on a variety of Japanese items on sale, including regional sake, traditional sweets, organic ingredients, stationary, clothing, gifts, green tea and artisan crafts.

Further details on stage entertainment, demonstrations and seminars will be made available on the website. Users can also sign up for a regular e-newsletter service, follow us on Twitter, join us on Facebook, and follow the antics of our crack team of otaku at our community site, Otaku Village.

Day tickets are on sale now via the Hyper Japan website, currently available for just £5 until the end of August (normal price £8). Kids under five go free. Tickets are limited so visitors are encouraged to buy in advance.

>TASTE THE EAST LONDON FESTIVAL 2010

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On Friday the 9th of July 2010 and the following day-Saturday the 10th- TASTE THE EAST LONDON FESTIVAL 2010 took place at Potters Fields Park in London with the dramatic back drop of Tower Bridge’

Both days were gloriously sunny with temperatures reaching 30 degrees. Countless numbers of people, including tourists, promenaded and enjoyed the sunshine.

Numerous restaurants were represented at this Festival selling an assortment of delicious Korean and Japanese food and drinks-with of course, free tasting.

The various dishes included Korean pancakes (made with spring onions and seafood), Bulgogi (beef), noodles (with assorted sliced vegetables), chicken with onion and peppers on skewers, fried pork, fried chicken and curries with rice. Each restaurant contributing to the different tastes, smells and textures of the meals.

Japanese ice creams in different flavours (in tubs to be eaten with a spoon, a round shape(more solid to be picked up with one’s fingers) and Green Tea lattes proved popular.

Other organisations (JNTO, JETRO, FINNAIR, Korea Tourism Organization, LE CORDON BLEU, Japan Foundation, Embassy of Japan in the UK, Eco Party Mearry, Institute of Traditional Korean Food, Atsuko’s Kitchen, Mizkan, Kikkoman, The Hanin Herald, Hollym Publication, A concept, Perfect Employment, The East Business Newspaper and Food Magazine) were present, including Maum Medication which offered fresh fruit salads and meditative advice.

Not only was there food to purchase but there were three separate cookery demonstrations on both days which attracted appreciative audiences.

(Click here to watch the YTN Report)

Different cooking methods for thick juicy steaks, fillets of pork, salmon, and chicken were transformed into mouthwatering dishes by two Japanese ladies (Atsuko, Utako Tanner) on both these days.

The third chef was Korean (Hokeon Kwak who had trained at LE CORDON BLEU in London) and displayed his skills , also on both the days, with dishes of beef and tofu.

Audiences on the Friday and Saturday were shown how to prepare remarkable meals and had the added pleasure of tasting them. To say their comments were favourable would be an understatement.

Unique hand crafted jewellery and accessories, together with an array of books and literature about Korea and Japan were available.

The entertainment provided highlighted vividly the range of artistic and Martial Arts talents on display.

A rather sombre display of Japanese Martial Arts were conducted in almost complete silence with members using their swords in menacing and stylised movements,

In contrast, was the “Wearing of the Kimono” demonstration assisted by a volunteer.

Four traditional Japanese dances were performed by dancers of varying ages, showing the skill required for the intricate movements, in perfect interpretation of the music.

The playing of different instruments showed the dexterity and musicality of the respective performers.

A “Daegum” or Korean flute was played hauntingly.

A “Kayagum”-a long stringed Korean instrument, placed horizontely on a stand was plucked skillfully (both modern and traditional tunes) by a musician in her Korean dress (Hanbok). She was joined by a guitarist for two pieces-including one of his own compositions.

A Japanese guitarist then played pieces at various tempos-his fingers seeming to fly over the strings during the fastest choice.

The highlight of the musical demonstrations over the two days of the Festival was on Saturday the 10th when remarkable explosive Japanese drumming skills and accompanying dancing combined.

A third impromptu performance by the drummers was added to the two scheduled ones due to the audience’s encore request.

Good Summer weather, appreciative audiences, skillful performers and good food all contributed to the success of the TASTE THE EAST LONDON FESTIVAL 2010.

>Discover Japanese Food #12: Sanshoku Soboro Bento (THE EAST Campaign in Association with Atsuko’s Kitchen)

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Bento boxes are served everywhere in Japan – work places, schools, department stores, and even on the trains. These tasty Japanese lunch boxes have been enjoyed for over 800 years!There are many styles of bento boxes. For example, “shokado bento” is a large lacquered bento box which normally has 4 compartments. Each space contains rice, sashimi, tempura, nimono (stewed dish), and pickled vegetables. The most common style of home made bento contains rice with umeboshi (salted plum), tamago yaki (egg roll), kara age (fried chicken), and potato salad (Japanese style), amongst others. The dishes used should be very well balanced, such as rice, as a main dish, then protein from meat, fish, or egg, minerals from seaweeds, and vitamins from vegetables. Anyone can make their own bento. It is very common for people to make or pack their own bento in the morning for school, office, or picnics! This recipe is called “Sanshoku soboro bento”, which means three colours ingredients. Very ordinary ingredients are placed in top of the rice, but there is a unique method to make fine flakes of meat and egg, which can also be used as a topping for salads, tofu and rice.

Ingredients (for 2 bento boxes)

2 cups of Japanese rice (cooked)

8 mange tout

4 sliced carrot (for garnish)

2 sliced takenoko (bamboo shoot)

1 tsp sunflower oil

A pinch of salt

For pork soboro:

200g minced pork

3 cm ginger (finely chopped)

2 tbsp sake

2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp red miso2 tbsp shoyu

For egg soboro:

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp mirin

Method

1. To make the pork soboro, heat a medium size sauce pan, fry the minced pork without oil, stir using 4 chopsticks to make fine flakes until it browns.

2. Add ginger, sake, and sugar to the sauce pan then stir constantly.

3. Add red miso and shoyu, and keep on stirring until the liquid has evaporated. It will burn quickly when you stop stirring so don’t stop it until it becomes dry and forms fine flakes! You can keep the pork soboro in a clean jar in the refrigerator for up to one week.

4. To make the egg soboro, mix the eggs, salt and mirin in a small sauce pan.

5. Heat the sauce pan to medium, stir constantly using 4 chopsticks until it becomes finely scrambled.

6. Bring the water to the boil, cook mange tout and sliced carrot for few mins then wash in cold water to preserve the colour.

7. Slice the mange tout diagonally.

8. Fry the sliced takenoko to brown both sides, sprinkle with a little salt.

For the final stage, you will choose the right size of your bento box which will be suitable for soboro bento.

You put the cooked rice at the bottom of your bento box to make a bed of rice which will be at 80% of the height of the box. Then cover the rice with 3 colourful toppings. For soboro bento, the best type of box is low in height and has a sealed lid.

* A tip for eating – mix the toppings with the rice underneath, then eat with a spoon, to make it easier.

** The next “Bento workshop” will be held on the 21st March.

>Discover Japanese Food #10: Kabocha no nimono: simmered pumpkin in ginger soy sauce (THE EAST Campaign in Association with Atsuko’s Kitchen)

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Kabocha is a Japanese name of pumpkin which has rich and nutty texture and had a natural sweetness also high in beta carotene.
Now a days you can find a Japanese kabocha in the supermarket.
This recipe is a very quick and basic type of stewed dish. Add a ginger is great idea to help to warm your body temperature.
When you simmer it, it is nice to leave the skin on to not to break into pieces and enjoy the rich texture and contrast of the colour.
Just slice some part of the skin to penetrate the flavour to it.

Ingredients: serve 4 as a main
500g Kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), A finger sized piece of ginger, 8 Sugar snaps
Seasonings: 300ml Kombu dashi, 1 tbsp Sake, 3 tbsp Mirin, 2 tbsp Shoyu (Dark soy sauce )
For thick sauce: 2 tsp Katakuriko, 2 tsp Cold water
*mix together before cooking

Preparation
1. Peel the skin of kabocha randomly, dice into 3cm cube.
2. Peel and slice the ginger, cut into juliennes.

Method
1. Place the kabocha skin side down and ginger in the medium sauce pan then pour the kombu dashi.
2. Bring it to the boil.
3. When it starts boiling reduce the heat, add sake and mirin, then simmer with low heat until kabocha becomes soft which will take about 12 mins.
4. Add shoyu last, cook slowly with low heat for 5mins.
5. When the seasonings penetrated to the kabocha, take the kabocha out then place on the dish.
6. Reheat the seasonings then add sugar snap, stir in the katakuriko and water mixture to thicken the sauce.
6. Remove from the heat then pour the sauce on the top of kabocha.

>Discover Japanese Food #10: Atsuko’s "Tonyu Nabe" (THE EAST Campaign in Association with Atsuko’s Kitchen)

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Nabe means hot-pot and is a style of cooking on the table, sharing with your family. It is one of the best winter dishes in Japan. Variations include shabu-shabu, sukiyaki, chanko, but this is a unique style of Nabe using soy milk. Any ingredients can be added in this recipe. Surround the nabe with your family and friends to be close to each other!

Ingredients (serves 4-5)

200g salmon, 200g sea bass, 150g tofu, 1/2 chinese cabbage, 2 leeks, 1 carrot, 1 age, A bunch of shimeji and shiitake, 100g kuzukiri, A handful of wild rocket, 100g Udon noodle (boiled)

Base soup:

1/2 L tonyu (unsweetened soy milk), 1L kombu dashi, 3 tbsp mirin, 4 tbsp miso (smooth white), 2 tsp grated garlic

Preparation

1. Slice the fish into 1.5 cm thick pieces.

2. Cut the vegetables (Chinese cabbage, leeks, carrot) so they will cook easily. Trim shimeji then tear into pieces.

3. Dice tofu into 2 bite sized pieces, cut age into triangle shapes.

4. Boil the kuzukiri until it becomes soft, about 2-3 mins. Wash in cold water to stop the noodles sticking to each other.

5. Put all the ingredients onto large plates. Set aside.

Method

1. Pour the dashi and soy milk into the pot, simmer with medium heat. – don’t put the lid on, it will overflow.

2. Mix miso and mirin to dissolve miso well, then add to the soy milk base.

3. Place the ingredients in the pot then simmer again. – don’t boil it too much, the soy milk will become like a tofu.

4. When the ingredients are cooked it is time to eat! Try, add the grated garlic should make a taste wonderful.

5. Finally, add the udon noodle to finish with.

>Discover Japanese Food #9: Atsuko’s "Iwashi no nitsuke, simmered sardine in soy sauce" (THE EAST Campaign in Association with Atsuko’s Kitchen)

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Sardine is a common fish in Japan and here in the UK. It is well known as a source of Omega-3.
If you cook any fish you should be very careful not to handle it too much, to prevent damage.
There are many useful grandmother’s hints to help when cooking fish.

For this recipe, the small pieces of sardine will be very fragile when you simmer the fish. Adding umeboshi helps to stop the fish from breaking. Place a bamboo sheet in the bottom of the sauce pan, and simmer the fish gently on top of the bamboo. After the fish is cooked, remove it from the seasonings by lifting the bamboo.

Ingredients: serves 4-6
6 sardines, A finger sized piece of ginger, 1 umeboshi (salted plum)
Seasonings:
150ml shoyu, 120ml mirin, 4 tbsp sake, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 bamboo sheet ( if available – you will find it in asian super market or Japanese grocery shop )

Preparation
1. Wash the sardine in cold water to remove any scales.
2. Cut sardine into 3 cm length then soak in salted water made with 2 tbsp of salt to 1 liter of water for 10 mins.
3. Soak the dried bamboo sheet in cold water to soften.
4. When the fish becomes firm, use chop sticks to remove the guts.
Then wash in cold water, strain.
5. Slice the ginger then cut it into very fine strips.

Method
1. Put the sardine pieces in a sauce pan then cover with water, bring it to the boil.
2. When it starts boiling then the sardines are cooked. Drain the water. This helps to remove the smell of the sardine.
3. Cool the sardines down then remove the back bone. It is easily removed from head side, pull the bone out carefully so as not to break the fish.
4. Put the bamboo sheet in the sauce pan,then add the sardines, a cup of water, ginger and umeboshi, and bring it to the boil.
5. Add sake, sugar, mirin and shoyu to the sauce pan then simmer for 20 mins until the seasonings have half evaporated.
6. Leave it to cool down to allow the flavour to soak into the sardines.
7. Lift both sides of the bamboo sheet to avoid breaking any sardines while transferring to the dish. Serve in on the bamboo for presentation!

>Discover Japanese Food #8: Atsuko’s "Okonomiyaki" (THE EAST Campaign in Association with Atsuko’s Kitchen)

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Okonomi means ‘favourite’, as you can choose your favourite toppings to put onto the pancake. It is a well known regional speciality of the Kansai area, which includes Kyoto and Osaka.
It is a very popular Japanese street food, commonly eaten at festivals as well as restaurants. Here the customers can cook their own okonomiyaki at their table, and eat it straight away from the hot plate.
The ingredients are very simple and one of my friends named it “economy yaki”… That make sense! But you can always select a good quality topping if you make at it at home.

Make a small size so that it is easy to turn over, and add a variety of toppings. Serve it while it is hot, to watch the katsuobushi (bonito
flakes) dancing on the top of okonomiyaki! This is fun at the party.

Ingredients
400g cabbage, 4 spring onions, 4 eggs

For frying:
4 tbsp vegetable oil

For the mixture:
2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 300ml dashi, 20g yamaimo (fresh Japanese yam potato available in the Japanese grocery shop in London)

For toppings:
4 thin sliced pork belly, 4 prawns, 1 squid (sliced), 200g grated cheese, A cup of sweet corns

For the sauce:
okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise, ainori (green nori powder), katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

Preparation
1. To make the mixture, mix flour and baking powder in a bowl and add dashi slowly to break any lumps of flour, and blend well. * don’t stir too much as it will become a doughy texture.
2. Grate yama imo finely ( or use powdered yama imo ) and add to the mixture. It will be very slimy to touch, but gives it a soft texture.
3. Chop cabbage and spring onion finely.

Method
1. Add the eggs to the cabbage and spring onion in a large bowl, mix well.
2. Add the pancake mixture to the cabbage mixture then mix gently.
3. Heat the large frying pan with high heat. When hot, spread the pan with oil. Spoon the mixture into the frying pan.
* make small portions, so it is easy to turn over. Repeat to make about
12 okonomiyaki. (3 per person)
4. Reduce the heat to medium, put your favourite toppings on the surface of the mixture then wait until the bottom turns brown.
* don’t press down on the okonomiyaki or they will become hard and may not cook well.
5. Turn the okonomiyaki, and cook for a further 4-6 mins.
6. When the topping is cooked well, turn it over again.
7. Spread the top with okonomiyaki sauce, and mayonnaise, then sprinkle with katsuobushi and enjoy it dancing. Add aonori for extra flavour.

>Discover Japanese Food #7: Atsuko’s "Kenchin Jiru" (THE EAST Campaign in Association with Atsuko’s Kitchen)

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In Japan, we enjoy many types of Japanese cuisines such as kaiseki ryori, wa-shoku, even yo-shoku.
Some are familiar dishes for Japanese home cooking but not many people know about “shojin ryori”, a Japanese buddhist cuisine which has been sustained by Japanese buddhists from almost two thousands years ago.
Nowadays, the position of shojin ryori has changed to suit modern life styles, and vegetarians.
It only uses seasonal vegetables, tofu, nuts, seaweeds and but there are many amazing ideas to create textures, looks and flavours using Japanese basic ingredients and seasonings.
Here is a typical buddhist soup made from root vegetables, then breaking a block of tofu into the soup so that everyone gets an even share.
This is buddhist thoughtfulness….

Ingredients
(for 4 people)
150g tofu
80g konnyaku
1 age
2 dried shiitake (with a cup of water)
1 carrot
15cm renkon
1 parsnip
16 mange tout

Seasonings:
3 cups kombu dashi
2 tbsp sake
3-4 tbsp shoyu
A pinch of salt
1.5 tbsp sesame oil

PREPARATION
1. To make the kombu dashi. – Soak 15cm of kombu in water leave it for 30 mins, then bring it to the boil, and remove the kombu.
2. Soak the shiitake in a cup of water for 30 mins. – keep the shiitake dashi.
3. Boil the konnyaku to remove the smell. Dice konnyaku with a spoon.
4. Wash the age to take the oil out of the surface. Cut into dice size.
5. Peel and chunk all the root vegetables roughly.
6. Cut Mange tout into half. Set aside.

METHOD
1. Fry all the root vegetables and konnyaku in sesame oil.
2. Add shiitake and age. After the oil has coated all the ingredients, add half the amount of shoyu to flavour the ingredients.
3. Add the dashi mixture ( kombu dashi & shiitake dashi ) and bring it to the boil with lid on.
4. Add sake and the rest of the shoyu, then simmer for 20 mins until all the vegetables are cooked.
5. Finally, crush the tofu by hand, and add with mange tout to the soup.
6. Bring it to the boil again and serve.

>Discover Japanese Food #6: Atsuko’s "Kinoko okowa" (THE EAST Campaign in Association with Atsuko’s Kitchen)

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Okowa, means a type of rice dish made with mochigome, or sweet rice. It has an extra sticky texture, much more than normal rice. It is also used for making mochi (rice cake). You can use only mochigome for this recipe but I suggest using half mochigome, and mix with half normal Japanese rice. This will give a milder texture than using the 100% mochigome.
Also it is a great idea to add mochigome to other types of rice to make a rich texture.

There are many types of okowa in Japan such as red beans (sekihan) and chestnut okowa, mountain vegetables (sansai) okowa, but you can also make okowa with a variety of ingredients.
You can cook mochigome using the same method as normal rice, either with a rice cooker or heavy sauce pan.

This recipe is a seasonal okowa with a variety of wild mushrooms and gingko nuts:

* Ingredients: Serves 4
150 ml Japanese rice
150 ml Mochigome (sweet rice)
1 cup Variety of mushroom
5 cm Renkon (lotus root)
8 Ginnan (gingko nuts)

* Seasonings:
1½ tbsp Mirin
1½ tbsp Shoyu (dark soy sauce)
⅓ tsp Salt
1 tbsp Sesame oil
For garnishing:
A litle of Aonori

* Preparation:
1. Combine the Japanese rice and mochigome rice, and wash in a strainer under running water.
2. Leave to drain for 30 mins, until the rice separates again.
3. Meanwhile trim the mushroom then tear into pieces.
4. Cut the renkon into small pieces.

* Method:
1. Add the rice, mushroom, renkon, ginnan, sake, salt, shoyu, sesame oil, and 300ml of water in a pan, mix well.
2. Bring it to the boil with high heat.
3. As soon as it starts boiling, reduce to a very low heat and simmer for 11 mins.
4. Remove from the heat and leave it for 10 mins to calm down.
5. Mix gently from bottom to top.
* It is good for making rice balls, as mochigome is really sticky.
6. When you serve it, sprinkle a little aonori on top of the rice.

>Discover Japanese Food #5: Atsuko’s "Goma ae" (THE EAST Campaign in Association with Atsuko’s Kitchen)

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Goma ae is a type of ‘aemono’ – these are cold side dishes, often made with vegetables and a dressing.
One typical aemono is called ‘goma ae’, which means sesame dressing mixed with green vegetables. The sesame dressing used here is also suitable for other ingredients such as broccoli, carrots, or spinach.
You can also make other types of dressing using nuts – peanuts, cashews, and almonds all work well. They are also tasty when used as a simple dressing on top of tofu.

This recipe uses a sesame grinder to grind the sesame seeds into a paste. It is a very traditional method for this recipe, but you can always use a food processor instead, as it might be quicker. This type of grinder is available in Japanese grocery shops, or some organic grocery shops in London.

*The picture is showing some different types of gomaae with white saseme, cashew nuts, and black sesame at the top.

Ingredients: serves 4
200g green beans
A pinch of salt

Sesame sauce:
3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tbsp shoyu (dark soy sauce)
1/2 tsp suger
1tbsp mirin

Method:
1. Bring the water to boil in a sauce pan.
2. Meanwhile, make the sesame sauce. Grind the toasted sesame seeds into a paste, using a grinder or mortar and pestle, then mix with the seasonings. ( you can toast sesame seeds in a frying pan with low heat. )

3. Add the green beans and a pinch of salt to the boiling water to cook for about 2 mins.
4. Turn the heat off, strain the green beans and wash in cold water to preserve the colour.
5. Trim the green beans then cut into 5cm lengths and set aside.
6. Mix the sesame sauce and beans together just before serving. ( it will become watery if it is mixed earlier. )