2018 ZENBU TOURS

Our 3 scheduled Zenbu Tours for 2018 are filling up fast! 

You'd best be quick not to miss the Earlybird Specials! They end in early July 2017.


In fact they've already been snapped up for the Spring Tour in May - which is almost full! There are a couple of spots left on this gorgeous tour if you'd care to join us! 

There are still spaces on both the ever-popular 12 day Zenbu Zen Tour  of Kyoto in early January and the new and even more immersive 15 day Zenbu Setsubun tour of Kyoto and Tokyo. 

Please head on over to ZENBU TOURS for more details 

If you prefer DIY travel (but with a whole lot of groundwork done for you - including lots of direction pointing with places to eat, visit, experience you'd never find on your own...) then check out our detailed, personalised itinerary options. 

Oh and Ps - if you'd like to take a peek at the types of meal we enjoy on Zenbu Tours - take a look HERE. 


Interested in what other people have to say about Zenbu Tours? 
Well we'd very much like to share our TESTIMONIALS HERE and a little bit from the MEDIA HERE.

MILKBAR MEMORIES

BUY NOW!!

Excited & Nervous....

These are the two standard emotions which face off with against each other whenever I have a new book about to hit the shelves!

  

In just one short month my newest 'baby' MILKBAR MEMORIES will land and you'll have the opportunity to take a peek! And hopefully be more on the excited side and less nervous than me!

I reckon those of you who are fans of my book Grub -Favourite Food Memories ( a book I wrote almost 10 years ago now! eeek)  are going to DIG this - well at least I hope you do!  It's the cookbook of your childhood dreams... ;)

Even though I really, really want to - I'm not allowed to say ANYTHING more until the book is on sale or my publisher will beat me! 

Whilst I'll always encourage people to support your local bookstore - if you are going to buy online - do it with an Australian online bookstore.  

And on that.. I have some NEWS!!

 If you'd like to be one of the first to see Milkbar Memories  then please hop on over to Booktopia where they are offering an earlybird special for anyone who pre-orders a copy - an amazing 20% off the recommended retail price!  

I might have to buy some myself at that price! 

Anyway - I hope you like it! I'll be back to share more once MM is finally released!

Jane x

Cook this. Meat Pies with Beer and Vegemite.

Football, meatpies, Kangaroos and ..... beer ... and Vegemite.
Actually I'm happy to leave the footy and Kangaroos to themselves.  Aussies watching football - you need these. Get baking.

Meat pies

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 brown onion, finely chopped

 2 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour

 600 g (1 lb 5 oz) chuck steak, cut into 1.5 cm (5/8 inch) dice

 10 g (1/4 oz) butter

250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) beer

375 ml (13 fl oz/11/2 cups) beef stock

 1 small carrot, finely diced

 1 celery stalk, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 teaspoons Vegemite, or other yeast extract such as Marmite or Promite

11/2 tablespoons tomato paste (concentrated purée)

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

1 bay leaf

3 sheets of ready-made shortcrust (pie) pastry

3 sheets of ready-made puff pastry

 1 egg, lightly beaten

makes 6 individual pies

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium–high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Season the flour with salt and black pepper and use it to lightly coat the beef cubes all over. Add the remaining oil and the butter to the pan. Sauté the beef in three batches until lightly browned all over, adding more oil if needed. Set aside.

Add the beer and stock to the pan, scraping up any cooked-on bits. Return the beef and onion to the pan with the carrot, celery, garlic, Vegemite, tomato paste, worcestershire sauce and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 11/4 hours, or until the beef is very tender and the sauce is thick and rich. Discard the bay leaf and season to taste. Allow to cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate for 4 hours, or until cold.

Put two baking trays in the oven and preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas 6). Cut six 14.5 cm (53/4 inch) diameter circles from the shortcrust pastry and six 12.5 cm (43/4 inch) circles from the puff pastry. Line the bases of six pie tins measuring 12.5 cm (43/4 inches) across the top, 7.5 cm (3 inches) across the base and 3.5 cm (11/3 inches) deep with the shortcrust pastry circles — the pastry should come just a little way above the edge of the tins. Brush the edges lightly with the beaten egg.

Divide the chilled beef mixture between the lined pie tins. Lay a puff pastry circle over the top of each pie and press down around the edges of the shortcrust pastry, pinching together if you like to help the edges adhere.

Pierce a little air vent in the top of each pie using the tip of a small, sharp knife. Brush the top of the pies with the egg, avoiding the vent, and place directly onto the trays in the hot oven. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and lightly golden, then lower the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4) and cook for a further 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the filling hot.

VARIATION: Make little pot pies by filling individual ramekins with the beef and topping with a puff pastry lid. Cook for 10 minutes at 200°C (400°F/Gas 6), then 8 minutes at 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).

Recipes from Grub - Favourite Food Memories by Jane Lawson
Photographer Steve Brown. 

Cook this. Croquetas de Pollo

Croquetas de pollo

Chicken Croquettes with Smoked Paprika Salt

béchamel sauce

90 g (3 1/4 oz) butter

90 g (3 1/4 oz /3/4 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour

1 tablespoon fino (dry) sherry

125 ml (4 fl oz /1/2 cup) home-made or low-salt chicken stock

1 fresh bay leaf

185 ml (6 fl oz /3/4 cup) milk

60 ml (2 fl oz /1/4 cup) cream (whipping)

Filling

 2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 leek, white part only, finely chopped

3 slices jamón, prosciutto or jambon, finely chopped

1/2 celery stalk, very finely diced

 200 g (7 oz) minced (ground) chicken

2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

50 g (1 3/4 oz /1/2 cup) seasoned dry fine breadcrumbs

55 g (2 oz /1/2 cup) ground almonds seasoned plain (all-purpose) flour, for coating

 2 eggs, lightly beaten olive oil, for deep-frying

2 teaspoons sweet or smoked sweet paprika, mixed with 1 tablespoon salt

lemon wedges, to serve

Makes 24

To make the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then add the flour and stir for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture is dry and a little crumbly and smells like pastry cooking. Add the sherry and stir until absorbed. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the stock.

 Add the bay leaf, gradually whisk in about half the milk, then return to the heat and whisk in the rest of the milk, then the cream. Cook, stirring, for 8–10 minutes, or until the mixture is very thick and smooth and starts to pull away from the side of the pan. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To make the filling, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the leek, jamón and celery and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened and lightly golden. Add the chicken, breaking up any lumps with the back of a spoon, and fry until the chicken changes colour and is just cooked through. 

Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Remove the bay leaf from the béchamel sauce and add the sauce to the chicken along with the parsley. Mix well, season to taste, then cover and refrigerate for 3 hours, or until completely cold.

Divide the filling into 24 portions and roll into small croquette shapes 5–6 cm (2–2 1/2 inches) long. Combine the breadcrumbs and ground almonds in a small bowl. Lightly coat the croquettes in the flour, dip them in the beaten egg, allowing any excess to drip off, then coat them in the breadcrumb mixture. Sit the croquettes in a single layer on a tray and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until ready to cook.

Fill a deep-fryer or large heavy-based saucepan one-third full of oil and heat to 180°C (350°F), or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil browns in 15 seconds. Deep-fry the croquettes in three batches for 2–3 minutes at a time, or until lightly golden. Drain well on crumpled paper towels and serve hot with the paprika salt and lemon wedges.

Variation: Instead of the chicken, try using minced (ground) pork, flaked tuna or finely chopped and sautéed garlic mushrooms, and add different herbs to taste. Also, instead of the lemon wedges, the croquettes can be served with a small bowl of sherry vinegar for dipping into.

Recipe text copyright of Jane Lawson - from Cocina Nueva - The New Spanish Kitchen. 

Image by Steve Brown. 

Cook this: Raisin Torrijas with Honey and Walnuts

Super-easy yet impressive Spanish dessert. Gluten-phobes look away. 


Raisin torrijas with honey and walnuts

4 thick slices day-old raisin brioche, or other good-quality raisin bread

2 eggs 125 ml (4 fl oz /1/2 cup) cream (whipping)

2 teaspoons caster (superfine) sugar

 1/2 teaspoon natural vanilla extract

mild vegetable oil, for pan-frying

20 g ( 3/4 oz) butter

 160 g (5 1/2 oz /scant 1/2 cup) honey

1 tablespoon manzanilla sherry

35 g (1 1/4 oz /1/3 cup) walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

Serves 4

Cut the brioche slices into 3 cm (1 1/4 inch) wide fingers. Whisk together the eggs, cream, sugar and vanilla extract and pour into a non-metallic dish.

Put the brioche fingers in the egg mixture and turn to coat well. Leave to soak for 10 minutes.

Pour enough oil into a large frying pan to cover the base by 5 mm ( 1/4 inch), then add the butter and place over medium–high heat. In two batches, lift the brioche fingers out of the egg mixture, allowing the excess to drip off, then fry for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden. Drain on crumpled paper towels.

Meanwhile, combine the honey, sherry and walnuts in a small saucepan and leave over low heat until the honey melts.

Divide the brioche fingers among four serving plates and spoon a little of the honey and walnut sauce over the top. Serve with vanilla ice cream or custard and whipped cream.



Photo by Steve Brown.
Text copyright of Jane Lawson from the book Cocina  Nueva - The new Spanish kitchen. 

Creamy Fish Pie

This simple fish pie is perfect on a cool evening with a glass of white wine - something with enough acid to cut through the richness. 

I have cravings for this baby. Give it a whirl - you won't be disappointed. 

60 g (21/4 oz) butter 2 leeks, white part only, sliced

1 large fennel bulb (about 500 g/1 lb 2 oz), finely sliced (reserve the fennel tips for the sauce)

 1 celery stalk, finely diced

1 large garlic clove, crushed

 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) boneless, skinless white fish fillets, such as snapper, flathead, blue-eye or ling

80 ml (21/2 fl oz/1/3 cup) dry white wine or vermouth

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon white peppercorns

 a few parsley stalks

a few celery leaves

40 g (11/2 oz/1/3 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour

a large pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) milk

250 g (9 oz/1 cup) crème fraîche or sour cream

 2 teaspoons dijon mustard

 1 tablespoon lemon juice

11/2 tablespoons finely chopped fennel tips or dill

TOPPING

16 slices of white bread, crusts removed

softened butter, for spreading

1 handful of flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, finely chopped

75 g (21/2 oz/3/4 cup) finely grated parmesan cheese

serves 6–8

Melt a third of the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add the leek and fennel. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until soft. Add the celery and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, or until the celery is tender. Remove from the pan and set aside, but keep the pan at the ready for continuing the sauce.

Put the fish, wine, bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley stalks, celery leaves and 1 teaspoon salt in a large saucepan, then add enough cold water to cover. Slowly bring to the boil over medium heat, removing the fish with a slotted spoon as soon as it becomes opaque. Continue to cook the stock for a further 15 minutes, then strain and keep warm over low heat. When the fish is cool enough to handle, break it into large flakes.

Add the remaining butter to the same pan you sautéed the fennel in and place over medium–high heat. When the butter begins to sizzle, stir in the flour and nutmeg and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in 750 ml (26 fl oz/3 cups) of the warm fish stock until smooth. Whisk in the milk and continue whisking for 5 minutes, or until very smooth and thickened slightly. Stir in the reserved fennel mixture and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Take the pan off the heat, then stir in the crème fraîche, mustard, lemon juice and fennel tips or dill. Season well. Carefully fold the sauce through the fish, trying not to break it up too much, then pour into a large, well-greased ceramic baking dish. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until ready to cook.

Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F/Gas 5). To make the topping, spread the bread with softened butter, cut into small cubes and toss with the parsley and parmesan. Scatter evenly over the top of the fish mixture. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until the topping is crunchy and golden and the filling is hot.

 

VARIATIONS: Replace the fish or half the fish with some cooked prawns (shrimp) and scallops and add a tablespoon of finely chopped capers. You can also use good-quality tinned or bottled tuna and a ready-made fish stock to save time.

This recipe is from Grub  - Favourite Food Memories by Jane Lawson

Copyright Jane Lawson. 

Image by Photographer Steve Brown. 

Text and images cannot be replicated in any format without permission from the author.

Quick and Easy Spicy Baked Beans Recipe

 My dad used to sing a little ditty about baked beans but it isn’t appropriate for print — well not in a cookbook anyway! The baked beans we eat today are believed to draw upon Native American as well as French or Italian origins. Baked beans were first produced commercially by the Americans in the late 1800s, with the British following close behind. Although the tinned form is very handy, it just doesn’t compare with this flavoursome version, which is almost, but not quite, as quick as opening the tin.

By request, from my cookbook 'Grub - Favourite Food Memories' here is a simple recipe for making your own Spicy Baked Beans at home.

serves 2 as a main and 4 as a side

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small brown onion, chopped

1 slice of bacon, finely chopped, optional if you are veggo

1 garlic clove, crushed

60 g (21/4 oz/1/4 cup) tomato paste (concentrated purée)

1 bay leaf 

1 teaspoon sweet paprika (or smoked sweet paprika if not using bacon)

large pinch of cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons mustard powder 

2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons golden syrup (if unavailable, substitute with maple syrup  or honey) 

11/2 teaspoons sea salt flakes

2 x 400 g (14 oz) tins cannellini beans, drained

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium–high heat. Add the onion and the bacon, if using, and sauté for 5 minutes, or until lightly golden. Add the garlic, tomato paste, bay leaf, paprika, cayenne pepper, mustard powder, worcestershire sauce, golden syrup, sea salt flakes and 375 ml (13 fl oz/11/2 cups) water. Stir well and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the beans and cook, stirring occasionally, for a further 10–15 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and saucy and the beans are tender but not mushy.

Season to taste and serve on thick slabs of buttered toast or as a side dish for fried or poached eggs. These spicy baked beans also make a great jaffle filling.

**This recipe is from my cookbook Grub published by Murdoch Books  - all text and images are the copyright of Jane Lawson and may not be replicated without permission.

Image by super lovely photographer Steve Brown.  

Homemade Crumpets

Australians have a fond attachment to this bubbly, yeast-leavened version of the pancake. Crumpets are (or were) commonly eaten toasted for breakfast - smothered with butter and  honey or Vegemite!

Thank you dear Simon Marnie (ABC Radio) for sharing your love of this recipe with your audience. It makes me smile to think of you whipping these up at home for the family! I agree - the store-bought version has NOTHING on homemade crumpets!

makes about 12 (serves 4–6)

2 teaspoons dried yeast
1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar
310 ml (103/4 fl oz/11/4 cups) warm milk
250 g (9 oz/2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
vegetable oil, for cooking (choose one with a mild flavour)

3 tablespoons drained stem ginger in syrup, very finely chopped, plus 1 tablespoon of the syrup
 250 g (9 oz/1 heaped cup) mascarpone cheese
4 ripe nectarines or small peaches, cut into thin wedges
golden syrup, maple syrup or honey, for drizzling


To make the crumpets, sprinkle the yeast and sugar over 125 ml (4 fl oz/1/2 cup) of the warm milk and stir until the yeast has dissolved. Cover with a clean tea towel (dish towel) and leave to sit in a warm place for 15 minutes, or until frothy.

Sift the flour and 1 teaspoon salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Whisk the remaining milk with the egg and pour into the well. Add the yeast mixture, then whisk to form a smooth, soft batter. Cover with a tea towel and allow to rest in a warm place for 1 hour, or until the batter has doubled in volume and is covered with bubbles. Mix the bicarbonate of soda with 1 tablespoon water and beat it into the batter. Leave to rest for a further 10 minutes before cooking.

Meanwhile, mix the chopped ginger and ginger syrup through the mascarpone cheese and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Heat a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Brush with vegetable oil. Working in batches, carefully ladle 1/4 cupfuls of the crumpet batter into the pan, leaving space in between for spreading. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the top is completely covered with popped bubbles and is dry to touch. If you like, flip the crumpets over and cook for a further 30 seconds, or until just very lightly golden. Remove from the pan and cover with a tea towel to keep warm while you cook the remainder. (You can also cook the mixture inside egg rings for a less rustic result, but you will need to use a little less mixture in each one.)

Serve two or three crumpets per plate, topped with a dollop of ginger marscapone, some nectarine slices and a drizzle of golden syrup. You can reheat any leftover crumpets by toasting or grilling (broiling) them.

VARIATION: For a savoury breakfast, smear the hot crumpets with butter and Vegemite or Marmite and top with a poached egg.


PSSST! If you like the recipes from GRUB you are going to love my new book 
MILKBAR MEMORIES! Check it out HERE!


*Image above by the seriously lovely Photographer Steve Brown
Grub was published in 2007  by Murdoch Books and is currently out of print. Jane Lawson now owns the copyright of text and images which must not be used without permission.

Bacon and Egg Rolls with Homemade BBQ Sauce

While I'm feeling generous  .... Here's another recipe from my cookbook 'Grub - Favourite Food Memories'.  It is easy to make excellent Bacon and Egg sangers at home when you know how to make your own quick and easy BBQ sauce !

serves 4

BARBECUE SAUCE
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small brown onion, chopped
11/2 tablespoons tomato paste (concentrated purée)
1 tablespoon golden syrup  ( you can use maple too)
11/2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
11/2 teaspoons mustard powder

6 long, thin slices of good-quality bacon
olive oil/ butter, for pan-frying
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 large handfuls of baby rocket (arugula) leaves or baby English spinach
4 soft white bread rolls, split & buttered ( or you can spread with good quality mayo or aioli)


To make the barbecue sauce, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium–high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, or until lightly golden. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a few seconds, then add the golden syrup, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, paprika, mustard powder and 80 ml (21/2 fl oz/ 1/3 cup) water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, or until thickened. Season to taste and set aside.

Cut the bacon into half-lengths. Brush a large frying pan with a little olive oil if your bacon is particularly lean ( this would never happen in my house - we like it streaky!) and place over high heat. Add the bacon and cook, turning occasionally, for 4–5 minutes, or until cooked to your liking.
When the bacon is almost ready, heat some butter in a  large, heavy-based frying pan over medium–high heat and carefully crack the eggs into the pan, keeping them well spaced so they don’t run into each other (use egg rings if you prefer). Fry the eggs until cooked to your liking — if you like your yolks runny like I do, especially when served in a roll, don’t flip the egg, just cook it without turning for 2–3 minutes, or until the white is fully set and the yolk is still a little wobbly.

Put some baby salad leaves on the bottom half of each bread roll and top each one with three pieces of bacon, an egg and a dollop of the barbecue sauce. Top with the bread roll lids and serve immediately. This one is best eaten with your hands!

*Image above by the seriously lovely Photographer Steve Brown and must not be replicated without permission.

Grub was published in 2007  by Murdoch Books and is now out of print. The rights to text and images have reverted to Jane Lawson.

Banana Bread with Brown Sugar Butter

For those who asked for the Banana Bread recipe from my book Grub  - here 'tis!
It's similar to the banana bread you have in Australian cafes and is great toasted with or without the brown sugar butter! Plain good quality butter works just as well.



BANANA BREAD RECIPE from GRUB by Jane Lawson
makes 1 loaf (serves 6–8)

150 g (51/2 oz) unsalted butter, chopped & slightly softened
115 g (4 oz/1/2 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
45 g (13/4 oz/1/4 cup) soft brown sugar
2 large eggs 250 g (9 oz/2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
11/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
5–6 (about 900 g/2 lb) very ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract 125 g
(41/2 oz/1/2 cup) sour cream (you can use a good creamy yoghurt too)
50 g (13/4 oz/about 1/2 cup) walnuts, pecans or macadamia nuts, chopped, optional

BROWN SUGAR BUTTER
125 g (41/2 oz) unsalted butter, softened
45 g (13/4 oz/1/4 cup) dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F/Gas 2–3).
Grease the base of a loaf (bar) tin approximately 22 cm (81/2 inches) long, 9 cm (31/2 inches) wide and 9 cm (31/2 inches) deep. Line the base with baking paper.

Cream the butter with the caster sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well incorporated. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon with a pinch of salt, then beat it into the butter mixture to form a thick batter.

Combine the banana, vanilla and sour cream and fold into the butter mixture, with the nuts if using, until just combined. Pour into the prepared tin and smooth over the top.

Bake for 11/4 hours, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

While the cake is cooling, make the brown sugar butter by beating the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. (Do not refrigerate unless you are preparing the butter in advance, in which case remove it from the fridge before serving so it softens enough to spread easily.)

Thickly slice the banana bread using a bread knife or serrated knife. Toast and serve hot, spread with the brown sugar butter.

VARIATION: Top a slice of banana bread with thinly sliced banana, dollop with a little of the butter and place under a hot grill (broiler) until lightly golden.

Pssst... For those trying to eliminate/cut back on wheat flour there is another version here.  It used almond meal and potato flour etc but sometimes I replace them with coconut and coconut flour . Sometimes I add yoghurt, sometimes dates, or other nuts if not using almonds. Sometimes honey, sometimes maple syrup. A bit of chopped dark chocolate stirred through the batter is pretty damn good too.



*Image above by the seriously lovely Photographer Steve Brown
Grub was published in 2007  by Murdoch Books and is now out of print. Jane Lawson now owns the copyright of text and images which must not be used without permission. 

WIN a copy of ZENBU ZEN - Finding Food, Culture and Balance in Kyoto by Jane Lawson

Zenbu Zen takes you on a very personal 'armchair' escape to Kyoto, Japan with food and travel writer Jane Lawson. This book includes an informative, easy to read narrative with details about Japanese ingredients and plenty of authentic recipes.  

Plus the book is so beautifully designed and illustrated you won't be able to stop running your hands all over it! 

If you are interested in learning to cook and eat like the Japanese do at home and have an appreciation for the Japanese aesthetic you will love this book.

Lucky you! There is a copy up for grabs - all you have to do is this:

1. Go to the @zenbu_tours instagram page and follow if if you don't already

2. Find the image of the book cover above on the instagram thread and like it

3. Leave a word (plus #) under the photo on the instragram thread to describe what interests you most about Japan eg #Japanesetravel #japanesecuisine #food #zen #culture etc

That's it! 

You must enter by midnight AEST Friday 15 May 2015. 

All entries go in the hat and will be drawn on 16 May. 

Good Luck !

Ah Miso Hungry

Saikyo. Hatcho. Mugi. Aka. Shiro ?? 

Anyone?? 

If none of these ring a bell you might not know quite as much about miso as you thought you did.  And no... it ain't just for soup.

If you feel like a little chat, cook, dine session with me then head straight over to

 Essential Ingredient Prahran's website 

where you can book in for my class on 31 August 2014.

It will be a fun session about the what, why and how of miso.

I'll also be touching on a couple of other Japanese fermented foodstuffs! 

Hope to see you there. Cheers, Jane 

PS - thank you to hand model Tad McN! In the image above  you can see him in the beginning stages of his home-made miso crafting.

COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY

Sigh. Game of Thrones is over for another year - yet winter has only  just begun to show its frosty face. 

And I ADORE IT!

Brrr. Cosy. Mmmm. Comfort Food.

To celebrate the season I love the most 

I am giving away a signed copy of my winter food cookbook Snowflakes and Schnapps snuggled toghether with a copy of Zenbu Zen - Finding Food, Culture and Balance in Kyoto 

(which happens to be set in the Japanese winter).

All you have to do is LIKE my ZENBU ZEN facebook page 

and type PICK ME! in the comments box to be in it to win it!

The first 50 people to do so will go into the the lucky dip of winter cookbook lurve!

 Do it NOW! 

And tell your friends - they can always enter for you if you have been clever enough to LIKE me already ;)

Good Luck!

Jane x

PS - you can find out more about my Kyoto Cuisine & Culture Tours HERE

Winter in Kyoto - ABC Australia Delicious Magazine Story

Hello, we are currently in the process of transferring all Japan-related posts to Jane's ZENBU TOURS site. 

This page has already been moved - you will find it HERE

Thank you. 

Miso factory visit - Zenbu Ryori Tour

                 
A few i-phone snaps (so wish I'd had my real camera) from our Jan 2014 miso factory visit on the inaugural Zenbu Ryori Cuisine and Culture tour - what an honour to spend time learning about the history, making and use of miso. Thanks to my good friend and uber foodie translator Tad we were afforded the most wonderful insight into a local Kyoto family business. A chat, a brief factory tour and a lurk in the traditional old Kura with a bunch of curious, engaged punters.  Not bad for a winter morning's entertainment. We were able to sniff n taste so many varieties of excellent quality miso... let''s just say purchases were made - although not all booty left the country...

** hot tip from fellow traveller Fiona? don't carry miso paste in your hand luggage - it is considered a liquid/gel/paste etc.....

Hot and Hotterer!

Farewells of 2013 (and one nurturing nabe)

December's tragedy, which occurred just 2 weeks prior to us arriving in Japan to run my inaugural Winter tours, meant that my partner and I were extremely fragile and not capable of very much of anything.... except absent-minded wandering, staring into nothingness, trying to come to terms with how life, death, and the universe actually works. What was fair, what wasn't. How people behave, and don't. What was real, surreal, possible and impossible.

 New Year's eve gave us the opportunity to close the horrendous end  (to a somewhat difficult year) and look to 2014 as a fresh slate, albeit understanding there would be a long road to healing ahead.   We were still in shock but we had a sense of needing to get through to the next stage, still breathing. Putting one foot in front of the other. To cross the line into the new year meant we could leave a tiny part of the pain behind. There will always be new hope in a new year. Like swimming through a rough sea to an island shore to rest before swimming back across the waters to home, hoping the deep blue would be less choppy on the return. 

Thank god for good friends. Who nurtured our heads, hearts and bellies when we needed it most.

Tad and Bridget are those kind of friends you can always rely on. They are straight up, no nonsense, caring, warm, funny, real adults. 

Bridget provided us both with her wonderful shiatsu treatment  - instantly improving our energy levels and bringing about a certain sense of calm, for the first time in many, many weeks. 

While G was flat to the tatami I walked with Tad through the local neighbourhood to their veggie garden allotment for dinner supplies. 

I  put my hands in the earth ( ok, so I extracted a single daikon from its depths...), gazed at the spectacular sunset gently lullabye-ing 2013 and sucked in the crisp evening air. 

Yep, looking washed out and bedraggled but pretty impressed with myself. 

The winter veg: Heirloom carrots, daikon, mizuna, cabbage, Hakusai (Chinese cabbage), Shungiku (edible Chrysanthemum leaves), pencil leeks....

With carry bags, filled to the brim just on sunset, we returned to our protectors' cosy house in the mountainside where Tad (one of the finest cooks I  know) prepared the Nabe - chock full of just plucked goodness, so sweet, crisp and flavoursome. Organic, local chicken which tasted like chicken. Full flavoured, meaty chicken. Chickeny meat.

But not before stopping off at Enkooji temple to assess what time we should turn up to take our turn to ring one of the 108 peels of the bell. New Year in Japan is a very different experience to that in Australia and many other countries where it is all about getting pissed and punching or vomiting your way across the line. We were happy to be well clear of that scenario.  Peace, reflection and the comfort of close friends was our only agenda. 

 

Tea and snacks before sparkling sake whilst waiting for the nabe to do its thing. 

Nabe, dipping sauce (ponzu and grated daikon), pickles and a viewing of a 7 year old aged mirin... check out the colour. Sadly, in my daze, I forgot to taste it!

When the chicken and veg had been devoured Tad lovingly added cooked rice, spring onions and greens to the leftover cooking stock...

Lightly beaten, golden yolked eggs were drizzled into the pot then we garnished our own servings with herbs, toasted sesame, crushed senbei (rice crackers) and soy. Freakin' delicious and the kind of food that cures all ills. 

We walked to the temple just before midnight. I left my camera at home so we could really just be in the moment. We lined up to ring the bell. The moment I stepped up to the rope the head monk, who until that time had been inside the temple, appeared beside me and began to chant. I felt his deep voice reverberating through my body, energising me, filling me with hope in the sadness. His timing was perfect. Did he sense how very much we needed a helping hand in that moment. Gerard's tears were visible in the bonfire light as he pounded the gong with every scrap of energy he could muster  while he whispered his brother safe journey. The monk disappeared shortly afterwards. We are not religious but we felt extremely blessed in that moment. It was enough to keep us keeping on.