Talking Zenbu Zen with Simon Marnie

I'm a little bit excited to be joining Simon Marnie this Sunday 21 April 2013 on his wonderful weekend brunch programme on ABC 702. 

Tune in at 11am to hear us gas-bagging about all things Japanese and Zenbu Zen!

Can't wait!

Jane x

And the winner is....

It is 01 October and as promised I am about to reveal the winners of Zenbu Zen competition no. 1. 

But before I do so... may I please take a moment to thank everyone who entered the competition. It is not the easiest thing to look at where you would be if you truly followed your heart.  Actually it can be downright scary - I know this both first hand and now via those who entered the competition and felt compelled to also express how daunting it was to look at where they were "at" in life  -but, thankfully, they also shared with me what a lovely challenge it had been and how it had helped them to focus on the direction in which they wished to 'travel'.... 

I am blown away by the generosity of spirit. It is so joyous to hear other people's stories and connect with like minded souls - either people who have indeed already followed their heart in some way or are about to do so - or, at the very least, thinking about it for the future.....  if you have never ventured forth you really can't imagine what might be out the other side.  When you take this kind of leap of faith and are open to "whatever" happens you are well reminded that life is full of surprises... 

OK - now back to the task at hand.
It really was so bloody difficult to choose just two but without further delay here are the winners and their responses to the question

"In 50 words or less please tell me  - if you truly followed your heart – where would it lead you?"

Heather Loudon 

"I would create a space to nurture and extend people's creativity and the spiritual pursuit of feeling alive and doing things they love. I would sit in the eye of this wonderful situation and enjoy the benefits of being around people living passionately and be enriched and inspired by it."


&

Jacq Ellem

"It would lead me home, to people and places that I adore. It would leave me to write more than commercials, to love unequivocally and smile at the world... At least I can smile at the world now, one down just a few more to go :)"

***

Congratulations to both Heather and Jacq who have already been informed of their win. Both kindly gave me permission to share their entries.  

Stay tuned - details for competition no.2  - up next!

Cheers, Jane x

Stirrings...

I woke at 3:30 am this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. I lay in bed for about half an hour before deciding I'd be better off getting up to do something constructive.  I was filled with an inexplicable nervous energy. 

Then it twigged - it is the 1st of October and my book Zenbu Zen launches today!

It feels a little surreal and I'm somewhat relieved to know its out there in the world while at the same time nervous about official reviews and how it will be received by readers.  It is a toe in the water for me to write in this style - the book is a personal narrative through which related recipes,  information on Japanese cuisine and culture and my very own photographs of Japan have been intertwined - all stitched together by a gorgeous Reuben Crossman design and complimented perfectly with the stunning food photography of Cath Muscat.  

I am so privileged to have this 'journal' of my Kyoto life in such a form - not your average keepsake.  I truly hope that anyone who reads the book feels like they have joined me on my journey,  if only for a few moments, as one dips in and out of the story. And if Zenbu Zen inspires people to travel to Japan, particularly to where my heart is - in Kyoto - then I will be a very happy girl. If you haven't already had the opportunity I hope that you are fortunate enough to one day make it to this magical place to experience and "feel" it for yourselves.

I'd love to hear your feedback when you get the chance to take a peek at the book and better still when you have had the opportunity to dive in a little deeper..  Feel free to drop me a line here and of course if you have your own Kyoto stories to share with me or my blog - we'd love to hear them! 

Jane xx

STOP PRESS!! Zenbu Zen Competition update

Dear Friends, 

Due to way too many requests to ignore them...  I am officially extending the deadline of the Zenbu Zen competition to MIDNIGHT 22 SEPTEMBER 2012!

Apologies to those of you who got in so quickly with your entries.. but it seems a lot of folks have only just found out about this competition now  - thanks to retweets etc from online communities. 

Those who have entered already are welcome to enter again!

Here's the link to the COMPETITION DETAILS!

Cheers and good luck!! Gambatte ne! - Jane x

Kakiage - Vegetable tempura/ fritters Recipe かきあげ

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

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

Thank you.

ZENBU ZEN COMPETITION

Dear Friends, fellow Cooks and Japanophiles,

My new book "Zenbu Zen – finding food, culture and balance in Kyoto" will officially launch on 01 October 2012. 

To celebrate I have 6 books to give away – compliments of my publisher Murdoch Books. 

Now… to give you a little background - this book is a somewhat unusual in that it has 3 main components which are harmoniously linked. Zenbu Zen includes a personal narrative about following one's heart, loads of Japanese culinary information and recipes, and somewhat of an informal “travel” guide to Kyoto - my favourite place in the world.

All of this resides within a beautifully designed package by rockstar designer Reuben Crossman and includes my own photography of gorgeous Kyoto town – and stunning recipe and additional atmospheric images by brilliant (and delightful) food photographer Cath Muscat!

Inspired by the elements of the book, I have decided to hold not one but THREE themed competitions. 

Two people, each month from now until December, will have the chance to win a signed copy of the book. 

The first competition will commence immediately and the winners will be announced on 01 October. 

The second competition will be launched on that day and the winners announced on 01 November when the third and final competition will be announced  - those winners announced 01 December.

OK here we go, sharpen your pencils ...

Competition no. 1.

In 50 words or less please tell me  - if you truly followed your heart – where would it lead you?

Feel free to use your imagination but I ask that you dig deep inside and consider where you might be or what you might do, experience, or create if there was nothing to hold you back!

Please email your answers to janelawsonfood@bigpond.com.au.

The competition closes at midnight on Friday 24^th of August. (STOP PRESS - due to too many requests to ignore I have extended the deadline until midnight 22 SEPTEMBER!) The winners of the competition will be named, here on my blog, on 01 September OCTOBER!!

To inspire you to start writing (and cooking!) here is an exclusive sneak peek into Zenbu Zen with a few samples of the book internals (including a simple but stunning recipe for Shungiku no Ohitashi - or drenched greens, suitable for many kinds of leafy vegetables.) 

**IMPORTANT: Please note that all images are the copyright of either myself, Jane Lawson or Photographer Cath Muscat and may not be reproduced without permission. All text is copyright of Jane Lawson and, as above, may not be reproduced without permission. 

Further - I’d love to share the winning answers by publishing them on my blog however, because I would like people to express themselves freely, I am happy to refrain from doing so if privacy is preferred. Please advise if you do not wish for your answer to be displayed for public viewing.

The competition is open to everyone - so get writing! And tell your friends. 

Cheers and good luck!
Jane x

Autumn Old Book Market - Chionji temple November 2011

If you don't mind a lung full of dust or scratchy red eyes with your browsing then the Old Book Market ( organised by the Kyoto Old Book Association) might be right up your alley.  There were clearly some connoisseurs digging for treasure so it must be a collection of some repute-  and if you have the tenacity you could well be rewarded. 

I didn't take home any books but I must admit I did find some lovely ex student artwork for 100yen each and they dress my tokonoma up very nicely indeed - I have enough to alternate them at regular intervals depending on my mood - as far as I am concerned my elegant acquisitions were the perfect souvenir.   

Each year the fair is held at Chion-ji (temple) in north eastern Kyoto. There were many, many stalls filled with a mind-boggling variety of Japanese books (although it was noticeably lacking in food text which was naturally the focus of my mission).  There were a couple of books in English or other languages - particularly art and design related books.  Definitely worth a look-see if you either read Japanese or are up on your "old book" relevance. 

There was an auction set up for the more valuable books and I can tell you they were going for a pretty penny - so there must have been some absolute prizes as far as antique books were concerned. I mean many of the books I was looking at would certainly be considered antiques in Oz where the country is barely nano-seconds old in comparison to Japan - so I would love to know what pedigree of tome they were auctioning. Here's what to expect if you hop along later this year... ( end oct to early nov)

OK - I can't guarantee you will meet this lil' fella.... 

but he was too damn cute and colour co-ordinated not to add him to the post

To wash the dust out of our mucous membranes (I am sneezing just thinking about it!) we went for a brisk stroll on this pleasant Autumn afternoon - it was great to see people out enjoying the river with their kids before the days became too cold....

Gallery Hitamuki West

Quick tip - this is one of my favourite places in Kyoto for buying unique and very reasonably priced art - also known as tableware. The gallery has a constantly changing display of stunning works from various local ceramists - and you will often find metal , wood or glass work too. 

I can't resist popping in each time I walk by to see what their latest offerings are.... fortunately I have been out of town a bit lately or I'd have spent money I don't have!!  There are quite a few pieces from the gallery shop featuring in my new book due to release later this year so I will get to show off my 2010/11 purchases then!! Its a costly exercise "propping" in another country then shipping it back to your own but worth it for the visual point of difference. And it will feel great to have that connection to Kyoto in my images when I get to see the hard copy for myself!! Something to flick through a few years down the track and remember my time living a dreamy life in Kyoto town. Ah! enough gushy rambling... back to work Jane!

To find Gallery Hitamuki West you need to walk north up Teramachi dori from Oike dori (very close to City Hall). From Oike its only a couple of minutes walk and it will be on your left ( west side of the street).  

Here's a link to their website - just pop it into google chrome for a translation. 

This offering was back in November...   how do I know? because the Camellia were blooming so beautifully ...

Book Report

Last night we finished shooting the recipe images (and a few glorious incidentals) for my new book. Phew!! It was an extremely intense experience for reasons I won't go into but I would so very much like to thank a few people for making the shots so very gorgeous. 

Uber photographer Cath Muscat - you are a star (and incredibly patient) - thank you for shooting such wonderful images and for keeping the team pumping - your barista skills, joyous toons and Michelle Norianto's fab porridge bake sustained us to the very end). 

Olivia Andrews - I couldn't have asked for a better person to cook my food, you did so with interest, passion, care, respect and precision - you were a joy to work with and I know you will go far my love.  I wish you the best with your new and exciting ventures....

It was a pleasure to meet and work with you both. 

And last, but not least, my dear friend (and partner in crime when it comes to creative vision and warped humour) designer Reuben Crossman for ensuring the overall vibe of the book reflects the essence of my narrative and experiences and that the recipe styling was beautiful and spot on without being overly literal - a difficult balance with this particular project and cuisine. You are a crazily talented being and I thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for going above and beyond the call of duty in an effort to produce (what is destined to be) one of the most stunning paper products EVER!.  Thank you also for being my courier, chauffeur and travel companion in the 3 hour drive each day! I owe you a life time supply of QP mayo!

Lots of love to you all and thank you also to the team at Murdoch Books (and for the final day Pies from Bourke Street Bakery - thanks Sally!)

Jane xx

Yoshoku - Its BAAAAAAAAaaaaaaack..... ようしょく

My first born has been on sabbatical but has now returned with a colourful new frock! 

You can meet her from 01 February in Australia then she'll be flitting about in the UK from 01 March so keep an eye out will you? If you see her leaning on a shelf in a bookstore somewhere please carry her home and make sure she puts herself to good use in the kitchen??  

If you are new to Japanese cuisine and find it all a bit daunting this is a friendly way to jump on in.  The book shows you how to utilise traditional, often healthy, Japanese ingredients in more familiar "western" style recipes, using simple techniques.

The origins of Yoshoku cuisine stem from the opening of trading ports within Japan and consequently an  influx in available international foods in the 70's. The clever Japanese adapted these strange foreign foods to suit their own tastes, shaking it all up with ingredients and flavours both familiar and comforting to them - and doozo! a newly blended cuisine was born.  The cooking style went out of fashion for a while but is now making a comeback - becoming "cool" again with the young folk. 

Popular and old fashioned Yoshoku recipes include Omu-raisu (a thin omelette wrapped around seasoned rice), Katsu-Kare (pork cutlet curry) and Hambaagaa (hamburger) and while you will find a nod to this standard Yoshoku fare within the pages of the book  -it is really more about contemporary ideas and flavour combinations  - all easy to prepare and 'totemo oishii!!' (if I do say so myself...). If you missed out last time around - please look out for the re-release of 'Yoshoku' on February 01 2011. 

For those of you who already own a copy and have cooked from it I would love to hear your feedback.

My next book, on sale next year, will delve a little deeper into traditional cuisine and food culture - but more on that later. 

Yoshoku by Jane Lawson

Published by Murdoch Books 

Photography by Mikkel Vang

Styling by (the rather gorgeous and talented) Christine Rudolph

Chilled tofu and tomato salad

Pork with Nashi

Umeshu (plum wine) granita

and yes! sake cocktails! of course...

Itadakimasu!!!