Melville Matsuri 2015

Posted August 27th, 2015 in Perth WA | No Comments »

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Finally, a flyer for Melville Matsuri is ready !

Melville Matsuri is a community event for all ages to experience all aspects of Japan.  I’m very happy with how this event is forming – lots of activities !

There will be food & Japanese drink stalls, Japanese grocery stalls, yukata (Japanese casual summer garment) for sale, lots of demonstrations and workshops, and kids activities for all ages.  The best thing is that part of profit goes to local playgroups. 🙂

 

Check out our Facebook pages, and don’t forget to LIKE and SHARE with friends!

 

 


Chicken Teriyaki Mayo Donburi

Posted August 24th, 2015 in Food | No Comments »

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This has been one of my regular dinner menu at home.  My family loves it, and it’s always a pleasure to see empty bowls after meal.

I’ve written few teriyaki recipes here, including spicy chilli version, salmon teriyaki, teriyaki spam onigiri, and teriyaki squid, but I realised I haven’t written the basic recipe for chicken teriyaki!  It’s so easy to make – and serving as donburi means less clean-up as everything is placed in a bowl 😉

After eating this, mayonnaise will be your best buddy whenever eating teriyaki chicken!

 

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<Chicken Teriyaki Mayo Donburi> serves 3~4

  • 4fillets (about 500g) Chicken thigh (recommend skin-on)
  • 3tablespoons Mirin
  • 1tablespoon Sugar (I used raw sugar)
  • 1tablespoon Sake
  • 3tablespoons Soy sauce
  • 2 Egg, boiled
  • 1cup Bean shoot (←optional)
  • 1cup blanched Spinach to garnish
  • steamed rice & Japanese mayonnaise to serve

 

  1. Heat a frying pan, and spray oil.  Grill chicken over high heat to colour both sides.
  2. Wipe any excess oil from the pan using kitchen paper.  Add bean shoots to the pan, and stir-fry.
  3. Meanwhile, place mirin, sugar, sake, and soy sauce in a small pan, and bring to gentle boil.  Simmer until it thickens slightly.
  4. Serve rice in donburi bowls.
  5. Place bean shoots over rice, using a tong.
  6. Place chicken into the sauce, and then place over the rice.  Drizzle extra sauce if required.
  7. Garnish with halved boiled egg and spinach.  Sprinkle sesame seeds.
  8. Enjoy with Japanese mayonnaise!

Yee Seng Oriental in Myaree

Posted August 22nd, 2015 in Japanese Stores in Perth, Perth WA | No Comments »

Before I moved to North of the River I lived in Winthrop and whenever I needed Asian grocery I went to this place – Yee Seng Oriental Supermarket.

Yee Seng is located in Hulme Court in Myaree, just opposite Sundays Everyday and Perth Kimuchi.

The Japanese section used to be small, but now it’s expanded and you can find lots of Japanese & Korean grocery items at this store.

Most of the items, including rice, noodle and konnyaku, are actually tad cheaper at Coventry Village, but I still like Yee Seng because you can find more variety of Japanese food here.

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For example, some frozen ready-to-cook food such as pre-cooked tempura, korokke, and crumbled fish are not sold at Coventry Village (to my knowledge).

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You can get some Asian vegetables here too.

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This is my another favourite section – drinks.  There are lots of Korean drinks that are at low cost.  They sell Korean version of Yakult cheaper than Yakult (although I’ve never tried as I always go with Yakult).

I love Hulme Court – there are lots of good grocery shops and restaurants/takeaway shops. 🙂

Yee Seng Oriental Supermarket
36 Hulme Ct, Myaree WA 6154
Tel : (08) 9330 9096
Mon-Sun 9:00 ~ 19:00

Salmon Teriyaki Donburi

Posted August 20th, 2015 in Food | No Comments »

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Eating Japanese food makes me feel I’m home and I love that moment.  In Japan I used to eat seafood almost everyday, and I lived near a big lake so seafood was part of my life, really.  I don’t know why seafood is so expensive in Australia – they are both island countries but in Japan you can get fresh delicious seafood at much cheaper price.  That’s why I don’t eat seafood as much here in Perth now 🙁

But I did have a craving for nice salmon so I made salmon teriyaki donburi for dinner tonight.  It’s simple to make and you’ll just need those basic Japanese sauces only – soy sauce, sake, and mirin! (And, fresh salmon fillets, of course.)

My old post of Salmon Teriyaki recipe is here – on this recipe salmon is cooked in the oven.  Tonight I cooked the salmon in a frying pan.

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I love skin – I eat chicken with skin on, and I eat most of fish with skin.

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I served salmon on top of rice so I can enjoy the sauce-drizzled rice.  (・ω<)  Yum.
(on the photo, skin side is down)

For the side, I blanched spinach and seasoned with just bonito-flake (katsuo-bushi 鰹節), roasted sesame seeds, and a dash of soy sauce.

Don’t forget freshly cooked steamed rice!

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<Salmon Teriyaki Donburi> serves 2

  • 2fillets/400~500g Salmon (I used Fresh Skin-on Atlantic Salmon Fillets)
  • 1tablespoon Sugar (I used raw sugar)
  • 3tablespoons Soy Sauce
  • 3tablespoons Mirin
  • 1tablespoon Sake

 

  1. Place sugar, soy sauce, mirin and sake in a small pot.  Bring to gentle boil, and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly.  Set aside.
  2. Heat a frying pan (wide enough to place salmon fillets), and spray oil.  Place salmon fillets, skin side down, and grill over medium~low heat until the skin is coloured crisped.  Gently flip them over, and cook other sides.
  3. Once salmon is cooked, remove from the pan and place into the pan of sauce.
  4. Serve salmon on top of steamed rice, and drizzle with sauce.

 


Kitta Exhibition of Natural Japanese Dyeing

Posted August 19th, 2015 in Perth WA | No Comments »

Kitta

Yesterday morning after I dropped off my son at school, I headed to Kitta’s exhibition in North Fremantle.  (I wrote about her workshops & exhibition here)

Kitta is a Japanese artist who lives in Okinawa in Japan, and she creates beautiful fabrics and clothes dyed using natural Japanese techniques.  She is temporary visiting Perth now to carry out rare natural dyeing workshops using Japanese dyes such as Ryukyu Indigo, and  also exhibit some of her beautiful works at Poteau in North Fremantle.

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Kitta

Lovely entrance.

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The whole exhibition place was set up beautifully.

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I was really amazed to see how beautifully you can dye fabric using natural materials.  Everything was made from scratch by Kitta.  There’re dress, skirts, some fabrics, socks, sarongs, etc created by Kitta, and also some other artists’ kitchenwares available to purchase at the exhibition.

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Everything was natural-themed, and even these wooden rails were handmade just for this exhibition.

I tried on some of the dresses.  They were really comfortable to wear, and the colour was so beautiful.  I also loved the uniqueness of the shape.  Everything is one of a kind.

I didn’t purchase any dress yesterday as I wanted to think about it first (the exhibition is still on), but I had a big crash on one of the plates that was made by Japanese artist.  I don’t know why but I didn’t buy it yesterday and I’ve been regretting it ever since, so I asked my friend to buy it for me as she is going there tomorrow. 🙂

Kitta will be in Perth for another few weeks only and once she is back to Japan there is no way to purchase her work (she doesn’t even sell online), so if you are interested please visit her exhibition.

Kitta Exhibition  Sat 15th ~ Fri 28th August 2015

at Poteau 1/98 Stirling Hwy, North Fremantle
www.poteauselect.com

Mon 1pm – 6pm
Tue – Sun 11am – 6pm (closed on Sun 23rd)

This exhibition is organised with the assistance of the NGO Earth Network.

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Nimono – Konnyaku & Beans

Posted August 15th, 2015 in Food | No Comments »

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You must have at least one dish that you love and miss to eat once in awhile.  In my case, it ought to be nimono.

Nimono is simple Japanese simmered dish, and the ingredients vary.  You can make nimono with many things but the main ingredients are usually vegetables.  Meat, seafood or tofu are often added, and it forms a great side dish to the table.

Sukiyaki, niku-jaga are popular nimono and you might have heard of them.  I love simple ones such as, nimono with eggplant & tuna (tinned), Chinese cabbage & chicken pieces, and daikon radish, root vegetables & squid.

After moved to North of the River, I often go to Coventry Village to buy some Japanese groceries, and when I do, I always but ingredients for oden.  I will write an easy recipe for oden (iconic Japanese winter dish) here on Umeboss some another time, but I had 1 pack of konnyaku left in the fridge and I decided to make nimono last night to accompany juicy karaage!

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<Nimono with Konnyaku & Beans>  serves 3~4

  • 1 pack Konnyaku (grey or white is available in Perth)
  • 1 cup Frozen green beans, cut
  • 90g Tinned salmon
  • 1 teaspoon Dashi powder
  • 2 tablespoons Sake
  • 1 tablespoon Mirin
  • 1 tablespoon Soy sauce

 

  1. Cut konnyaku into pieces.  I cut into small triangle.  Score konnyaku with sharp knife eso the flavour goes into the konnyaku.
  2. Place konnyaku in a colander, and pour boiling water (to remove the smell).
  3. Place drained konnyaku, beans and drained salmon in a pan with 1 cup of water and the rest of the ingredients.  Bring to boil, and simmer for 10~15 minutes.  Serve with steamed rice.

Beef Teriyaki Niku-Dango

Posted August 11th, 2015 in Food | No Comments »

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When I had leftover beef mince after cooking Japanese curry  , I quickly made this niku-dango (meatball) in another frying pan.  It’s a super quick recipe (done in 10 minutes!) and I thought I should show the recipe here 🙂

All you need is beef mince, minced garlic, and usual sauces for Japanese cuisine : sake (cooking wine), mirin (cooking sweet wine), and soy sauce.

 

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<Teriyaki Niku-Dango>  makes around 10 balls

  • 500g Beef mince
  • 1 teaspoon Minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon Sake
  • 2 tablespoons Mirin
  • 2 tablespoons Soy sauce

 

  1. Mix garlic mince with beef.
  2. Heat a frying pan and spray oil.  Shape beef mince into balls, and grill both side.
  3. Pour over the sauces, and simmer until the sauce thickens.
  4. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve with steamed rice & steamed vegetables.

 


“Bread of Happiness”

Posted August 10th, 2015 in Perth WA | No Comments »

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There will be a free Japanese film shown at Hyogo Cultural Centre in City Beach this Friday.

The film “Shiawase no Pan” (“Bread of Happiness”) is a 2012 Japanese drama film directed by Yukiko Mishima and starring Tomoyo Harada, Yo Oizumi and Kanna Mori.

<Plot> ” Rie and Nao own a bakery-cum-restaurant named Mani on the shores of Lake Toya, Hokkaido. Nao is the baker who bakes the bakery’s bread, while Rie is the chef who prepares the food in the restaurant. Graced with beautiful scenery throughout the four seasons, this shop serves a variety of customers, some of whom are experiencing personal problems. However, after they exit from the shop, they feel only happiness in their mind.”
– from official website

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I love this kind of soft Japanese drama.

There will be no admission fee, and some bread + drink will be provided to the visitors as well.

***  Shiawase-No-Pan **

When:
Friday 14th August 2015, 6PM~

Where:
Hyogo Cultural Centre
20 Kalinda Drive, City Beach
Western Australia 6015
(08) 9385 9002


Japanese Festival in Spring

Posted August 4th, 2015 in Perth WA | No Comments »

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It’s August now and we are in the middle of winter in Perth.  It’s cold, but I noticed the day is getting longer compared to few weeks ago.  Spring may be just around the corner.

As spring approaches, I’m getting busy for the preparations for an event which will be held on 24th October in Melville.  I’m in a committee and in charge of kids activities.  This event, recently finalized its name as “Melville Matsuri”, is a festival introducing Japanese culture and background to local people.  It’s a charity event and there will be a lot of activities for all ages at a gold coin donation or even for FREE!

For children, there will be…

  • Yo-Yo (mizu-fusen)
  • Jinbei (Japan’s traditional summer dress) dress-up & photo booth
  • lucky dip
  • Japanese letter drawing on the body (like temporary tattoo using a non-toxic pen)
  • origami
  • uchiwa (Japan’s traditional fan) making

and much more.  There will also be a grand final of paper-plane competition for primary school children in City of Melville during the festival.

For adults, there will be…

  • ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement) demonstration & workshop
  • Japanese tea ceremony demonstration & workshop
  • kimono (Japanese traditional gown) demonstration & workshop

and much more.  Lots of displays & demonstration featuring Japanese culture (bonsai, taiko performance, cosplay etc) too.  And, of course, some yummy Japanese food & drinks!!

The final flyer hasn’t been completed yet, but as soon as it’s done I will post here again.

Melville Matsuri is on Saturday 24th October, 3pm ~ 9pm :
Paper plane competition 4pm – 5pm
Paper Plane film from 7pm – 9pm
All activities, workshop & food stalls 3pm – 6 or 7pm
At … Frederick Baldwin Park, Le Souef Dve, Kardinya WA

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On the same month, there will be another Japanese event in City Beach.  There is Hyogo Cultural Centre in City Beach, and Shichigosan ceremony will be held there on 10th of October.

Their vision is –
“To give these children an opportunity to experience this festival that they miss in Japan. It is the first time the children are officially allowed to wear their traditional clothes (also rite of passage).  The special ages of the children are 7, 5 & 3 years of age. The children are also given special 1000 year old sweets (Chitose-Ame) to ensure a long life.” (- from their 2014 website)  (they haven’t created 2015 version yet)

It’s a great opportunity for families with children aged 3, 5 or 7 who can’t go back to Japan but still want to cerebrate shichigosan.  They can do it here in Perth.  There will be some food stalls as well.  I’m not in committee of this event, but I am planning to sell some food at the stall.  My children are 4 & 1 years old, and we are going back to Japan next year so we will be cerebrating shichigosan then – so I’m not attending this event with my family.

Perth Shichigosan Festival is on Saturday 10th October, possibly 12pm ~ (not sure yet)
At … Hyogo Cultural Centre
20 Kalinda Dve, City Beach WA
(08) 9385 9002

I will update when it’s close to the date!