Chinese New Year events in London 2010

Films, Lion Dance, and Family Activities at Museum of London in Docklands.
A chance to see the brilliant Arthur Dong documentary Hollywood Chinese


Sunday 14th Feb at V&A Museum
10.30-17.00
Drop-in Design: Chinese New Year
Join us in celebrating Chinese new Year by designing a fabulous headdress, mask or badge inspired by tigers, dragons and zodiacs you find in the China Gallery.

Make puppets and Lanterns at the Horniman Museum

Free Tigers Photographic Exhibition @ National Geographic London

Family Events at the National Maritime Museum
http://www.nmm.ac.uk/visit/events/calendar/?by=4&keyword=chinese-new-year

Hong Kong Women's Film Making at Riverside Studios 25th Feb

Saturday 13 February 2010 @ National Portrait Gallery, Ondaatje Theatre & St Martin's Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields Church
The Confucius Institute for TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) would like to invite you to join in a great, big family celebration of the Chinese New Year. We will be bringing in the year of the tiger with a sensational Chinese dance and martial arts performances, storytelling of ancient Chinese legends, as well as a few crafts and games for those who like to get a bit messy. Times: 11:30 – 5:00, shows start at 12pm, 2pm,4pm.

http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/events#event154

Playlist 11th Feburary 2010

• Media Control – Cha Cha (Jahtari production)
  
• Put it In Your Pocket – Soom T (another Jahtari production)
  
• Money Slaves – Cha Cha (pics of Cha Cha with Clive Chin in Shanghai above, courtesy of Steve Barker)
  
• Where is the Lady - Lim Ling & The Silvertones (Singapore A-Go-Go CD, Sublime Frequencies)
  
• I Love Boh Boh Cha Cha - The Stylers feat. Johnny Teo (7” 45 EP)
  
• Four Seasons of Heartahce Part 1 - Zhou Hsuan (Pathe 100 CD)
  
• Good Luck in the New Year - Linda Yong & The Silvertones (Singapore A-Go-Go CD, Sublime Frequencies)
  
• Valorian - Hong Kong in the 60s remix (the original is on Arthur & Martha's album Navigation (on Happy Robots). This remix should hopefully be released as part of a download EP on Shelflife records).
  
• Soon You’ll Be Gone – The Blues Busters (And This is a Ska Explosion CD, Debutante)
  
• Rukumbine - Shenley Duffus (And This is a Ska Explosion CD, Debutante)
  
• Dragon (Wood) – Shanghai Traditional Chinese Orchestra (Chinese Feng Shui Music CD)
  

Gong Xi Fa Cai Cupcakes

www.cookieheaven.com.my

The Princetones After the Rain soundtrack

I've just stumbled across this great Rocksteady soundtrack, really enjoying it. The CD was released by John John Records a couple of years ago. The lead singer is Zoe Devlin (Devlin Love)of Alabama 3.
It accompanies the film After the Rain by Gaelle Denis which you can see here:

The New Yuen Wo Ping Movie

Now I'm excited, this looks pretty fantastic. Forget all the disappointments, all the times you've seen Yuen Wo Ping's name attached to a film and it has turned out to be yet another epic martial arts bag of blah. Beautiful but boring and worthy (The Banquet), given the Hollywood schmaltz treatment (The Forbidden Kingdom) or maybe you're just tired of slo-mo action shots, billowing costumes, wire fighting, lame story lines and CGI phonieness. Perhaps you have epic martial arts film fatigue? It is a common condition these days.

Those were projects that Yuen Wo Ping merely action-directed, he is directing this film. Let us not forget the legacy:
Drunken Master, The Buddhist Fist, Iron Monkey, The Tai-Chi Master and Wing Chun.

Yuen Wo Ping has also been action director on some great films Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (I know some will argue with this one but it's my list and I love Michelle Yeoh!), Fearless, Kung Fu Hustle and Kill Bill 1&2.

Not sure when True Legend (aka Beggar Su - I prefer that title, too many films with 'Legend' in the title already) will get a UK release but I'll keep you posted. Talking of UK releases, Ponyo is coming.......

Lucky Cat Series 4 Episode 3 - 4th Feb 2010

Lucky Cat

Lucky Cat Series 4 Episode 3 - 4th Feb 2010

In this episode I am joined in the studio by special guests Hong Kong in the 60s.
Playlist:

• Stop the Wedding - Etta James (Argo 7" 45)
  
• Shuang Shuang Yan - Deng Bai Ying (In the Mood For Love soundtrack)
  
• Footsteps - Hong Kong in the 60s (Willow Pattern Songs EP)
  
• Love Me Well - Feng Fei Fei
  
• Will the Orange Blossom Smile - Rebecca Pan
  
• When You Were Dreaming - Hong Kong in the 60s (new track from forthcoming album)
  

Spring onion and sesame seed buns are in the lunch box, I got the recipe here.

Lucky Cat Series 4 Episode 2 - 28th Jan 2010

Lucky Cat Series 4 Episode 2 -

Lucky Cat

Listen to my interview with Jo Ho, creator of the new CBBC drama series Spirit Warriors. Chinese chicken livers and mooli & pork dumplings are frying in the pan for the Dim Sum Lunch Box. Rocksteady legend Lynn Taitt recently passed away so hear some of his Reggae guitar tunes too.

Lucky Cat Series 4 Episode 1 - 21st Jan 2010

Lucky Cat Series 4 Episode 1 - 21st Jan 2010

Lucky Cat

Here's Episode 1 of the new series, dried shrimp pancakes are in the lunch box and lots of music from Chang Loo.

Hong Kong in the 60s

Tomorrow night my special guests will be London band Hong Kong in the 60s. I'll be chatting with the band about their influences and their style (love this photo of them, very Wong Kar Wai!). I have asked them to bring in some vintage Chinese sounds from their record and tape collections.
Food will also be tasted and discussed. Probably some kind of bun.
Listen live on Resonance 104.4FM in London or via www.resonancefm.com anywhere, 7-8pm.

If you're on Facebook you can listen via the player there, and why not join the Lucky Cat Radio Group?

Mooli and Pork Dumplings

Blimey dumpling crimping is hard, as I found out when I attempted for the first time ever to make my own dumplings. Well, I did cheat a little by using ready bought frozen dumpling skins but they were almost from scratch.

First I peeled and grated half a mooli (smallish one, about 20cm in length)
Then I salted the mooli and left it aside in a bowl for 10mins or so

Next I chopped some ginger and garlic (2 teaspoons each, roughly)
I then took 230g of pork sausage meat (or you can use minced pork) out the fridge.

Wok time. I heated the veg oil up and threw in the garlic and ginger, followed swiftly by the sausage meat. Seasoning: a pinch of five spice powder, dash of soya sauce, dash of mirin, dash of white wine vinegar (I was out of rice wine) and a sprinkle of sugar.

Remember the mooli? I got it and squeezed it in my hands to get the water out before adding it to the wok.

When everything looked ready I transferred the dumpling filling to a bowl and let it cool. When it was cool enough to handle I got my little dumpling flour rounds and put a teaspoon or so of the filling in and folded them in half. Then came the tricky bit, crimping the edges to seal the deal. Must practice!

You can steam, boil or fry. Best served with chilli dip and/or Chinese sweet black vinegar.

Learn to Drive with Grace Chang

Korean Film Breathless (Ddonpari) out now in selected cinemas

The debut film from Yang Ik-Joon is out now in selected cinemas. The film has won international acclaim and awards and is about a loan shark who befriends a schoolgirl. Time Out has called it "an extra-strength cinema experience".
I hope to see the film shortly and give you my review.
Breathless is showing at the ICA in London and at other independent cinemas. Distributed by Terracotta.

Playlist 28th January 2010

Reggae Rocksteady guitarist Lynn Taitt sadly passed away last week. I shall be playing tracks from his career in music over the series. RIP.
Jamaica Observer Obituary.

• Red China - Skatalites (King Edwards 7" 45)
  
• 2046 Theme - Shigeru Umebayashi (2046 Soundtrack CD)
  
• Chinese Ghost Story Theme - Leslie Cheung
  
• Duppy Conqueror - Bob Marley and the Wailers (African Herbsman LP)
  
• Zombie Jamboree - Lord Jellicoe (Dip And Fall Back (Classic Jamaican Mento) CD)
  
• Chinese Title - Wong Ching Yian (7" 45 from Singapore)
  
• You Have Caught Me - Lynn Taitt
  
• Mr Dooby - Lynn Taitt (Exclusive Rocksteady 1966-1968 Vol.01 CD)
  
• The Hula Hula Twist - Grace Chang (Pathe 100 CD)
  
• Twistin' Pneumonia - Roy C (Ember 7" 45)
  
• Suddenly - Eric 'Monty' Morris (King Edwards 7" 45, B Side to Red China)
  

Lucky Cat Toilet Paper

From jlist.com

Thanks Morgan for drawing my attention to this product. I wouldn't mind a Lucky Cat slip mat for my turntable, anyone seen one?

Dried Shrimp Pancakes

Economical and Delicious

To make one pancake use...
For the pancake mixture:
2 desert spoons gram flour
A little water
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon Tianjin preserved veg (salty cabbage)
1 spring onion, chopped finely
A few beansprouts
1 desert spoon dried shrimps
A little veg oil

First mix the water and gram flour in a little bowl with a fork and try to make a smooth mixture.
In a small pan heat up the oil and put in the spring onion, dried shrimps, preserved cabbage and beansprouts. Pour the batter mixture over and cook (low heat) until ready to flip over. Serve with some chilli sauce and a few more beansprouts as garnish.

This is an amalgamation of a dried shrimp pancake recipe I found at Rasa Malaysia and an Indian pancake recipe a friend gave me. If you liek extra heat add fresh chilli to the frying pan.

Playlist 21st January 2010

Episode 1 Series 4 of Lucky Cat on Resonance FM

• Duck Soup - The Drumbago Allstars
  
• Who Does Not Care - Yao Lee (Miss Yao Lee Sings LP)
  
• Tonight - Chang Loo (Pathe 100 CD)
  
• Sixty Minute Man - The Dominoes (Risque Rhythm & Blues CD)
  
• Soul Food - Lynn Tait & The Jets
  
• Cabbage Greens - Champion Jack Dupree (Triumph of the Blues Vol 9 CD)
  
• Couples and Pairs - Yao Lee (Miss Yao Lee Sings LP)
  
• Talking About Fighting Skill - Siao Fong Fong & Chan Pao Chu (Steal the Red String Box soundtrack EP)
  
• Chinese Mambo - Chang Loo
  
• Crying in the Chapel (Jamaican Style) - Elvis (7" Remix)
  
• Oh Susannah - Chang Loo & Xiao Loo (Pathe 100 CD)
  
• Hey Good Looking - Hank Williams
  

Lucky Cat Series 4 On Air Tomorrow

Lucky Cat returns to Resonance FM for a fourth series tomorrow night at 7pm on Resonance 104.4FM.
An assortment of vinyl and mp3 treats from Kowloon to Kingston, movie reviews, live music, guests and recipes. Check this blog for details or sign up to the Lucky Cat mailing list by emailing me at luckycatzoe at gmail.com
Alternatively if you're on Facebook then join the Lucky Cat Radio Group.

Listen live on Resonance 104.4FM in London or via www.resonancefm.com anywhere.

Spirit Warriors - CBBC Goes East!

Here's the trailer for the new children's drama series Spirit Warriors created and written by Jo Ho for CBBC. Watch the first episode this Friday 22nd January 5:45pm on CBBC (freeview) or tune in to BBC 2 on Sunday 24th Jan at 9:30am.
Links:
www.missjoho.com
Dimsum.co.uk review

Chinatown London 1947

I've only recently discovered this excellent resource site - Pathe newsreels are archived and available to watch online. Whilst doing a random search for 'calypso' on the site (as you do) I came up with this little gem and what do you know, London's Chinatown is featured straight away! The calypso nightclub is in Reel 2 and well worth checking out (great jiving moves from the customers). It is a little like a round the world tour, designed to show the capital as a multicultural entertainment zone where you can eat chop suey followed by Russian vodka and Calypso Be-Bop dancing.
After the war rationing was still in place and this is mentioned in the film - rice was not available for instance. I love the line about the pandas in the zoo being the only ones who could get real bamboo shoots!
I have searched for further info on the Chinese restaurant Leyons but not come up with anything so far. It looks like it opened in the late 1930s because of its wonderful Art Deco style.

LONDON'S NIGHTWORLD - reel 1