Ripe Mango Som Tam

I have recently categorised all my 'Food' posts and I couldn't believe that I haven't posted a som tam recipe. A shocking emission as it is one of my favourite dishes. Traditionally this Thai salad is made with green papaya, I also like the green mango version but you can use other types of fruit too. This one was made with large fresh ripe mangoes (the type most commonly found in the UK).

My Mango Som Tam Recipe

Dry roast a handful of mixed nuts in a frying pan. Leave to cool.

Next make the dressing in a mortar and pestle:

• Crush two cloves of garlic
  
• Add a teaspoon of brown sugar or palm sugar and crush that in
  
• Add the juice of a small lime, you should be getting a nice paste now
  
• De-seed and chop up 2 fresh Thai chillies. More if you like it spicier.
  
• Keep pounding and add some fish sauce - about a tablespoon or less if you are not a salt freak like me.
  

OK that's the dressing done. Now get a nicely ripened mango and cut it into strips. Cut up a few baby tomatoes too and put in a salad bowl with the mango strips. Pour over the dressing. Then put your dry roasted nuts into the mortar and pestle and crush up a bit. Add them to the salad and mix in.
Usually I like to add dried shrimps too but I didn't have any so I served it with some Tean's Gourmet crispy prawn chilli (I seem to serve that with everything these days, addictive stuff).

Food Blogs

May I recommend some food blogs:

1) Fuck Yeah Condiments
Because your fridge MUST have at least one condiment shelf and your cupboard too. It's the only way to live.

2) Anna Chen Eats
And she eats good. Recipes and restaurant reviews; I'm looking forward to more posts on this new blog.

3)Rasa Malaysia
Malaysian food combines Chinese, Indian and Indonesian flavours. I think I'm in food heaven.

4)Chez Pim
The best Thai recipes I have found online. Pim is a foodie extraordinaire, step into her world, you'll leave hungry.

Ruan Lingyu & Li Lili 'Little Toys' 1933

I recently watched the Stanley Kwan biopic/documentary Center Stage (1994) starring Maggie Cheung. The film follows the life of legendary Chinese silent film actress Ruan Lingyu and I realised that I would like to try and see some more of her films. Some years ago I was lucky enough to see her most well known feature The Goddess (1934) on the big screen at a film festival in London.
Little Toys (Xiaowanyi) is a film she made in 1933 alongside friend and fellow actress Lili Li (pictured), directed by Sun Yu.

Maggie Cheung Talking About Acting & Copyright in Art

Maggie Cheung Man Yuk - Your Views Please

I'm preparing a podcast feature on Maggie Cheung and I'd love to know your favourite Maggie movies. From beauty queen to award winning art house actress and now film composer Maggie has had quite a career. Please let me know your favourite films and moments by either leaving a comment below or emaailing me : luckycatzoe at gmail.com

Thank you.

Here are some of my favourite Maggie movies:

• The Heroic Trio - female superhero caper co-starring Anita Mui and Michelle Yeoh. Here come the girls!
  
  
• Center Stage - Stanley Kwan's Biopic of Chinese silent film star Ruan Lingyu (thanks to Dave @ Soft Film). Kwan lights her cheekbones beautifully and Maggie truly embodies the character of the glamorous and emotionally vulnerable movie star. An amazing wardrobe of qi paos rivalled only by....
  
  
• In the Mood for Love - Wong Kar Wai's masterpiece. Celluloid yearning that breaks your heart and satisfies your soul. Maggie and Tony Leung act their silk stockings and cotton socks off (respectively).
  
  
• Irma Vep - (pictured) Directed by Olivier Assayas (Maggie's now ex husband), a film about the film making process and French cinema in particular. Maggie plays herself, cast in a remake of Louis Feuillade's classic silent serial Les vampires. An amazing catsuit and some postmodern chortling.
  

She may have started out as a bubblegum teen beauty queen but Maggie Cheung has developed into one of the finest actors on the planet. Maggie Cheung Man Yuk I drink to you, ganbei!

Funny Women - Comdedy night at Asia House 17th June

PAWA (The Pan Asian Organisation of Women) presents a night of comedy with an all female line up.

Shazia Mirza, award winning stand up comedian and columnist, is headlining. Joanne Lau, runner up in the 2007 Funny Women Awards is supporting and there will be a chance for brand new talent to showcase their comedy at the start of the evening. All hosted by Sajeela Kershi.

Thursday 17 June 2010
at Asia House, 63 New Cavendish Street, London W1G 7LP
Doors 6:30pm & Welcome Drink
Performance 7:00 - 8:30pm
£12 (Members & Concession)
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/78266
£15 Non members
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/78265

(Ticket prices include welcome drink and bar nibbles)

C.F.O.C - Paris shopping

As my earlier post states I visited a wonderful store whilst in Paris recently. It has been there since 1966 I think - Compagnie Francasie de l'Orient et de la Chine (170 Boulevard Haussman). Due to the bad exchange rate and my lack of funds in general I was unable to go totally crazy and buy an antique deco light or a wonderful cherry red 1950's fish shaped clock. I did however pick up these little gems:


A double happiness (shuang xi) mug perfect fro either beer or tea (the sight of soya-milky tea in a glass mug gives me a warm glow, can't explain why).


Monkey! I paid too much for this but my heart wouldn't let me leave the shop without it. I wondered if it had started life as a jar, like the nutella or mustard jars you get in France with cartoon characters on. I remember getting some lovely Chinese honey jars/glasses until Chinese honey was banned here in the UK for a while.

Paris

It was pouring with rain in Paris so I didn't stand around to take a photo but we saw this fabulous red Chinese building which is now some kind of a private gallery.
Picture on Flickr.
Nearby there's a Chinese department store, it has been trading for 20 years or so and has beautiful crockery, antique furniture and nick nacks and clothes. I found a Monkey (Journey to the West ) glass which I could not bare to part with so parted with some Euros and now it is mine, mwahh ha ha ha ha. Picture to follow when my holiday is over. Right, no more blogging, I'm en vacance!

Nina

No special reason, just found this great clip and wanted to share.
The one and only Nina Simone.

Vote Terracotta

The Far East Film Festival, Terracotta, comes to the Prince Charles cinema tomorrow (Thursday 6th May). The opening film is Jackie Chan's latest Chinese movie Little Big Soldier (which does not have any tie in deals with supermarkets but is a film worth watching).
All the films in the festival are being shown at the cult "Prince Charles cinema in London's Leicester Square. Here are some of the movies that I am looking forward to:

• Development Hell: A documentary about the making of the historical epic martial arts film Bodyguards & Assassins. As the title suggests it was a rocky road and took 9 years to complete.
  (Friday 7th May 2pm)
  
  
  
  
• Bodyguards & Assassins: Director Teddy Chen will be in town to give an intro and Q&A on the film. A star studded production (Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Nicholas Tse, Fan Bing Bing, Simon Yam) which tells the story of an attempted assination attempt on Sun Yat Sen in 1903 when he visited Hong Kong. Watch out for Eric Tsang playing the Chief of Police with a Poirot style moustache!
  This is an epic film which deserves to be seen on the big screen.
  (Sunday 9th May 6.10pm)
  
  
• Fish Story
  Can a Japanese band's punk rock song save the world? Mmm, perhaps, do you remember how yodelling saved the world from the martians in Tim Burton's Mars Attacks?
  (Friday 7th May 3.15pm)
  
  
• Accident
  Hong Kong thriller produced by Johnny To and directed by Soi Cheang. A team of professional killers whose work always looks like accidents are stumped when the tables are turned. Noir Hong Kong style.
  Q&A with Xavier Jamaux (soundtrack composer).
  (Friday 7th May 6pm)
  
  
  
  
• Antique
  A Korean movie on the big screens in the UK that isn't violent! Hurrah. A comedy based on a manga about a cake shop with romantic farce. Looks like delicious foodie fun (no live octopus eating).
  (Saturday 8th May 1pm)
  
  
• In the Mood for Doyle & Yakuza Eiga
  Documentary double bill: 1 Christopher Doyle, Wong Kar Wai's cinematographer of choice. 2 The impact of yakuza (Japanese gangsters) on cinema.
  Q&A with director Yves Montmayeur.
  (Saturday 8th May 3.25pm)
  
  
• Vengeance
  Johnny To action thriller starring the great HK stalwart Anthony Wong Chau Sang and French crooner and national treasure Johnny Hallyday. Expect gun shots a go go and serious male brooding!
  (Saturday 8th May 6.15pm)
  

For a full programme visit terracottafestival.com

On Saturday night there's a Japan Party at the Slug & Lettuce (or should that be the Eel & Mizuna?) Lisle Street (Chinatown). I'll be DJing before bands Peter Parker Rocks and Sunset Drive perform live. (Part of It Came From Japan). For full details see the Facebook Event Page.

cherry blossom

Resonance FM Fundraiser Weekend

Resonance FM has been on air for 8 years and to celebrate and ensure another 5 years of outstanding broadcasting they are having a fundraising marathon this weekend.

Sat 1st May 12noon-12midnight: Johnny Trunk hosts
Sun 2nd May 12noon-12midnight: Bob & Roberta Smith hosts

Special guests will drop by and some marvellous items are up for auction, check out the Resonance site: resonancefm.com/fundraiser

Or you can always donate right now!

Please help to support Resonance who work tirelessly to provide interesting, intelligent and exciting new radio programmes for London and beyond. All presenters and engineers work voluntarily to provide you the listener with something other, something a little different, something advert free and good for your soul!

Thank you.

Clive Chin

Last week I had the honour and the privilege of interviewing the legendary Chinese Jamaican Reggae producer Mr Clive Chin.

Clive is the son of Vincent Chin (whose Chinese father moved from mainland China to the West Indies in the 1920s). Vincent Chin opened the the music store and then recording studio Randy's in Kingston Jamaica way back in 1957. Artists to record on the Randy's label included Alton Ellis, John Holt and Lord Creator.

Clive Chin began working at the store and studio aged 15 and in the 1970s began to produce tracks of his own, starting up the Impact! record label. His first big record as a producer was with his school friend Augustus Pablo (aka Horace Swaby, the melodica playing dub legend!)- Java.

I talked with Clive about the influence of Chinese music in Reggae and he mentioned some tracks he produced with an Eastern flavour. One of which is this superb Tommy McCook number Harvest in the East which was the instrumental B side to Dennis Brown's The Cheater:


This track can be found on the compilation LP Impact! .

Clive took a break from music production when he left Jamaica in 1978. He moved to New York and had a Jamaican restaurant there for ten years or so. Now he is very much back in the music business and manages the Randy's back catalogue along with Impact! and some other selected labels. And what a catalogue of music, in 2007 Randy's celebrated 50 years and brought out the box set 2 CD anthology with documentary DVD:



I talked at length with Clive about his Chinese Jamaican roots, other notable Chinese Jamaicans in the music business and his historical knowledge of Jamaican music. I have recorded the interview for a future radio project which I hope to tell you about very soon.

In the meantime check out Clive Chin's Myspace page and listen to the FRESH NEW CHINESE REGGAE TUNE FEAT SHANGHAI's CHA CHA!!!! As you can tell I am very excited about this, Clive is pressing 500 10" vinyl copies of this tune which is a combination track with Cha Cha (singing in Mandarin) and veteran DJ Rankin Joe. When the discs are ready I will be sure to let you all know where you can get you hands on them (I'm first in the queue though, obviously!).

Fong Fong's got the moves!

Podcast & Playlist Lucky Cat Series 4 Episode 12 - Terracotta Film Festival

Lucky Cat Series 4 Episode 12 - 8th April 2010

Lucky Cat

For the last episode in the series I am joined by Joey from Terracotta Film distribution to discuss the upcoming Far East Film Festival (6-9th May, Prince Charles Cinema London).

Playlist:

She Does it to Me Right - Jimmy Cliff (produced by Leslie Kong, B side to Vietnam 7")

Jackie Chan - The Toasters (from the CD Don't let the Bastards Grind You Down)

The Ussuri Boatmen's Song - Kuo Sung, a Ho-chih nationality folk song (1964 LP Peking in Melody, China Record Company)

Hong Thong Daw Udon: Isan - (Siamese Soul: Thai Pop Spectacular vol 2, Sublime Frequencies CD)

Buttercup (I'm a Supergirl) - Shonen Knife (Powerpuff Girls: Heroes and Villains CD)

I Love Boh Boh Cha Cha - The Stylers feat Johnny Teo (7" EP of same name)

Footsteps - Hong Kong in the 60's (Last Skeptik Remix)

Links:
Lucky Cat blog
Terracotta Film Festival
Lucky Cat Radio Facebook Group

Terracotta Film Festival

On tonight's Lucky Cat radio show, I'll be joined live in the studio by Joey from Terracotta Distribution about the upcoming Terracotta Far East Film Festival.

This unique film festival features 15 hand-picked films from Hong Kong, China, Japan, South Korea, and Thailand. Block busters such as the Jackie Chan film Little Big Soldier will be screened alongside lesser known nuggets such as the Korean musical comedy Antique.
I'm really looking forward to the epic Teddy Chan directed film Bodyguards and Assassins and am delighted to see there is also a documentary on the making of this film Development Hell (guess the title says it all!).

There's also a documentary on East Asian cinematographer of choice Christopher Doyle which is part of a double bill with another documentary by the same director, Yves Montmayeur , Yakuza Eiga (the history of yakuza cinema).

All this and a Johnny To film starring Lucky Cat favourite Anthony Wong Chau San and French national singing treasure Johnny Hallyday - Vengeance!

Last Episode of Lucky Cat Series 4 Tonight!

Tonight the fourth series of Lucky Cat draws to a close - cue the violins (or should that be erhus?)! I have thoroughly enjoyed making this series and have had some great guests - Hong Kong in the 60's, Mira Stout, Alex Fitch and Jo Ho. Still there are many topics I didn't get round to covering - The 7 Princesses of Cantonese Cinema, readings from Wuxia novels, the image of Shanghai in Western cinema, interviewing Anna Chen (had to postpone dues to illness), the world of Doraemon & Hello Kitty - Japanese characters of cuteness. Hopefully I can include all these in series 5, watch this space.

In the meantime enjoy tonight's show, I'll be chatting to Joey from Terracotta Distribution about the upcoming Terracotta Far East Film Festival (see next post).

7pm Resonance 104.4FM www.resonancefm.com

To stay in touch please join the Lucky Cat Facebook group or email me luckycatzoe at gmail.com

Previous episodes of series 4 can be found here:
luckycat.podomatic.com

I'll be recording some exclusive podcast only mixes over the next few months so stay tuned.

Thanks for listening and thanks for all your interest and support I really appreciate it.

Lucky Cat Club - Fri 30th April @Arts Bar

To celebrate series 4 of the radio show Lucky Cat (last episode next Thursday 8th April) I'm having a party. I've invited special guest Jean-Paul Séculaire (Right On! club and author of the London Dossier) to do a DJ set. I'll be playing too of course, vintage sounds from Shanghai to New York - from Yao Lee to Brenda Lee! Chef Malcolm will be running an East Asian bakes n' cakes stall and I'll be screening Shaw Brothers films on the walls of the lovely Arts Bar.

Arts Bar is tucked away above the Funky Monkey in Camberwell, a great bar with plenty of room to dance as well as sofas to lounge on.

So get your cheongsams drycleaned now!

Exhibition of Contemporaray Chinese Art in London @ Iniva

Lu Chunsheng & Jia Aili : Counterpoints
31st March - 15th May 2010

Both artists are interested in the rapid modernisation of society and the individual's relationship to the machine.

• The first man who bought a juicer bought it not for drinking juice (2008)
  A film by Lu Chunsheng which mixes documentary and fantasy to theatrical effect.
  The film commissioned and produced by Artpace San Antonio and supported by ShanghART Gallery, China.
  
  
• Make Believe... at Rivington Place is Jia Aili's first solo exhibition in Europe, with new paintings and a site specific piece for the window overlooking Rivington Street (see picture above).
  
  Living and working in Beijing, Jia Aili presents monumental new paintings reflecting on the human condition, and the individual's vulnerability in a rapidly developing world.
  

FREE! @
Iniva, Rivington Place, London EC2A 3BA

Lucky Cat Podcast Series 4 Ep 10 (25/11/2010)

Lucky Cat Podcast Series 4 Ep 10 (25/3/2010)

Lucky Cat

Wu Jinglue
"Sunny Spring" (mp3)
from "Sunny Spring"
(Silverwolf)

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The recipe in the Dim Sum Lunch Box is a version of Thai Moo Wan. I found the original at the wonderful Chez Pim.

For show's fill Playlist please see below.