Maggie in Japan,
Foxtel (Lifestyle)
Wednesday, 2 August
Mark this one in your diary if you are a fan of cooking shows and the unsinkable Maggie Beer, culinary doyen and national treasure.
The 60-minute special takes Maggie on a culinary visit through Japan. With the help of both traditional and new wave chefs she immerses herself in the local food and lives of her guides, experiencing the essence of Japanese cuisine and unique cooking techniques in a way only she can.
This is a personal journey and goes above and beyond what we all know about Japanese cooking as Maggie meets up with friends old and new as she travels from Tokyo to Noto Peninsular and finally Osaka.
The challenge for Maggie is to return home to the Barossa and prepare a Japanese inspired feast for her friends (something she does in the end).
The tour starts in Tokyo, Maggie joins Koji Fukuda, a former head chef at Luke Mangan’s Salt and now owner of two restaurants in Tokyo. Koji invites Maggie in to his home during her Tokyo visit, preparing her an everyday family meal that provides inspiration for Maggie’s own Japanese feast. She also meets Kanejiro Kanemoto of Nodaiwa – a craftsman who has devoted his entire life (the past 60 years in his case) to cooking eels. Still in Tokyo she meets Hideki Ii a young chef marrying and interpreting both the Japanese and Western cuisines. There is also a visit to an Australian chef Ben Flatt (who has an Italian background) and his wife Chikako in rural Noto Peninsula where they run a typical Japanese inn and Michelin-star chef Osamu Ueno in Osako.
This is Japan and Japanese food Maggie-style, interesting, informative and fun.
– Tania Phillips
