"In Japan your education never ends. In 2012 I was introduced to a nigiri hand technique that takes 20 years to master I think that is fascinating" - Zoë Escher

In Denmark Zoë is a recognized sushi chef.

January 2019: Zoë was the judge for the daily newspaper Politiken in connection with testing food for their readers.
2016: Zoë held the official opening speech and opened the fair Formland Spring 2016 in Messecenter Herning in Denmark. At the opening of the fair there were 49 people from the press, 20 VIP and 271 exhibitors.
2015: Zoë has made sushi and Japanese dishes as private dining at home of US ambassador in Denmark Rufus Gifford.
2013: Rated as Denmark's sushi expert no. 1 by gourmet supermarket chain Irma. Zoë was also guest judget at Masterchef Denmark season 3. Zoë has made sushi and Japanese dishes as staff food to the 3 star Michelin restaurant Geranium.

Zoë is known from Danish magazines and TV such as Copenhagen Food, ALT for Damerne, Berlingske, Femina, IN, Mad & Bolig, TV3 and the consumer council magazine “THINK”.

Reference: Restaurant Geranium***, A.P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Ikea, Novartis, Velux, Takeda Pharma, Haldore Topsøe, Dansk Byggeri, Deloitte, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Symphogen and many more.

Sushi class for beginners

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sushi
The cooking class Sushi course for beginners is for people who would like to learn how to make different kinds of delicious Japanese sushi. In the long run you can save money by making your own sushi.

You learn how to boil the perfect sushi rice.
You learn about the Japanese ingredients used for sushi.
You learn about what you should be aware of when buying fish from the fishmonger.
You learn to prepare different kinds of raw materials for sushi.
You learn to make several different kinds of tasty sushi rolls.

Please read more about the cooking class  Sushi for beginners
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Zoë has held sushi courses and cooking classes for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

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When will it be possible to travel to Japan?

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As one of the few countries in the world, Japan has been hardest hit by the shutdown in connection with Corona entered in 2020.
All types of visas were suspended and borders were closed to the whole world. They still are.

However, Japan has gradually begun to allow business travelers and students to travel into the country. They still need to be quarantined.

In the last 2 years, Japan had several shutdowns some regions such as Tokyo have been shut down on a regular basis due to the population density. Face mask are not unknown in Japan. In 2004 when I visited the country for the first time, I saw Japanese walking around with face mask.

Temperature measurement is also used in several places in Japan such as in hotels.

When Japan opens up to tourists is hard to tell. My guess will be autumn 2022 or spring 2023. It will definitely be a country where one has to have a negative test when traveling into the country. I can also imagine being tested on arrival at the airport.
There will most likely be quarantine rules of varying duration depending on how many vaccines one has received.

Read more about Sushi chef & sake sommelier Zoë Escher

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Cooking class: Traditional Japanese cooking class for beginners

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Traditional Japanese everyday dishes
The cooking class Traditional Japanese cooking class for beginners is for people who would like to learn how to make various traditional Japanese dishes.
In cooking class you are introduced to healthy Japanese dishes which offers lots of colors, taste and the secret to the Japanese long life.

You learn about the Japanese ingredients such as mirin and cooking sake and how it is used in authentic Japanese cooking.
You get knowledge of what to look for when you buy fish, meat and other raw materials.
You learn to prepare different kinds of raw materials by applying Japanese cooking techniques.
You learn step-by-step how to make tasty dishes like gyoza, a noodle dish with seafood and teriyaki salmon with side dish.

Please read more about the cooking class Traditional Japanese cooking class for beginners

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Zoë has held sushi courses and cooking classes for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.
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Can all types of ingredients be used in a Japanese noodle soup?

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Noodle soup
Basically yes.

In Japan, noodle soups are considered a fast food dish. Like so many the Japanese lives a busy life. They work 10-15 hours a day and have family, friends and leisure activities that also need to be taken care of. Noodle soups are suitable for a busy everyday life, which is often eaten on the way from work.

In Japan, noodle soups are the Japanese answer to pizza and shawarma.

In Japan, many more types of stock are made for such as pork, chicken and fish for noodle soups. For the soups, many different types of raw materials and ingredients are used for and, this means that there are no 2 noodle bars that make the same soup.

In the Japanese noodle Soup course for beginners, you learn step by step to make 2 very different noodle soups, which can be enjoyed all year round.

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Boost your health with 14 days of Okinawa miso soup – Super food!

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Okinawa Miso Soup - Super Food
Spring is here and just in a little while summer is waiting around the corner.

Like most others, I need to boost my health with sun light and healthy food.
It looks like spring is here to stay with days filled with blue cloudless sky with warm rays of the sun.

Like my home, it’s time for a spring clean.
After a long winter, my body gets an extra boost of nourishing and healthy vitamins. There I always turn to Japanese cuisine.

Basically, Japanese cuisine is composed in a way that either detoxifies or nourishes the body. Japanese cuisine is divided in such a way that some restaurants make dishes that are adapted to a busy everyday life, while other restaurants offer dinners that can be enjoyed over several hours on the weekend.

Especially on busy weekdays, the body may need an extra loving boost.
That is why I have made a 14-day course where you can give the body renewed energy with quite a few raw materials.
It is a course that you will receive by email and download to your computer.

Read more about 14 day Okinawa miso soup – Super food

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Cooking class: Japanese noodle soup for beginners

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The cooking class Japanese noodle soup for beginners is for people who would like to learn how to make the Japanese noodle soup such as ramen soup.

A noodle soup is not a noodle soup in Japan it is the Japanese’s favorite fast food, which is healthy and stuffed with vitamins and minerals.

In this course, you will learn how to make dashi from scratch, just like Japanese chefs in Tokyo.
When you attend the course, you learn step by step, to use Japanese ingredients that give the unique flavors and aromas that know Japanese ramen soup.

Ramen

You learn how to make healthy and tasty noodle soups which is very popular on a busy day.
You larn how to make Japanese stock by using traditional Japanese raw materials.
You learn how to know the difference between different kind of noodle used in noodle soup.
You work with different Japanese cooking techniques and, cut different vegetables, meats and soy products.
You learn to make 2 tasty and healthy noodle soups that are made from scratch with classical raw materials.

NOTE: This year Noodle soup course is only planned on 4 September 2021 and 13 November 2021.

Read more about the cooking class Japanese noodle soup for beginners

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Zoë has held sushi courses and cooking classes for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

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How much salmon is eaten in Japan?

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Salmon
Salmon is a fish that lives in Scandinavia.
The climate in Japan is tropical which means different type of fish is living at those latitudes.

One of the fish that lives naturally in the oceans around Japan is the tuna. Tuna has been and still is one of the Japanese’s favorite fish for centuries. The tuna is having a hard time. The demand for tuna is very high, but there are quotas for how many can be caught per year.

In Japan, the interest in salmon has been steadily rising.
In 2017, Scandinavian salmon filled refrigerated display cases in local Japanese supermarkets. The Scandinavian salmon is of such good quality that Japanese fish buyers visit Denmark and other countries to assess the quality of salmon.

Among Japanese children and adults, salmon has become a sought-after fish. It is a fish that are suitable for many different types of dishes. Some prefer to eat raw salmon, while others enjoy cooking the salmon on a pan or in the oven. The possibilities are many.

At Traditional Japanese food course for beginners and Sushi course for beginners, you will learn how to make tasty dishes with salmon.

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

That’s why soy sauce is a spice!

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Yes, it is true. In Japan, soy sauce is considered a spice.

Before I was trained as a sushi chef, I did not know much about soy sauce. I did not know what the difference between soy sauce produced in China, Korea and Japan was.
I had one soy sauce in my kitchen that I used for all types of dishes from wok dishes for spring rolls.

Back in 2006 while becoming a Japanese Sushi Chef, I quickly found out that it does matter which soy sauce is used in dishes from the classic Japanese cuisine or for sushi.

In Japan, soy sauce is the main spice it is a way to season the food. If you use a soy sauce for tempura which is too salt, you will not be able to taste the food. It does matter which soy sauce is used for different dishes.

In Tokyo, if you visit a Japanese supermarket you will quickly discover that there are as many different soy sauce as cheese in a Danish supermarket.

At the Sushi course for beginners, you learn, among other things which soy sauce is best suited for sushi in order that you get the most value for your money and at the dinner table.

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

What kind of stock is used for noodle soups in Japan?

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Sushi chef & sake sommerlier Zoë Escher
In Japan, many different kinds of stock are used for noodle soups.
The most popular are fish, pork and chicken. In Tokyo, restaurants and dinning places often make stock from scratch. Some stock takes many hours to make as Japanese ingredients are added at different stages in the preparation of the stock. The Japanese ingredients add to the stock gives the unique taste and aromas that characterize Japanese soups in Japan.

They are a little different what the Japanese families do.
Not all families have time for a busy day to make a stock. In Tokyo, supermarkets sell different types of stock. Some funds need to be dissolved in boiling water, while others are available by the glass.

Just like in Denmark, stocks can be bought in powder form or, as ready-made in a supermarket, but it can never replace a stock that is made from scratch. A stock made from scratch has a completely different taste and aromas that are not available in the powder version.

In the Noodle Soup course for beginners, you will learn how to make classic Japanese dashi stock, which forms the entire stock of Japanese cuisine a stock that is made in the same way as in the restaurants in Tokyo.

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Does the quality of sushi rice have an impact on sushi?

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Sushi rice
The quality of sushi rice has a very big impact on the food.
There is no doubt that when using good quality sushi rice can be tasted. The sushi meal becomes a completely different experience when quality sushi rice is cooked in a way so that they are firm and soft in consistency.

In Denmark, there is not much difference in the quality of sushi rice that can be bought in stores. If you go to the USA or Japan, you can get many different types of sushi rice just as many as bread in a Danish supermarket.

It is not only Japan that grows rice for sushi. Countries like China, Korea, USA and some countries in Europe grow different kinds of sushi rice.

Sushi rice is harder to cook than other types of rice. Good quality sushi rice is easier to cook and, the consistency of the cooked sushi rice is also better.

At the Sushi course for beginners, you will learn what it takes to be successful in cooking sushi rice in your own kitchen.

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.