Zoë Escher

What does onigiri mean?

by

5 healthy japanese onigiri for one
Onigiri is a Japanese word and means Japanese rice ball.
Rice plays an important role in Japanese cuisine. It is a staple food cuisine and is found in every Japanese home.
Most people have heard of short grain rice used for sushi rice. It is also the type of rice used for onigiri.
In Japan, the tasty rice ball contains one to two ingredients that compliment each other really well.

To ensure that the body also gets the vitamins and nutrition it needs, Sushi nori is wraped tightly, around the rice ball, so that it lies completely smooth. So with quite a few ingredients, rice ball embraces the entire diet pyramid.

Several have asked for healthy Japanese Onigiri. I have made a Mini e-book “5 healthy Japanese onigiri for 1”, where I teach you step by step how to make the tasty rice balls with filling.

Read more about  Mini ebook: 5 healthy Japanese onigiri for one, price 60 DKK

_
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.

When does the asparagus season start in Europe?

by


Asparagus is a vegetable that thrives in Europe.

In May the asparagus season starts, the green market abounds with several different types of asparagus.

The classic green asparagus which is full of flavors and aromas.

The white thick asparagus which has a more delicate and gentle asparagus taste. In Europe the white asparagus is more in demand than the green asparagus.

In selected supermarkets and at market markets you can also get purple asparagus. The purple asparagus is more sweet and nutty in taste.

In Denmark you can get asparagus in different qualities and budget.
The biodynamic asparagus of the best quality can often be found in market markets. More and more farm owners have opened their eyes to having a stand in major cities on the weekends and during the busiest periods.
Stall sells fruit and vegetables that are harvested the same day they are sold.

The asparagus season is short. It starts in the month of May and ends late June.

Read more about Sushi Chef & Sake sommelier Zoë Escher

_
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.

In what way does Japanese cuisine differ from the rest of the world?

by

Okinawa Miso Soup - Super Food
Japanese cuisine is quite unique in several different ways.
It is almost tailored to those who are interested in health and what is good for the body without compromising on taste. Japanese cuisine is put together in such a way that it either detoxifies or nourishes the body.

Yep, that is true. The Japanese are very conscious about what they eat. This is one of the main reasons why the Japanese are the people in the world who live the longest.

Going all-in and eating like the Japanese is hard.
The Japanese have a completely different view of diet and, their diet pyramid looks very different. A classic Japanese meal often consists of 10-12 small dishes. Dishes that contain fish, meat, vegetables and soybeans prepared in several different ways.

The Japanese are good at boosting health in small ways. Here I also think about what they drink during the day.

Miso or fermented soybeans are a regular part of Japanese cuisine. It is a raw material that is not to be missed. It is super food that in the right contexts boosts health. I know that most people live a busy life, but at the same time have a desire to live a healthy life.

For them, I have put together a 14-day course where you boost your health with healthy and nutritious soups. It is a process that matches a busy everyday life.

Read more about 14-day Okinawa miso soup – super food

_
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.

How many different types of soy sauce are used in Japanese cuisine?

by

Rice, soy and vinegar
In Denmark, the selection of Japanese soy sauce is very small and there are several reasons for this.

In Denmark, soy sauce is used in a different way than in Japanese cuisine. In Japan, soy sauce is considered a spice.

Our knowledge of Japanese soy sauce is very limited. In Japan, the labels are written on bottles with Japanese characters. This makes it difficult to figure out which soy sauce is used in which dishes.

In Japan, there are as many soy sauces in a Japanese supermarket as the selection of cheese in a Danish supermarket, which means that it does matter which soy sauce is used when cooking Japanese food.

Japanese soy sauce is a main ingredient in Japanese cuisine it gives the Japanese flavors and aromas that characterize food served in Tokyo.

In the Traditional Japanese cooking class for beginners, you will learn how to make tasty Japanese dishes where different soy sauce is used simultaneously in some of the dishes. Authentic Japanese dishes made from scratch.

_
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.

When will it be possible to travel to Japan?

by


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

_
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.

Can all types of ingredients be used in a Japanese noodle soup?

by

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.

_
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!

by

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

_
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?

by

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.

_
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.

Do Japanese sushi restaurants use topping on the food?

by

Sushi chef & sake sommelier Zoë Escher
In Denmark, most sushi restaurants use topping on the food. It is typically sushi rolls such as insite-out which are topped with various ingredients such as roe, seaweed salad, chili mayonnaise, pickled onions and crushed wasabi peas. Sushi rolls are often topped in many different ways.

In Japan, topping is not used in the same way as in Denmark.
The Japanese are very fond of fish of very high quality. They eat as much fish as we eat meat.
So that’s why Japanese customers and Japanese sushi chefs have a slightly different approach to sushi. The sushi pieces should preferably be as simple as possible, ie. with rice and fish are in the center so they are allowed to shine.

Sushi topping is used in Japan. It can be lemon, an herb or a specific type of salt, which is used to highlight fish unique flavors and aromas.

At the Sushi course for beginners, you will learn how to make tasty sushi like Japanese sushi chefs in Tokyo.

_
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.

Where to buy black sesame seeds?

by

Sushi chef & sake sommerlier Zoë Escher
There are more and more people who have noticed black sesame seeds when ordering sushi rolls.

Abroad, black sesame seeds are very common. Several of the Danish sushi restaurants also use black sesame seeds and light sesame seeds mixed together and sprinkled over the sushi rolls.

There is not the big secret behind black sesame seeds. This is not a new variety. It is light sesame seeds that have been colored. Unfortunately, I do not know how they have been colored. Or what has been used to color the sesame seeds.
The taste is the same whether you use light or black sesame seeds.

The reason why some sushi restaurants use a mixture of light and black sesame seeds is because it is decorative and looks great on sushi rolls.

Read more about Sushi course for beginners

_
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.