Zoë Escher

What does the Japanese prefer to eat on a hot summer day?

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There are many people in Denmark who believe that Japanese people eat a lot of sushi. The Japanese love sushi but sushi accounts for less than 15% of Japanese cuisine.
In Japan sushi is a style that does not match a busy weekday it is a dish most often enjoyed over a couple of hours.

What are usually eaten on a busy and hot summer day is noodles. In Japan, noodles are a broad concept and covers several different noodles and food styles.
The dish I have in mind is soba noodles that can be eaten both cold and hot. During the summer, it is always eaten cold with a dip such as consists of soy sauce. It is a light dish which is easy to digest.

Read more 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.

What is the biggest challenge of Japanese trained sushi chef?

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The biggest challenge as a Japanese trained sushi chef is that the better you get the harder it’s also making sushi.

It may sound a little odd.

Making sushi as a professional is precision work because Japanese sushi is very simple in its expression and the use of raw materials. When you make food with as few raw materials as you do when you make sushi you fall through like as sushi chef if you do not master the techniques.

Over time, it’s actually gets more challenging to make sushi because you get more detailed  you also work with more and more difficult techniques as you get better and better.

At Sushi course for beginners you learn to use techniques that you can go straight home and use in your own kitchen. So you can make sushi of such quality that you can serve it to others.

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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.

Kyoto

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KyotoI took this pic a few years ago.

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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.

Why should fish for sushi be frozen?

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Fish to eat raw should always freeze. This is because fish contain parasites and the only way to kill them is to freeze the fish.

A small side jump. You should also fresh beef to tartar cows get parasites in the body like fish. Unfortunately, I do not know if beef to tartar is frozen. But I do not think so.

Now back to the fish. It is not the same type of parasite found in e.g. in tuna as in the salmon. This is because there are 2 very different fish species that primarily eat very differently.

In addition, the fish structure of the salmon and the tuna is very different and also affects the parasites found in the two different fish.

How long the fish should freeze is not the same and it depend again whether there is a whitefish, salmon or tuna.

At Sushi course for beginners I will talk more about the Japanese rules for freezing fish. The Japanese rules are more strict then the Danish rules. I choose to follow the Japanese rules as they know more about fish for sushi. In addition, I would also like to be on the safe side.

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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.

Therefore, ramen noodles are a popular dish in Japan!

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Like so many others the Japanese live a very busy life. Even though everyday life is characterized by work, family and leisure activities, the Japanese are still able to eat and live healthy.

At this point the Japanese kitchen distinguishes itself from others. The Japanese kitchen also has a food style that match the Japanese busy everyday life such as ramen soup. Ramen soup or just noodle soups in Japan are available in many different variations and many noodles have their very own unique recipe.

A Japanese ramen soup is healthy, low fat and nutritious and it is a dish that does not take a very long time to make or to eat. It is a dish that fits a busy day. You can read more about the course Japanese noodle soup for beginners.

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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.

Therefore, Tsukiji is the world’s largest fish market!

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Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo is the largest fish market in the world. Tsukiji fish market is very unique compare to other countries.

The suppliers at the fish market are specialized within just what they sell for example tuna or shrimps.
This means that the selection and quality of seafood and fish is very large and you can get seafood and fish which are not found anywhere else in the world. The specialized suppliers often sell one kind of seafood in many different qualities and price level.

At Sushi course for beginners you will gain more in-depth knowledge of Japanese Sushi chefs approach to fish.

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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.

What characterizes Japanese food?

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What characterizes Japanese cuisine and Japanese cuisine is that the portions are often very small.
During a meal eat Japanese 6-8 different dishes that contain little fish, vegetables, soy sauce and seaweed that are prepared in various ways.

The many small dishes are to make sure you do not feel heavy or stuffed after a meal. The individual dishes are light in texture and very tasty which makes it easier for the body to digest food.

A Japanese dinner covers the entire food chain, so the Japanese get every day what the body needs which is one of the reasons they are the people in the world who live the longest.

Read more about the course Traditional Japanese cooking class for beginners

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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.

Uni (Sea urchin) is one of my Japanese seafood favorites!

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The first time I encountered the delicious Uni was in Los Angeles in 2006. Toshi my executive sushi chef instructor served Uni to me like a piece of nigiri.
The velvet and delicate flavor melted in my mouth. I will never forget and have since then eaten it several times in both the US and Japan.

In Japan, the Japanese sushi restaurants buy Uni at the Tsukiji Fish Market. Here you will find a seller who is only specialized in Uni who sells it in many different qualities and price levels.

It is incredibly difficult to describe the taste of Uni as it is so unique in its taste and consistency. To get it served as a piece of sushi nigiri will not be the last time for me.

Read more about Sushi course 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.

Which nigiri piece outside of Japan is your favorite?

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When I’m in Japan I eat many nigiri pieces with different kinds of fish. I also like fish that I do not know for expanding my horizon.

When I stay in California I always eat at my Japanese sushi chef instructor sushi restaurant. On his menu there is a certain nigiri piece that is a must and it is “Yellowtail with Myoga”, served with a secret sauce.

Yellowtail is white tuna a fish as very popular fish in the US and Japan. Myoga is a Japanese ginger which has a quite unique flavor and aromas.

It’s a nigiri piece that you can only get served in the United States or in Japan. I choose to get it served when I’m in the United States because the Japanese sushi restaurants in Tokyo have so many other fish and taste to offer.

Read more about Sushi chef & Sake sommelier Zoë Escher

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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.

What is quality sushi?

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HosomakiIt is a question that I often discuss with my attendants.
It is as such not a clear answer because it is based in fact on an individual assessment.

For some discount sushi to gourmet food and for others a dinner at a Michelin sushi restaurant is a gastronomic experience.

When I have to assess whether any kind of sushi I will look at the ingredients that have been used are of high quality and they are fresh. Since you do not cook sushi the quality of ingredients is very important.
Since I am Japanese-trained sushi chef and sake sommelier I look at the techniques used to make sushi because I think it is very important to give the guest a gastronomic experience.

If you would like to learn about Japanese sushi you may want to read more about the course Sushi course for beginners

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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.