Zoë Escher

Where can I buy the the ingredients you use?

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Earlier today, I held a Japanese noodle soup course for beginners.

My take on the Japanese kitchen is that if you want to learn Japanese food it’s important to learn how to use Japanese ingredients that give the unique aroma and taste that characterizes Japanese cuisine.

On my classes you will be introduced to ingredients which I have brought in Japan. Ingredients that will give you the authentic Japanese flavour. During the class You will learn where to buy those ingredients in your neighborhood.

The picture shows Bonito flakes which I have bought in Tokyo it is an indispensable ingredient in Japanese cuisine.

Read more about the different courses on my website chefzoeescher.com

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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.

Eat vegetarian sushi without compromising on the good taste

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Most attendance I meet eat tasty sushi on a regular basis. I have not yet met anyone who has a vegetarian sushi to make the birds sing.

It has been a long time since I have visited a sushi restaurant in Denmark so I do not know how big the selection of vegetarian sushi is.

But one thing is certain that vegetarian sushi is an understated dish that has not really taken its place. In Denmark we have a large selection of organic vegetables that are perfect for sushi.

The biggest challenge for vegetarian sushi is to make it taste as good as sushi with fish. My experience with vegetarian sushi that it can taste even better than sushi prepared with fish. It requires you to know the cooking techniques used to make the food.

For the production of vegetarian sushi it takes much more and demanding cooking techniques to transform classic ingredients into a unique gastronomic experience.

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.

Is kaburimaki roll difficult to make?

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Yes, it is a sushi roll that is complex and hard to make because you have to think in whole.

The filling for the sushi roll that should be a delicate. Beside that there is a filling on the outside that should give the sushi roll an additional dimension and depth. You must also be aware that the more raw materials you use in the preparation of the roll the harder it will also taste the individual ingredients.

Salmon is a nice and delicate fish so it do matter which ingredients are added to the fish otherwise you will create an imbalance in the taste experience.

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.

Where does the Japanese eat in Tokyo?

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TokyoTokyo is the city of the world with the most Michelin star restaurants and that is not by accident. The Japanese are very critical when comes to where to dine and they place very high stanards when it comes to quality of the food and the price.

Basically, it is always best to eat at restaurants where the locals come and it is also true when it comes to Japan. Typically the quality of the restaurants where the Japanese eat in Tokyo is higher than where tourists eat.

In some of the very touristy areas in Tokyo and Kyoto the price is higher than elsewhere while the quality of the food is slightly lower.

You must keep that in mind if you are going to visit Japan.

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.

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Japanese gastronomy and Japanese kendo in Brussels

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This Friday I traveled to Brussels to spend some days in the company of my Japanese kendo teacher and kendo friends from Europe and from Japan. Japanese Kendo and Japanese sushi share the same Japanese philosophy and approach to becoming proficient in you line of work.

I spend the day with a long talk about Japanese gastronomy in Japan, Europe and Scandinavia. I matched my teacher Nobuo Hirakawa’s teaching both Friday and Saturday. I had eaten Japanese lunch also called a bento box.

Last but not least, I got some new relationships in Europe and Japan. Below you will find a couple of pictures from the weekend.
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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.

How do Japanese chefs improve know their professional knowledge?

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In Japan, your training will never stop. Most Japanese use their entire lives to get better at their work.

I travel to Japan approx. once a year to develop my skills and to expand my horizons.

I do alo travel to Brussels once a year in December to meet with my Japanese kendo teacher who is headed by a Japanese delegation of 12 highly graduated teachers.

I have been following his training since 2001 and there is still a lot he can teach me. What I learn in Kendo can lalso be used in my work as a Japanese sushi chef. This is because the martial arts kendo and Japanese sushi coccans share the same philosophy.

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.

How many vegetables do the Japanese eat during a day?

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The Japanese are a population who eats a lot of different vegetables in one day.

Seaweed is the vegetable in the world that contains the most vitamins and minerals. It is a vegetable that is part of most Japanese meals. In addition, the Japanese also eat a couple of dishes where meat and fish are not part of the court. Instead, the dishes are composed of many different vegetables as well as vegetable proteins.

I travel to Tokyo almost every year and have been doing it since 2004 and it is a nice opportunity to see my Japanese friends as well. During my stay, we are often out to experience Tokyo and of course visit different restaurants.

When looking at what they order to eat during a day, 2/3 of the food consists of vegetables prepared in several different ways. In Japan, the range of vegetable proteins is large and varied. This is due to the fact that the Japanese are the population in the world who receive a large proportion of their protein needs from sources other than animal products.

Read more about 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 Japanese chef’s view of the raw materials used in Japanese cuisine?

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The Japanese have a different approach to life than the rest of the world. The Japanese population has grown up with the fact that everything the universe has created has a soul and that we are all connected.

This view of life affects the Japanese chef’s view of the raw materials used in Japanese cuisine. All life that the universe has created is unique and has something to offer. This means that Japanese cuisine is very large and varied, as the Japanese are not limited.

Since 2004 I have traveled to Japan almost every year.
Here 2 years ago I found out that over the years I have eaten raw jellyfish without knowing it. Now the jellyfish is not served as a big undefined lump on the plate. It will of course be prepared so it is a delicious dish you get served.
In my case it was served as a Starter and it looked the most noodles but the consistency was another. It did not taste so much but was completely crispy to chew in.

So why eat jellyfish?

Jellyfish contains many proteins and has a very low fat content.

This unique way of transforming raw materials that many wanted to bite into a delicious dinner obviously brings attention to Michelin chefs around the world.

NOTE: Of course jellyfish will not be served on my cooking courses.

Read about my Sushi classes and traditional Japanese cooking classes

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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, Tokyo is the city in the world that has the most Michelin restaurants

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Tokyo is famous for high quality of restaurants. Tokyo is the city in the world that has the most Michelin stars.
With approx. 20 million citizens who appreciate high quality food the competition between the restaurants is very high.

The Japanese cuisine also offers many different styles. The Japanese cuisine contains as many styles as all European cuisine. There is a style for the busy family, career woman / husband, family taking a day off, family gathering, for vegetarians, business people and many more.

At the moment many Danish and international Michelin chefs travel to Japan to be inspired by Japanese restaurants. Japanese chef’s way of looking at raw materials, compiling a menu and using different cooking techniques has a vigilant eye all over the world.

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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.

The reason why sushi rolls have become a popular dish in Denmark

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I do not think I know any other country where you eat so many sushi rolls as in Denmark. It is not negative meant.

One of the reasons might be that the Danish people do not eat as much fish as the Japanese do in Tokyo.
The selection of rolls is also very large in Denmark. Most sushi restaurants in Denmark have a large selection of sushi rolls on the menu which offers different flavors. Some restaurants have their own signature scroll.

By eating sushi rolls you will also be eating different kinds of vegetable which support your wellbeing.

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.