Tips

What do Japanese restaurants serving kaiseki look like?

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Japanese restaurants that serve kaiseki look a certain way. Each style of Japanese cuisine has its very own expression and, this also applies when it comes to the restaurant’s architecture and decor.

Kaiseki is an exclusive menu which consists of 8-12 unique, beautiful and tasty dishes from the traditional Japanese cuisine. A kaiseki dinner is not just a meal it is unique journey in historic ancient Japan.

The restaurants pay homage to the cultural virtues. The shoes are placed right inside the front door, there are small walkway bridges in the restaurant, there are tatemi mats on the floor in the dining rooms and, the female waiters are wearing kimonos. Dinner is served according to the traditional etiquette from the Edo period.

The restaurants will often be surrounded by a beautiful traditional Japanese garden, where even the smallest details are looked after and cared for. The traditional Japanese gardens surrounding the restaurants are beautiful all year round.

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.

Sushi class for beginners

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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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What is meant by “clean cut” in Japanese gastronomy?

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Japanese cuisine differs from other cuisines in the world in that the food is very “clean”.
This applies from everyday food to fine dining.

In Japanese cuisine, the ingredients are prepared as little as possible.
To highlight the unique flavors and aromas of the ingredients, the way you use the knife is crucial to how tasty the dish ends up being.
This means that there are other requirements for the way you use your knife. In Japan, your knife can be used in many thousands of different ways; it is the raw materials in question that determine which technique to use.

The fewer raw materials used in a dish, the more important it is that knife techniques are used, made as “clean” as possible, i.e. do not make notches or marks in the raw materials in order to get the full benefit of the raw materials.

At Sushi course for beginners, you will be introduced to the most commonly used Japanese knife techniques.

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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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RamenThe 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.

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 learn to make 2 tasty and healthy noodle soups that are made from scratch with classical raw materials.

Please 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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What kind of fish can be eaten raw?

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Basically, all fish can be eaten raw. However, there is a big BUT.

Not all types of fish are suitable for eating raw. There are several reasons for this.

  1. In some fish species, the structure of the fish meat is of a quality that makes them unsuitable for being eaten raw. It requires you to be a Japanese trained sushi chef to be able to see that.
  2. The place where fish has been caught plays an important factor. There are some places where the world’s oceans are having a hard time due to local pollution. Fish caught in those places should never be eaten raw.
  3. Fish sold at fish auctions is divided into quality grades. Everything that is eaten raw must be of the best quality to avoid getting sick. It requires you to be a Japanese trained sushi chef to be able to see that too.

Read more about 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.

How is sushi seaweed produced?

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Sushi seaweed is produced in the sea.

In autumn, seaweed grower in small boats sails out to sea. Small seaweed plants are attached to the mesh and lowered just below sea level. Here the seaweed is allowed to grow at its own pace until spring. When the seaweed plants are approx. 20 cm long, they are ready to be harvested.

Small boat sails out to sea and the seaweed grower picks up the many mesh nets on board. The boats sail directly to the seaweed factory which is right next to the coast. Seaweed is filled in large plastic containers and poured directly into large containers that wash and clean the seaweed. Air is supplied to make the mass softer. The seaweed must go through several processes, where it is both cleaned and chopped into smaller pieces.

Once the tongs have been given the right consistency, the tongs poured into, long in square shapes and air-dried by several rounds. Before the final forceps are fine-sorted, the forceps are checked for microscopic irregularities that cannot be seen with the eye.

The tongs are then divided into grades and packed in airtight packaging.

Read more about 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.

What are the two main ingredients in Japanese cuisine?

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The two main ingredients in Japanese cuisine are kombu and bonito flakes.

Kombu is a Japanese type of seaweed that is grown on the ocean bottom. It is a tall seaweed with thick and broad leaves. In Japanese cuisine, seaweed is dried and used in many different dishes. Kombu is part of the foundation of Japanese cuisine. It is not dried seaweed that is eaten in the same way as sushi seaweed. It is not suitable for that.

Bonito flakes come from a fish called Bonito. It is a fish that is related to tuna. The fish is cleaned, filleted and smoked. The fish fillets are then dried at certain temperatures for several months. Eventually, it is cut into ultra-thin strips. Like kombu, it is the foundation of Japanese cuisine.

Read more about Japanese noodle soup 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.

Is seaweed salad Japanese?

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The classic seaweed salad that contains crispy seaweed, sesame seeds and a slightly spicy dressing is not Japanese.

There are several different kinds of tasty seaweed salads. However, the difference between the seaweed salads that are available in Denmark is not that great. The most in-demand seaweed salad in Denmark is made in China.

You can make your own seaweed sala. However, it will be with a different kind of seaweed that is not crunchy. The type of seaweed used in the classic seaweed salad is oblong, thin and crispy. It is seaweed that originates from China. I have not yet encountered this type of seaweed in Japan or in Denmark.

If you want to make your own seaweed salad, then you can try out wakame seaweed, it will be a different kind of seaweed salad.

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.

Is it a must to buy a rice cooker for cooking sushi rice?

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You do not a must to buy a rice cooker to cook sushi rice.

Rice cooker is a great tool for cooking all types of rice. However, it is not a “must” to go out and buy a rice cooker if sushi rice is only to be cooked for 2-4 people. You can cook tasty sushi rice by only using an ordinary pot. However, you need to keep a little more eye on a pot than a rice cooker.

The disadvantage of a rice cooker is that the rice can burn and the pot in the rice cooker can be difficult to clean.

Where a rice cooker is a must is in a sushi restaurant. Most sushi restaurants in Denmark cook approx. 10 kilos of rice a day. When cooking such large amounts of rice, it is important that the rice is cooked in a pot, where the heat is evenly distributed throughout the pot. A rice cooker really comes into its own.

Read more about 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.

How has wasabi become part of a Japanese sushi meal?

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Wasabi became part of a sushi meal several thousand years ago.

Japanese sushi is originally a poor man’s dish. Japan is originally a fishing community.

Many years ago (8th century), many poor fishing families lived along the coasts of Japan. At that time, people did not earn much as a fisherman and it was difficult to feed the family. Most meals consisted of rice and fish.

At that time, the Japanese fishermen did not have a refrigerator either. To ensure that a few of the fish caught in the early morning hours for the family could also stick to be eaten in the evening, wasabi was smeared on the fish slices just before it was to be eaten. Wasabi was smeared on the fish slices to take some of the smell and to kill bacteria.

Since then, the meal has been refined to what we know today. Today, wasabi is used as a kind of spice on sushi pieces. It’s a way for sushi restaurants in Japan season a meal.

Read more about 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.