Tips

What does onigiri mean?

by

Onigiri - Japanese rice ball with filling
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 the Mini e-book “5 healthy Japanese onigiri for 1”

_
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 stored in the summer heat?

by

Nigiri
Sushi is a fantastic dish that is enjoyed all year round.
Especially the bright summer evenings offer cold white wine/bubbles with delicious food. Sushi is very pleasant to eat in the summer heat. The body is not warmed by eating sushi as sushi is eaten at room temperature.

In the summer heat, it is important to store sushi in the “right” way, as the fish is eaten raw.
When you buy sushi as a take-away, it is a good idea to transport the food in a cooler bag that will extend the shelf life of the food. As soon as you get home you should put sushi in the fridge.

Sushi should be stored in the refrigerator until dinner time. Approx. 15-20 minutes before dinner time, sushi is taken out of the fridge and placed on the kitchen table without the lid.
During the 15-20 minutes, the temperature will slowly until each sushi piece have reached room temperature. Then they are ready to be eaten. Sushi should always be eaten at sushi room temperature, so you get the full taste experience of the individual pieces.

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.

Sushi class for beginners

by

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
_
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.

Gem

Gem

Gem

Gem

Gem

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.

Cooking class: Traditional Japanese cooking class for beginners

by

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

_
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.
Gem

Gem

Gem

Gem

Gem

Gem

Gem

Gem

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.

Can sushi rice be used the next day?

by


There are many people who store cooked rice for the next day. It’s a really bad idea to save sushi rice for the next day.

Sushi differs from other rice dishes such as the dish meatballs and Curry.
Sushi is not a dish that is cooked on a pan or in the oven and, this means that the quality of the ingredients used for sushi should be as good as possible.
If sushi rice is more than 1 day old or that vegetables have become a bit slack, then it can be tasted when used for sushi. You will make sushi of a poorer quality.

What happens to sushi rice when stored for the next day is that they become drier and looser in consistency while the rice kernel itself becomes harder.
Besides the fact that it is harder to make sushi with day-old sushi rice, it can also be tasted if the sushi rice is not freshly made.
This is not necessarily the case with day-old rice which is used for Meatball and Curry, as it is the sauce that hides the rice and its taste.

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.

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.

Enjoy the bright evenings with homemade sushi!

by


The next many months are the most beautiful period of the year in Europe.
The leaves have sprouted, the weather has become warmer and the bright evenings offer cosiness, lovely food and cool white wine in the garden, on the balcony or in the courtyard.

Sushi is a dish that can be eaten all year round.
On hot summer evenings, it is refreshing to eat tasty food that is not so heavy in the stomach, which embraces the food pyramid and can be enjoyed with white wine and bubbles.

Sushi is a dish which should be enjoyed on weekdays and on weekends. Here, most people will probably think. Yes yes, it will be just too expensive.

I am not talking of buying sushi. I am thinking of homemade sushi, it can do something too.

In the Sushi course for beginners, you will learn the Japanese techniques used to cook perfect sushi rice, prepare fish and vegetables and not least step by step, to make delicious and tasty sushi.

_
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.