cooking class

Is it a good idea to eat sushi when you are pregnant?

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Both yes and no.

The Japanese eat very raw fish as a nation and they are a population that has children like all other countries.

During the training to become Japanese Sushi chef I learned about the Japanese rules that apply to pregnant women. According to the Japanese rules you should not eat raw tuna during the first 3 months of pregnancy. Then you can eat sushi everyone else.

I have full understanding of those who choose not to eat raw fish throughout the pregnancy. I also have full understanding of the pregnant women who choose to enjoy fish while they are pregnant.

I do not perceive raw fish as the biggest “sinner” in relation to pregnancy. I will be more concerned about the chemicals and additives that are in hair dye, makeup, perfume etc which a lot women.

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.

Can you describe the Japanese cuisine?

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Most people believe that Japanese cuisine is all about sushi.

The Japanese cuisine is much more than that. The Japanese kitchen is built up a way so it either adds to the body nutrition or detoxes the body.

This means that healthy vegetables and fish which may seem a bit boring in European cuisine make up a lot of Japanese cuisine. It does not have to be at all if you have understood Japanese access to food.

In Japan, focus is on the healthy properties of raw materials and cooking techniques. In Japan it is very normal to learn to use techniques that take 10 years, 20 years and 40 years.

But as everyone knows you must first learn to crawl before you can walk. This is also the case with Japanese cuisine. First of all one should learn to use the basic techniques to produce Japanese dishes and the Japanese’s approach to cooking before heading for dishes that take 10 years to learn to make.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

The reason why Japanese cuisine has become so popular in Europe

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There is still some people who believe that sushi is the dish that the Japanese eat the most in Tokyo.
The Japanese are flove sushi but sushi accounts for less than 15% of Japanese cuisine.

Japanese cuisine differs from other kitchens.
The Japanese cuisine consists of many different styles, such as noodle soups, stews, vegetarian dishes, dishes where fish or meat is cooked.

Common to all the dishes is that you use different raw materials in the Japanese kitchen which either detox the body or provide the body with nutrition.
A Japanese dinner will often consist of many small dishes that embrace the entire cost pyramid.

On the course Traditional Japanese cooking class for beginners the attendance learn how to cook tasty and healthy dishes by using different Japanese cooking techniques in the preparation of the dishes.

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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.