The reason Japanese cuisine considered quite unique?

Gyoza
Japanese cuisine places great emphasis on using the fresh ingredients of the season, this applies to vegetables, fish and shellfish.

Many of the raw materials used in Japanese cuisine, such as fish, seaweed are vegetable are super foods that boost the body with healthy oils, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Japanese food is low in fat and sugar, making it a healthy choice.
This is one of the reasons why the Japanese are the population in the world that live the longest.

The healthy ingredients and raw materials such as miso, tofu, wasabi, seaweed and many others that are fundamental to Japanese cuisine are not used in the same way in other cuisines.

While many cuisines around the world make use of the fifth taste experience, umami, Japanese cuisine is known for its emphasis and exploration of this flavor through the use of ingredients such as dashi, soy sauce and miso.

On the course Traditional Japanese food for beginners, you learn to make healthy and tasty dishes from the classic Japanese cuisine, which boosts your health.

PS: Sunday 24 September 2023 will be the last course in Traditional Japanese food for this year.

_
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 are the benefits of eating Japanese food?

Sushi chef & sake sommerlier Zoë EscherThere are many benefits to eating Japanese food.

Japanese cooking is rich in vegetables, fish, shellfish and whole grains, which contribute to a healthy diet.

Traditional Japanese food generally contains less fat compared to many European dishes and, this helps to maintain a healthy body weight.

Many Japanese dishes are prepared as little as possible, such as steaming, boiling or grilling, which preserves the nutrients in the food.

Japanese food, especially vegetables such as sweet potatoes, spinach, cabbage and seaweed, are often rich in antioxidants.

The Japanese food culture offers a wide range of ingredients and raw materials provide a healthy variety in the diet.

Traditional Japanese diet usually contains less red meat and more seafood.

In the Traditional Japanese Cooking Course for Beginners, you will learn step by step how to make tasty classic Japanese dishes from scratch.

_
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.

Did you know that barbecue is eaten all year in Japan?

5 Japanese yakitori for one
In Japan, there are several types of barbecue dishes, which are eaten all year.
Yakitori skewers, which most people have heard of are small grilled skewers with different kinds of meat, seafood and vegetables, the raw materials are marinated, prepared and cooked in a specific way, so that each skewer is a unique taste experience.

There is also another type of grilled dishes called Yakiniku.
These are restaurants that specialize in barbecue dishes where the guests cook the food themselves. Restaurants that are furnished in such a way that each party have their own grill.

In these restaurants, the menu consists of several different types of meat, seafood and vegetables cut into one centimeter thick slices.
Before the food is cooked on a hot grill, the party has the opportunity to season the raw materials with a little salt and other spices. After cooking the meat, seafood and vegetables they are eaten by dipping them in different kinds of tasty sauce.
Dining at a yakiniku restaurant often takes several hours, since you are not in a hurry and often sit and enjoy the food at your own pace.

Several people have asked me over the years how to make yakitori skewers.
I have written a mini e-book “5 Japanese yakitori skewers for one”. It is an e-book that explains step by step how to make tasty yakitori skewers using Japanese cooking techniques. Tasty barbecue skewers prepared with different kinds of meat and vegetables.

Read more about mini e-book: “5 Japanese yakitori skewers for one”.

_
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.

Did you know that there is a right way to use soy sauce for sushi?

White soya sauce plate with sushi
The correct way to use soy sauce for sushi is to consider soy sauce as a condiment. Soy sauce can be equated with salt and pepper, it is a way of flavoring the food.

Most people are aware that when you sprinkle too much salt and pepper on your food, you might find it difficult enjoy the food. It can be almost inedible. The same can apply with soy sauce.

It can be difficult to dose the amount of soy sauce when you dip a piece of sushi into the soy bowl. Some prefer to leave a piece of sushi in the soy sauce for a few seconds before eating it.
I can’t recommend doing that, especially if you’ve spent money on good quality sushi. It will be more difficult to taste the fish and the different vegetables. The soy sauce will cover the natural taste of sushi.

The best way to eat sushi is to dip the individual pieces of sushi quite lightly in the soy sauce. That way you can enjoy the taste of the individual pieces of sushi and get the most flavor for the money.

On the Sushi course for beginners you learn, step by step, how to make sushi with the most flavor possible.

_
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.

The reason why your kitchen knives should Always be sharp!


In the last 10 years, I have seen several thousand kitchen knives that are used in private homes. Many of these knives are not quite as sharp as they should be for you to get the full enjoyment.

I can give an example.

If you imagine that you have prepared a roast in the oven. The roast has now been sitting in your kitchen counter for 20 minutes to rest.
In the meantime, you have found your best knife to cut the meat. With the knife you cut the roast into slices, but it is not that easy. The knife you have used is not quite as sharp as when you bought it.
When you have finished, you look at the slices and see that some of the slices are a little uneven and that the meat has also pulled a little. Most people do not think about it, because the roast is enjoyed with side dishes and a delicious sauce.

In Japanese cuisine, it is very important to use a very sharp knife. It is very important that the functionality of the kitchen utensils is as good as possible, as this affects the quality of the food.

The picture shows a tuna steak, which has an even and smooth surface due to the sharpness of the knife.

On the Sushi course for beginners, you learn step by step how to make tasty sushi with kitchen tools that are already in your kitchen.

_
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 is the main dish made on the Japanese cooking course for beginners?

Sushi chef & sake sommerlier Zoë Escher
One of the main dishes on the course is teriyaki salmon with side dish.

This is not just any salmon. I got the most delicious Faroese salmon of the finest quality. A salmon that can also be eaten as it is, by which I mean that it is perfectly suited for sushi. The salmon must be marinated and prepared before it is ready to be cooked.

The teriyaki sauce is of course made from scratch. It tastes 10 times better than what you can buy in supermarkets. It is so good that once you have tasted it, it is a sauce that works very well to almost everything, just like béarnaise.

The side dish is a wonderful dish are a boost of taste, vitamins, minerals and other goodness from the plant world. Here you learn to use several different Japanese cutting techniques.

The next step in the creation of the dish is that it must be prepared and the dish must be assembled.

Read more about Traditional Japanese cooking 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 fresh can seafood be?


Seafood can be so fresh that it is still at body temperature when eaten.

Japan is a country surrounded by sea. Fresh fish and rice have been the most important raw materials in Japanese cuisine for centuries.

Japanese food culture is still based on raw materials being as fresh as possible. There are several reasons for this.

The Japanese population has grown up with shellfish being no more than a day old before it is cooked into tasty dishes. This applies to both fish bought from a fishmonger or in a supermarket.

Japanese cuisine has several iconic dishes where fish and shellfish are eaten raw, such as sushi.

The Japanese have the opportunity to buy raw materials that are either caught or harvested the same day.

The Japanese are very focused on eating healthy and fresh ingredients of the highest quality. It gives joy in life, but also healthy health. It is no coincidence that the Japanese are the population in the world that live the longest.

On the Sushi Course for Beginners, you learn to make tasty sushi step by step with a focus on how to get the most value without compromising on quality.

_
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.

Which Japanese dish is best for an appetizer?

Gyoza
A classic Japanese dinner often consists of several courses, somewhere between 10-12 courses in size.

Some Japanese dishes are better suited as a starter than others. One of the most popular small dishes that are suitable for both a starter and a main course are Japanese gyoza. It is a dish that can be enjoyed all year round, with friends, family or on festive occasions.

Japanese gyoza originally originated in China. In China, goyza is called dumplings and the selection of dumplings in China is very, very large. Several hundred years ago, dumplings came to Japanese cuisine, where they were adapted with local ingredients and flavors to what we know today as gyoza.

On the Traditional Japanese cooking course for beginners, you learn how to make the classic version of gyoza from scratch. In addition to learning to use different cooking techniques and hand techniques, you also gain an insight into which ingredients you should use to get the most flavor and value for your money.

Read more about Traditional Japanese cooking 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.

Can all types of ingredients be used in a Japanese noodle soup?

Noodle soup
Basically yes.

In Japan, noodle soups are considered a fast food dish. Like so many the Japanese lives a busy life. They work 10-15 hours a day and have family, friends and leisure activities that also need to be taken care of. Noodle soups are suitable for a busy everyday life, which is often eaten on the way from work.

In Japan, noodle soups are the Japanese answer to pizza and shawarma.

In Japan, many more types of stock are made for such as pork, chicken and fish for noodle soups. For the soups, many different types of raw materials and ingredients are used for and, this means that there are no 2 noodle bars that make the same soup.

In the Japanese noodle Soup course for beginners, you learn step by step to make 2 very different noodle soups, which can be enjoyed all year round.

_
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.

Where to buy black sesame seeds?

Sushi chef & sake sommerlier Zoë Escher
There are more and more people who have noticed black sesame seeds when ordering sushi rolls.

Abroad, black sesame seeds are very common. Several of the Danish sushi restaurants also use black sesame seeds and light sesame seeds mixed together and sprinkled over the sushi rolls.

There is not the big secret behind black sesame seeds. This is not a new variety. It is light sesame seeds that have been colored. Unfortunately, I do not know how they have been colored. Or what has been used to color the sesame seeds.
The taste is the same whether you use light or black sesame seeds.

The reason why some sushi restaurants use a mixture of light and black sesame seeds is because it is decorative and looks great on sushi rolls.

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.