cooking

Do the Japanese use European vegetables in traditional Japanese cuisine?

by

In Japan, many universal vegetables such as onions, carrots, cabbage and potatoes are used in traditional Japanese cuisine and, it ranges from a bento box to a stew.

There is a large selection of local vegetables, root vegetables and herbs that only grow in Japan. Each season in Japan offers several different local herbs and vegetables. It makes Japanese cuisine very lively.

The Japanese prefer to eat vegetables and herbs when in season. They taste best and contain the most vitamins and minerals when in season.

This means that the dishes are regularly replaced at the many eateries and restaurants. It is often a new experience to go out and eat.

Read more about Traditional Japanese dishes 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.

The healthiest Japanese lunch consists of only 3 different ingredients

by

Ebook: 5 Japanese onigiri for one

Yes, that’s for real.

One of the Japanese favorites to eat for lunch is an onigiri which usually consists of only 3 ingredients. When I talk about the classic Japanese onigiri, it contains rice, seaweed and fish.

Most people know fish is healthy. The Japanese are the population in the world that eats most fish. Their favorite fish are fatty fish, which are rich in omega 3.

The Japanese are also the population that eats the most seaweed. Seaweed is not just seaweed. There are many different types of seaweed depending on the dish to be made. Seaweed is the vegetable in the world that contains the most vitamins and minerals.

Since 2004 I have been eating onigiri in Japan. It was my Japanese kendo teacher in Tokyo who mentions me the classic Japanese lunch dish, which is also ideal when on the go.

Several have asked me if I do teach online cooking classes, and yes I do. I have therefore developed a new online course where you learn step by step to make 5 onigiri with 5 different kinds of fillings. It ranges from cooking rice, buying fish to the Japanese hand techniques used to make onigiri.

You can read more about the Mini ebook: 5 Healthy Onigiri for One

_
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.

Have you made sushi with black rice?

by

Zoë EsccherIt is a question I sometimes get on my sushi classes.

Black rice is whole-grain rice that is healthier than white rice. Black rice contains several vitamins and minerals. I have never used black rice and I am not going to. There are several reasons for that.

Black rice is much harder to cook than white rice. Nor do they have the same consistency as cooked white rice. Rice plays the main role in sushi if the rice is not cooked properly it affects the dining experience.

The disadvantage of black rice is that it is harder to see if the rice is dirty. Of course you can wash the rice but you can never be sure that there is no hiding somewhere in the rice.

There is sushi a dish where I can adjust the amount of white rice when I make sushi. I can just choose to use less rice thus becoming sushi automatically healthier.

Please 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.

This is how a Japanese sushi chef empties the fridge!

by

Last night I chose to empty my refrigerator for the last ingredients and they were transformed to different kind of delicious sushi.

As seen below.

Futomaki: Salmon with spring onion and yuzu, grilled asparagus, avocado and cucumber.

Kaburimaki: Spicy tunmousse, grilled asparagus, avocado and cucumber. Topped with avocado and roasted sesame seeds.
Uramaki: Avocado and Cucumber

_

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.
Gem

Sushi class is also for those who does not like cooking!

by

We live in a time where more and more raw materials are polluted.  I am thinking of how agriculture sprays their fields and animal welfare.
Lakes, rivers and seas are also exposed to pollution and as a consumer you need to pay more attention to what you put in the shopping cart.

Although a raw materiale produced in Denmark is of very high quality if you buy organic raw materials. At the course Sushi course for Beginners I speak more about the quality raw materials such as fish.

_
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.

Have your customer ever experienced a Japanese sushi chef?

by

Zoë Esccher
The Japanese have developed a selection of knives that are only used for sushi. Only a few of this type of knives can be bought outside of Japan.

A few weeks ago there was woman who wrote to me and she was surprised that when she tried to make sashimi it tasted different.

The taste was not as good as when she bought sashimi from a sushi restaurant. She would also like to know which part of the salmon I use for sashimi.
I wrote to her that salmon is an easy fish use for sushi. You can use the whole fish.

I told her that the reason why the sashimi tastes different is that she does not know the techniques that are used to cut a fish for sashimi.
If you would like to serve sashimi with the same quality that it can be bought in a sushi restaurant you will have the same knive skills.

Read more about class Nigiri sushi 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.

Gem

Can other types of rice be used for sushi?

by

It is a question that I got on one of my courses.
The attendants had experimented with different types of grains for to see if there were other alternatives.

Until now, I have not heard of other cereals suitable for sushi. In the sense that it is not yet succeeded anyone
to find a substitute that contains the qualities which make sushi rice.

The white sushi rice as which everybody knows is the easiest rice to boil over other cereals.
The consistency of the white finish cooked sushi rice is also best.

They must be firm but at the same time they must be soft. They should not be cooked too much so they become mushy. But they must not be too hard and still a bit raw inside. So it is a very delicate balance you have to try to hit.

I have not yet come across other types of suitable rice.

Please 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.

Gem

Gem

How does a Japanese meal differ from a European meal?

by

GyozaA Japanese meal is exceptionally healthy and is very good for your body.
Fish is the foundation of Japanese cuisine. This means that fish plays an important part in almost every meal. I am not only talking about a piece of fish but also fish stock, fish flakes, dried fish and so on.

The Japanese do also keep their bodies healthy and slim in way that they eat detoxifying ingredients.
Vegetables and seaweed is eaten in large quantities. Beside that the Japanese do also eat plenty of ginger and soy which plays an important part in Japanese cuisine.
The Japanese do also like to eat meat but it takes up a lot less than what we are used to in Europe.

The healthy diet is the direct cause of the Japanese live so long.

Please read more about the course Traditional  Japanese cooking class 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.

Gem

Gem

Gem

This is how a Japanese sushi chef sensei tests you!

by

California sushi Academy10 years and four months ago I was trained to become a sushi chef & sake sommelier at the California Sushi Academy. Toshi my Japanese sushi chef sensei (with 35 years of experience) is very Japanese in his approach.

Every 14 days we were tested.  Our skills were tested, how fast we were, how sharp our knives was how clean our chefs uniforms were, how clean our workstation was and the presentation of the sushi pieces we should make. Then Toshi made a list which he hung on the wall so we could see what number we were on the list.

In the picture Toshi is examining how sharp my sushi knife is.

I can just add that I was number two in the final test.

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.

Gem

Gem

Is there a difference in sushi rice?

by

SushirisYes, there may be large differences in sushi rice.

Most people would probably think that the quality is not as crucial.
Like so much else the quality of the sushi rice has just as much impact on how tasty your rice will.
There is a big difference how much rice should be washed, how much water to use and how long they should be cooked. The cheaper rice you use the harder it make good sushi rice.

It is worth spending a little extra money on buying rice of good quality.

Please read more about the course Sushi 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.

Gem