What do a Japanese meal consist of?

Goyza1A Japanese meal is very different from what we know in Europe.

In Japan they eat many small meals for dinner 6-10 dishes consisting of fish, seafood, rice, various vegetables and meat. All dishes are very light in texture and enjoyed for several hours.
In the course of an evening the Japanese eats a very balanced dinner.

The Japanese are as just as busy as any other, and they work several days and hours per week.
Like so many others, they have no time during the week to spend hours in the kitchen and cook. Therefore, there is a wide range of take-away stalls, stands and Noodle bar of very high quality at a reasonable price, which is used frequently several times a week.

In this way the Japanese manage to eat healthy and have a varied diet.

Please read more about the course Traditional Japanese cooking class 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, Accenture audit Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Gem

Why does it take so long to become a sushi chef?

Zoë EsccherIt takes several years to become a skilled Japanese sushi chef.
Since sushi is a dish that you don not boil, fry or cook sushi you have to be very conscious to every detail.

In Japan sushi chefs only use a few ingredients to make sushi such as rice, fish, the restaurant’s homemade soy sauce and in some cases topping to suit the fish.

A sushi chef must master the following,

Cook the rice to perfection.
A knowledge of the various fish, their age, fat content, the structure of the meat and which parts of the fish are regarded as a delicacy.
A knowledge of which vegetables and Japanese ingredients used for sushi.
To be able to transform the very few ingredients into a gourmet experience the sushi chef knowledge and experience to highlighting the fish aromas and flavors by using different cutting techniques.
The vegetables and topping is used for sushi, lift and flavor experience an extra dimension.

Please 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, Accenture audit Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Gem

What else than sushi does the Japanese cuisine has to offer?

Goyza1Japanese cuisine offers many different styles and niches.

Sushi constitutes less than 20% of Japanese cuisine. The Japanese do love sushi but the Japanese cuisine has so many tasty and love dishes to offer.

The Japanese cuisine is influenced by neighboring countries such as Korea and China. 100 years ago Chinese dishes were introduced in Japan, and then adapted to the Japanese taste.

Therefore, you will find Gyoza on the Japanese menu which is Japan’s version of Chinese dumplings. Gyoza is extremely popular dish which is often served as a small starter.

In Tokyo you can find many small food places that only server’s gyoza. They might have 15 different kinds of gyoza that look alike with different kinds of filling.

Read more about Traditional Japanese cooking class 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, Accenture audit Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Gem

Can you save vegetarian sushi for the next day?

VegetarsushiVegetarian sushi can be saved for the next day since it does not contain fresh fish.
It is not always a good idea to do that it depends a bit on how careful you have been with the preparation of materials such as the rice.

By that I mean that if the rice is not cooked to perfection and kept in the right way the individual rice grains will get tougher and they will also looser their texture.

The vegetables should be prepared or cooked to perfection, otherwise any moisture will get sucked into the rolls and it will give a cloth-like feel.

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, Accenture audit Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Gem

What is Japanese nigri?

NigiriMany have a perception of nigiri that it is a lump of rice with a piece of fish. It can be like that. When you only use a few ingredients the slightest error or mistake can be seen and tasted.

Japanese chefs use several years to learn to cook rice to perfection. If you do not cook the rice to perfection it will affect the dining experience. Fish are not just fish. It is very important know about the structure, texture, and the way you should handle the fish.

Japanese chefs use various techniques to form a nigiri. Some techniques take years to master.
The nigiri must be little firm yet melt in your mouth when you take a bite.

Please read more about Nirigi 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, Accenture audit Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Gem

Do Japanese sushi chefs use chili mayonnaise?

Zoë EscherIn Japan, I have never encountered chili mayonnaise.

In Japan sushi chef uses different raw materials on top on nigiri sushi like herbs, Japanese vegetables, egg, homemade soy sauce and marinade to give the whole dining experience an extra dimension.

In the US chili mayonnaise is used in very small quantities. The only fish that uses chili mayonnaise is tuna in which it is typically mixed in a tuna tartar.

In Denmark, there are many restaurants that uses chili mayonnaise in many context like a ketchup.
I think that is a pity because you will miss out the finer flavors of the fish and the interaction between the various ingredients.

But it is an individual choice.

Please 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, Accenture audit Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Gem

Gem