japanese cooking

Learn Japanese cooking whenever you like

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Japanese cooking is known for its clean flavours, simple techniques, and beautiful presentation. With the right ingredients and a little guidance, you can easily get started and create authentic Japanese dishes in your own kitchen.

Okonomiyaki is a classic Japanese savoury pancake whose name means “grilled as you like it,” and it is a popular street food dish. It allows you to experiment with ingredients while learning about texture, timing, and flavour balance.

With the Mini E-book: 5 Japanese Okonomiyaki for One, you get a simple step-by-step guide to making this classic dish. You will learn how to prepare the batter, choose toppings, and cook okonomiyaki to achieve the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and umami.

The ebook includes five variations featuring ingredients such as Parma ham, scallops, bacon, large prawns, and a vegetarian version, making it easy to adapt to your taste and the season.

The recipes are created for one person, making it easy to practise without food waste whether for a quick weekday meal, a cosy lunch, or when you want to try something new.

Japanese cooking is about keeping things simple and repeating the techniques. Start with the basics, experiment with ingredients, and discover how small adjustments can elevate both flavour and experience.

Read more about Mini Ebook: 5 Japanese Okonomiyaki for One

The Ebook is also available on Amazon.com.

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Zoë has held sushi courses and cooking classes for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Capgemini, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Why Japanese Knife Technique Is Truly Unique

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Sushi chef & sake sommerlier Zoë Escher
Japanese knife technique differs greatly from the way many people are used to working with a knife. It is not about speed, but about precision, calmness, and control.
Every cut has a purpose, and the knife is used as an active tool to preserve the structure of the ingredient and highlight both its silky texture and flavor.

In Japanese cooking, the cut itself is an integral part of the preparation.
When an ingredient is cut correctly, its juices and texture are preserved, resulting in a cleaner, more balanced taste. This is why long, continuous movements are used instead of short, sawing motions. The sharpness of the knife does the work, producing a clean and uniform cut.

The technique is also about respect for the ingredient. Fish, vegetables, and other ingredients require different cuts, angles, and levels of pressure, and this understanding lies at the heart of Japanese culinary culture. When knife work is done correctly, the natural qualities of the ingredient are enhanced rather than damaged.

Japanese knife technique is therefore not merely a skill, but a craft that brings calm into the kitchen and elevates both presentation and flavor. It is the attention to detail in every cut that makes the difference and what makes Japanese knife technique truly special.

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, Capgemini, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Authentic Japanese Teriyaki sauce which you can eat with a spoon

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Teriyaki sauce has become a popular addition to many Asian dishes, and most people know it as the bottled version found in supermarkets and Asian specialty stores.

However, the homemade, authentic Japanese teriyaki sauce is a completely different experience. It’s rich, well-balanced, and so full of flavor that many of our course participants cannot resist taking a spoonful straight from the pot the first time they taste it.

In our Traditional Japanese Cooking Class for Beginners, participants learn how to prepare three classic Japanese dishes entirely from scratch. One of the favorites is teriyaki salmon a dish that brings out the delicate aromas and depth of flavor in the salmon. The silky-smooth teriyaki sauce adds the final touch, elevating the dish to something truly special and making the taste buds sing.

Read more about Traditional Japanese cooking class 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.

Get warm with a steaming bowl of Japanese noodle soup

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Noodle soup
The chilly days of winter call for warming dishes that can take the chill away. A perfect solution is a bowl of Japanese noodle soup, a tasty and nutritious way to fight the winter cold.

The Japanese noodle soup, also known as ‘ramen’, is not only popular in Japan, but also very popular worldwide. It consists of a delicious combination of noodles, stock, proteins and vegetables, all served in a steaming hot bowl. This traditional dish is not only a culinary experience, but also a soothing cure for winter fatigue.

The key to an authentic Japanese noodle soup is the stock, which is made with Japanese ingredients step by step from scratch. The warm base not only warms the body, but its complex flavor profile elevates the whole dish.

The noodles used in Japanese noodle soups vary according to the types of noodle soups being made. Combined with proteins, tasty vegetables and proteins, they create a taste experience that will make you forget about the winter cold outside.

On the Japanese noodle soups course for beginners, you learn step by step how to make tasty soups that suit the changeable weather.

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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 often do the Japanese order take-away food?

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The Japanese order take-away food often and here I think of those who live in a big city. There are several reasons for this.

Most Japanese work 10-15 hours a day. Of course, there are exceptions depending on the industry you work in. That means the average Japanese does not have time to prepare and cook when they get home.

There are many Japanese who choose to buy take-away food on their way home from work. On almost every street in the major cities, you will find a small eatery. They often specialize in making healthy and tasty take-away dishes that are freshly prepared and ready to take home.

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, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Is vegetarian sushi as tasty as sushi with fish?

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Vegetarian sushi is much more than a roll of rice and cucumber.

In Europe you can find a large selection of high quality vegetables. You can buy many different types of vegetables with unique flavors and aroma. There is a big difference between aromas and flavors depending on when seasonal vegetables are harvested.

Vegetarian sushi can taste better than sushi with fish. However, it is more challenging to make sushi with vegetables because vegetables come in different sizes. The texture is aoso different depending which vegetable you are using.

Vegetarian sushi is ideal for a weekday with a little less meat.

Read more about Vegetarian 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.

What is a classic Japanese dinner?

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TokyoA classical Japanese dinner is very different from a European dinner.
The Japanese eats many small meals for dinner. A Japanese meal consists of 6-10 small dishes with seafood, rice, various vegetables and different kind of meat. Japanese dishes are very light in texture and is usually enjoyed over several hours.

Like so many others Japanese work many hours per week which means that they do not have time to cook dinner during the week.
I Tokyo you will finde a wide range of take-away stands and noodle bars which serves noodle soup of very high quality. The noodle soup is cheap and many Japanese visits a noodle bar several times during a week.

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

Please read more about the class Traditional Japanese cooking class for beginners.

Zoë gives lectures and has held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

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What does the Japanese prefer to eat on a hot summer day?

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There are many people in Denmark who believe that Japanese people eat a lot of sushi. The Japanese love sushi but sushi accounts for less than 15% of Japanese cuisine.
In Japan sushi is a style that does not match a busy weekday it is a dish most often enjoyed over a couple of hours.

What are usually eaten on a busy and hot summer day is noodles. In Japan, noodles are a broad concept and covers several different noodles and food styles.
The dish I have in mind is soba noodles that can be eaten both cold and hot. During the summer, it is always eaten cold with a dip such as consists of soy sauce. It is a light dish which is easy to digest.

Read more Traditional Japanese cooking class 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.

This is how you make the Japanese omelet Tamago

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California Sushi CademyHave you ever tasted a Japanese omelet also known as Tamago?

The perfect Tamago is silky, juicy, without air holes and quite spongy. The Tamago is also cooked to perfection it has not been given too little or too much heat.

It is very hard to make the perfect Tamago. When I went to California Sushi Academy we were also tested how good we have to make Tamago. During the sushi chef and sake sommelier education I managed to make a lot of Tamago.

If you get the chance you should to try to eat Tamago.

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, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Make Japanese dishes that either add nutrition or charge the body

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Japanese cuisine differs from the rest of the world by focusing on healthy eating and eating habits. The Japanese cuisine is composed in a way so it either charges the body or adds to the body’s nourishment. Japanese dishes that are delicious and tasty without compromising on the quality and the good taste.

Japanese dishes that combine raw materials in a completely new and unique way. It applies from small appetizers to dessert.

On the course Traditional Japanese cooking class for beginners you learn to make classic Japanese dishes for a busy day. Japanese dishes teach you to use hand techniques, cooking techniques, and compounding raw materials in a new way.

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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.