rice

The healthiest Japanese lunch consists of only 3 different ingredients

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5 healthy 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

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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 kind of fish do the Japanese eat in the winter?

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The Japanese have a slightly different relationship to gastronomy and fish than in Denmark.

In Japan, it is very normal to only eat ingredients that are in season like vegetables, fruits and fish.

The Japanese have a slightly different relationship to fish Japanese children are bottled up with fish. The Japanese families eat as much fish as a European family eats meat. On the other hand, they eat as much meat as a Danish family eats fish.

When it comes to choosing fish, the Japanese follow the season for fish e.g. fish that can be bought here and now at the fishmonger.

Here in the winter months, the Japanese eat many local fatty fish. In Scandinavian it could be the salmon.

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.

Why is it harder to cook sushi rice?

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When I make authentic Japanese sushi I will cook the rice as it is made and served in Tokyo, then rice plays a very important role.

It does so because in Japan, the consistency of the cooked rice is as important as the quality of the fish used for sushi.

If you use fish of poor quality then your sushi will not taste very good. This applies also to sushi rice.

The cooked sushi rice must be at least of the same quality as the fish. They should be firm but soft. They should not be like porridge but they should not be raw inside either. It can be a difficult balance to hit.

In the sushi course for beginners, you will learn how to cook sushi rice as they are cooked in restaurants in Tokyo.

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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 it best to use Japanese sushi rice?

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There are many countries that produce rice for sushi such as Japan, the United States, Korea, Italy, and Thailand.

Using Japanese-produced sushi rice is not a must. In Japan, there are many different types of sushi rice of different grades. Japanese sushi rice is not always the best choice if you are not used to cooking sushi rice.

Some Japanese rice varieties are harder to cook than others, so buying Japanese sushi rice is not always an advantage.

On the Sushi course for beginners I talk more about which rice is best for Sushi.

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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.

Are Japanese sushi restaurant in Tokyo different?

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TokyoThere are many different types of restaurants in Tokyo.

The most exclusive sushi restaurants in Tokyo are very different compared to European restaurants.
The size of a Japanese sushi restaurant can be very small.  There are many Japanese restaurants that has only room for 6 – 15 people. There are several reasons for that.

Tokyo has 20 million citizens living in a very small geographic area. Besides the many people living in Tokyo there are also many restaurants, street food and shops. There is almost a restaurant on every street in Tokyo so the competition in the neighborhood is fierce.

There is also another factor which is that the Japanese do not compromise on the quality of food and service. Tokyo is the city of the world with the highest quality of food.

Every restaurant try their best to provide the best food and service. The competition between the restaurants are very fierce. In order for a restaurant to succeed the has to be good.

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, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Gem

Gem

Gem

Gem

Can all types of seafood be used for sushi?

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For that I have to say both Yes and No.

It depends a lot on how it is used in sushi.
You have to think that seafood has a completely different texture than fish. Most fish fillets are quite firm in the meat.

If you look entirely at seafood they remind you most about a bag of mixed candy. Seafood comes in many different sizes, tastes and texture. It is the raw material that is the hardest to use for sushi.

Some seafood used in sushi restaurants outside Europe are very difficult to prepare for sushi, it requires you as a sushi chef to use many different Japanese cooking techniques.

The consistency of seafood is also very different. Some shellfish have a very hard surface while others are very soft. In order for this type of raw material to become a gastronomic experience, you need to know which Japanese cooking techniques are best suited to it.

At the Sushi course for beginners the attendance learns to prepare the most sought after raw materials for sushi.

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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.

Have you made sushi with black rice?

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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

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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.

Can brown rice be used for sushi?

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Brown rice can be used for sushi.

In the US there are restaurants that specialize in making sushi with brown rice. In 2006, I once made brown rice sushi it was during the training for Japanese sushi chef in Los Angeles.

Sushi with brown rice has a nice taste.

However, I think there are a little too many challenges when cooking brown rice to start making sushi with brown rice.

As most people know sushi rice is already hard to cook to perfection. Sushi ris should be soft but firm. It is a texture that is hard to get right.

Brown rice is even harder to cook to perfection since the pre-cooked rice will never have the consistency the same as white sushi.

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.

Why is it difficult to cook sushi rice?

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There are several reasons why it is difficult to cook sushi ris. You use less water compare to “normal” rice which means that it only that it takes very little to get them wrong.
The perfect sushi rice is solid but at the same time soft. It very diffcult to cook perfect sushi rice.

Another factor that has a major influence on cooking sushi rice is the weather. If it rains, snow or a hot summer day it will affect the process of cooking of sushi rice.

It means that you might have to change the way you cook the rice every time.

Read more about the class Sushi course for beginners

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Zoë har holdt foredrag og afholdt sushikurser for A.P. Møller – Mærsk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis,Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup og mange flere.

This is way the weather affects cooking of the rice?

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RiceThe weather does always affect food preparation. Cooking sushi rice is precision work and therefore I give more attention to the small details such as the how the weather affects the boiling of sushi rice.

You use significantly less water when cooking sushi rice compared to ordinary rice that is reason why the smallest details becomes visible. Depending on whether it snow, rains heavily or if it is a hot summer it will affect also the amount of water to be used.

You may find that you need to adjust the amount of water during cooking that is one of the reasons why it can be a challenge to cook sushi rice.

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, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Gem