Sushi rice

Where to buy black sesame seeds?

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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

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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.

What kind of sushi is the healthiest?

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Futomaki
It depends a bit on how you view sushi. I will talk about sushi which is prepared in Denmark.

If you disregard different kinds of topping and chili mayonnaise, then sushi rolls are the healthiest. Just by eating one sushi roll, the body is boosted with vitamins and minerals. There are several reasons for this.

Sushi is the vegetable in the world that contains the most vitamins and minerals.
Most sushi rolls are composed of a minimum of 2 kinds of vegetables, if not more and a little fish.

In Japan, nigiri and sushi rolls are equally healthy.
Japan topping is not used in the same way as in Denmark and some countries in Europe.
In Japan, nigiri is healthy, less rice is used and more fish is used. The Japanese get to eat large amounts of fish in a single meal.

At the Sushi course for beginners, you will learn how to make tasty rolls that are suitable for everyday life and parties.

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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.

How is the quality of sushi in Japan?

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Sushi chef & sake sommerlier Zoë Escher
In general, the quality of sushi is very high.

In Japan, there are many sushi masters who make sushi of extremely high quality.
Throughout their careers as Executive Sushi Chef, they train quite a few sushi chefs. Some of the chefs choose to continue their careers in the restaurant where they are trained.
Other sushi chefs choose to open their own restaurant and put their own fingerprints in the restaurant industry and, a third group chooses, to travel abroad to work.
In the USA, especially California, a lot of sushi chefs from Japan work.

You will also find Japanese sushi chefs who work in neighbor countries in Asia.

The many skilled sushi chefs in Japan ensure that the quality of Japanese sushi is high.
They do this, among other things, by using fish and other high-quality raw materials. They also use Japanese ingredients which are suitable for sushi.

This knowledge helps to strengthen Japan’s position in relation to quality sushi.

In the Sushi course for beginners, you will learn to use the techniques that Japanese sushi chefs use in the preparation of tasty sushi.

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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 all types of vegetables be used for sushi?

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Sushi chef & sake sommelier Zoë Escher
Not all types of vegetables can be used for sushi.
A vegetable like eggplant is not suitable for sushi at all. There are several reasons why

If you cut an eggplant into slices, then it is not firm in consistency. And once it is cooked on a pan or in the oven, it is very soft and falls apart easily.

Eggplant is also a vegetable that in itself does not have much flavor. It requires the use of some other ingredients that can provide an extra flavor dimension.

Onions are also not a raw material that is optimal to use for sushi.
No matter what type of onion is used, onions have a rather strong taste. Raw onions can also bother the stomach and, not everyone wants to smell of onions the rest of the evening.

At Sushi course for beginners, you learn step by step, to prepare and slice ingredients and make tasty sushi according to the Danish Food Administration’s rules.

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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.

Do all restaurants in Japan use the real Japanese wasabi?

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I have been traveling to Japan since 2004 to broaden my horizons and, learning new things from my Japanese teacher. Under normal circumstances, I travel to the Japan every year and on my many trips, I have had many gastronomic experiences ranging from everyday sushi to 2 star Michelin restaurants.

Real wasabi is widespread in Japan. However, not all restaurants use the real wasabi, even in Japan. Usually only Michelin sushi restaurants use the real wasabi.

I have tasted the real wasabi several times in Japan and, I cannot taste the difference. The strong taste disappears a little faster when it comes to the real wasabi.

Wasabi is a horseradish that grows in Japan. It has difficulty growing outside of Japan and therefore artificial wasabi is used. In Denmark, artificial wasabi is widespread it is only a few restaurants that import wasabi from abroad.

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.

What is the Japanese view of soy sauce?

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White soya sauce plate with sushi
The Japanese have a slightly different view of soy sauce.
In Japan, soy sauce is considered a spice, it is a way to season the dish. In Japan, there are as many different kinds of soy sauce, just as many as cheese in a Danish supermarket.

Not only that. It is quite common in traditional Japanese cuisine to use different types of soy sauces in one dish. This is because soy sauce are produced and matured in different ways and that gives each soy sauce an unique flavour.

It does matter which soy sauce is used for sushi or for traditional Japanese noodle soup. These are 2 very different dishes, where it is important to choose a soy sauce which gives the dish an extra spice without compromising the good taste.

In the Sushi course for beginners, you will learn which soy sauce is best suited for sushi.

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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.

How long can soy sauce last?

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Soy sauce is fermented soybeans.

In Japan, there are as many different types of soy sauce as there is cheese in a Danish supermarket.
Yep, that’s true.

There are different types of soy sauces for the many styles in Japanese cuisine. For sushi, a specific Japanese soy sauce is used, a soy sauce that is not used for Japanese noodle soups.

Of course, all bottles have a recommended expiration date for when soy sauce expires. Soy sauce is fermented soy beans, which has a very long shelf life. Soy sauce can of course last after the expiration date. You can always taste it if in doubt.

I store soy sauce outside the fridge too even though the bottle is open, I have always done that. So do Japanese sushi restaurants in Tokyo.

In the Sushi course for beginners, I talk more about which soy sauce is best suited for sushi.

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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.

How many different types of sushi rice are there in Denmark?

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There are several types of sushi rice in Europe not as many as in Japan. In Japan, there are as many types of sushi rice as cheese in a European supermarket.

In Denmark you will find different types of sushi rice if you visit a large Asian supermarket. A European supermarket and small Asian shops often have one of a kind. It’s really good too.

There is a difference in the quality of sushi rice. Of course, it also affects the whole gastronomic experience.
In the large Asian supermarket you will find several sushi rice some are produced in the US, Europe and Japan.
In US, there are many Japanese-owned companies in the food industry. They produce raw materials including sushi rice for the Japanese market sushi which is of the same quality as the rice grown in Japan.

In Europe, Japanese sushi rice is grown.
They are grown by European companies that have learned the cultivation methods in Japan. In this way, the rice avoids the long transport time from Japan to Europe.

In the Sushi course for beginners, you will learn which sushi rice is best suited for beginner’s sushi rice which ensures that you made sushi of good quality.

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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.

How is sushi rated in Japan?

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Sushi in Japan is assessed in a different way than in Denmark and Europe.
In Japan, sushi chefs and customers have a slightly different view of sushi. Other criteria are used for whether sushi tastes good, is well cooked and the overall sushi experience.

What is most emphasized in Japan is the quality of the cooked rice. If the sushi rice is not cooked to perfection, the thumb is turned down. In Japan, no one wants to eat sushi where the rice has got too much and has the consistency of porridge. It affects the other ingredients in the making of sushi and, the finished sushi pieces. It will be a smattering experience.

Conversely, the rice can also be cooked in a way so that the rice is raw inside. It provides a hard core where the full benefit of the rice ‘taste and consistency is not present.

Sushi rice is not the easiest to cook, but when it succeeds it tastes so nice.

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.

That’s why you should always rinse your rice!

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All types of rice should be rinsed before being poured into a pot, add water, and be set to boil on the stove.

Rice grows on large cereal fields in Europe and Asia. When they are ripe, they are harvested.
During the finishing of the harvested rice, the rice will lie on the ground before being packed. A little dirt cannot be avoided.

Have you tried cooking rice without rinsing them first?

Then you have probably discovered that the water becomes turbid. Once the rice has boiled, there is a cloudy white layer along the edge of the pot. It can be avoided by rinsing the rice.

How much rice should be rinsed is a little different. The rice will taste better and you also do not risk getting any impurities in the body.

Read more about Japanese 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.