Can other types of rice be used for sushi?

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

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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

What has been your greatest experience on your trips to Japan?

I have had many unique and exciting experiences in Japan and there have been 2 trips that have been the same.

My travels to Japan do not really look like vacation  as they have always had a professional content.

I have found a picture from 2004.
In the picture I am with the Japanese national team coach of the Japanese women’s team. I am pretty tired because we have been training tournaments at Tokai University. It is auniversity where the most talented kendo players among Japanese students go.
It is also here the Olympic champions in Judo coach.

It’s one of many experiences that I will never forget.

Read more about Sushi chef & Sake sommelier Zoë Escher

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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.

Enjoy the summer with authentic Japanese sushi

Sushi is in my opinion a summer dish.
It is the season that abounds with a large selection of fresh vegetables and fish which are perfect for sushi. Vegetables full of flavors, aromas and unique tastes and, in the right composition, offer a gastronomic experience.

At the sushi course for beginners, attendances get a professional knowledge of sushi and sushi preparation. Knowledge is not enough the attendance do also learn to use different Japanese cooking and hand techniques to produce sushi of a quality so it can be served for a dinner.
Last but not least, attendances learn to handle fish for sushi rolls. You also learn about the classic pitfall when buying fish for sushi.

There are still some available spots on Sushi course for beginners which will be held on Sunday 20 May 2018. Do not wait too long if you want to go home with home-made sushi and a glass of cold white wine.

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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 Japanese go to a restaurant and dine?

The Japanese do go out to dine a lot.
In Europe most people will go to at restaurant and dine when there is a special occasion to celebrate. Some restaurants in Europe do also offer unique gastronomic experience.
In Japan, the Japanese have a different view of going out and dine. In Japan, dining at a restaurant is a way of spending time be together. There is no specific event for going out and dine at a restaurant

This means that the Japanese are dinning at a restaurant several times per a week. In Japan, social gathering often takes place at the many restaurants and eateries that are found on every street in Japan.

Read more about the Japanese unexplored Sushi chef & Sake sommelier Zoë Escher

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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.

The quality of sushi depends on your ability to cook sushi rice to perfection!

In Tokyo the Japanese have a different view of sushi than restaurant guests in Europe. Sushi rice cooked to perfection is firm but soft in texture. They must not be cooked as long as they have become porridge. Nor should they be cooked in a way so they are still raw inside. It is a difficult balance to hit.

Nevertheless, this is the first parameter the Japanese use to assess the quality of sushi. According to Japanese sushi rice must be cooked to perfection.

One of the reasons why sushi rice is so hard to boil is that the weather affects the boiling process of sushi rice. There are really many stages that sushi rushes go through before they are ready to cook. At Sushi course for beginners you will learn as a step by step how to cook sushi rice to perfection.

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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.

Make Japanese dishes that either add nutrition or charge the body

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.

Can pudding rice be used for sushi?

RiceIt is a question that I sometimes get on my sushi courses.

I have never tried to make sushi with pudding rice and I can understand that some have tried with the lack of sushi rice. For pudding rice is a short grain rice as sushi rice however, I think they are slightly shorter.

I do not believe that pudding rice can be used for sushi. It is another type of rice and the texture when they are cooked is not the same as the pre-cooked sushi rice.

As a sushi chef I have cooked sushi rice over the years with various brands and quality. Even within the sushi rice is a big difference in how the rice grains react when they have been washed, boiled and cooled down.

Please read more about Sushi course for beginner where I talk more about sushi rice.

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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

Is it a good idea to eat sushi when you are pregnant?

Both yes and no.

The Japanese eat very raw fish as a nation and they are a population that has children like all other countries.

During the training to become Japanese Sushi chef I learned about the Japanese rules that apply to pregnant women. According to the Japanese rules you should not eat raw tuna during the first 3 months of pregnancy. Then you can eat sushi everyone else.

I have full understanding of those who choose not to eat raw fish throughout the pregnancy. I also have full understanding of the pregnant women who choose to enjoy fish while they are pregnant.

I do not perceive raw fish as the biggest “sinner” in relation to pregnancy. I will be more concerned about the chemicals and additives that are in hair dye, makeup, perfume etc which a lot women.

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.

Can you describe the Japanese cuisine?

Most people believe that Japanese cuisine is all about sushi.

The Japanese cuisine is much more than that. The Japanese kitchen is built up a way so it either adds to the body nutrition or detoxes the body.

This means that healthy vegetables and fish which may seem a bit boring in European cuisine make up a lot of Japanese cuisine. It does not have to be at all if you have understood Japanese access to food.

In Japan, focus is on the healthy properties of raw materials and cooking techniques. In Japan it is very normal to learn to use techniques that take 10 years, 20 years and 40 years.

But as everyone knows you must first learn to crawl before you can walk. This is also the case with Japanese cuisine. First of all one should learn to use the basic techniques to produce Japanese dishes and the Japanese’s approach to cooking before heading for dishes that take 10 years to learn to make.

Read more about Sushi chef & sake sommelier Zoë Escher

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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.

Japanese gastronomy and Japanese kendo in Brussels

This Friday I traveled to Brussels to spend some days in the company of my Japanese kendo teacher and kendo friends from Europe and from Japan. Japanese Kendo and Japanese sushi share the same Japanese philosophy and approach to becoming proficient in you line of work.

I spend the day with a long talk about Japanese gastronomy in Japan, Europe and Scandinavia. I matched my teacher Nobuo Hirakawa’s teaching both Friday and Saturday. I had eaten Japanese lunch also called a bento box.

Last but not least, I got some new relationships in Europe and Japan. Below you will find a couple of pictures from the weekend.
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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.