Sushi Basics class

Sushi made by one of the students, Harvey Yamagata

My first sushi class for the Fort Worth Japanese Society was on Saturday, April 14.  I am teaching a series of three "hands-on" classes.  I am a board member of the society and my desire is to share my love of Japanese cooking with the community.  I do the Japanese Society classes on a voluntary basis and the profits go to the Japanese Society.
Enrollment was higher than I expected, 22 but then 3 cancelled so there were 19 people. I had never prepared for such a large group before so it was a lot more work than I anticipated.  The list of dishes we were making included: 
Cucumber Roll (Kappamaki)
California Roll (Uramaki or inside out)
Nigirizushi (Rice balls with raw and cooked neta (fish or other ingredients)
Salmon Teriyaki Hand rolls (Temaki)
I also did a demonstration on how to make perfect sushi rice, the most important ingredient!
Students were also given green tea and miso soup with tofu and wakame that I made.
The preparation was crazy!  I realized that to make enough rice for 20 people to prepare the different dishes, each person would have to have 3 cups of sushi rice.  Multiplied by 20, that made over 60 cups of rice, all cooked, seasoned and cooled right before the class.  You cannot make it ahead of time or it gets hard and just isn't ideal.  I wanted the class members to have the best possible sushi experience.  I got up before 5 AM to cook the rice, then packaged it in plastic to go box containers with a very moist paper towel on top of the rice.  This turned out to be a great way to transport it and keep it from drying out.  I also cut several cucumbers, carrots, made sauces, wasabi, the dashi (stock) for the soup, portioned out miso, cut tofu, and prepared little containers of mayonnaise and wasabi for each student.  I'll bet I spent over 6 hours getting things ready, not to mention writing up detailed instructions/recipes for each student and shopping for the ingredients.  Then the 5 members of our events committee helped set up the class which took another hour.
I believe the students got a big bargain at $30.00 for non-members, $20.00 for members to take my class!  I took a sushi class at Central Market a couple years ago just to see how they conduct it and it cost $60.00.  Maybe we should raise the price next year....
But, it turned out great and the students were very serious about their sushi making endeavor.  They worked very hard to create their rolls and nigiri zushi, learned about the history, perfect sushi rice, and best of all, got to sample their finished creations with a hot bowl of traditional miso soup. I really enjoyed teaching the class, especially sharing my mother's version of California roll and knowing how good it tasted, then sitting down with the events committee afterwards to enjoy the sushi I made for us.
The next class will be on May 12, 2012 from 10:00 AM-12:00 Noon.  We will learn how to make 3 types of Chirashi zushi, a preparation of placing ingredients on sushi rice or tossing them with sushi rice.  Chirashi zushi is not well known yet, but it is a real treat and allows you to enjoy sushi without as much rice and it is delicious!  If you are interested in attending, please contact Harvey Yamagata at 817-737-9166.  Class 3 is the advanced sushi class on June 9, 2012.  We will be making a caterpillar roll (avocado and eel), pressed sushi, spicy tuna nachos, battleship sushi, and I will share my miso soup recipe.
I can also conduct any of the sushi classes for your private event, however the cost will be higher per person.
Contact me at 817-919-7761 for more information.

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Slowly getting there

Japanese Power Breakfast,
Miso and vegetable soup with tofu and brown rice

It's been a while since my last post.  I spent a couple weeks away from home, then came back to a very busy work schedule.  In the meantime, while I was gone I attempted to stay on a very restrictive fat free plant based diet after watching a video entitled, "Make Yourself Heart Attack Proof" by Dr.
Esselstyn from the Cleveland Clinic.  I believe almost everything he says but I cannot stand that diet!!!!  I lasted for two weeks and lost a couple pounds but it seemed like I thought about food way too much.  I felt like the critics who say, "If all I can eat is beans, go ahead and kill me now!" It ws so depressing thinking about never eating sushi with fish again.
I will be getting lab tests in a couple days, routine for my annual physical, and I am hoping my cholesterol is a little lower, but I don't know that I will achieve the 150 total cholesteral and 80 LDL recommended by Dr. Esselstyn.  In the meantime I read all my books on populations who enjoy long and healthy lives such as The Okinawa Diet, Healthy at 100, Blue Zone, Food Rules, and The Spectrum by Dr. Dean Ornish.  I think Michael Pollan sums it up the best:  "Eat food, mostly plants, not too much."  The Okinawans, one of the healthiest populations studied, ate an 85% plant based diet with small servings of fish, occasional eggs and meat.  I believe my Japanese ancestors ate a very healthy diet before our western tastes invaded their country. 
I have determined that I can exist on a mostly plant based diet with 10-15 % of my calories coming from fat (which is only 18-26 grams of fat per day in my 1600 calories per day diet).  I eat the lowest fat protein sources such as beans, tofu, and grains along with egg whites, fish, and chicken breast.
I may have red meat on occasion but not more than once or twice a month.  I have either almond, soy, or non fat milk and all non fat diary products.  I have learned to use a special very light salad dressing I make fresh every day and less of it and I have been using canola oil, which has less saturated fat than olive oil.  Even non-stick "0" calorie spray has fat if you spray it more than 1/3 of a second, so when I use it I spray the pan very lightly.  My taste buds have adjusted quite well now and I continue to lose weight.  I am still about 15 pounds from my goal and have until the end of April to reach it. 
I will be posting recipes again soon!

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Sushi Classes

I'm looking forward to teaching a series on sushi making for the Fort Worth Japanese Society.  If you are interested or know someone who is please follow the instructions below.  Thanks!

For more information, contact Harvey Yamagata at (work) 817-332-3681 or (home) 817-737-9166 or email hyamagata@buxtonco.com

Hands-On Sushi Classes presented by the Fort Worth Japanese Society.  Chef Julia Dunaway, will be sharing her love of sushi making learned over many years, including from her Japanese mother.  There will be three classes: Sat. April 14 on Sushi Basics including the all important sushi rice, nigiri-zushi, temaki and norimaki.  Sat. May 12 covers chirashi-zushi including regional variations.  Sat. Jun 9 advanced sushi preparation including caterpillar rolls and oshi-zushi.   All classes start at 10:00am and end at noon with the sushi you’ve made.  Classes will be held at the Fort Worth Japanese Society, 3608 Park Lake Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76137.  Society members $20 per class, non-members $30 per class.  To reserve your place email to: inquiries@fwjs.org.  Classes sizes limited to make your reservation now.

Japanese Cooking Series

Presented by the Fort Worth Japanese Society

Hands-on Sushi Classes

Classes are taught by Chef Julia Dunaway

Julia has been interested in sushi all her life.  She watched her Japanese mother make it, enjoyed eating it in Japanese restaurants in California years before most people were familiar with it and lived in Japan for four years where she experienced the freshest sushi in the world. She has made sushi for her family and friends for the past 25 years, taught sushi making classes, and read and studied extensively on the subject.  She wants to share her love of sushi making with others.  Classes will be held at the Fort Worth Japanese Society, 3608 Park Lake Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76137.  Society members $20 per class, non-members $30 per class.  To reserve your place email to: inquiries@fwjs.org.

Class 1:  Saturday, April 14, 2012, 10am -12 noon

Sushi Basics:

Students will learn the history of sushi, about equipment and supplies, etiquette and how to make perfect sushi rice.  They will have the opportunity to prepare their own norimaki (rolled sushi), uramaki (inside-out rolls), nigiri-zushi (rice balls topped with seafood), and temaki (hand rolls).  Students will enjoy their cucumber roll, California roll, nigiri-zushi with maguro (tuna), and salmon hand rolls for lunch.  Miso soup and green tea will be served.

Class 2:  Saturday, May 12, 2012, 10am -12 noon

Chirashi-zushi (sushi rice tossed or topped with seafood or other ingredients):

Regional styles of chirashi-zushi will be taught.  Students will make Tokyo-style chirashi-zushi (raw and cooked fish and other ingredients on top of rice, Kansai-style (cooked meat and vegetables mixed with rice) and Gomoku (rice tossed with simmered vegetables and other ingredients).  Students will enjoy their unique creations for lunch with miso soup and green tea.

Class 3, Saturday, June 9, 2012, 10am -12 noon

Advanced Sushi Preparations:

Students will prepare a caterpillar roll with unagi no kabayaki (barbequed eel and avocado), oshi-zushi (pressed sushi in a square box, with salmon), spicy tuna nachos, tuna sashimi with daikon and ginger, and battleship sushi with salmon roe.  Students will enjoy their b

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Returning Home Soon

In two days I will be returning home.  I have been very busy with my work here as well as trying to continue with my healthy eating that I have not been posting much at all.  I am managing to continue my no excuses eating plan and exercising.  With the Fresh Market near the hotel I have been able to stock up on fresh fruits and breakfast foods as well as salads for lunch.  For dinner I have been eating light meals at the nearby Japanese and other restaurants  Tuesday night I ventured out on the metro to Bethesda and had a very good Asian salad from a food truck near Bethesda Row.  I noticed a farmer's market co-op building that is open on Friday and Saturday, so I may check it out. 
During this trip I watched an interesting video on how to make yourself "heart attack proof" by Dr. Carlton Esselstyn.    (Thanks Chef Penni!) He advocates a plant based diet.
 I have lab work coming up so I am curious to see if in 3 weeks of eating a plant based diet I will see a dramatic reduction in my cholesterol and LDL levels. Even with my usual healthy eating they have been worrisome in recent years, skirting on borderline high.  Dr. Esselstyn has years of evidence to back up his claims so I am intrigued.   I am on day 4 of eating nothing but plant based food.  Once I get home I will be able to make my own food and start posting my favorite recipes. 

If you are interested in watching Make Yourself Heart Attack Proof go to:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYTf0z_zVs0

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Eating in my hotel room

I'm on a very long business trip staying is a fairly nice hotel.  I have to spend 9 or 10 hours in meetings so there is not much time for fun.  My challenge is how to eat healthy during this trip.  I usually just eat all my meals out but that typically means buffet breakfasts, heavy lunches ordered in so we can continue working, and dinners out with colleagues or alone.  Since I am determined to stick with my healthy eating routine I don't want to passively accept that traveling is an excuse to indulge in excessive eating (like I did in the past when I was 20+ pounds heavier).
It's not like I'm in Italy (where I was at this time last year!) where there is a once in a lifetime opportunity to eat scrumptious food on every corner.  I'm in an area surrounded by Cheesecake Factory, PF Changs, Brio, TJI Fridays, Fuddruckers, and the like.  There are also a few local places, everything within walking distance from my hotel, but my experience at the Lebanese Taverna my first night here was pretty disappointing.  It has also become a chain.  The good news is there is a Fresh Market nearby, kind of like a little Central Market.  My room is a big suite with a refrigerator and a microwave oven so I was able to pick up some things at Fresh Market.  I treated myself to some huge organic strawberries and some beautiful mandarin oranges and plenty of breakfast items such as Greek yogurt and even eggs.  I will see how microwave eggs turn out!  Instead of eating lunch at the industrial cafe in the building I'm stuck in all day I will be bringing my own salad and fruit.
Microwave eggs:  They are really very good, believe it or not.  I placed 2 eggs in a bowl of about 1/2 cup water, pricked the yolks with the end of a paper clip, then covered them with an opened plastic baggie.  After about 2 1/2 minutes total and letting them sit for a minute, I drained the water.
I had the eggs with a piece of whole wheat bread I bought from a local bakery.  Excellent!
Yesterday I discovered that the building I am working in has a huge, modern gym.  I worked out in the hotel gym on Monday night and it was small with only a couple weight machines and no space to work out, so today I am bringing work out clothes and will take a break in the afternoon.

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I understand the Fat Chef show

I mentioned the birthday party in my last post.  A woman asked me to come to her home and prepare the food for her daughter's 21st birthday party for her and 15 friends.  My good friend, Lisa Wright, agreed to help.  Between my "real" job, and preparing for my trip to Washington D.C., I was wondering how I would get everything done.  The menu selected by the mom was pretty simple, however I discovered that wrapping dozens of things in bacon is pretty time consuming.  The party went very well and the guests loved the stuffed mushrooms, bacon wrapped jalapenos, bacon wrapped chicken, Thai cucumber cups, Beef tenderloin on crostini, vegetables, cheese tray, and bacon cheddar biscuits with chile maple butter.  Somehow I got so busy that day I barely had time to eat anything but a Mojo bar.  By the time we got the food served I was so hungry I was ready to eat all that bacon wrapped food I would normally avoid like crazy! 
On the Food Network show, "Fat Chef", overweight chefs are profiled.  They work very hard cooking for others and rarely take time to have a healthy meal.  They grab a bite here and there and at the end of the day all the "tastes" of food add up to 7,000 calories.  I can see how that happens!  Fortunately I stopped with a few samples of everything I made and no real damage was done.
I did discover, however, that I really enjoyed the bacon wrapped chicken!  This does not fit very well into my healthy recipe collection, but just take chicken breast, pound it out, stuff it with pepper jack cheese and a slice of jalapeno, rub it in your favorite spice rub, wrap nitrate free good bacon around it, secure it with a toothpick and bake it at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

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Party Time

I have been working on a party menu for a 21st birthday event for this Friday.  I'm excited to have the opportunity to try something different.  It's a small event, 15 girls, all of whom will be out on a wine tasting adventure prior to the party, and tasting wine with the food we prepare.  My friend, Chef Lisa Wright, is helping me with this event since it's during the work week and a busy time for me at work.
The client is a person a met during the Taste Tour of Azle activities.  She was on the planning committee and attended the various events, including the VIP party which was caterered by Wild Mushroom Steakhouse.  We decided on a menu which includes things like stuffed mushrooms, bacon wrapped jalapeno peppers, grilled tenderloin steak with an A-1/Cabernet reduction on crostini, cheese stuffed chicken and pepper bites (wrapped in bacon), crudite, Asian beef cups, bacon wrapped shrimp, and a cheese and fruit platter with nuts and crackers.
Last night I tested a recipe for bacon wrapped chicken stuffed with cheese and jalapenos.  I'm glad I did because I didn't like the bacon  I used as well as the usual Pedersen Farm organic bacon I normally use.  Back to Central Market again today.
Although it's not the food I normally eat my husband was very happy!  I will post photos the day of the event, although I'm not sure if I will post all the recipes.

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