Sushi making class at Chagohan in Tokyo

When we conjured up images of Japan, sushi was one of the first things to come to mind. This was certainly true for Rafe and eating plenty was high on his wish list for this trip. A sushi making lesson was one of the things we had booked ahead of time (around the same time as ‘the Ghibli ticket conquest’ last month).

Beyond having it in the diary we didn’t really know what to expect as we knocked on Masa and Junko’s door amid heavy rain. Junko’s warm smile and rapid welcome into the shelter of their kitchen had us and especially the kids instantly at ease. The tone was set for a fantastic and memorable experience.

First up, Masa gave us brief history of sushi. The very first ‘sushi’ was created in China and imported to Japan. It was made of fermented rice and salted fish as a way to preserve the ingredients in around 200BC. Early artwork depicts rice with fish on top, but much larger dishes than the sushi we know today. Fresh, raw fish made an appearance in the 1820s with the creation of nigiri sushi, and by the late 19th century the dish was very popular with sushi restaurants all over Japan. The introduction of refrigeration in the 20th century allowed fish to be kept fresh and transported further, leading to a further explosion in popularity and shapes. The California roll was created in 1960 by a Japanese chef in Los Angeles.

All this fishy talk, and our first culinary mission was an omelette. No standard omelette this, but a traditional Japanese omelette called Tamagoyaki which we can now confidently declare are the best in the world. In keeping with much of Japanese practice, these omelettes also turn out to require somewhat more precision than we were used to when cooking a few eggs of a morning. Into the eggs went dashi broth (made with grated dried tuna), sake, sugar and a little light soy. Even the pan itself is special – the small tamagoyaki pan is oblong. Cooking is also elaborate, with the eggs poured in stages with a fold at each stage creating a wonderfully light layered slab of omelette by the end. No mean feat when Masa folded it impressively with his special cooking chopsticks.

The main event was the preparation and devouring of nigiri – broadly speaking, raw fish mounted on rice. Though that description rather undersells the precise steps required to master the art. It is true that for any cooking the quality of the ingredients is key but that is doubly true for sushi. The fish needs to be super fresh and cut from the best parts of the best quality fish. Junko showed us the back fillets and the belly fillets with the help of a plushy tuna to much amusement. The belly meat is fattier, tastier and higher priced as a result. Masa sources from the same very best supplier as the Michelin starred restaurants and it really showed in the eating – this will in all likelihood be the best sushi we will ever have.

Slicing the fish is very much an art in itself. It also requires the biggest and sharpest knife we’d ever seen, and a steady hand. Undeterred we all had a good go at it. Rafe proved the champion at this producing a series of good and uniform pieces. We.had a go at several different types of fish including both tuna cuts, salmon, and snapper.

Rice loving Dessa took charge when it came to the rice preparation. With the fish and rice being the two main ingredients there was no Uncle Bens here. The rice was first cooked in a rice cooker by Junko and then placed in the basket and gently agitated to separate the grains, and then cut with a subtle rice vinegar. Throughout it was wafted with a traditional fan to move the hot steam away.

All this dedication to the rice consistency would then help in the process of forming into small oblongs under the fish. Again Rafe excelled here (perhaps due to his slender fingers), earning high praise from Masa. Jim on the other hand didn’t lather his hands with enough vinegar so ended up in a sticky ricey mess.

In spite of our novice skills, we each ended up with decent looking plates and plenty of it, which we were pretty proud of. All this cutting, wafting and rolling of course meant we had built up a healthy appetite.

This was certainly a special lunch and a very special day. The very best ingredients prepared by ourselves in the sparkling company of Junko and Masa. Masa was even gracious enough to let us try a couple of his very favourite sakes from his collection.

How we did it

The husband and wife team of Junko and Masa own Chagohan (located here) delivering hands on lessons with small groups in the area around Kappabashi street between Ueno and Asakusa, which itself is well known as the kitchen supply store area of Tokyo. Their skill, patience and sense of humour took this fantastic morning to another level. With the kids in tow the private lesson format meant that the shape of the session could be adjusted based on how they were getting on with the different tasks and it worked really well. Group sessions are also available.