Learning to prepare traditional, homestyle Japanese food is a delicious way to preserve our Japanese cultural heritage, and one your whole family is sure to enjoy! The following classes are offered on a rotating basis. Each class takes place at the JASC on a Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.   Class size is limited to the first 15 to register. Class fees, which vary with the food being prepared, cover the cost of all materials and ingredients. Our expert culinary instructors include Noriko Okutomi, May Nakano and Emiko Kooi.   To check to see which cooking classes are upcoming, link to the web site calendar page, or download JASC's latest class schedule. For additional information, e-mail or call 773.275.0097 ext. 229.   Registration To register for an upcoming cooking class, download the class fee PDF which has current class costs and a registration form. Print out the form, fill it in, and mail it with your check to JASC Cooking Class, 4427 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60640.   Class Descriptions Chawan Mushi & Tori (Chicken) Gohan (Rice) – "Chawan mushi" is a dashi (soup stock) and egg-based, steamed custard served hot as a first course. "Tori gohan" is a hearty version of "aji gohan" (flavored rice).   Noodles – Hot or cold, served in broth or dipped in sauce, noodles are Japan's real fast food. Perfect your noodle cooking technique with dishes prepared with udon (round, white, flour-based noodles), soba (thin, buckwheat noodles), and somen (fine, white, flour-based noodles).   Nimono – Cooked vegetables. They're good for you and delicious too. Explore some dishes cooked with a variety of vegetables, pork, poultry and/or fish.   Oshogatsu – Begin (or renew) a Japanese family tradition by preparing a traditional Oshogatsu (New Year's) feast. Learn what foods to prepare, their significance and meaning for the new year, how to cook them, and how they should be presented at the Oshogatsu table.   Otsukemono – What exactly is otsukemono and why is it good for you? Learn traditional methods and faster contemporary ones of making a variety of these pickled delicacies.   Salads with Japanese Dressings – Learn to put a new tasteful twist on those healthful vegetables in this class.   Sukiyaki, Shabu Shabu – These one-pot meals are delicious, healthy and versatile! Learn the secrets to making your own.   Sushi – Makizushi – learn the secret to rolling a centered futomaki (big roll of seaweed-wrapped vinegared rice). It's easier than it looks! Make different types of sushi by observation and hands-on experience.   Sushi – Nigiri-Zushi – This sushi variation features vinegared rice topped with fresh fish such as tuna, yellow-tail, octopus, squid, snapper, sea bass, salmon, etc.   Sweets – Traditional Japanese sweets aren't really desserts; they're eaten with tea separately from meals. Many are made with sweet bean paste prepared with sweetened pureed or crushed azuki (Japanese red beans). In this class you will prepare several different types.   Temaki – What is "temaki?" "Temaki" literally means "hand roll" and has become a popular way of making your own sushi in Japan. Learn how to make this simple and delicious "new" type of sushi.   Tempura – These feather-light, golden-brown morsels defy our notion of batter-coated, deep-fried foods. What's the secret to preparing them? Find out at this session, which presents both vegetable and fish varieties.   Tofu – High in protein, easily digested, and vegetable-based, tofu has emerged as the foodstuff of our health-conscious times. How do you eat tofu? You can: Cut it and put it into soup; eat it cold; eat it hot; put it into stir fry.   Tonkatsu – Discover how to make this popular, tender, breaded pork cutlet – crunchy on the outside, and flavorful on the inside.   Yaki-zakana (Broiled fish) – As an island nation, Japan enjoys a vast array of fish and fish dishes. In addition to the popular raw sashimi fish delicacies, there are a variety of ways to prepare and cook fish, including shioyaki, teriyaki, and misoyaki. (back to top)