Cooking with Tim at Mount Martha House: Japanese Class

Japanese Cooking Class – “Foundations of Japanese Flavour”

During the session, guests will make their own traditional dashi stock using kombu and bonito flakes, learning how this simple stock forms the backbone of many Japanese dishes. From there, the class moves into preparing miso soup completely from scratch, including how to balance flavour, work with miso correctly, and understand the role of ingredients such as tofu, seaweed, and spring onion.

The class also explores the key Japanese pantry ingredients used throughout Japanese cooking, including soy sauce, mirin, and sake, and how these ingredients work together to create balance, depth, sweetness, and umami in dishes.

Guests will then prepare a traditional teriyaki-style dish, learning sauce balance, glazing techniques, and Japanese-style cooking methods while understanding how soy, mirin, and sake are used together in everyday cooking.

The session also covers sushi basics, including how to correctly prepare and season sushi rice, understand rice texture and handling, and practice simple sushi rolling techniques using fresh ingredients. The focus is on approachable sushi that can realistically be recreated at home.

What participants will make and learn:

• Homemade dashi stock using kombu and bonito

• Traditional miso soup from scratch

• Understanding soy sauce, mirin, and sake in Japanese cooking

• Teriyaki cooking and sauce preparation

• Sushi rice preparation and seasoning

• Simple sushi rolling techniques

The session finishes with a shared sit-down meal where guests enjoy the dishes they have prepared together. The class is designed to be interactive, approachable, and suitable for beginners while still offering plenty of practical cooking knowledge and cultural insight

Date: Wednesday 10th of June

Time: 11:00am – 1:30pm 

Cost: $50.00 per person

While we take great care to accommodate dietary requirements, please note that our commercial kitchen handles gluten, nuts, and other common allergens.If you have coeliac disease or a severe allergy (such as anaphylaxis), please inform us in advance so we can advise you on whether the session is suitable for your participation.