Nobu Matsuhisa, one of the world's greatest sushi chefs, reveals the secrets of Japanese cuisine: simple techniques, cooking from the heart - and the best ingredients that the world's oceans have to offer

He numbers Tom Cruise, Leonardo diCaprio and Madonna as some of his biggest fans. And his ingredients are just as stellar: truffles, sea urchins, foie gras and octopus. His restaurants stretch from New York to Aspen via London and Milan, and his business partner is none other than Robert De Niro.

He's Nobuyuki Matsuhisa - friend to the stars, restaurateur extraordinaire and arguably the best sushi chef in the world.

Better known as simply 'Nobu', Matsuhisa began his career as a kitchen assistant in a Tokyo restaurant. Within a few years, aged just 24, he had opened a place of his own - a sushi bar in Peru, of all places. Here, forced to adapt to Peruvian ingredients and tastes, he began to forge a unique Japanese-South American style that soon caught the attention of the critics.

Hollywood knives
But it was with the opening of his restaurant Matsuhisa in Los Angeles in the 1980s that Nobu named his name. Voted by The New York Times as one of the top ten restaurants in the world, and 'Best Japanese Restaurant' by numerous reviewers, Matsuhisa quickly drew the Hollywood glitterati.

Among the many star diners was Robert De Niro, who, after four years of cajoling, convinced the shy chef to go into partnership and open more branches. Today, there are now 13 Nobu restaurants around the globe.

In 2001, Nobu decided to share his invaluable knowledge of Japanese cooking and published his first book, Nobu: The Cookbook.

'I give you my way of cooking freely and show you exactly how each dish is prepared and served in my restaurants,' Nobu explains. 'People often ask me to define my food. I call it "Nobu-style" cuisine. It's firmly based on Japanese cooking - fundamentally sushi - but with North and South American influences. My style.'

On a roll
You'll certainly find Nobu's recipes challenging - and finding the ingredients is often more difficult than preparing them. But they're ultimately rewarding. 'The basics will only provide you with a foundation on which to build your cooking skills,' he says. 'The rest is really up to you.'

Fancy preparing sushi Nobu-style?
Try his House Special Roll

And if you're feeling really adventurous, try these other Nobu recipes: