Well. After many months of waiting, it's finally going to be a reality.
I'm off to Korea tomorrow morning, and will be there for an entire month. I plan to chronicle my journey while I'm there (and hopefully won't forget about the actual schoolwork I have to do on top of that), but you can bet there will be at least a few entries, hopefully with pictures, that I'll be putting up here over the next month.
I've been eagerly awaiting this trip for a number of reasons--among them, the fact that I'll get to practice my Korean even more (although I fear I might cower in the back corner once some cunning shopkeeper screws me out of 10,000 won more than I should've paid). I've spent far too long, I think, running away from my culture. Running away from learning the language, the history, the nerve to take that step.
Well, about damn time I took the plunge.
As they say...watch this space!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
ICT: Battle Carrot: Chen vs. Takahashi
BATTLE DATA FILE
Japan Original Airdate: 5/27/1994
Episode: 30
The Challenger: Kiyoshi Takahashi, the bronze medalist at the 1992 World Championship of Chinese Cooking. It is the most prestigious competition in China. While he took the bronze, he finished just behind a familiar face in Kitchen Stadium, who took the silver. He's got a sort of vendetta against him, because Chen is 5 years younger than he is.
The Iron Chef: Iron Chef Chinese, Chen Kenichi. Last time out he lost against an Italian mastermind trying to get his life back on track...can he get back on the winning path? He's really up against it today, seeing as this battle will be a revenge match of sorts.
The Battle:
As Chen prepares to take on another chef named Takahashi, we have, once again, actress Mayuko Takata, in full Chinese garb. This is, what, her sixth or seventh battle in the booth? Not that I mind, but still...the only breaks we've had were with Ishinabe and Hashimoto...
And here comes Kaga into Kitchen Stadium, saying that there are many chefs out there who hold a grudge--well, maybe not a grudge, but a sense of rivalry--against his Iron Chefs. After Kaga gives a recap of the competition from 1992, here comes the wizard of Chinese knives, Kiyoshi Takahashi. The man's confident today, and he's aiming to take down one of the Iron Chefs. Three guesses as to which one...
"CHEN KENICHI!" Takahashi cries, pointing a defiant finger at the man who bested him two years ago.
"Today's challenger once created a full course Imperial Chinese Dinner," Kaga begins. "His superhuman blade-work will be revealed today. It would be nice if he could make the time to to show us his decorative work as well. For decorative carving, we must have a certain vegetable." And for once, I can kinda figure out Kaga's cryptic clues, as he rips off the veil and reveals...CARROTS!
And remember: "Eat the meat of the carrots."
Two of the best Chinese chefs in Japan are about to duke it out in a high-stakes grudge match at Kaga's familiar call: "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
These carrots are huge, compared to the ones we're accustomed to seeing in the West. And out of the gate, Takahashi appears to be in a bit of a funk, not knowing what to do...but after setting his carrots down, he quickly grabs some kokkei (silky fowl), which is a Chinese chicken used in medicinal dishes, and makes short work of that.
Chen, meanwhile, is cookie-cutting some carrot cores as Fukui jokes that some of our younger viewers might not be thrilled at the vegetable theme. "I know I wouldn't," he adds.
Takahashi's kokkei is quickly boiling away, while he's breaking down some loquat. He also has a lot of fruit out on his side, while Chen's cored carrots have hit the hot water. He's scoring some others, while Takahashi already has some carrots with the kokkei and loquats in a soup.
Chen's dropping some honey into the carrot cores, perhaps a Chinese take on a French glacer. And as Hattori and Takata argue over whether Takahashi will steam the soup or not (hint: "15-love, Dr. Hattori," Fukui calls), his food processor took some carrots for a spin, perhaps for a sauce later. And Chen's got white peaches on his side...
"Ratcheting up the sweetness quotient--hey, maybe the kids will like it now," Fukui quips.
15 minutes are already gone, as Takahashi has vanilla essence and butter in what appears to be carrot juice in his wok. Chen has something in the steamer, while Takahashi's carrot soup/juice is filling the papayas (laying that on top of some sweet red bean paste).
Flatfish and crabmeat have hit Chen's wok (which confuses the commentators for a bit), and Takahashi's papayas have found the oven. And we discover Chen's peaches (and carrot cores) were in the steamer all along! Those have hit ice water, while Takahashi has his carving knives out...Hattori's calling a pagoda carving.
"But why such a big chopper for this? Style points?" Fukui asks. Hattori replies that a smaller knife would've been too wobbly for the job he's trying to do. And Chen's doing a little carving of his own, but he's now rolling out some dough that already has carrots kneaded in there. And 30 minutes, just like that, are gone!
Takahashi's carrot pagoda is done, as his papayas hit the plates (with a wedge of lemon and cherry just added). And Chen's still trying to find his way around the theme, as he panics over the time call! He's slicing his dough into noodles, while Takahashi has julienned carrots and truffle mixed with truffles and watercress on top.
20 minutes left now, and Chen's noodles have hit the water. Takahashi has dried bean curd on his side, as he chops up some more carrots. And Ohta says Takahashi is in complete control over his dishes, saying, "Heck, I'll start one more!"
Chen is chilling his noodles and, as Fukui puts it, "wokin' and rollin'" with carrots, beef, and garlic sprouts. Takahashi is doing some stir-frying of his own, with some shoestring carrots in his wok (which is flaring up), laying those down on the bean curd.
15 minutes to go, and Takahashi is laying some foie gras in his wok! Chen, meanwhile, has plated his stir-fry from earlier, on top of a nest of shredded carrots.
Foie gras is already down on Takahashi's side, although we don't know what he's going to do with it yet. His yuba spring rolls have hit the oil, while Chen has mini carrots and Shanghai cabbage for...something.
10 minutes left, and now shark's fin on Chen's side (just to decorate, according to Hattori,), but we see the crabmeat and flatfish mixture go down on top of that. He's panicking here, as his noodles aren't yet finished...uh-oh.
Takahashi's spring rolls are down with a sauce on top. and Chen has another soup in the works (with mushrooms). Down goes some meat on top of Takahashi's foie gras, as with some carrots as well. And Chen flips over the shark's fin mixture, much to the amusement of the commentators (warranting a replay, in my opinion...and we get it!). He's laying the Shanghai cabbage on top of that as the 5-minute call is announced...
Takahashi's steamer is open with the silken fowl soup inside (which he plates a little later), while Chen is laying down his carrot cores into martini glasses. And here come his noodles, which aren't too much trouble after all. And we have fire on Takahashi's wok, with less than 2 minutes to go!
1 minute left now, and his carrots have hit the new soup in his wok, while Chen appears to have calmed down a bit as he plates some more soup as the last few seconds are ticking down...Fukui seems to be running out of breath as Takahashi plates his soup at the last second, it's a wonder he can still say...
"Close call, but he makes it, the Carrot Battle is OVAH!"
Takahashi reveals in the postgame interviews that his pagoda is just an accessory. So it will indeed be all by its lonesome over there...something doesn't sound good about that.
Challenger Takahashi's 6 dishes:
--Carrot and Caviar Salad
--Carrot and Shark Fin Soup
--Stir-fried Beef, Foie Gras and Carrots in Black Bean Sauce
--Carrot in Bean Curd
--Silky Fowl and Carrot Soup
--Carrot Pudding in Papaya
--For decorative purposes, the Carrot Chinese Pagoda
Iron Chef Chen's 4 dishes:
--Shark Fin Stew in Carrot Sauce
--Carrot and Noodle Soup
--Stir-fried Carrots and Sirloin, on Fried Carrots
--Carrot Compote
On the panel today for the Carrot Battle are:
--Song Writer Yasushi Akimoto
--Actress Mayuko Takata
--Culinary Critic Asako Kishi
Takahashi's up first, as they sample his salad. Takata likes the pairing of caviar and truffles, while Kishi simply says the caviar's like an accent. So far, so good...I think...
Akimoto can't see the carrots in his soup, while Takata says it's fluffy. And we get the first bit of criticism from Kishi (who else, really?) on his foie gras dish, saying the carrots aren't really center stage. "I think it could've been any vegetable," she adds.
On to the bean curd spring roll, which Takata says is sweet. She's shocked that there's only carrots inside...
...and quickly onto the silky fowl soup! (Are we in a hurry to get through all the dishes or something?) Akimoto says he's already feeling well, after tasting it. And there seems to be a weird edit before they cut to the sampling of the dessert...the only thing that's clear is who I presume to be Akimoto saying "This is good" while Takata's on screen.
Well, they all like that one! And Takata gets the carrot pagoda on her table, which Akimoto jokes is the bill. No bill in this menu-less restaurant...
And now, Chen's turn to face the music.
Akimoto likes the harmony amongst all the ingredients in Chen's first dish, while Kishi says (off-screen) that something's too soft in his second. "You may have waited too long before serving this," Kishi says. Akimoto agrees, although Takata likes it that way.
And while Kishi and Akimoto think Takata's crazy for thinking Chen's beef stir-fry is spicy, Kishi likes the flavor of the carrot nest along with it.
Takata and Akimoto like how the carrots in his dessert don't taste like carrots at all, but like fruit! Transformation, I suppose?
"A rival makes a man stronger," Kaga philosophizes before the verdict. "Please remain good rivals in the years to come."
But now, the verdict. Who takes it? Will it be the Iron Chef or the upstaged senior? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Tetsujin, Chen Kenichi!"
Look out, Kitchen Stadium, he's back! Quality, not quantity, was the deciding factor today as Chen gets back on the winning path.
My take: First, on the battle itself: Takahashi did a respectable job as a challenger. However, I do think his time may have been better spent on garnishing some of his dishes with his intricate carvings that Kaga raved about. While this may have meant scrapping a dish or two (he probably could've done without the foie gras dish, as that was a little hastily put together), I do think 1) he would've earned some more presentation points by incorporating his carvings into his dishes, and 2) would've saved him some time to really perfect those other five. Chen, despite not really knowing what he was doing (or at least it sounded like it), did well with his four, although if this were judged on clock management alone Takahashi definitely took the cake.
As for the show as a whole, it seems the polar opposite of the Ishinabe battle--whereas the Ishinabe battle was too slow, now this seems really rushed. While I'm glad half the show doesn't consist of the tasting portion anymore, I'm also a little disappointed that the dishes we see only get maybe one or two judges commenting on it. Maybe it's their own device to keep the judging as even as possible to the home viewer, who knows. But one thing's for sure, that first 15-minute call really sneaks up on you...
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Japan Original Airdate: 5/27/1994
Episode: 30
The Challenger: Kiyoshi Takahashi, the bronze medalist at the 1992 World Championship of Chinese Cooking. It is the most prestigious competition in China. While he took the bronze, he finished just behind a familiar face in Kitchen Stadium, who took the silver. He's got a sort of vendetta against him, because Chen is 5 years younger than he is.
The Iron Chef: Iron Chef Chinese, Chen Kenichi. Last time out he lost against an Italian mastermind trying to get his life back on track...can he get back on the winning path? He's really up against it today, seeing as this battle will be a revenge match of sorts.
The Battle:
As Chen prepares to take on another chef named Takahashi, we have, once again, actress Mayuko Takata, in full Chinese garb. This is, what, her sixth or seventh battle in the booth? Not that I mind, but still...the only breaks we've had were with Ishinabe and Hashimoto...
And here comes Kaga into Kitchen Stadium, saying that there are many chefs out there who hold a grudge--well, maybe not a grudge, but a sense of rivalry--against his Iron Chefs. After Kaga gives a recap of the competition from 1992, here comes the wizard of Chinese knives, Kiyoshi Takahashi. The man's confident today, and he's aiming to take down one of the Iron Chefs. Three guesses as to which one...
"CHEN KENICHI!" Takahashi cries, pointing a defiant finger at the man who bested him two years ago.
"Today's challenger once created a full course Imperial Chinese Dinner," Kaga begins. "His superhuman blade-work will be revealed today. It would be nice if he could make the time to to show us his decorative work as well. For decorative carving, we must have a certain vegetable." And for once, I can kinda figure out Kaga's cryptic clues, as he rips off the veil and reveals...CARROTS!
And remember: "Eat the meat of the carrots."
Two of the best Chinese chefs in Japan are about to duke it out in a high-stakes grudge match at Kaga's familiar call: "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
These carrots are huge, compared to the ones we're accustomed to seeing in the West. And out of the gate, Takahashi appears to be in a bit of a funk, not knowing what to do...but after setting his carrots down, he quickly grabs some kokkei (silky fowl), which is a Chinese chicken used in medicinal dishes, and makes short work of that.
Chen, meanwhile, is cookie-cutting some carrot cores as Fukui jokes that some of our younger viewers might not be thrilled at the vegetable theme. "I know I wouldn't," he adds.
Takahashi's kokkei is quickly boiling away, while he's breaking down some loquat. He also has a lot of fruit out on his side, while Chen's cored carrots have hit the hot water. He's scoring some others, while Takahashi already has some carrots with the kokkei and loquats in a soup.
Chen's dropping some honey into the carrot cores, perhaps a Chinese take on a French glacer. And as Hattori and Takata argue over whether Takahashi will steam the soup or not (hint: "15-love, Dr. Hattori," Fukui calls), his food processor took some carrots for a spin, perhaps for a sauce later. And Chen's got white peaches on his side...
"Ratcheting up the sweetness quotient--hey, maybe the kids will like it now," Fukui quips.
15 minutes are already gone, as Takahashi has vanilla essence and butter in what appears to be carrot juice in his wok. Chen has something in the steamer, while Takahashi's carrot soup/juice is filling the papayas (laying that on top of some sweet red bean paste).
Flatfish and crabmeat have hit Chen's wok (which confuses the commentators for a bit), and Takahashi's papayas have found the oven. And we discover Chen's peaches (and carrot cores) were in the steamer all along! Those have hit ice water, while Takahashi has his carving knives out...Hattori's calling a pagoda carving.
"But why such a big chopper for this? Style points?" Fukui asks. Hattori replies that a smaller knife would've been too wobbly for the job he's trying to do. And Chen's doing a little carving of his own, but he's now rolling out some dough that already has carrots kneaded in there. And 30 minutes, just like that, are gone!
Takahashi's carrot pagoda is done, as his papayas hit the plates (with a wedge of lemon and cherry just added). And Chen's still trying to find his way around the theme, as he panics over the time call! He's slicing his dough into noodles, while Takahashi has julienned carrots and truffle mixed with truffles and watercress on top.
20 minutes left now, and Chen's noodles have hit the water. Takahashi has dried bean curd on his side, as he chops up some more carrots. And Ohta says Takahashi is in complete control over his dishes, saying, "Heck, I'll start one more!"
Chen is chilling his noodles and, as Fukui puts it, "wokin' and rollin'" with carrots, beef, and garlic sprouts. Takahashi is doing some stir-frying of his own, with some shoestring carrots in his wok (which is flaring up), laying those down on the bean curd.
15 minutes to go, and Takahashi is laying some foie gras in his wok! Chen, meanwhile, has plated his stir-fry from earlier, on top of a nest of shredded carrots.
Foie gras is already down on Takahashi's side, although we don't know what he's going to do with it yet. His yuba spring rolls have hit the oil, while Chen has mini carrots and Shanghai cabbage for...something.
10 minutes left, and now shark's fin on Chen's side (just to decorate, according to Hattori,), but we see the crabmeat and flatfish mixture go down on top of that. He's panicking here, as his noodles aren't yet finished...uh-oh.
Takahashi's spring rolls are down with a sauce on top. and Chen has another soup in the works (with mushrooms). Down goes some meat on top of Takahashi's foie gras, as with some carrots as well. And Chen flips over the shark's fin mixture, much to the amusement of the commentators (warranting a replay, in my opinion...and we get it!). He's laying the Shanghai cabbage on top of that as the 5-minute call is announced...
Takahashi's steamer is open with the silken fowl soup inside (which he plates a little later), while Chen is laying down his carrot cores into martini glasses. And here come his noodles, which aren't too much trouble after all. And we have fire on Takahashi's wok, with less than 2 minutes to go!
1 minute left now, and his carrots have hit the new soup in his wok, while Chen appears to have calmed down a bit as he plates some more soup as the last few seconds are ticking down...Fukui seems to be running out of breath as Takahashi plates his soup at the last second, it's a wonder he can still say...
"Close call, but he makes it, the Carrot Battle is OVAH!"
Takahashi reveals in the postgame interviews that his pagoda is just an accessory. So it will indeed be all by its lonesome over there...something doesn't sound good about that.
Challenger Takahashi's 6 dishes:
--Carrot and Caviar Salad
--Carrot and Shark Fin Soup
--Stir-fried Beef, Foie Gras and Carrots in Black Bean Sauce
--Carrot in Bean Curd
--Silky Fowl and Carrot Soup
--Carrot Pudding in Papaya
--For decorative purposes, the Carrot Chinese Pagoda
Iron Chef Chen's 4 dishes:
--Shark Fin Stew in Carrot Sauce
--Carrot and Noodle Soup
--Stir-fried Carrots and Sirloin, on Fried Carrots
--Carrot Compote
On the panel today for the Carrot Battle are:
--Song Writer Yasushi Akimoto
--Actress Mayuko Takata
--Culinary Critic Asako Kishi
Takahashi's up first, as they sample his salad. Takata likes the pairing of caviar and truffles, while Kishi simply says the caviar's like an accent. So far, so good...I think...
Akimoto can't see the carrots in his soup, while Takata says it's fluffy. And we get the first bit of criticism from Kishi (who else, really?) on his foie gras dish, saying the carrots aren't really center stage. "I think it could've been any vegetable," she adds.
On to the bean curd spring roll, which Takata says is sweet. She's shocked that there's only carrots inside...
...and quickly onto the silky fowl soup! (Are we in a hurry to get through all the dishes or something?) Akimoto says he's already feeling well, after tasting it. And there seems to be a weird edit before they cut to the sampling of the dessert...the only thing that's clear is who I presume to be Akimoto saying "This is good" while Takata's on screen.
Well, they all like that one! And Takata gets the carrot pagoda on her table, which Akimoto jokes is the bill. No bill in this menu-less restaurant...
And now, Chen's turn to face the music.
Akimoto likes the harmony amongst all the ingredients in Chen's first dish, while Kishi says (off-screen) that something's too soft in his second. "You may have waited too long before serving this," Kishi says. Akimoto agrees, although Takata likes it that way.
And while Kishi and Akimoto think Takata's crazy for thinking Chen's beef stir-fry is spicy, Kishi likes the flavor of the carrot nest along with it.
Takata and Akimoto like how the carrots in his dessert don't taste like carrots at all, but like fruit! Transformation, I suppose?
"A rival makes a man stronger," Kaga philosophizes before the verdict. "Please remain good rivals in the years to come."
But now, the verdict. Who takes it? Will it be the Iron Chef or the upstaged senior? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Tetsujin, Chen Kenichi!"
Look out, Kitchen Stadium, he's back! Quality, not quantity, was the deciding factor today as Chen gets back on the winning path.
My take: First, on the battle itself: Takahashi did a respectable job as a challenger. However, I do think his time may have been better spent on garnishing some of his dishes with his intricate carvings that Kaga raved about. While this may have meant scrapping a dish or two (he probably could've done without the foie gras dish, as that was a little hastily put together), I do think 1) he would've earned some more presentation points by incorporating his carvings into his dishes, and 2) would've saved him some time to really perfect those other five. Chen, despite not really knowing what he was doing (or at least it sounded like it), did well with his four, although if this were judged on clock management alone Takahashi definitely took the cake.
As for the show as a whole, it seems the polar opposite of the Ishinabe battle--whereas the Ishinabe battle was too slow, now this seems really rushed. While I'm glad half the show doesn't consist of the tasting portion anymore, I'm also a little disappointed that the dishes we see only get maybe one or two judges commenting on it. Maybe it's their own device to keep the judging as even as possible to the home viewer, who knows. But one thing's for sure, that first 15-minute call really sneaks up on you...
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
ICT: Battle Duck: Chen vs. Kimura
BATTLE DATA FILE
Japan Original Airdate: 5/20/1994
Episode: 29
The Challenger: Masatoshi Kimura, a Chinese chef from Chiba who runs his own farm to grow his own vegetables. Many chefs, including Honorary Iron Chef Ishinabe, came from Tokyo to visit him because of that. He occasionally goes to China to learn of the eight styles of Chinese cuisine.
The Iron Chef: Iron Chef French, Hiroyuki Sakai. Last time on the Iron Chef timeline, he defeated the first sushi chef to come into Kitchen Stadium with a fish theme (I guess they don't call him "Fish Sakai" for nothing), and is STILL undefeated in Kitchen Stadium! Can he stay that way?
The Battle:
Actress Mayuko Takata is back in the announcers' booth for this battle.
"The origin of all life is fire," Kaga quotes Herakleitos in his monologue. "And it applies to cooking as well," he continues, saying he promises "performances of fire."
And here comes Kimura into Kitchen Stadium, calmly before his firestorm, as Fukui says. Kaga calls upon his Iron Chefs as usual, and Kimura calls out--no, not Chen, but...SURPRISE! Sakai, for the second week in a row!
"The climate of Chiba is similar to that of Shanghai. Perfect for vegetables," Kaga begins. "I am impressed with the level of professionalism of this man. So, I must give him an ingredient that does justice to his talent. One of the most luxurious ingredients in Chinese cooking."
Luxury + Chinese cooking = swallow's nest? Shark's fin? No...DUCK!
And remember, when in China: "Go north for duck skin, go south for pig skin."
"He IS Chinese cuisine," Fukui says. We'll see how he personifies what the Gourmet Academy usually sees in Iron Chef Chen, as we are ready to blaze with Kaga's familiar call to battle...
"ALLEZ CUISINE!"
Two ducks apiece for each chef, which Hattori says every single part can be used. But Peking duck takes too long for the limitations of this battle, so forget that.
Early goings, of course, consist of breaking down their ducks (with VERY different knives, as Hattori and Takata note). Sakai is going for smaller pieces, perhaps for a soup or duck stock for possible sauces. Kimura's food processor is in action, with what Hattori believes is duck liver--but according to Ohta, it's minced duck meat. He's added other liquids and spices to that, and gives it another spin.
Meanwhile, Iron Chef Sakai is planning on three dishes, one of which will definitely be a soup or stew. And 15 minutes gone already?!
Kimura is smothering yuba bean curd in...well, something white, and dropping shredded shiitake mushrooms and yellow scallions on top. Hattori says he'll roll it up and cut it a bit like rolled sushi, though he drops some very thinly sliced (raw) duck meat on top before folding it. He plans to layer and deep-fry this, so Hattori's sushi guess is way off...
...but he jokes Sakai's thin cut of duck meat will be duck sashimi, which gets Fukui hook, line, and sinker.
Kimura has the beginnings of a crepe in his pan, which Takata guesses is the mysterious paste we saw on the yuba. And Hattori (probably through the English dub) makes a What's My Line? joke..."Will today's mystery paste sign in please?"
Sakai has taken some lightly boiled duck slices out of the water and into ice water. Hattori guesses the anchovy sauce he was working on earlier is to go with that. And we get a shot of his stew pot, which has a slew of vegetables in it.
Kimura is slicing up some prawns on his block, perhaps for a sweet sauce according to Hattori. And as 30 minutes go by, Sakai is chopping some more duck meat...and takes a tiny bit of his thumb with it (emphasis on tiny). Ouch. "Even the high priest makes a slip of the pen," he later quips. Taking it in stride, I suppose. "He's human after all," Takata replies.
Kimura sprints to the pantry and slices--then promptly pulverizes--some ginger. Sakai has the beginnings of a tartare steak on his side (which Fukui misinterprets as tartar sauce). And as Fukui regains his bearings, he comments he thinks he's seen something similar at a Korean BBQ place. This writer thinks he's crazy, as he's never seen anything of that sort there before in his life.
Anyway, back to the action. Kimura has fired up his wok, though the commentators have no idea what Chinese style he's leaning towards. And--uh-oh! Ohta's latest report says his assistants were supposed to thaw out a large brick of shanton soup, but they forgot to do that and are now scrambling to get it in liquid form as quickly as they can. In any event, the wok mixture of prawns and duck are going into the crepes from earlier.
And gimme some skin, Fukui says, as Sakai is deep-frying skins (with Fukui making more terrible skin jokes as the 15-minute call is announced).
Kimura's crepes are taking the form of small dumplings, while Sakai is plating his lightly boiled tartares. And Kimura's mystery paste from the food processor at the top of the battle is heading for...the wok, and some hot water? Hattori says it'll be a soup, though the commentators are skeptical--I guess Hattori managed to talk his way out of that one.
And there he goes over to the pantry again! He looks like he's scrambling, but the Iron Chef now has his "sashimi" into the pan, sizzling away as 10 minutes are left...Hattori figures there'll be a green sauce to go along with that.
And there go the flames on Kimura's wok! And he's just dipping his bare finger into the hot water...how does he not burn himself? Never mind the fact Sakai's doing some more plating on the other side...
Kimura is twice-cooking what looked like Chinese broccoli in his wok, and he's also poured some oil over the dumplings to add some extra heat to them in the steamer. Sakai, meanwhile, is stacking some long onions over the duck "sashimi". And he's got duck legs on a silver platter...the liquid from his stew has been strained.
Kimura's bean curd sandwich is done...almost...he's deep-frying it after all! And Sakai is putting some half-swirls of sauce by the tartares, sticking a piece of cucumber inside that. Kimura's bean curd sandwich is being sliced, and there are just three minutes left in the battle...and Sakai's deep-fried duck skins have gone down next to the tartare.
1 minute left, and Kimura is scrambling as Sakai is plating another sauce on what looked like a salad. 30 seconds left, and Kimura's dumplings and his soup come off the heat. It is smooth sailing to the end for Sakai, Kimura managed to get it all done as...
"THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Duck Battle is OVAH!"
Challenger Kimura's 3 dishes:
--Duck Soup
--Duck and Seafood Dumpling
--Fried Duck in Bean Curd
Iron Chef Sakai's 3 dishes:
--Duck Tartare
--Duck Drumsticks in Soup
--Sautéed Duck, Leek Flavor
On the panel today for the Duck Battle are:
--Song Writer Yasushi Akimoto
--Actress Mayuko Takata
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
Challenger, as always, is up first. Hirano says the soup is light, while keeping the wild taste of the meat.
Hirano calls the color of the dumpling "noble", and the flavor "elegant". Akimoto likes the crispiness.
Finally, the yuba bean curd wrap: Takata says any oiliness she might have perceived is decreased when it's eaten with the lettuce. Akimoto doesn't like it, but doesn't hate it either. Takata is happily munching away at the lettuce while Hirano says the only thing missing was the extra crispiness he wanted. But nothing to worry about, he adds, as it's well balanced.
But Akimoto was waiting to be surprised, whatever that means...
Here comes Sakai's dishes now. The tartare is a first for Kaga, and Akimoto says it's an "adult taste." Well, I wouldn't exactly envision kids eating raw duck meat either...
Hirano launches into more flowery commentary almost reminiscent of the tortuous Chicken Battle tasting session, while Takata likes the mild flavors of the drumsticks and vegetables.
Akimoto likes how he left an element of the gamey smell in his last dish, which Takata likens to knowing the true essence of duck. She's right, this ain't no chicken.
But now, no ducking away from the harsh hammer of culinary justice that must fall on one of these two men...who takes it? Will it be the Iron Chef or the disciple of Chinese cuisine? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Tetsujin, Sakai Hiroyuki!"
And Sakai makes it three in a row! The flames of Chinese cuisine are no match for Sakai's artistry and mastery of the French kitchen. He might not have had much of a clue as to what he was doing, but whatever he did, it worked!
My take: This really could have gone either way, although I feel presentation might have decided this one. One thing's for sure, Kimura's duck soup looked a little boring (borderline...disgusting, judging from the color of the broth). In fact, all three of Kimura's dishes looked a little boring, especially compared to Sakai's. I do think they were relatively dead even on taste, though. Then again, what do I know about that? I'm just writing on it, I haven't actually tasted them.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Japan Original Airdate: 5/20/1994
Episode: 29
The Challenger: Masatoshi Kimura, a Chinese chef from Chiba who runs his own farm to grow his own vegetables. Many chefs, including Honorary Iron Chef Ishinabe, came from Tokyo to visit him because of that. He occasionally goes to China to learn of the eight styles of Chinese cuisine.
The Iron Chef: Iron Chef French, Hiroyuki Sakai. Last time on the Iron Chef timeline, he defeated the first sushi chef to come into Kitchen Stadium with a fish theme (I guess they don't call him "Fish Sakai" for nothing), and is STILL undefeated in Kitchen Stadium! Can he stay that way?
The Battle:
Actress Mayuko Takata is back in the announcers' booth for this battle.
"The origin of all life is fire," Kaga quotes Herakleitos in his monologue. "And it applies to cooking as well," he continues, saying he promises "performances of fire."
And here comes Kimura into Kitchen Stadium, calmly before his firestorm, as Fukui says. Kaga calls upon his Iron Chefs as usual, and Kimura calls out--no, not Chen, but...SURPRISE! Sakai, for the second week in a row!
"The climate of Chiba is similar to that of Shanghai. Perfect for vegetables," Kaga begins. "I am impressed with the level of professionalism of this man. So, I must give him an ingredient that does justice to his talent. One of the most luxurious ingredients in Chinese cooking."
Luxury + Chinese cooking = swallow's nest? Shark's fin? No...DUCK!
And remember, when in China: "Go north for duck skin, go south for pig skin."
"He IS Chinese cuisine," Fukui says. We'll see how he personifies what the Gourmet Academy usually sees in Iron Chef Chen, as we are ready to blaze with Kaga's familiar call to battle...
"ALLEZ CUISINE!"
Two ducks apiece for each chef, which Hattori says every single part can be used. But Peking duck takes too long for the limitations of this battle, so forget that.
Early goings, of course, consist of breaking down their ducks (with VERY different knives, as Hattori and Takata note). Sakai is going for smaller pieces, perhaps for a soup or duck stock for possible sauces. Kimura's food processor is in action, with what Hattori believes is duck liver--but according to Ohta, it's minced duck meat. He's added other liquids and spices to that, and gives it another spin.
Meanwhile, Iron Chef Sakai is planning on three dishes, one of which will definitely be a soup or stew. And 15 minutes gone already?!
Kimura is smothering yuba bean curd in...well, something white, and dropping shredded shiitake mushrooms and yellow scallions on top. Hattori says he'll roll it up and cut it a bit like rolled sushi, though he drops some very thinly sliced (raw) duck meat on top before folding it. He plans to layer and deep-fry this, so Hattori's sushi guess is way off...
...but he jokes Sakai's thin cut of duck meat will be duck sashimi, which gets Fukui hook, line, and sinker.
Kimura has the beginnings of a crepe in his pan, which Takata guesses is the mysterious paste we saw on the yuba. And Hattori (probably through the English dub) makes a What's My Line? joke..."Will today's mystery paste sign in please?"
Sakai has taken some lightly boiled duck slices out of the water and into ice water. Hattori guesses the anchovy sauce he was working on earlier is to go with that. And we get a shot of his stew pot, which has a slew of vegetables in it.
Kimura is slicing up some prawns on his block, perhaps for a sweet sauce according to Hattori. And as 30 minutes go by, Sakai is chopping some more duck meat...and takes a tiny bit of his thumb with it (emphasis on tiny). Ouch. "Even the high priest makes a slip of the pen," he later quips. Taking it in stride, I suppose. "He's human after all," Takata replies.
Kimura sprints to the pantry and slices--then promptly pulverizes--some ginger. Sakai has the beginnings of a tartare steak on his side (which Fukui misinterprets as tartar sauce). And as Fukui regains his bearings, he comments he thinks he's seen something similar at a Korean BBQ place. This writer thinks he's crazy, as he's never seen anything of that sort there before in his life.
Anyway, back to the action. Kimura has fired up his wok, though the commentators have no idea what Chinese style he's leaning towards. And--uh-oh! Ohta's latest report says his assistants were supposed to thaw out a large brick of shanton soup, but they forgot to do that and are now scrambling to get it in liquid form as quickly as they can. In any event, the wok mixture of prawns and duck are going into the crepes from earlier.
And gimme some skin, Fukui says, as Sakai is deep-frying skins (with Fukui making more terrible skin jokes as the 15-minute call is announced).
Kimura's crepes are taking the form of small dumplings, while Sakai is plating his lightly boiled tartares. And Kimura's mystery paste from the food processor at the top of the battle is heading for...the wok, and some hot water? Hattori says it'll be a soup, though the commentators are skeptical--I guess Hattori managed to talk his way out of that one.
And there he goes over to the pantry again! He looks like he's scrambling, but the Iron Chef now has his "sashimi" into the pan, sizzling away as 10 minutes are left...Hattori figures there'll be a green sauce to go along with that.
And there go the flames on Kimura's wok! And he's just dipping his bare finger into the hot water...how does he not burn himself? Never mind the fact Sakai's doing some more plating on the other side...
Kimura is twice-cooking what looked like Chinese broccoli in his wok, and he's also poured some oil over the dumplings to add some extra heat to them in the steamer. Sakai, meanwhile, is stacking some long onions over the duck "sashimi". And he's got duck legs on a silver platter...the liquid from his stew has been strained.
Kimura's bean curd sandwich is done...almost...he's deep-frying it after all! And Sakai is putting some half-swirls of sauce by the tartares, sticking a piece of cucumber inside that. Kimura's bean curd sandwich is being sliced, and there are just three minutes left in the battle...and Sakai's deep-fried duck skins have gone down next to the tartare.
1 minute left, and Kimura is scrambling as Sakai is plating another sauce on what looked like a salad. 30 seconds left, and Kimura's dumplings and his soup come off the heat. It is smooth sailing to the end for Sakai, Kimura managed to get it all done as...
"THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Duck Battle is OVAH!"
Challenger Kimura's 3 dishes:
--Duck Soup
--Duck and Seafood Dumpling
--Fried Duck in Bean Curd
Iron Chef Sakai's 3 dishes:
--Duck Tartare
--Duck Drumsticks in Soup
--Sautéed Duck, Leek Flavor
On the panel today for the Duck Battle are:
--Song Writer Yasushi Akimoto
--Actress Mayuko Takata
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
Challenger, as always, is up first. Hirano says the soup is light, while keeping the wild taste of the meat.
Hirano calls the color of the dumpling "noble", and the flavor "elegant". Akimoto likes the crispiness.
Finally, the yuba bean curd wrap: Takata says any oiliness she might have perceived is decreased when it's eaten with the lettuce. Akimoto doesn't like it, but doesn't hate it either. Takata is happily munching away at the lettuce while Hirano says the only thing missing was the extra crispiness he wanted. But nothing to worry about, he adds, as it's well balanced.
But Akimoto was waiting to be surprised, whatever that means...
Here comes Sakai's dishes now. The tartare is a first for Kaga, and Akimoto says it's an "adult taste." Well, I wouldn't exactly envision kids eating raw duck meat either...
Hirano launches into more flowery commentary almost reminiscent of the tortuous Chicken Battle tasting session, while Takata likes the mild flavors of the drumsticks and vegetables.
Akimoto likes how he left an element of the gamey smell in his last dish, which Takata likens to knowing the true essence of duck. She's right, this ain't no chicken.
But now, no ducking away from the harsh hammer of culinary justice that must fall on one of these two men...who takes it? Will it be the Iron Chef or the disciple of Chinese cuisine? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Tetsujin, Sakai Hiroyuki!"
And Sakai makes it three in a row! The flames of Chinese cuisine are no match for Sakai's artistry and mastery of the French kitchen. He might not have had much of a clue as to what he was doing, but whatever he did, it worked!
My take: This really could have gone either way, although I feel presentation might have decided this one. One thing's for sure, Kimura's duck soup looked a little boring (borderline...disgusting, judging from the color of the broth). In fact, all three of Kimura's dishes looked a little boring, especially compared to Sakai's. I do think they were relatively dead even on taste, though. Then again, what do I know about that? I'm just writing on it, I haven't actually tasted them.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
ICT: Battle Bonito: Sakai vs. Funatsu
BATTLE DATA FILE
Japan Original Airdate: 5/13/94
Episode: 28
The Challenger: Hiromi Funatsu, the first sushi chef to step foot into Kitchen Stadium. He won the grand prize over 300 people in the All Japan Sushi Chefs' Contest, held once every 5 years, and is thus regarded as the top sushi chef in Japan. He goes beyond the typical, traditional forms of Edo-style sushi, transforming them into works of art.
The Iron Chef: (Still relatively new) Iron Chef French, Hiroyuki Sakai. Last time in the Iron Chef Timeline, he beat one of his former apprentices (or maybe he beat himself). Either way, the man in red is looking to make it two in a row in this cross-cuisine clash--bet he's wishing he got the truffles from two weeks ago.
The Battle:
A first in this timeline, as far as we can tell, as there is no guest commentator with Fukui and Hattori for this battle. Hmm. Whatever the case, it's the first battle involving a sushi chef in Kitchen Stadium, and the Doc says it'll be interesting, depending on the ingredient. (Aren't they all, though...)
Kaga bellows "Irasshai!" as he takes his familiar place behind the ingredient stand--the subtitles indicate he has dubbed Kitchen Stadium "Sushi Stadium" for today.
But Kaga's testing our challenger on other things he can do other than make sushi, apparently. "I'm a bit worried," he says. Now THAT'S never a good sign.
Nevertheless, he urges our viewers to have faith in his skills and welcomes him into the Stadium. Funatsu's confident as he strides into the Stadium, and after the Chairman's ritual of calling upon his Iron Chefs, Funatsu calls out...well, not Michiba, but...SURPRISE! Sakai!
"Actually, today's theme ingredient was brought in today from Shikoku by a resource person new to my Gourmet Academy," Kaga begins, and without any hesitation introduces the Governor of Kochi Prefecture, Daijiro Hashimoto. I'm assuming he brought today's ingredient...and that he's our missing guest commentator for today...
"Brought in from Kochi," Kaga continues. "Yes, you got it right. And it's in season right now. Perhaps perfect for a sushi chef." Kaga proceeds to rip off the veil and reveal, together with Governor Hashimoto, "KATSUO!" (Bonito, or for those who don't know, skipjack tuna.)
And remember: "Behind the silver" is the best part of the bonito.
It's Japanese vs. French as the first sushi chef looks to take down an Iron Chef, and his quest begins in earnest at the Chairman's "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
4 fish on the stand today, and Fukui thinks it might be a little tricky for Sakai...And there comes Hashimoto at the announcers' booth! He says bonito tataki is the best way to enjoy the fish around New Year's. We shall see...
Already, Sakai's got the heads and fins on the heat, while Funatsu has a fillet of fish on skewers over an open flame, which Hattori guesses will indeed be for tataki-style sashimi. He's also got a flatfish (hirame, or sole) on his board.
Meantime, Sakai's added more fins to the flame, which the announcers think will be used for a broth. Hashimoto's wife is watching the proceedings in the Iron Chef's Royal Box. Speaking of whom, he has a lot of fruit on his side, which will be used (probably) for curing. And Funatsu, predictably, is making sashimi cuts. Hattori says the size of the cuts (which look smaller than your average piece of sushi) will be for decorative purposes.
Sakai, meanwhile, is curing his fish with the grated orange (or yuzu?) peels from earlier, dousing it in OJ and olive oil. And there go the heads into a pot of broth!
Funatsu, in regards to the theme ingredient, thought he was going to get something else...now he doesn't know what he's doing! Well, we'll see soon enough how this pans out...
His tataki is almost done, and as the 15-minute call is announced, Sakai (who isn't familiar with this fish) is mincing the theme ingredient as well as scallops.
Funatsu has added garlic slices on top of his tataki, which Hashimoto says is typical in Kochi. Sakai is making thin sashimi-like cuts himself, which Hattori bets won't be cooked. Fukui thinks they'll be smoked, but Hattori's betting on a carpaccio. The scallops and such have headed for the fridge, and as we swing to the other side, Funatsu is beginning to make his sushi! He's working really fast, too...looks like it's not just the bonito he's working with, either. Hattori says his technique, kote-gaishi, takes about 10 years of training.
Sakai's thin fish slices are being wrapped in plastic and flattened, which Hattori says for sure will be a carpaccio. He just grabbed anything (in this case a wine bottle) to flatten the fish, and there go another 15 minutes--we're halfway done!
Funatsu has four different varieties of sushi on his board (one of which appears to be the bonito), but Fukui disclaims that the other three won't count towards scoring (just as sides).
And Sakai appears to be making sushi of his own, wrapped in plastic wrap: the thin slices are wrapping the chilled scallop/bonito mixture. So it's not a carpaccio after all...
Funatsu is working away with a very decorative piece of sushi, looking a bit like a flower in gunkan-maki. Ikura (salmon roe) is going down on top of that...you know what, words don't do it justice. Take a look:
Now that we've marveled enough, Sakai is pan-frying the slices of fish cured with the citrus juice and peels, and that goes from the heat to the salamander oven. And Funatsu's got a HUGE plate of sushi out on his side...we'll get a picture of that when they present the dishes at the end. It looks good now, but the finished product will be even more spectacular, I bet. The tataki plate is dead center, and it's surrounded by a ton of varieties of other sushi...Ohta reports he's been focusing so much on that, and then will later make another dish. Looks liek he's on it, as he scrapes some more meat from between the bones.
Sakai is plating already, with enoki mushrooms and other vegetables going down as 15 minutes remain. Hattori bets the pan-fried slices will go down by that (which, as we see later, goes right on top), while he sees the beginning of namero (minced fish with white miso) on Funatsu's side.
Funatsu's namero is plated, and Ohta reports that he's not even talking to him! Focusing? Ignoring Ohta? Who knows. And he's filleting more fish (keeping the skin, or the silver Kaga mentioned earlier), possibly beginning a fourth dish! There's not much time left--10 minutes, in fact!
Sakai looks like he has homemade potato chips flavored with parsley on his side, while Funatsu is slicing up the skin, leaving a little silver sheen on his board. Sakai's chips have been paired with the bonito wrap/dumpling/whatever with the scallops inside.
Funatsu is plating a salad, from the looks of it, and Sakai is laying down a sauce on top of the pan-fried bonito and vegetables he plated earlier.
Funatsu is chopping natto, of all things, and is adding long onions and minced to that. 5 minutes left and he's starting his 5th dish? Holy cripes.
Sakai is garnishing his dishes, and Funatsu's natto/bonito/onion mixture is going down. And there's more bonito slicing on the challenger's side, which looks to be a miso soup on the way!
Sakai's taking a portable mixer to his soup, which has veal broth, XO paste, and heavy cream...Fukui's wondering what this could possibly be. Quite frankly, I'm wondering the same thing...he surmises cream of bonito.
And with a minute to go, Funatsu's soup will make his lineup stretched to six! Sakai's laying down a soup of his own as the final seconds tick down, Funatsu's done with about three seconds to spare...
"And THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Bonito Battle is OVAH!"
Challenger Funatsu's 6 dishes:
--Bonito Skin Salad
--Natto and Minced Bonito
--Bonito Namero
--Broiled Bonito Sashimi
--Bonito Sushi
--Bonito Miso Soup
And his massive plate of sushi, which appears to include 6 other types of sushi (his tataki can be seen in the center), can be seen at the top of his presentation:
Iron Chef Sakai's 3 dishes:
--Bonito Tartare with Caviar (and his potato chips)
--Bonito Soup with Asparagus
--Sautéed Bonito, Ginger Flavor
On the panel today for the Bonito Battle are:
--Kochi Governor Daijiro Hashimoto
--Actress Mai Kitajima
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
Funatsu, as usual, is first. Kitajima likes the salad (which isn't saying much, literally)...Hirano says using the skin in the salad was innovative.
Hirano likes the match of natto and bonito in his next dish, although he says it's missing something...
They're moving too quickly through all of his dishes! They only have time for one comment from ONE person! Aaaaahhhh! Hashimoto liked Funatsu's namero, which he said was more mild than the natto dish before it.
The tataki is next, as is his massive plate of sushi. Kitajima is left speechless, while Hashimoto is just stunned by how he managed 6 dishes in 60 minutes. However, he criticizes Funatsu for being too "classy", wanting to see a wilder approach. I guess we'll never get to see how they reacted to his miso soup...
Sakai's up now, and he'll personally add the XO sauce to his tartare. He succeeded in preserving the natural taste, according to Hirano. Hashimoto is pleasantly surprised.
Hirano likes the technique from his soup, knowing that splitting the head was crucial. Kitajima, though, in Sakai's next dish, wishes the bonito was a bit more rare...hmm. Hashimoto is impressed by how much Sakai's bent the rules with bonito.
And now, it's time to know: who takes it? The Iron Chef or the top sushi chef? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Tetsujin, Sakai Hiroyuki!"
Fukui's surprised as Sakai pulls out the win! He extends his winning streak to four (two in our timeline), and we'll see how he does in his next battle!
My take: I'm a huge sushi fanatic. I would have voted for Funatsu, hands down, simply because of how frakkin' huge that plate of sushi was. You can't deny he earned his presentation points there. However, Sakai beat him, without a doubt, in originality. When Funatsu decided to make miso soup, I thought, "That's a little TOO orthodox for an Iron Chef battle..." Indeed, so were many of his dishes. Sakai did well, despite bonito not being a familiar ingredient for him.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Japan Original Airdate: 5/13/94
Episode: 28
The Challenger: Hiromi Funatsu, the first sushi chef to step foot into Kitchen Stadium. He won the grand prize over 300 people in the All Japan Sushi Chefs' Contest, held once every 5 years, and is thus regarded as the top sushi chef in Japan. He goes beyond the typical, traditional forms of Edo-style sushi, transforming them into works of art.
The Iron Chef: (Still relatively new) Iron Chef French, Hiroyuki Sakai. Last time in the Iron Chef Timeline, he beat one of his former apprentices (or maybe he beat himself). Either way, the man in red is looking to make it two in a row in this cross-cuisine clash--bet he's wishing he got the truffles from two weeks ago.
The Battle:
A first in this timeline, as far as we can tell, as there is no guest commentator with Fukui and Hattori for this battle. Hmm. Whatever the case, it's the first battle involving a sushi chef in Kitchen Stadium, and the Doc says it'll be interesting, depending on the ingredient. (Aren't they all, though...)
Kaga bellows "Irasshai!" as he takes his familiar place behind the ingredient stand--the subtitles indicate he has dubbed Kitchen Stadium "Sushi Stadium" for today.
But Kaga's testing our challenger on other things he can do other than make sushi, apparently. "I'm a bit worried," he says. Now THAT'S never a good sign.
Nevertheless, he urges our viewers to have faith in his skills and welcomes him into the Stadium. Funatsu's confident as he strides into the Stadium, and after the Chairman's ritual of calling upon his Iron Chefs, Funatsu calls out...well, not Michiba, but...SURPRISE! Sakai!
"Actually, today's theme ingredient was brought in today from Shikoku by a resource person new to my Gourmet Academy," Kaga begins, and without any hesitation introduces the Governor of Kochi Prefecture, Daijiro Hashimoto. I'm assuming he brought today's ingredient...and that he's our missing guest commentator for today...
"Brought in from Kochi," Kaga continues. "Yes, you got it right. And it's in season right now. Perhaps perfect for a sushi chef." Kaga proceeds to rip off the veil and reveal, together with Governor Hashimoto, "KATSUO!" (Bonito, or for those who don't know, skipjack tuna.)
And remember: "Behind the silver" is the best part of the bonito.
It's Japanese vs. French as the first sushi chef looks to take down an Iron Chef, and his quest begins in earnest at the Chairman's "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
4 fish on the stand today, and Fukui thinks it might be a little tricky for Sakai...And there comes Hashimoto at the announcers' booth! He says bonito tataki is the best way to enjoy the fish around New Year's. We shall see...
Already, Sakai's got the heads and fins on the heat, while Funatsu has a fillet of fish on skewers over an open flame, which Hattori guesses will indeed be for tataki-style sashimi. He's also got a flatfish (hirame, or sole) on his board.
Meantime, Sakai's added more fins to the flame, which the announcers think will be used for a broth. Hashimoto's wife is watching the proceedings in the Iron Chef's Royal Box. Speaking of whom, he has a lot of fruit on his side, which will be used (probably) for curing. And Funatsu, predictably, is making sashimi cuts. Hattori says the size of the cuts (which look smaller than your average piece of sushi) will be for decorative purposes.
Sakai, meanwhile, is curing his fish with the grated orange (or yuzu?) peels from earlier, dousing it in OJ and olive oil. And there go the heads into a pot of broth!
Funatsu, in regards to the theme ingredient, thought he was going to get something else...now he doesn't know what he's doing! Well, we'll see soon enough how this pans out...
His tataki is almost done, and as the 15-minute call is announced, Sakai (who isn't familiar with this fish) is mincing the theme ingredient as well as scallops.
Funatsu has added garlic slices on top of his tataki, which Hashimoto says is typical in Kochi. Sakai is making thin sashimi-like cuts himself, which Hattori bets won't be cooked. Fukui thinks they'll be smoked, but Hattori's betting on a carpaccio. The scallops and such have headed for the fridge, and as we swing to the other side, Funatsu is beginning to make his sushi! He's working really fast, too...looks like it's not just the bonito he's working with, either. Hattori says his technique, kote-gaishi, takes about 10 years of training.
Sakai's thin fish slices are being wrapped in plastic and flattened, which Hattori says for sure will be a carpaccio. He just grabbed anything (in this case a wine bottle) to flatten the fish, and there go another 15 minutes--we're halfway done!
Funatsu has four different varieties of sushi on his board (one of which appears to be the bonito), but Fukui disclaims that the other three won't count towards scoring (just as sides).
And Sakai appears to be making sushi of his own, wrapped in plastic wrap: the thin slices are wrapping the chilled scallop/bonito mixture. So it's not a carpaccio after all...
Funatsu is working away with a very decorative piece of sushi, looking a bit like a flower in gunkan-maki. Ikura (salmon roe) is going down on top of that...you know what, words don't do it justice. Take a look:
Now that we've marveled enough, Sakai is pan-frying the slices of fish cured with the citrus juice and peels, and that goes from the heat to the salamander oven. And Funatsu's got a HUGE plate of sushi out on his side...we'll get a picture of that when they present the dishes at the end. It looks good now, but the finished product will be even more spectacular, I bet. The tataki plate is dead center, and it's surrounded by a ton of varieties of other sushi...Ohta reports he's been focusing so much on that, and then will later make another dish. Looks liek he's on it, as he scrapes some more meat from between the bones.
Sakai is plating already, with enoki mushrooms and other vegetables going down as 15 minutes remain. Hattori bets the pan-fried slices will go down by that (which, as we see later, goes right on top), while he sees the beginning of namero (minced fish with white miso) on Funatsu's side.
Funatsu's namero is plated, and Ohta reports that he's not even talking to him! Focusing? Ignoring Ohta? Who knows. And he's filleting more fish (keeping the skin, or the silver Kaga mentioned earlier), possibly beginning a fourth dish! There's not much time left--10 minutes, in fact!
Sakai looks like he has homemade potato chips flavored with parsley on his side, while Funatsu is slicing up the skin, leaving a little silver sheen on his board. Sakai's chips have been paired with the bonito wrap/dumpling/whatever with the scallops inside.
Funatsu is plating a salad, from the looks of it, and Sakai is laying down a sauce on top of the pan-fried bonito and vegetables he plated earlier.
Funatsu is chopping natto, of all things, and is adding long onions and minced to that. 5 minutes left and he's starting his 5th dish? Holy cripes.
Sakai is garnishing his dishes, and Funatsu's natto/bonito/onion mixture is going down. And there's more bonito slicing on the challenger's side, which looks to be a miso soup on the way!
Sakai's taking a portable mixer to his soup, which has veal broth, XO paste, and heavy cream...Fukui's wondering what this could possibly be. Quite frankly, I'm wondering the same thing...he surmises cream of bonito.
And with a minute to go, Funatsu's soup will make his lineup stretched to six! Sakai's laying down a soup of his own as the final seconds tick down, Funatsu's done with about three seconds to spare...
"And THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Bonito Battle is OVAH!"
Challenger Funatsu's 6 dishes:
--Bonito Skin Salad
--Natto and Minced Bonito
--Bonito Namero
--Broiled Bonito Sashimi
--Bonito Sushi
--Bonito Miso Soup
And his massive plate of sushi, which appears to include 6 other types of sushi (his tataki can be seen in the center), can be seen at the top of his presentation:
Iron Chef Sakai's 3 dishes:
--Bonito Tartare with Caviar (and his potato chips)
--Bonito Soup with Asparagus
--Sautéed Bonito, Ginger Flavor
On the panel today for the Bonito Battle are:
--Kochi Governor Daijiro Hashimoto
--Actress Mai Kitajima
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
Funatsu, as usual, is first. Kitajima likes the salad (which isn't saying much, literally)...Hirano says using the skin in the salad was innovative.
Hirano likes the match of natto and bonito in his next dish, although he says it's missing something...
They're moving too quickly through all of his dishes! They only have time for one comment from ONE person! Aaaaahhhh! Hashimoto liked Funatsu's namero, which he said was more mild than the natto dish before it.
The tataki is next, as is his massive plate of sushi. Kitajima is left speechless, while Hashimoto is just stunned by how he managed 6 dishes in 60 minutes. However, he criticizes Funatsu for being too "classy", wanting to see a wilder approach. I guess we'll never get to see how they reacted to his miso soup...
Sakai's up now, and he'll personally add the XO sauce to his tartare. He succeeded in preserving the natural taste, according to Hirano. Hashimoto is pleasantly surprised.
Hirano likes the technique from his soup, knowing that splitting the head was crucial. Kitajima, though, in Sakai's next dish, wishes the bonito was a bit more rare...hmm. Hashimoto is impressed by how much Sakai's bent the rules with bonito.
And now, it's time to know: who takes it? The Iron Chef or the top sushi chef? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Tetsujin, Sakai Hiroyuki!"
Fukui's surprised as Sakai pulls out the win! He extends his winning streak to four (two in our timeline), and we'll see how he does in his next battle!
My take: I'm a huge sushi fanatic. I would have voted for Funatsu, hands down, simply because of how frakkin' huge that plate of sushi was. You can't deny he earned his presentation points there. However, Sakai beat him, without a doubt, in originality. When Funatsu decided to make miso soup, I thought, "That's a little TOO orthodox for an Iron Chef battle..." Indeed, so were many of his dishes. Sakai did well, despite bonito not being a familiar ingredient for him.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Friday, June 10, 2011
ICT: Battle Cabbage: Chen vs. Yamada
BATTLE DATA FILE
Japan Original Airdate: 5/6/94
Episode: 27
The Challenger: Hiromi Yamada, a top Italian chef in Japan. A severe car accident that killed two people caused him to withdraw from the public eye in October 1991...now, three years later, he's been spotted at a small restaurant in the outskirts of Tokyo, and now he's ready to make his comeback in Kitchen Stadium.
The Iron Chef: Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi. Earlier in the Iron Chef Timeline, we saw him turn back the challenge of Kyoto chef Munetaka Takahashi--can he make it two in a row?
The Battle:
I don't care what anybody says, this is already in at least the Top 5 for Most Intense Backstory to a challenger there ever is. And this is why the original Iron Chef trumps all...
"A bit subdued, the atmosphere here in Kitchen Stadium..." Fukui begins, alluding to the challenger's accident and his quest for a comeback. Calling the shots with him and the unsuccessful Challenger Hattori is, once again, actress Mayuko Takata. (I can certainly see why she has a ton of fanboys...help me, I think I'm becoming one too...)
"Indict the incident, not this chef's dishes," Kaga says when he first enters. He even goes so far as to say that, were it not for the accident in 1991, Yamada would surely be the top Italian chef in Japan (which, arguably, he was at one point). "Why don't we drag him out in the spotlight once again," he adds. And here comes Yamada into Kitchen Stadium, with his ex-apprentices, friends, and even his daughter looking on.
Then, without batting an eye, Kaga once again calls for his Iron Chefs...and Yamada calls out Iron Chef Chen Kenichi!
"When I first met the challenger, he came across as a man with spirit: a man with a core," Kaga begins. "That gave me a hint for today's ingredient. It's a vegetable in season that has a core to it." And even though Kaga's beginning to stretch his "inspiration" for these theme ingredients, nonetheless he rips off the veil and reveals...CABBAGE!
Remember this: "With cabbage, eat the first 8 layers."
Yamada's quest for a comeback begins in earnest with the Chairman's spirited battle cry: "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
Hattori expects a pairing with meat, saying cabbage alone isn't all that exciting. And we see Chen is taking a page out of Michiba's book, writing down a list of ingredients, a menu, or something along those lines. Yamada is boiling then chilling heads of cabbage, apparently to preserve the color.
Chen's got tobanjan in the wok already, while Yamada is breaking down celery root--which Fukui doesn't recognize, despite having seen it in the last battle! "Weren't you guys watching when I did this?" Hattori wails. "Hey, your battle's over," Fukui retorts. And there's fire from Chen's wok already...
Yamada has the beginnings of a risotto in a pot on this side, with saffron in it. Chen's wok has even more stuff sizzling away, and there go 15 minutes already!
Yamada has the celeri-rave boiling away in milk ("French class today?" Fukui calls out Hattori), to soften them up...something Hattori DIDN'T do in his battle...and he's got buckwheat flour out on his side, a pasta for sure in his future...
Chen's taking the first chop at his cabbage, while Yamada is kneading away at that dough...and we get a look at the Royal Box--former challenger Hiroyuki Kitami (who we unfortunately didn't see--apparently he lost against Sakai), who once worked with Yamada, is sitting next to his daughter Yayoi.
Chen is breaking down a chicken, and there's word that pork's standing by as Chen takes a violent chop which sends a chicken piece flying. And Yamada's got foie gras...which Hattori predicts he'll wrap in cabbage and then steam. Laying out the boiled cabbage leaves on his cutting board is a good indicator of that, it seems...
Chen, meantime, is putting cabbage leaves over chicken in a dome shape...looking perhaps for a soup to pour into it? Either way, they think he'll steam it...and Yamada's coating his foie gras for a sauté job...but the scallops hit the heat first, then the foie gras! What's going on here...?
Chen has prawns and cabbage in his food processor, perhaps for a dumpling...adding in egg whites after it goes for a spin. And there goes the foie gras AND the scallops into the lettuce wraps on Yamada's side!
Chen has some cherries out on his side, coated in some white powder of some kind...he has his food-processed prawn/cabbage combo in plastic wrap now, with the cherry inside (a dim sum dumpling, they speculate). And as he tosses some more cabbage, taking a few bites as he goes (adding caviar into that), 30 minutes are now gone!
Yamada put cubes of butter on top of his lettuce wraps and sticks that into the oven, while Chen is looking to make a shu mai (quite literally, apparently, since "shu" in Chinese means "cabbage").
More leaves on Yamada's side, as he's salting some red mullet into those leaves...and Chen is tying some cabbage together (what appears to be the shu mai)...
...now truffles on Yamada's side! That's coating the fish, and Chen's cherry dumplings have been lightly dipped in hot water.
20 minutes are gone, and Yamada has the pasta machine out on his side! He's running the soba dough from earlier through there. He's slicing them up as if it's fettucine...
The chicken cabbage dome, bowl and all, has hit the steamer, and as the 15-minute call is announced, Yamada's risotto has hit the frying pan and Chen's cherry dumpling is deep-fried. And Yamada's pasta has hit the water.
Yamada just flipped the entire rice galette over (which Fukui thought was getting overcooked, but Hattori says he did that on purpose), and the pasta is out of the water and into a frying pan, tossed with some cabbage, bacon, and long onions.
5 minutes left as we see Chen taking something out of the fridge, while Yamada is plating the cabbage wraps with foie gras and scallops. And Chen's plating as well, though who knows what he just plated (apparently it's the tobanjan stuff from the very beginning)...
And Yamada's cabbage wrap is sitting on top of the risotto! (THAT came out of left field...) 3 minutes left as his tomatoes hit the wrap with fish and truffles inside, and Chen still has his cherry dumplings in the wok with some kind of spicy sauce now.
Down goes Yamada's pasta, with a little cheese and some prosciutto added to that, down goes Chen's cherry dumpling, and out comes Chen's shu mai with a minute to go!
Caviar goes down on the fish cabbage wrap on Yamada's side, and Chen's chicken/cabbage dome comes out of the steamer with 10 seconds to go...Yayoi is straining to see what her father is doing, while Yamada is all smiles as the last few seconds tick away
"And THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Cabbage Battle is OVAH!"
Challenger Yamada's 4 dishes:
--Cabbage and Anchovy Fondue
--Soba Pasta, Cabbage and Truffles Flavor
--Steamed Tilefish and Celeriac
--Grilled Foie Gras and Scallops in Cabbage
Iron Chef Chen's 4 dishes:
--Cabbage Appetizer with Spicy Sauce
--Chicken-in-Cabbage Soup
--Stir-fried Cabbage and Cherries
--Steamed Cabbage Dumpling
On the panel today for the Cabbage Battle:
--Former Lower House Member Shinichiro Kurimoto
--Actress Mayuko Takata
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
Yamada, as per tradition, will start first. He says variety was his goal, and the fondue is up first. Takata and Kurimoto are speechless.
Next is the pasta--Hirano doesn't see any lost flavor by boiling the cabbage.
"It feels like the cabbage is still alive," Kurimoto says of Yamada's next dish. While I wonder what he means by that, I notice Hirano is actually offering some useful commentary for once: he says the boiling of the cabbage (presumably at the very beginning, when he chilled it shortly thereafter) was the key to keeping not only the flavor, but the texture intact.
Kurimoto likes the balance of Yamada's last dish, saying it's a bit like "a coalition government convincing the socialist party to stay with the coalition, to maintain the flavor of reform." Well, I'm not going to argue that it's a good, albeit strange, analogy...
And here's Chen's opening salvo: the cabbage in spicy sauce.
"This reconfirms that the temperature of the food when served is critical," Hirano says. Interesting...I actually learned something from the old man!
His colossal chicken soup is next, and gets great acclaim from all three judges. Nothing much to say here, except for his next dish...I'll certainly give him presentation points for this one (it's shaped like a flower on a plate), but Takata says she could've done without the cherries.
Kurimoto doesn't like his shu mai, though. He couldn't recognize the cabbage, or what it was supposed to be. The herbs were a little overpowering. Somehow, though, Hirano likes it...
It's gonna be a close call, either way, judging from the panel's reactions. Kaga extends a direct "good luck in the future" to Yamada before announcing the verdict...well then, who takes it? Is it the Iron Chef or the Comeback Kid? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Challenger, Hiromi Yamada!"
And look at that! Yamada has taken his first step towards a comeback in his career with a big win over Iron Chef Chen. And just as Fukui says...
"We'll be watching the rest of the way."
My take: Yamada's dishes, without a doubt, looked more appetizing. I'm not saying that simply because he used more decadent ingredients (remember Hattori and the truffle battle?). But while both chefs were quite creative in their approaches (an anchovy fondue? A huge chicken soup with a cabbage dome? Never would've thought of that), Yamada simply had the artist's touch to him. Sympathy votes? Hardly--Yamada earned it for sure. Although it makes for a nice storybook ending to this chapter of Iron Chef history.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Japan Original Airdate: 5/6/94
Episode: 27
The Challenger: Hiromi Yamada, a top Italian chef in Japan. A severe car accident that killed two people caused him to withdraw from the public eye in October 1991...now, three years later, he's been spotted at a small restaurant in the outskirts of Tokyo, and now he's ready to make his comeback in Kitchen Stadium.
The Iron Chef: Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi. Earlier in the Iron Chef Timeline, we saw him turn back the challenge of Kyoto chef Munetaka Takahashi--can he make it two in a row?
The Battle:
I don't care what anybody says, this is already in at least the Top 5 for Most Intense Backstory to a challenger there ever is. And this is why the original Iron Chef trumps all...
"A bit subdued, the atmosphere here in Kitchen Stadium..." Fukui begins, alluding to the challenger's accident and his quest for a comeback. Calling the shots with him and the unsuccessful Challenger Hattori is, once again, actress Mayuko Takata. (I can certainly see why she has a ton of fanboys...help me, I think I'm becoming one too...)
"Indict the incident, not this chef's dishes," Kaga says when he first enters. He even goes so far as to say that, were it not for the accident in 1991, Yamada would surely be the top Italian chef in Japan (which, arguably, he was at one point). "Why don't we drag him out in the spotlight once again," he adds. And here comes Yamada into Kitchen Stadium, with his ex-apprentices, friends, and even his daughter looking on.
Then, without batting an eye, Kaga once again calls for his Iron Chefs...and Yamada calls out Iron Chef Chen Kenichi!
"When I first met the challenger, he came across as a man with spirit: a man with a core," Kaga begins. "That gave me a hint for today's ingredient. It's a vegetable in season that has a core to it." And even though Kaga's beginning to stretch his "inspiration" for these theme ingredients, nonetheless he rips off the veil and reveals...CABBAGE!
Remember this: "With cabbage, eat the first 8 layers."
Yamada's quest for a comeback begins in earnest with the Chairman's spirited battle cry: "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
Hattori expects a pairing with meat, saying cabbage alone isn't all that exciting. And we see Chen is taking a page out of Michiba's book, writing down a list of ingredients, a menu, or something along those lines. Yamada is boiling then chilling heads of cabbage, apparently to preserve the color.
Chen's got tobanjan in the wok already, while Yamada is breaking down celery root--which Fukui doesn't recognize, despite having seen it in the last battle! "Weren't you guys watching when I did this?" Hattori wails. "Hey, your battle's over," Fukui retorts. And there's fire from Chen's wok already...
Yamada has the beginnings of a risotto in a pot on this side, with saffron in it. Chen's wok has even more stuff sizzling away, and there go 15 minutes already!
Yamada has the celeri-rave boiling away in milk ("French class today?" Fukui calls out Hattori), to soften them up...something Hattori DIDN'T do in his battle...and he's got buckwheat flour out on his side, a pasta for sure in his future...
Chen's taking the first chop at his cabbage, while Yamada is kneading away at that dough...and we get a look at the Royal Box--former challenger Hiroyuki Kitami (who we unfortunately didn't see--apparently he lost against Sakai), who once worked with Yamada, is sitting next to his daughter Yayoi.
Chen is breaking down a chicken, and there's word that pork's standing by as Chen takes a violent chop which sends a chicken piece flying. And Yamada's got foie gras...which Hattori predicts he'll wrap in cabbage and then steam. Laying out the boiled cabbage leaves on his cutting board is a good indicator of that, it seems...
Chen, meantime, is putting cabbage leaves over chicken in a dome shape...looking perhaps for a soup to pour into it? Either way, they think he'll steam it...and Yamada's coating his foie gras for a sauté job...but the scallops hit the heat first, then the foie gras! What's going on here...?
Chen has prawns and cabbage in his food processor, perhaps for a dumpling...adding in egg whites after it goes for a spin. And there goes the foie gras AND the scallops into the lettuce wraps on Yamada's side!
Chen has some cherries out on his side, coated in some white powder of some kind...he has his food-processed prawn/cabbage combo in plastic wrap now, with the cherry inside (a dim sum dumpling, they speculate). And as he tosses some more cabbage, taking a few bites as he goes (adding caviar into that), 30 minutes are now gone!
Yamada put cubes of butter on top of his lettuce wraps and sticks that into the oven, while Chen is looking to make a shu mai (quite literally, apparently, since "shu" in Chinese means "cabbage").
More leaves on Yamada's side, as he's salting some red mullet into those leaves...and Chen is tying some cabbage together (what appears to be the shu mai)...
...now truffles on Yamada's side! That's coating the fish, and Chen's cherry dumplings have been lightly dipped in hot water.
20 minutes are gone, and Yamada has the pasta machine out on his side! He's running the soba dough from earlier through there. He's slicing them up as if it's fettucine...
The chicken cabbage dome, bowl and all, has hit the steamer, and as the 15-minute call is announced, Yamada's risotto has hit the frying pan and Chen's cherry dumpling is deep-fried. And Yamada's pasta has hit the water.
Yamada just flipped the entire rice galette over (which Fukui thought was getting overcooked, but Hattori says he did that on purpose), and the pasta is out of the water and into a frying pan, tossed with some cabbage, bacon, and long onions.
5 minutes left as we see Chen taking something out of the fridge, while Yamada is plating the cabbage wraps with foie gras and scallops. And Chen's plating as well, though who knows what he just plated (apparently it's the tobanjan stuff from the very beginning)...
And Yamada's cabbage wrap is sitting on top of the risotto! (THAT came out of left field...) 3 minutes left as his tomatoes hit the wrap with fish and truffles inside, and Chen still has his cherry dumplings in the wok with some kind of spicy sauce now.
Down goes Yamada's pasta, with a little cheese and some prosciutto added to that, down goes Chen's cherry dumpling, and out comes Chen's shu mai with a minute to go!
Caviar goes down on the fish cabbage wrap on Yamada's side, and Chen's chicken/cabbage dome comes out of the steamer with 10 seconds to go...Yayoi is straining to see what her father is doing, while Yamada is all smiles as the last few seconds tick away
"And THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Cabbage Battle is OVAH!"
Challenger Yamada's 4 dishes:
--Cabbage and Anchovy Fondue
--Soba Pasta, Cabbage and Truffles Flavor
--Steamed Tilefish and Celeriac
--Grilled Foie Gras and Scallops in Cabbage
Iron Chef Chen's 4 dishes:
--Cabbage Appetizer with Spicy Sauce
--Chicken-in-Cabbage Soup
--Stir-fried Cabbage and Cherries
--Steamed Cabbage Dumpling
On the panel today for the Cabbage Battle:
--Former Lower House Member Shinichiro Kurimoto
--Actress Mayuko Takata
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
Yamada, as per tradition, will start first. He says variety was his goal, and the fondue is up first. Takata and Kurimoto are speechless.
Next is the pasta--Hirano doesn't see any lost flavor by boiling the cabbage.
"It feels like the cabbage is still alive," Kurimoto says of Yamada's next dish. While I wonder what he means by that, I notice Hirano is actually offering some useful commentary for once: he says the boiling of the cabbage (presumably at the very beginning, when he chilled it shortly thereafter) was the key to keeping not only the flavor, but the texture intact.
Kurimoto likes the balance of Yamada's last dish, saying it's a bit like "a coalition government convincing the socialist party to stay with the coalition, to maintain the flavor of reform." Well, I'm not going to argue that it's a good, albeit strange, analogy...
And here's Chen's opening salvo: the cabbage in spicy sauce.
"This reconfirms that the temperature of the food when served is critical," Hirano says. Interesting...I actually learned something from the old man!
His colossal chicken soup is next, and gets great acclaim from all three judges. Nothing much to say here, except for his next dish...I'll certainly give him presentation points for this one (it's shaped like a flower on a plate), but Takata says she could've done without the cherries.
Kurimoto doesn't like his shu mai, though. He couldn't recognize the cabbage, or what it was supposed to be. The herbs were a little overpowering. Somehow, though, Hirano likes it...
It's gonna be a close call, either way, judging from the panel's reactions. Kaga extends a direct "good luck in the future" to Yamada before announcing the verdict...well then, who takes it? Is it the Iron Chef or the Comeback Kid? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Challenger, Hiromi Yamada!"
And look at that! Yamada has taken his first step towards a comeback in his career with a big win over Iron Chef Chen. And just as Fukui says...
"We'll be watching the rest of the way."
My take: Yamada's dishes, without a doubt, looked more appetizing. I'm not saying that simply because he used more decadent ingredients (remember Hattori and the truffle battle?). But while both chefs were quite creative in their approaches (an anchovy fondue? A huge chicken soup with a cabbage dome? Never would've thought of that), Yamada simply had the artist's touch to him. Sympathy votes? Hardly--Yamada earned it for sure. Although it makes for a nice storybook ending to this chapter of Iron Chef history.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
ICT: Battle Truffle: Michiba vs. Hattori
BATTLE DATA FILE
Japan Original Airdate: 4/29/1994
Episode: 26
The Challenger: Dr. Yukio Hattori, President of the Hattori School of Nutrition and the show's color-commentator. He is a child prodigy of cooking, entering the field at the age of 4. He is the heir to the 500-year tradition of Hattori-style cooking, which established the standard for cooking in a samurai family.
The Iron Chef: Iron Chef Japanese I, Rokusaburo Michiba. Known for his saying, "there are no borders to ingredients," Michiba is widely regarded as the mightiest of the Iron Chefs. It's a safe bet to say that any challenger who faces him has long odds of winning, even if it IS Hattori...this battle is also the first look many American audiences got of Michiba, and our first look at him in our timeline.
The Battle:
Seven months into the life of Kitchen Stadium, Kaga has discovered a traitor amongst his staff. A threat to his search to the heir of Rosanjin, a threat to his Kitchen Stadium--show thyself, traitor!
"You need one more to call them the Four Divas. One more Iron Chef is needed. That's what I think. And I'd like a shot at it."
...DOC?! WHAT?!
In short, Hattori wants to challenge the Iron Chefs to a battle. If he wins, he'll get bumped up to Iron Chef, but if he loses, he'll be stuck as the commentator, as this is his only shot at the title.
So Kaga has agreed to Hattori's little...plan, shall we say, to become an Iron Chef himself! Ohhh boy, this will be very interesting indeed. Add in the factor that Kaga has invited Joel Robuchon, the so-called "God of French Cuisine", to Kitchen Stadium, Hattori has quite the show to put on today...
In light of the color-commentator actually becoming the challenger, calling the shots today alongside Fukui is Honorary Iron Chef French Yutaka Ishinabe. And here comes Kaga, with a rousing cry of "My Gourmet Academy is forever!"
And as we'd mentioned before, Kaga introduces Joel Robuchon, who is accompanied by Jacques Borie.
"I never imagined this man would dare to challenge my Iron Chefs," Kaga begins. "I thought he only commented on food. But I grant him his first and only chance. Let's see how good he is."
And in walks Hattori, clad in chef's whites and holding a red apple along with it. Clearly, Borie and Robuchon are getting a kick out of seeing that. Kaga laughs when Hattori mentions he wants them to make a panel of him holding that apple, joining "them" up there.
And with one of the most rousing calls I've ever seen by a challenger, Hattori calls out Rokusaburo Michiba as his opponent! (Not a good idea, considering Michiba's only lost once thus far...yeah, there's Sakai, but he's relatively new still...)
"I did not hesitate at all when thinking about the theme for this battle. An ingredient perfect for Robuchon," Kaga says, then rips off the red veil to reveal the Black Diamond of the Kitchen...TRUFFLES! And already Hattori does not look happy at all...and we can't even get a read on Michiba!
In our ingredient philosophy session, truffles apparently are associated with eggs, and decadently harmonized with foie gras...although the slam dunk, according to Kaga, is in an ice cream. Nevertheless, the truffle's aroma is the key to today's battle.
French master Robuchon is intently watching this battle--two Japanese guys handling this decidedly French delicacy...not to mention Hattori's gunning for an Iron Chef spot...and there's the "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
Although Michiba is one of the slower guys to get up to the ingredient stand, he's actually up there first today, as Hattori already seems a little dazed...he finally makes his way up, though, and they're both getting their paws on one of the most expensive ingredients known to man!
Speaking of the cost, Ishinabe figures all the truffles on the stand today cost about $5,000, $6,000 in total (and of course he'd know--how many did he and Borie use combined in his last battle?), and the price is still going up. "Only the bourgeois eat this at home," he adds.
Hattori's breaking down his truffles with a ceramic knife, and inspecting the aroma of them as he does so. Ishinabe mentions the white patterns or veins as an indicator of the truffles' quality, and that a truffle is a fungus, not a mold.
Michiba is writing his menu, and Ohta reports that Michiba is taking a "see-what-happens" kind of approach to the battle, as truffles aren't even used in Japanese cuisine. Meantime, Hattori is running amok around his side, and dashes back up to the stand to get more truffles! He also has eggs in his bowl...remember what Kaga was saying earlier?
Michiba's menu has 6 items on it, according to Fukui. And Hattori has eggs and vanilla out, Ishinabe calling a truffle ice cream...and Hattori confirms it!
Michiba is chopping some lobsters, and Ishinabe says it's a great combo. And Robuchon wants a closer look at what's going on, eying Michiba as he does so...and Michiba doesn't even notice!
Hattori has a Sauce Perigueux in the works, while Michiba has broccoli on top of the lobster. Ishinabe's thinking he'll steam it, and as 15 minutes are gone, Hattori's ice cream maker is in action!
Speaking of Hattori, he has spring roll--no, pie sheets out, possibly for a truffle pie (an orthodox approach, according to Ishinabe)...and Ishinabe is distracted by Michiba's use of blowfish soft roe!
Hattori is running his Perigueux to the fridge, to chill it and harden it. Ohta says Hattori was planning for 5, but with the clock against him, he had to reduce that to about 3.
Michiba's blowfish roe heads for the food processor, while Hattori is breaking down celery root, but Ishinabe's worried he won't have enough time to soften the rather hard root. And Michiba unloads the lobster/broccoli combo...if there was a time to say "red as a lobster", well, this is it. They've turned out beautifully...
...while Hattori has his jelled Perigueux and blowfish roe on his side as well! Ishinabe doesn't think it's the right strategy...but he does think it will go into Hattori's pie, just judging by having the pie sheets out!
"Well, Doc BETTER win," Fukui quips, "the Academy might be thinking about keeping YOU in this seat!" he says to Ishinabe. I wouldn't complain if that were the case...
Meanwhile, on the other side, Michiba is running some truffles through a mandolin, and a spring roll of prawns, minced okra, and a truffle slice. And Hattori's foie gras has hit the heat!
Michiba has uni on his side as the 30 minute call is announced, and Hattori is piecing together his pie. The jelly cubes have gone into the pie, probably going to melt into a sauce after he bakes them.
Ohta is interviewing Robuchon...
"It's very interesting, with one theme ingredient, you have a match-up of two different cuisines, Japanese and French. It's very interesting, I've never seen a program quite like this."
Bear in mind, the show was still relatively new at the time, so Robuchon's spot-on...although calling Hattori a French chef might be a bit of a stretch...then again, Fukui did it earlier in the battle, so...
Back to Michiba's side: yuba bean curd is out with truffles on top, and they're calling a steam job. Hattori is scoring his pies, decorating them, and the word on the floor is that he's heating up a kettle of Japanese sake! Hmm...
Michiba has a soy sauce-based sauce with truffles dunked inside, boiling away, while Hattori is straining the celery root. And...what?! Truffles in the Japanese sake?! Ishinabe's surprised...
Michiba has an abalone based risotto on his side (without butter), and I think Fukui kinda lost Ishinabe for a bit as Michiba is pouring the "sauce" from earlier into wine glasses. The "sauce" is a kind of port wine, and Michiba's trying to push the aroma from the truffles into it by soaking them in the wine. And just like that, 20 minutes to go!
Hattori's in shock by the amount of time left...sheer panic on his side. Even Fukui's surprised that he hasn't quite figured out the clock is your biggest enemy...and Michiba is deep-frying his prawn spring rolls from earlier!
Hattori is scrambling...he has soft roe and truffle bits in glass mugs, and as 15 minutes are left, Michiba has plated his lobster which is turning into a salad.
Hattori is trying to adjust the thickness of the celery root, and he's complaining it isn't hardening...Ishinabe's saying he needs to add a starchy agent, which he later does--perhaps it was cornstarch...Michiba's on cruise control all the way, as Hattori is spooning a Perigueux sauce onto plates.
10 minutes left, and Hattori's ladling the celery root "sauce" onto plates already, adding an egg yolk on top ("breakfast is served," Ishinabe quips)...
5 minutes left, and the pie goes down on top of the sauce. Michiba has a small cup with some kind of sauce inside...he's plating everything, and Hattori is trying to soften that ice cream...did he run the ice creamer too long?
1 minute left, and Ishinabe thinks Hattori's coming together as he breaks up the egg yolks into the sauce. It is all downhill for Hattori now...Michiba's on cruise control as the last few seconds go by...
"And THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Truffle Battle is OVAH!"
Challenger Hattori's four dishes:
--Truffle-flavored Sake
--Celery Root and Truffle Purée
--Foie Gras and Truffle Pie
--Truffle Ice Cream
Iron Chef Michiba's 6 dishes:
--Apéritif
--Steamed Blowfish Soft Roe with Sweet and Sour Truffle Sauce
--Boiled Egg with Truffle and Turnip
--Lobster and Truffle Salad
--Truffle Spring Roll
--Truffle Rice Porridge
On the panel today:
--Top French Chef Joel Robuchon
--Actress Mai Kitajima
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
"When using truffles, you can't let yourselves be intimidated by the cost of them to get good results," Hattori says.
His sake is up first, and as the tasters stir it, the color changes into a milky, root beer float-like color. Hattori says it should taste a bit like yogurt. Kitajima says so...
"This tastes very...unusual..." Robuchon comments.
"You mean you like it?" Kaga presses, to which Robuchon simply says "Well..." and laughs it off.
Translation: le crap.
Hoping to get a more positive reaction, the celery root purée is up next (which to me, doesn't look like much of a dish at all)...
"I see quite a harmony in this...at first I was worried about you," Hirano quips. And at least Robuchon likes this one...
Robuchon smiles wryly at his pie, and Hattori feels as though daggers are going through him...he later says he wished Hattori had cooked it a bit longer. Care to elaborate, monsieur...? No...?
Hirano likes it, though. "Hattori-san, you're not so bad." And just like that, relief--somewhat--for Hattori.
Hattori's ice cream gets a simple "Tres bien" from Robuchon, while Kitajima says the truffles are like chocolate. Visually, I can see that...having never tasted it, though, I can't say one way or the other. Hirano enjoyed it, although he must point out that it's actually a sorbet, not an ice cream. Whatever...
Now for Michiba: "At first, Japanese matsutake mushrooms came to my mind," he said. "I wonder how I did..." (oh, c'mon, Michiba, quit being so humble about your cooking...)
First up is the apéritif, which Kitajima says is smooth. Robuchon thinks it would have been perfect if the sourness were suppressed. Although he likes the combo of soft roe and truffles in his next dish, likening it to eggs and truffles. Kitajima says it's just like chawan-mushi. And Hattori says "dai-gomi" (top notch, for lack of a better English term) fits this dish well...
The egg/truffle/turnip dish: Hirano feels the "body" of the ingredients, whatever that means, while Robuchon likes it aside from the fact that it killed the taste of the uni.
Robuchon is intrigued by the spring roll--apparently it's something he's never experienced before. And when tasting his last dish (which leaves Kitajima speechless), he says:
"I am from France, the homeland of truffles. I never imagined this ingredient could be used in Japanese cooking. Michiba-san's dishes are great. I was very moved today."
Hattori could be in trouble when it comes to the judging today...but he recovered from his missteps, somewhat...let's not forget, Hattori will become an Iron Chef if he wins this one. Did he pull it off? Who takes it? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Tetsujin Michiba Rokusaburo!"
And to the surprise of absolutely no one (except Hattori), the Iron Chef Japanese wins it! He made it look way too easy, unfamiliar ingredient or not!
My take: Let's be honest. Hattori blew it big time. Number one, he went up against Michiba, who had the better winning percentage between him and Chen (Sakai doesn't count, 'cause he was still relatively new). Number two, he cooked with an ingredient that's not even USED in Japanese cuisine. He tried acting like a French chef when he clearly wasn't one. Number three, he botched his time management. Remember the Lamb Battle from last time? Nakagawa did the same thing, and lost. Michiba kicked his ass in every single way possible, and there's not much else to say about that. At least Hattori didn't have to face Sakai.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Japan Original Airdate: 4/29/1994
Episode: 26
The Challenger: Dr. Yukio Hattori, President of the Hattori School of Nutrition and the show's color-commentator. He is a child prodigy of cooking, entering the field at the age of 4. He is the heir to the 500-year tradition of Hattori-style cooking, which established the standard for cooking in a samurai family.
The Iron Chef: Iron Chef Japanese I, Rokusaburo Michiba. Known for his saying, "there are no borders to ingredients," Michiba is widely regarded as the mightiest of the Iron Chefs. It's a safe bet to say that any challenger who faces him has long odds of winning, even if it IS Hattori...this battle is also the first look many American audiences got of Michiba, and our first look at him in our timeline.
The Battle:
Seven months into the life of Kitchen Stadium, Kaga has discovered a traitor amongst his staff. A threat to his search to the heir of Rosanjin, a threat to his Kitchen Stadium--show thyself, traitor!
"You need one more to call them the Four Divas. One more Iron Chef is needed. That's what I think. And I'd like a shot at it."
...DOC?! WHAT?!
In short, Hattori wants to challenge the Iron Chefs to a battle. If he wins, he'll get bumped up to Iron Chef, but if he loses, he'll be stuck as the commentator, as this is his only shot at the title.
So Kaga has agreed to Hattori's little...plan, shall we say, to become an Iron Chef himself! Ohhh boy, this will be very interesting indeed. Add in the factor that Kaga has invited Joel Robuchon, the so-called "God of French Cuisine", to Kitchen Stadium, Hattori has quite the show to put on today...
In light of the color-commentator actually becoming the challenger, calling the shots today alongside Fukui is Honorary Iron Chef French Yutaka Ishinabe. And here comes Kaga, with a rousing cry of "My Gourmet Academy is forever!"
And as we'd mentioned before, Kaga introduces Joel Robuchon, who is accompanied by Jacques Borie.
"I never imagined this man would dare to challenge my Iron Chefs," Kaga begins. "I thought he only commented on food. But I grant him his first and only chance. Let's see how good he is."
And in walks Hattori, clad in chef's whites and holding a red apple along with it. Clearly, Borie and Robuchon are getting a kick out of seeing that. Kaga laughs when Hattori mentions he wants them to make a panel of him holding that apple, joining "them" up there.
And with one of the most rousing calls I've ever seen by a challenger, Hattori calls out Rokusaburo Michiba as his opponent! (Not a good idea, considering Michiba's only lost once thus far...yeah, there's Sakai, but he's relatively new still...)
"I did not hesitate at all when thinking about the theme for this battle. An ingredient perfect for Robuchon," Kaga says, then rips off the red veil to reveal the Black Diamond of the Kitchen...TRUFFLES! And already Hattori does not look happy at all...and we can't even get a read on Michiba!
In our ingredient philosophy session, truffles apparently are associated with eggs, and decadently harmonized with foie gras...although the slam dunk, according to Kaga, is in an ice cream. Nevertheless, the truffle's aroma is the key to today's battle.
French master Robuchon is intently watching this battle--two Japanese guys handling this decidedly French delicacy...not to mention Hattori's gunning for an Iron Chef spot...and there's the "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
Although Michiba is one of the slower guys to get up to the ingredient stand, he's actually up there first today, as Hattori already seems a little dazed...he finally makes his way up, though, and they're both getting their paws on one of the most expensive ingredients known to man!
Speaking of the cost, Ishinabe figures all the truffles on the stand today cost about $5,000, $6,000 in total (and of course he'd know--how many did he and Borie use combined in his last battle?), and the price is still going up. "Only the bourgeois eat this at home," he adds.
Hattori's breaking down his truffles with a ceramic knife, and inspecting the aroma of them as he does so. Ishinabe mentions the white patterns or veins as an indicator of the truffles' quality, and that a truffle is a fungus, not a mold.
Michiba is writing his menu, and Ohta reports that Michiba is taking a "see-what-happens" kind of approach to the battle, as truffles aren't even used in Japanese cuisine. Meantime, Hattori is running amok around his side, and dashes back up to the stand to get more truffles! He also has eggs in his bowl...remember what Kaga was saying earlier?
Michiba's menu has 6 items on it, according to Fukui. And Hattori has eggs and vanilla out, Ishinabe calling a truffle ice cream...and Hattori confirms it!
Michiba is chopping some lobsters, and Ishinabe says it's a great combo. And Robuchon wants a closer look at what's going on, eying Michiba as he does so...and Michiba doesn't even notice!
Hattori has a Sauce Perigueux in the works, while Michiba has broccoli on top of the lobster. Ishinabe's thinking he'll steam it, and as 15 minutes are gone, Hattori's ice cream maker is in action!
Speaking of Hattori, he has spring roll--no, pie sheets out, possibly for a truffle pie (an orthodox approach, according to Ishinabe)...and Ishinabe is distracted by Michiba's use of blowfish soft roe!
Hattori is running his Perigueux to the fridge, to chill it and harden it. Ohta says Hattori was planning for 5, but with the clock against him, he had to reduce that to about 3.
Michiba's blowfish roe heads for the food processor, while Hattori is breaking down celery root, but Ishinabe's worried he won't have enough time to soften the rather hard root. And Michiba unloads the lobster/broccoli combo...if there was a time to say "red as a lobster", well, this is it. They've turned out beautifully...
...while Hattori has his jelled Perigueux and blowfish roe on his side as well! Ishinabe doesn't think it's the right strategy...but he does think it will go into Hattori's pie, just judging by having the pie sheets out!
"Well, Doc BETTER win," Fukui quips, "the Academy might be thinking about keeping YOU in this seat!" he says to Ishinabe. I wouldn't complain if that were the case...
Meanwhile, on the other side, Michiba is running some truffles through a mandolin, and a spring roll of prawns, minced okra, and a truffle slice. And Hattori's foie gras has hit the heat!
Michiba has uni on his side as the 30 minute call is announced, and Hattori is piecing together his pie. The jelly cubes have gone into the pie, probably going to melt into a sauce after he bakes them.
Ohta is interviewing Robuchon...
"It's very interesting, with one theme ingredient, you have a match-up of two different cuisines, Japanese and French. It's very interesting, I've never seen a program quite like this."
Bear in mind, the show was still relatively new at the time, so Robuchon's spot-on...although calling Hattori a French chef might be a bit of a stretch...then again, Fukui did it earlier in the battle, so...
Back to Michiba's side: yuba bean curd is out with truffles on top, and they're calling a steam job. Hattori is scoring his pies, decorating them, and the word on the floor is that he's heating up a kettle of Japanese sake! Hmm...
Michiba has a soy sauce-based sauce with truffles dunked inside, boiling away, while Hattori is straining the celery root. And...what?! Truffles in the Japanese sake?! Ishinabe's surprised...
Michiba has an abalone based risotto on his side (without butter), and I think Fukui kinda lost Ishinabe for a bit as Michiba is pouring the "sauce" from earlier into wine glasses. The "sauce" is a kind of port wine, and Michiba's trying to push the aroma from the truffles into it by soaking them in the wine. And just like that, 20 minutes to go!
Hattori's in shock by the amount of time left...sheer panic on his side. Even Fukui's surprised that he hasn't quite figured out the clock is your biggest enemy...and Michiba is deep-frying his prawn spring rolls from earlier!
Hattori is scrambling...he has soft roe and truffle bits in glass mugs, and as 15 minutes are left, Michiba has plated his lobster which is turning into a salad.
Hattori is trying to adjust the thickness of the celery root, and he's complaining it isn't hardening...Ishinabe's saying he needs to add a starchy agent, which he later does--perhaps it was cornstarch...Michiba's on cruise control all the way, as Hattori is spooning a Perigueux sauce onto plates.
10 minutes left, and Hattori's ladling the celery root "sauce" onto plates already, adding an egg yolk on top ("breakfast is served," Ishinabe quips)...
5 minutes left, and the pie goes down on top of the sauce. Michiba has a small cup with some kind of sauce inside...he's plating everything, and Hattori is trying to soften that ice cream...did he run the ice creamer too long?
1 minute left, and Ishinabe thinks Hattori's coming together as he breaks up the egg yolks into the sauce. It is all downhill for Hattori now...Michiba's on cruise control as the last few seconds go by...
"And THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Truffle Battle is OVAH!"
Challenger Hattori's four dishes:
--Truffle-flavored Sake
--Celery Root and Truffle Purée
--Foie Gras and Truffle Pie
--Truffle Ice Cream
Iron Chef Michiba's 6 dishes:
--Apéritif
--Steamed Blowfish Soft Roe with Sweet and Sour Truffle Sauce
--Boiled Egg with Truffle and Turnip
--Lobster and Truffle Salad
--Truffle Spring Roll
--Truffle Rice Porridge
On the panel today:
--Top French Chef Joel Robuchon
--Actress Mai Kitajima
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
"When using truffles, you can't let yourselves be intimidated by the cost of them to get good results," Hattori says.
His sake is up first, and as the tasters stir it, the color changes into a milky, root beer float-like color. Hattori says it should taste a bit like yogurt. Kitajima says so...
"This tastes very...unusual..." Robuchon comments.
"You mean you like it?" Kaga presses, to which Robuchon simply says "Well..." and laughs it off.
Translation: le crap.
Hoping to get a more positive reaction, the celery root purée is up next (which to me, doesn't look like much of a dish at all)...
"I see quite a harmony in this...at first I was worried about you," Hirano quips. And at least Robuchon likes this one...
Robuchon smiles wryly at his pie, and Hattori feels as though daggers are going through him...he later says he wished Hattori had cooked it a bit longer. Care to elaborate, monsieur...? No...?
Hirano likes it, though. "Hattori-san, you're not so bad." And just like that, relief--somewhat--for Hattori.
Hattori's ice cream gets a simple "Tres bien" from Robuchon, while Kitajima says the truffles are like chocolate. Visually, I can see that...having never tasted it, though, I can't say one way or the other. Hirano enjoyed it, although he must point out that it's actually a sorbet, not an ice cream. Whatever...
Now for Michiba: "At first, Japanese matsutake mushrooms came to my mind," he said. "I wonder how I did..." (oh, c'mon, Michiba, quit being so humble about your cooking...)
First up is the apéritif, which Kitajima says is smooth. Robuchon thinks it would have been perfect if the sourness were suppressed. Although he likes the combo of soft roe and truffles in his next dish, likening it to eggs and truffles. Kitajima says it's just like chawan-mushi. And Hattori says "dai-gomi" (top notch, for lack of a better English term) fits this dish well...
The egg/truffle/turnip dish: Hirano feels the "body" of the ingredients, whatever that means, while Robuchon likes it aside from the fact that it killed the taste of the uni.
Robuchon is intrigued by the spring roll--apparently it's something he's never experienced before. And when tasting his last dish (which leaves Kitajima speechless), he says:
"I am from France, the homeland of truffles. I never imagined this ingredient could be used in Japanese cooking. Michiba-san's dishes are great. I was very moved today."
Hattori could be in trouble when it comes to the judging today...but he recovered from his missteps, somewhat...let's not forget, Hattori will become an Iron Chef if he wins this one. Did he pull it off? Who takes it? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Tetsujin Michiba Rokusaburo!"
And to the surprise of absolutely no one (except Hattori), the Iron Chef Japanese wins it! He made it look way too easy, unfamiliar ingredient or not!
My take: Let's be honest. Hattori blew it big time. Number one, he went up against Michiba, who had the better winning percentage between him and Chen (Sakai doesn't count, 'cause he was still relatively new). Number two, he cooked with an ingredient that's not even USED in Japanese cuisine. He tried acting like a French chef when he clearly wasn't one. Number three, he botched his time management. Remember the Lamb Battle from last time? Nakagawa did the same thing, and lost. Michiba kicked his ass in every single way possible, and there's not much else to say about that. At least Hattori didn't have to face Sakai.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
ICT: Battle Lamb: Sakai vs. Nakagawa
BATTLE DATA FILE
Japan Original Airdate: 4/22/1994
Episode: 25
The Challenger: Mario Nakagawa, owner/chef of Chez Mario and one of over 400 apprentices under the Gourmet Academy's very own Hiroyuki Sakai. He started under Sakai in 1979, chopping onions at first. He opened his own place at age 28, and heads the "third generation" of French cuisine in Japan.
The Iron Chef: Iron Chef French II, Hiroyuki Sakai, nicknamed the "Delacroix of French Cuisine." Chronologically speaking, this is the first look we get at the new Iron Chef French...he seems a little intimidated by the challenge. If one isn't looking too closely, and if you ignore the color of the outfit, Ishinabe and Sakai kinda look alike...
The Battle:
Master and apprentice face off in the confrontation...and calling the action from the booth is, once again, actress Mayuko Takata.
"Lions are said to push their cubs into gorges," Kaga begins. "Today, the cub has climbed out of the gorge and is now showing his fangs to his master." Well, aren't we metaphoric today--he even goes so far as to call Nakagawa "the Prince of French Cuisine."
Nakagawa confidently strides into the stadium--you know, it's a little bizarre that a Japanese guy named Mario practices French cuisine, but that's just me...nevertheless, I don't know why they don't just have Sakai make a solo ascent, but in any event, the three Iron Chefs make their intimidating appearance...
"I know I don't have to do this, but it's a ritual here," Kaga says, before asking Nakagawa the eternal question: "Who will it be?" And--big surprise!--the challenger guns for his master, Iron Chef French, Hiroyuki Sakai!
"A former apprentice challenging his former master. But in contrast to his bold attempt, he looks very humble. This has given me inspiration. This man may look like a humble animal, but he is really a wolf inside." I'm not quite sure what Kaga's getting at exactly, but nevertheless, he rips off the veil and we find...LAMB!
And remember, "If lamb is not served at a dinner, you have been slighted." "The bones will tell you how to do it right."
1 hour on the clock, the first meeting in 13 years between the two men in the form of this match begins with Kaga's call of "ALLEZ CUISINE!" On the ingredient stand today: the ribs, loins, fillet, and legs. Apparently it's a delicacy in Europe, better than beef or pork, according to Hattori. He also adds: anything between 6-8 months old is lamb, anything over a year is mutton. So that's the difference...
Prep work begins on both sides after the ingredient-mongering is over, and Nakagawa's already slicing off the fat--a critical thing to look for, according to Hattori.
Sakai has the carré de agneau, or the ribs, on his board. He peppers those, and also begins to slice off the fat. He's also got foie gras on his side, according to Ohta...
The challenger is returning to his original job of slicing onions for a bit, while Sakai is making an obi peel on some...potatoes? Whatever the case, Sakai said he'd rather not have this battle at all...
"Well, you want your student to do well, but do you want him to show you up in front of a national audience?" Fukui quips. He has a point...and Nakagawa's thinly-sliced onions are headed for the oven. His wife, Yukie, is in the Royal Box with his two kids watching.
Sakai has the rack of ribs in the frying pan, and that later makes a trip to the oven as well. Nakagawa has crépine, or fat netting, on his board, and he's just salted what looked to be the loins (?)...they suspect he'll be wrapping that in the crépine.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Sakai's foie gras has hit the frying pan...and Sakai thinks lamb is an everyday ingredient for him, but is nervous simply because of who he's battling! "He ain't no lamb," Fukui says. And 15 minutes gone already!
Nakagawa is laying herbs down on the fat netting...but forget all of that! Sakai breaks out the Tetsujin Torch, and he's using it on some pieces of lamb. Hattori says it's to char the surface, and while he won't get the smoky flavor from, say, a charcoal grill, he'll get the same charred surface effect. And Fukui wants to switch chairs with Takata! She's showing him up!
Nakagawa is laying truffle bits on the lamb on the fat netting...and apparently, Sakai has some truffles on his side as well! Could we see another faux truffle battle like we saw with Ishinabe and Borie? Who knows...
(Iron Chef drinking game: drink every time either side uses truffles. I promise you'll be smashed by the end of the match.)
Speaking of Sakai, his foie gras is off the heat and onto the torched lamb pieces from earlier, to be cooked more later. And there are the truffles! It'd be called Rossini-style, if this were beef instead of lamb. Bamboo shoots finish it off, as he moves on to a spring roll sheet and places the whole combination inside--Hattori miscalls it while Fukui gets it, saying he needs to change the prescription on his glasses. And Fukui offers him his!
Nakagawa's crépine is on the frying pan, while Sakai is boiling--er, deep-frying, actually--vegetables. Nakagawa is also deep-frying potatoes...sound familiar? Seems like they're copying each other...oh look, Nakagawa's ALSO got foie gras!
Sakai is coating a rack of ribs with bamboo shoots with some greens--kinome, or Japanese pepper leaf buds--mixed in, with bread crumbs over that. A huge slab of lamb has hit the heat on Nakagawa's side, and 30 minutes are gone, just like that!
Nakagawa is playing possum with Ohta, apparently, coyly saying he's shooting for 2 or 3 dishes. And Sakai's deep-frying eggplants here.
Sakai says Nakagawa was a gutsy guy back in the day, and now he's facing an anxiety attack. And while he's talking, they're saying Sakai got an oil burn because...
EGGPLANT GO BOOM!
Japan Original Airdate: 4/22/1994
Episode: 25
The Challenger: Mario Nakagawa, owner/chef of Chez Mario and one of over 400 apprentices under the Gourmet Academy's very own Hiroyuki Sakai. He started under Sakai in 1979, chopping onions at first. He opened his own place at age 28, and heads the "third generation" of French cuisine in Japan.
The Iron Chef: Iron Chef French II, Hiroyuki Sakai, nicknamed the "Delacroix of French Cuisine." Chronologically speaking, this is the first look we get at the new Iron Chef French...he seems a little intimidated by the challenge. If one isn't looking too closely, and if you ignore the color of the outfit, Ishinabe and Sakai kinda look alike...
The Battle:
Master and apprentice face off in the confrontation...and calling the action from the booth is, once again, actress Mayuko Takata.
"Lions are said to push their cubs into gorges," Kaga begins. "Today, the cub has climbed out of the gorge and is now showing his fangs to his master." Well, aren't we metaphoric today--he even goes so far as to call Nakagawa "the Prince of French Cuisine."
Nakagawa confidently strides into the stadium--you know, it's a little bizarre that a Japanese guy named Mario practices French cuisine, but that's just me...nevertheless, I don't know why they don't just have Sakai make a solo ascent, but in any event, the three Iron Chefs make their intimidating appearance...
"I know I don't have to do this, but it's a ritual here," Kaga says, before asking Nakagawa the eternal question: "Who will it be?" And--big surprise!--the challenger guns for his master, Iron Chef French, Hiroyuki Sakai!
"A former apprentice challenging his former master. But in contrast to his bold attempt, he looks very humble. This has given me inspiration. This man may look like a humble animal, but he is really a wolf inside." I'm not quite sure what Kaga's getting at exactly, but nevertheless, he rips off the veil and we find...LAMB!
And remember, "If lamb is not served at a dinner, you have been slighted." "The bones will tell you how to do it right."
1 hour on the clock, the first meeting in 13 years between the two men in the form of this match begins with Kaga's call of "ALLEZ CUISINE!" On the ingredient stand today: the ribs, loins, fillet, and legs. Apparently it's a delicacy in Europe, better than beef or pork, according to Hattori. He also adds: anything between 6-8 months old is lamb, anything over a year is mutton. So that's the difference...
Prep work begins on both sides after the ingredient-mongering is over, and Nakagawa's already slicing off the fat--a critical thing to look for, according to Hattori.
Sakai has the carré de agneau, or the ribs, on his board. He peppers those, and also begins to slice off the fat. He's also got foie gras on his side, according to Ohta...
The challenger is returning to his original job of slicing onions for a bit, while Sakai is making an obi peel on some...potatoes? Whatever the case, Sakai said he'd rather not have this battle at all...
"Well, you want your student to do well, but do you want him to show you up in front of a national audience?" Fukui quips. He has a point...and Nakagawa's thinly-sliced onions are headed for the oven. His wife, Yukie, is in the Royal Box with his two kids watching.
Sakai has the rack of ribs in the frying pan, and that later makes a trip to the oven as well. Nakagawa has crépine, or fat netting, on his board, and he's just salted what looked to be the loins (?)...they suspect he'll be wrapping that in the crépine.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Sakai's foie gras has hit the frying pan...and Sakai thinks lamb is an everyday ingredient for him, but is nervous simply because of who he's battling! "He ain't no lamb," Fukui says. And 15 minutes gone already!
Nakagawa is laying herbs down on the fat netting...but forget all of that! Sakai breaks out the Tetsujin Torch, and he's using it on some pieces of lamb. Hattori says it's to char the surface, and while he won't get the smoky flavor from, say, a charcoal grill, he'll get the same charred surface effect. And Fukui wants to switch chairs with Takata! She's showing him up!
Nakagawa is laying truffle bits on the lamb on the fat netting...and apparently, Sakai has some truffles on his side as well! Could we see another faux truffle battle like we saw with Ishinabe and Borie? Who knows...
(Iron Chef drinking game: drink every time either side uses truffles. I promise you'll be smashed by the end of the match.)
Speaking of Sakai, his foie gras is off the heat and onto the torched lamb pieces from earlier, to be cooked more later. And there are the truffles! It'd be called Rossini-style, if this were beef instead of lamb. Bamboo shoots finish it off, as he moves on to a spring roll sheet and places the whole combination inside--Hattori miscalls it while Fukui gets it, saying he needs to change the prescription on his glasses. And Fukui offers him his!
Nakagawa's crépine is on the frying pan, while Sakai is boiling--er, deep-frying, actually--vegetables. Nakagawa is also deep-frying potatoes...sound familiar? Seems like they're copying each other...oh look, Nakagawa's ALSO got foie gras!
Sakai is coating a rack of ribs with bamboo shoots with some greens--kinome, or Japanese pepper leaf buds--mixed in, with bread crumbs over that. A huge slab of lamb has hit the heat on Nakagawa's side, and 30 minutes are gone, just like that!
Nakagawa is playing possum with Ohta, apparently, coyly saying he's shooting for 2 or 3 dishes. And Sakai's deep-frying eggplants here.
Sakai says Nakagawa was a gutsy guy back in the day, and now he's facing an anxiety attack. And while he's talking, they're saying Sakai got an oil burn because...
EGGPLANT GO BOOM!And while Sakai turns some heads, Hattori says he should've made some cuts in it first...Takata's concerned that the cameraman got burned a bit in the explosion, while Sakai's eggplant? "Perfect," he says, even after it spontaneously exploded! "Still usable!"
15 more minutes go boom, and the challenger has olive oil and something else in a blender...Ohta reports it's basil, olive oil, and garlic inside. Sakai's been sneaking looks at Nakagawa, and he says Nakagawa will definitely have more than 3 dishes. And his spring roll wrap with the foie gras and truffles (gyoza fit for royalty, Fukui calls it) has hit the heat.
And--uh-oh, Nakagawa says he's in trouble, as clock mismanagement is beginning to do him in, and that he won't be able to finish some of his dishes...or is it a bluff? 10 minutes left, and Sakai's blender is in action, making a sauce of some kind. Takata calls a fond du veau, as he adds balsamic vinegar to that mixture.
Challenger's pressure cooker is open, and has burdock root, potatoes, and--you guessed it--more truffles! 5 minutes to go as the breadcrumb-crusted rack of lamb is already down, the French-style gyoza is about to come off the heat, and the challenger is sauteing foie gras with 4 minutes to go...they're worried he isn't going to finish on time!
Sakai's plating with 3 minutes to go, and Nakagawa is still looking lost as all heck...his assistants are plating that potato/burdock/truffle brew from earlier, and he's slicing the crépine wrap as Sakai is plating his "gyoza"...
1 minute left, and the potato/burdock/truffle brew gets lamb and some extra sauce ladled on. (So THAT'S where the onions went...)
Time is ticking down, it looks like Nakagawa will be okay in the end...Sakai is in cruise control as the last few seconds tick down...
"And THAT'S IT! The Lamb Battle is OVAH!"
Post-game remarks reveal Nakagawa is...well, how can we put this nicely...not feeling good about the battle. Asked how he did...
"Horrible. Just...horrible."
At least he tried hard, but he admits "Sakai-san's still the best."
Sakai's still not used to the time limit (and who can blame him, this is only his third battle), saying he could only do about 80% of what he wanted to do.
Challenger Nakagawa's 2 dishes:
--Lamb and Daikon Radish Salad
--Roast Lamb, Truffles Flavor
Iron Chef Sakai's 3 dishes:
--Sauteed Lamb, Served Cold
--Lamb, Foie Gras and Truffles Wrapped in Brik (the "royal gyoza")
--Roast Lamb, Pepper Leaf Bud Flavor (breaded rack of lamb)
On the panel today for the Lamb Battle are:
--Novelist Tamio Kageyama
--Actress Mayuko Takata
--Culinary Critic Asako Kishi
Nakagawa's up first...says he didn't have anything to lose, and that Sakai was under more pressure today. Luckily for him, everyone seems to like his salad, saying they're surprised by the daikon.
His second dish is thicker, according to Kageyama. Takata says there's a raw smell to the lamb, and that the flavor lingers...might be a bad sign considering Kageyama agrees that it's a bit strong...at least Kishi called it a "bold choice"...
But uh-oh, Kageyama was expecting a dish with bones...
Sakai's up now...he's uncomfortable now, wait 'til he goes through this trial by fire...
His sauteed lamb, according to Takata, is mild, but she likes the combination of flavors. Kishi likes the doneness of the meat.
Kishi and Kageyama like the sauce of the brik wrap...I think Sakai hit a home run with that one.
"This dish reinforces that today's theme is lamb..." Takata says of Sakai's third dish. I can only hope that this comment was a result of the dubbing, and not a word-for-word translation of what she actually said...Takata is one of the less ditzy-acting female actress judges on the show, she's too good for a comment like that. And after her commentary during the battle as well...
Anyway. She likes the use of the bamboo shoots, but Kishi would prefer garlic...says it's too sophisticated. Whatever that means.
Think on that while the judges think on the scores.
Kaga likens Sakai's countenance after the battle to a parent, proud of how his son has grown and progressed.
"But this is a battlefield. We have to reach a cruel decision," he adds.
Well then, who takes it? The master or the apprentice?
"Tetsujin Sakai Hiroyuki!"
And once again, the Iron Chef takes it! Still the master after all, it appears...but no hard feelings on either side. Sakai definitely taught him well, but he still held him off.
My take: This was a case of "I fought the clock and the clock won." One can only imagine what Nakagawa would've done if he hadn't mismanaged his time. Then again, Sakai pretty much knocked one or two out of the park with the rack of lamb and the brik wrap. The oil burns from the exploding eggplant are a small price to pay for this notch in his belt.
Watch this episode at the Iron Chef Collection here.
15 more minutes go boom, and the challenger has olive oil and something else in a blender...Ohta reports it's basil, olive oil, and garlic inside. Sakai's been sneaking looks at Nakagawa, and he says Nakagawa will definitely have more than 3 dishes. And his spring roll wrap with the foie gras and truffles (gyoza fit for royalty, Fukui calls it) has hit the heat.
And--uh-oh, Nakagawa says he's in trouble, as clock mismanagement is beginning to do him in, and that he won't be able to finish some of his dishes...or is it a bluff? 10 minutes left, and Sakai's blender is in action, making a sauce of some kind. Takata calls a fond du veau, as he adds balsamic vinegar to that mixture.
Challenger's pressure cooker is open, and has burdock root, potatoes, and--you guessed it--more truffles! 5 minutes to go as the breadcrumb-crusted rack of lamb is already down, the French-style gyoza is about to come off the heat, and the challenger is sauteing foie gras with 4 minutes to go...they're worried he isn't going to finish on time!
Sakai's plating with 3 minutes to go, and Nakagawa is still looking lost as all heck...his assistants are plating that potato/burdock/truffle brew from earlier, and he's slicing the crépine wrap as Sakai is plating his "gyoza"...
1 minute left, and the potato/burdock/truffle brew gets lamb and some extra sauce ladled on. (So THAT'S where the onions went...)
Time is ticking down, it looks like Nakagawa will be okay in the end...Sakai is in cruise control as the last few seconds tick down...
"And THAT'S IT! The Lamb Battle is OVAH!"
Post-game remarks reveal Nakagawa is...well, how can we put this nicely...not feeling good about the battle. Asked how he did...
"Horrible. Just...horrible."
At least he tried hard, but he admits "Sakai-san's still the best."
Sakai's still not used to the time limit (and who can blame him, this is only his third battle), saying he could only do about 80% of what he wanted to do.
Challenger Nakagawa's 2 dishes:
--Lamb and Daikon Radish Salad
--Roast Lamb, Truffles Flavor
Iron Chef Sakai's 3 dishes:
--Sauteed Lamb, Served Cold
--Lamb, Foie Gras and Truffles Wrapped in Brik (the "royal gyoza")
--Roast Lamb, Pepper Leaf Bud Flavor (breaded rack of lamb)
On the panel today for the Lamb Battle are:
--Novelist Tamio Kageyama
--Actress Mayuko Takata
--Culinary Critic Asako Kishi
Nakagawa's up first...says he didn't have anything to lose, and that Sakai was under more pressure today. Luckily for him, everyone seems to like his salad, saying they're surprised by the daikon.
His second dish is thicker, according to Kageyama. Takata says there's a raw smell to the lamb, and that the flavor lingers...might be a bad sign considering Kageyama agrees that it's a bit strong...at least Kishi called it a "bold choice"...
But uh-oh, Kageyama was expecting a dish with bones...
Sakai's up now...he's uncomfortable now, wait 'til he goes through this trial by fire...
His sauteed lamb, according to Takata, is mild, but she likes the combination of flavors. Kishi likes the doneness of the meat.
Kishi and Kageyama like the sauce of the brik wrap...I think Sakai hit a home run with that one.
"This dish reinforces that today's theme is lamb..." Takata says of Sakai's third dish. I can only hope that this comment was a result of the dubbing, and not a word-for-word translation of what she actually said...Takata is one of the less ditzy-acting female actress judges on the show, she's too good for a comment like that. And after her commentary during the battle as well...
Anyway. She likes the use of the bamboo shoots, but Kishi would prefer garlic...says it's too sophisticated. Whatever that means.
Think on that while the judges think on the scores.
Kaga likens Sakai's countenance after the battle to a parent, proud of how his son has grown and progressed.
"But this is a battlefield. We have to reach a cruel decision," he adds.
Well then, who takes it? The master or the apprentice?
"Tetsujin Sakai Hiroyuki!"
And once again, the Iron Chef takes it! Still the master after all, it appears...but no hard feelings on either side. Sakai definitely taught him well, but he still held him off.
My take: This was a case of "I fought the clock and the clock won." One can only imagine what Nakagawa would've done if he hadn't mismanaged his time. Then again, Sakai pretty much knocked one or two out of the park with the rack of lamb and the brik wrap. The oil burns from the exploding eggplant are a small price to pay for this notch in his belt.
Watch this episode at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Friday, June 3, 2011
ICT: Battle Bamboo Shoot: Chen vs. Takahashi
BATTLE DATA SHEET
Japan Original Airdate: 4/15/1994
Episode: 24
The Challenger: Munetaka Takahashi, Kyoto cuisine specialist. He is the youngest head chef of his restaurant's 180-year history (he started at the restaurant, Ikumatsu, at just 29), and was selected by the chairman of the Kyoto Chefs' Association, Yutaka Yamane. He's the first Kyoto cuisine chef to battle in Kitchen Stadium.
The Iron Chef: the Dean of the Iron Chefs, Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi. Son of Chen Kenmin, widely revered as the God of Szechuan cuisine. Chen himself is nicknamed the "Szechuan Sage" on the show.
The Battle:
Our guest commentator for today is actress Mayuko Takata.
Takahashi marches into Kitchen Stadium, tailed by Yamane and Kayoko Kubo, Ikumatsu's manager. It's apparently a surprise to everyone that Ikumatsu is opening their doors to be examined under a microscope such as this...and without further ado, Kaga calls upon his three Iron Chefs.
"Even my Iron Chefs should be intimidated by a top chef from Kyoto expert in accentuating natural flavors," the Chairman says. "Who will it be?!"
To Kaga's eternal query, Takahashi answers:
"CHEN-SAN, PLEASE!" So the match is set: Kyoto vs. Szechuan. This is gonna be a good one.
"Among different schools of Japanese cuisine, Kyoto cuisine is one of the toughest to survive in," Kaga says. "One open position at a famous kitchen means a long line of chefs waiting outside. A line that looks like...'that plant' after rain. This thought gave me a hint. And the ingredient happens to be in season."
The veil is removed, and today's theme...well, aside from Kaga shouting its name--TAKENOKO--at the top of his lungs, I think this picture says it all...
Well, one of the chefs today will be scoring the touchdown Kaga's signaling...
Both chefs give him a weird look...strange Chairman is strange.
Our strange Chairman booms forth--well, sounds more like a growl, but anyways--"ALLEZ CUISINE!", and the Takenoko Confront (Bamboo Shoot Battle, to us anglophones) is underway!
Apparently there are a couple of types on the stand: some that have been lightly boiled, and some that have been dug out of the ground earlier in the day.
"If we had a bamboo festival, I'd call you the 'Bamboo Princess,'" Fukui tells Takata, who giggles at the compliment. There goes Fukui again...and the viewers heave a collective sigh.
Prep work commences...Takahashi has guji, or tilefish, out on his side already as he mows through some bamboo shoots.
"If by looks, he's got the upper hand today," Takata says of the challenger. Well, not like looks aren't a part of every Iron Chef competition...it's too bad I'm referring to the food itself, not the people preparing it. By that logic, Michiba would've been a goner a long time ago...
Hey, keep your shirts on, I'm kidding. Not long after that, though, Ohta has the first report of the day: Chen has broad beans, unshelled prawns, ice fish, mayo, dried scallops, and--to everyone's surprise--bananas! "Chen can't afford any monkey business right now," Fukui jokes, perhaps reminding him (rather painfully) that he lost to a woman last time out!
The challenger is peeling bamboo shoots into an obi, or sash pattern, while the Iron Chef is carving "turtle shells" into this...which he mows through and fans out.
Hattori bets on a steamed dish as Takahashi fillets that guji from earlier, while he thinks Chen will stir-fry the chicken he's hacking apart. And as Takahashi dunks a metric assload of bonito flakes into a pot of water, 15 minutes are already gone!
They're noticing Chen is a little down, a little too serious today. Usually he likes to mug for the camera a bit, but he's not doing that! And again, there they go with bringing up his loss to that female chef! Poor Chen, can't catch a break. At least he hasn't actually called them out on calling him out...
Takahashi has three different pots on the stove, each containing different cuts of bamboo shoots--the obi, the half-moon, and shredded, to enjoy the texture in different ways (says Hattori). Meanwhile, back on the other side, Chen's smothering something over the bamboo shoots he was mowing through earlier, and Fukui can't believe it--Takata called it!
Kuchiko, or dried sea cucumber roe, is being smoked on the challenger's side, and Chen has the bananas and bamboo shoots covered in cornstarch. We see the filet of tilefish going into bowls on the challenger's side, and Hattori's predicting he's going to steam it, adding one of the three shapes of bamboo shoots to that. Fukui thinks it'll be the shoestrings (shredded), imagining a wave motif for that dish. Hattori doesn't believe it.
"If you're PICASSO, maybe..." he wails.
"Hey, imagination's the word today..." Fukui shrugs.
And we've shrugged off half the battle already! Chen has his dried scallops--which have been rehydrated--in addition to bamboo shoots, Japanese peppercorns, mayo, mustard, and hot pepper spice, beginning to plate.
Takahashi is beginning to plate as Ohta interviews the challenger's bosses. Kubo thinks he's doing very well, and won't challenge him to win, but do his best. Yamane's simply impressed, thinking Takahashi is in control.
Speaking of Takahashi, he's got prawns, seaweed, and the obi shoots plated. Chen is decorating one of his--the fanned-out shoots and the paste inside from earlier laid over asparagus.
Fukui called it--the shredded shoots are going over the guji, although the panel is still trying to figure out how the waves are factoring into the picture. Anyway. The obi is now cut up into pieces, and he's laying dried nori over top of that--the commentators speculate it'll be for a sushi roll. Ohta confirms that he's trying to make sushi rice, but the cooker apparently "didn't do a very good job, and he's quite upset." Ohhhh boy.
20 minutes left, and the half-moon shoots are off the heat. They suspect nigirizushi, and Chen has himekawa (or the husk at the tip of the shoot) as a decorative vessel. A kinder, gentler Chen? Possibly, or at least the commentators say...
15 minutes left now, and Takata's on a roll, as she correctly predicts (again) sushi rice--looks like he'll be trying a three-flavor sushi rice--kuchiko in one, bamboo shoots in another, and what looked to be some kind of seaweed in the third. Don't quote me on that third one, though--all I know is that it was green.
Chen's unloading his wok, which had bamboo shoots and tien-mien-jang spice. That goes on the shoot wrap with asparagus. And Takahashi's rolling his sushi.
And Chen's wok is in action again, with what appears to be a soup poured over something made out of peas. Fukui's wondering where the bananas went...and nothing happened to them yet.
10 minutes left, and Takata hits the nail on the head again! Takenoko nigirizushi.
The pea soup is plated, and the wing of bamboo shoots is placed right on top. And with 5 minutes left, the bananas and bamboo shoots are being fried!
Challenger's got hot rocks on the stove, and an egg mixture is going over the seaweed-prawn-bamboo dish from earlier. And those stones are going into bowls, which the earlier dish will go over to keep it warm.
1 minute left, and the challenger's guji dish is coming out of the steamer, while Chen's bananas are coming off the heat. The final seconds are ticking down...5 seconds...3...2...1...
"...and that's it! The Bamboo Shoots Battle is OVAH!"
Takahashi admits that he ran out of time, and that his dishes weren't as good as he liked, while Chen is just...exhausted.
Challenger Takahashi's three dishes:
--Steamed Bamboo Shoots (with the tilefish)
--Uzuki-style Stew (the one with the hot rocks)
--Bamboo Shoots Sushi, 3 ways
Iron Chef Chen's 5 dishes:
--Bamboo Shoots and Scallops Hors' doeuvre
--Stir-fried Bamboo Shoots and Ground Meat
--Bamboo Shoots in Pea Soup
--Stewed Bamboo Shoots and Broad Beans
--Fried Bamboo Shoots and Banana (a dessert)
On the panel today for the Bamboo Shoot Battle are:
--Novelist Tamio Kageyama
--Actress Mayuko Takata
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
Challenger, as always, is up first. He wanted to accentuate the aroma and the subtle sweetness of the bamboo shoots.
The guji/bamboo shoots dish is tasted first. Takata thinks they go well together, and Kageyama likes the aroma of the cherry blossoms as he opens the lid.
The stew is next, and Hirano says he was too reserved in this, wanting MOAR SALT. Although he says the eggs were overpowering.
And the sushi...leaves Kageyama and Takata speechless. Hirano says it's good, in a rather long-winded way. And just like that, Chen's up.
Kageyama is stunned into speechlessness for the first two dishes. When the pea soup is tasted, I think Hirano actually said something useful and concise! Gasp! Be still my beating heart...
And the dessert...apparently he usually uses eggplants, but Chen swapped out bamboo shoots instead...and the gambit pays off!
But in the end, whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Like today's theme ingredient, bamboo shoots, I hope the challenger will continue to grow," Kaga says before the verdict. Oh, so poetic we are today.
And now, the decision: will it be the Iron Chef, or the hero of Kyoto cuisine?
"Tetsujin Chen Kenichi!"
My take: Big surprise there. They were both really creative, going outside the box with their respective cuisines while still holding true to their core. But Chen, while being more creative, also didn't mess up. Not once did the judges knock him for his dishes, while Hirano chewed out Takahashi for the Uzuki-style stew.
But never mind the food, the pace of this whole show felt really rushed. Granted, Food Network had been dubbing shows for a while by this point, but maybe they wanted to try different things for the Michiba era? I don't know, but at least they got more witty banter in. And another positive--at least the tasting portion didn't drag as long as the last one did.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Japan Original Airdate: 4/15/1994
Episode: 24
The Challenger: Munetaka Takahashi, Kyoto cuisine specialist. He is the youngest head chef of his restaurant's 180-year history (he started at the restaurant, Ikumatsu, at just 29), and was selected by the chairman of the Kyoto Chefs' Association, Yutaka Yamane. He's the first Kyoto cuisine chef to battle in Kitchen Stadium.
The Iron Chef: the Dean of the Iron Chefs, Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi. Son of Chen Kenmin, widely revered as the God of Szechuan cuisine. Chen himself is nicknamed the "Szechuan Sage" on the show.
The Battle:
Our guest commentator for today is actress Mayuko Takata.
Takahashi marches into Kitchen Stadium, tailed by Yamane and Kayoko Kubo, Ikumatsu's manager. It's apparently a surprise to everyone that Ikumatsu is opening their doors to be examined under a microscope such as this...and without further ado, Kaga calls upon his three Iron Chefs.
"Even my Iron Chefs should be intimidated by a top chef from Kyoto expert in accentuating natural flavors," the Chairman says. "Who will it be?!"
To Kaga's eternal query, Takahashi answers:
"CHEN-SAN, PLEASE!" So the match is set: Kyoto vs. Szechuan. This is gonna be a good one.
"Among different schools of Japanese cuisine, Kyoto cuisine is one of the toughest to survive in," Kaga says. "One open position at a famous kitchen means a long line of chefs waiting outside. A line that looks like...'that plant' after rain. This thought gave me a hint. And the ingredient happens to be in season."
The veil is removed, and today's theme...well, aside from Kaga shouting its name--TAKENOKO--at the top of his lungs, I think this picture says it all...
Well, one of the chefs today will be scoring the touchdown Kaga's signaling...Both chefs give him a weird look...strange Chairman is strange.
Our strange Chairman booms forth--well, sounds more like a growl, but anyways--"ALLEZ CUISINE!", and the Takenoko Confront (Bamboo Shoot Battle, to us anglophones) is underway!
Apparently there are a couple of types on the stand: some that have been lightly boiled, and some that have been dug out of the ground earlier in the day.
"If we had a bamboo festival, I'd call you the 'Bamboo Princess,'" Fukui tells Takata, who giggles at the compliment. There goes Fukui again...and the viewers heave a collective sigh.
Prep work commences...Takahashi has guji, or tilefish, out on his side already as he mows through some bamboo shoots.
"If by looks, he's got the upper hand today," Takata says of the challenger. Well, not like looks aren't a part of every Iron Chef competition...it's too bad I'm referring to the food itself, not the people preparing it. By that logic, Michiba would've been a goner a long time ago...
Hey, keep your shirts on, I'm kidding. Not long after that, though, Ohta has the first report of the day: Chen has broad beans, unshelled prawns, ice fish, mayo, dried scallops, and--to everyone's surprise--bananas! "Chen can't afford any monkey business right now," Fukui jokes, perhaps reminding him (rather painfully) that he lost to a woman last time out!
The challenger is peeling bamboo shoots into an obi, or sash pattern, while the Iron Chef is carving "turtle shells" into this...which he mows through and fans out.
Hattori bets on a steamed dish as Takahashi fillets that guji from earlier, while he thinks Chen will stir-fry the chicken he's hacking apart. And as Takahashi dunks a metric assload of bonito flakes into a pot of water, 15 minutes are already gone!
They're noticing Chen is a little down, a little too serious today. Usually he likes to mug for the camera a bit, but he's not doing that! And again, there they go with bringing up his loss to that female chef! Poor Chen, can't catch a break. At least he hasn't actually called them out on calling him out...
Takahashi has three different pots on the stove, each containing different cuts of bamboo shoots--the obi, the half-moon, and shredded, to enjoy the texture in different ways (says Hattori). Meanwhile, back on the other side, Chen's smothering something over the bamboo shoots he was mowing through earlier, and Fukui can't believe it--Takata called it!
Kuchiko, or dried sea cucumber roe, is being smoked on the challenger's side, and Chen has the bananas and bamboo shoots covered in cornstarch. We see the filet of tilefish going into bowls on the challenger's side, and Hattori's predicting he's going to steam it, adding one of the three shapes of bamboo shoots to that. Fukui thinks it'll be the shoestrings (shredded), imagining a wave motif for that dish. Hattori doesn't believe it.
"If you're PICASSO, maybe..." he wails.
"Hey, imagination's the word today..." Fukui shrugs.
And we've shrugged off half the battle already! Chen has his dried scallops--which have been rehydrated--in addition to bamboo shoots, Japanese peppercorns, mayo, mustard, and hot pepper spice, beginning to plate.
Takahashi is beginning to plate as Ohta interviews the challenger's bosses. Kubo thinks he's doing very well, and won't challenge him to win, but do his best. Yamane's simply impressed, thinking Takahashi is in control.
Speaking of Takahashi, he's got prawns, seaweed, and the obi shoots plated. Chen is decorating one of his--the fanned-out shoots and the paste inside from earlier laid over asparagus.
Fukui called it--the shredded shoots are going over the guji, although the panel is still trying to figure out how the waves are factoring into the picture. Anyway. The obi is now cut up into pieces, and he's laying dried nori over top of that--the commentators speculate it'll be for a sushi roll. Ohta confirms that he's trying to make sushi rice, but the cooker apparently "didn't do a very good job, and he's quite upset." Ohhhh boy.
20 minutes left, and the half-moon shoots are off the heat. They suspect nigirizushi, and Chen has himekawa (or the husk at the tip of the shoot) as a decorative vessel. A kinder, gentler Chen? Possibly, or at least the commentators say...
15 minutes left now, and Takata's on a roll, as she correctly predicts (again) sushi rice--looks like he'll be trying a three-flavor sushi rice--kuchiko in one, bamboo shoots in another, and what looked to be some kind of seaweed in the third. Don't quote me on that third one, though--all I know is that it was green.
Chen's unloading his wok, which had bamboo shoots and tien-mien-jang spice. That goes on the shoot wrap with asparagus. And Takahashi's rolling his sushi.
And Chen's wok is in action again, with what appears to be a soup poured over something made out of peas. Fukui's wondering where the bananas went...and nothing happened to them yet.
10 minutes left, and Takata hits the nail on the head again! Takenoko nigirizushi.
The pea soup is plated, and the wing of bamboo shoots is placed right on top. And with 5 minutes left, the bananas and bamboo shoots are being fried!
Challenger's got hot rocks on the stove, and an egg mixture is going over the seaweed-prawn-bamboo dish from earlier. And those stones are going into bowls, which the earlier dish will go over to keep it warm.
1 minute left, and the challenger's guji dish is coming out of the steamer, while Chen's bananas are coming off the heat. The final seconds are ticking down...5 seconds...3...2...1...
"...and that's it! The Bamboo Shoots Battle is OVAH!"
Takahashi admits that he ran out of time, and that his dishes weren't as good as he liked, while Chen is just...exhausted.
Challenger Takahashi's three dishes:
--Steamed Bamboo Shoots (with the tilefish)
--Uzuki-style Stew (the one with the hot rocks)
--Bamboo Shoots Sushi, 3 ways
Iron Chef Chen's 5 dishes:
--Bamboo Shoots and Scallops Hors' doeuvre
--Stir-fried Bamboo Shoots and Ground Meat
--Bamboo Shoots in Pea Soup
--Stewed Bamboo Shoots and Broad Beans
--Fried Bamboo Shoots and Banana (a dessert)
On the panel today for the Bamboo Shoot Battle are:
--Novelist Tamio Kageyama
--Actress Mayuko Takata
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
Challenger, as always, is up first. He wanted to accentuate the aroma and the subtle sweetness of the bamboo shoots.
The guji/bamboo shoots dish is tasted first. Takata thinks they go well together, and Kageyama likes the aroma of the cherry blossoms as he opens the lid.
The stew is next, and Hirano says he was too reserved in this, wanting MOAR SALT. Although he says the eggs were overpowering.
And the sushi...leaves Kageyama and Takata speechless. Hirano says it's good, in a rather long-winded way. And just like that, Chen's up.
Kageyama is stunned into speechlessness for the first two dishes. When the pea soup is tasted, I think Hirano actually said something useful and concise! Gasp! Be still my beating heart...
And the dessert...apparently he usually uses eggplants, but Chen swapped out bamboo shoots instead...and the gambit pays off!
But in the end, whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Like today's theme ingredient, bamboo shoots, I hope the challenger will continue to grow," Kaga says before the verdict. Oh, so poetic we are today.
And now, the decision: will it be the Iron Chef, or the hero of Kyoto cuisine?
"Tetsujin Chen Kenichi!"
My take: Big surprise there. They were both really creative, going outside the box with their respective cuisines while still holding true to their core. But Chen, while being more creative, also didn't mess up. Not once did the judges knock him for his dishes, while Hirano chewed out Takahashi for the Uzuki-style stew.
But never mind the food, the pace of this whole show felt really rushed. Granted, Food Network had been dubbing shows for a while by this point, but maybe they wanted to try different things for the Michiba era? I don't know, but at least they got more witty banter in. And another positive--at least the tasting portion didn't drag as long as the last one did.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
ICT: Battle Chicken: Ishinabe vs. Borie
BATTLE DATA FILE
Japan Original Airdate: 12/19/1993
Episode: 10
The Challenger: Jacques Borie, winner of the prestigious MOF (Meilleur Ouvrier de France, or Best Craftsman of France) award. As of the date this episode was aired, there were only 50 chefs in the world who held this award.
The Iron Chef: Yutaka Ishinabe, Iron Chef French I. Iron Chef fans from the Food Network days may not recognize him, as this was the only battle of his (if the 2000th Plate Special is excluded) to be dubbed into English. His tenure as Iron Chef didn't last long: while he DID fight the very first Kitchen Stadium battle EVER, he retired at the end of 1993 after only 5 battles, briefly came back to fight two more in 1995, and then fought in the aforementioned special alongside Iron Chef Sakai in 1998. Despite this, an oft-overlooked fact about Ishinabe: he (or at least his panel portrait) is always seen in the opening sequence when Kaga chomps into the yellow pepper. In case you were wondering why there was a guy in green instead of red up there.
The Battle:
It's a special battle for Christmas, and Kitchen Stadium is decked out in Christmas decorations.
"What a wonderful time of the year it is," Fukui proclaims, full of holiday spirit. Joining him and Dr. Yukio Hattori in the broadcast box, is actress Mai Kitajima.
Even Kaga is full of holiday spirit--perhaps even a little too much, as he marches into Kitchen Stadium and loudly bellows "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"...5 days early. He declares this battle his Christmas present to his viewers.
And with that, Jacques Borie, MOF winner extraordinaire, marches into Kitchen Stadium. Kaga is unsure of whether Borie understands Japanese when he meets him at kitchen level. "Oh, yes," he reassures him.
Relieved, Kaga proceeds to call upon "the pride of the Gourmet Academy...the three Iron Chefs." And he does so...a bit more...forcefully than most of us diehard fans are accustomed to seeing. Maybe he's still trying to feel out the Chairman character? This was only the 10th episode, after all. But nevertheless, the original trio--Ishinabe, Michiba, and Chen--ascend into the ethereal atmosphere of Kitchen Stadium.
Kaga, digging deep into his brain, asks Borie (absurdly incorrectly, according to a friend of mine), "Qui vais choisissez?" I don't speak French, not like I'd know. Though Kaga's accent is...well, interesting.
And without batting an eye, Borie replies, "Je prends Monsieur Ishinabe!"
It'll be an all-French duel with Iron Chef Yutaka Ishinabe, the so-called "Sauce Specialist". So far, he's undefeated in Kitchen Stadium...but with an MOF winner on the other side, can he stay that way?
"When you think of Christmas," Kaga begins, "you think of only one ingredient. An ingredient found in almost all chickens--oh, sorry."
...way to go, Kaga, you gave it away. At least Ishinabe got a laugh out of it.
"Well...I meant in all kitchens," he quickly recovers. "I'd like for you to make Christmas dishes with it."
And with that, Kaga rips off the veil and reveals--surprise!--KITCHEN...no, no, CHICKEN!
Kaga's famed call of "ALLEZ CUISINE!" is a little more...subdued than usual. And so is the pace in which the two chefs approach the ingredient stand, but they're quickly up and back down with two chickens apiece.
Hattori comments the winner will be the chef with the more unique dishes, as this is an everyday ingredient.
"Oh no," Kitajima groans. "This is not my favorite part of the show," she says as Ishinabe cleans out one of his chickens. Borie, on the other side, is already breaking his down, beginning with the breast meat.
Ishinabe's using the whole chicken, and slicing up some black truffles (which are oozing juice as he slices them). He tucks those under the skin of the chicken, and as the camera cuts to the other side, we see Borie's assistant is also cutting up truffles...except in much smaller pieces! So much for the budget...
Ishinabe is tying up the chicken that has the truffles tucked under the skin, while Borie is coating chicken breasts with egg. And at this point, we get the first interjection from Ohta--"Fukui-san!"--who says Borie plans on only 2 dishes.
Ishinabe has the pressure cooker open and has stuck bacon and bouillon inside, from the looks of it (15 minutes gone already?!), while Borie is coating the chicken with the truffle bits from earlier. Hattori's calling for a sauté job here.
Hattori speculates Ishinabe's pressure cooker is for...well, we won't know, because the commentators are distracted by Borie drinking what they think is wine in the middle of the battle. Hattori wants whatever it is he's drinking.
"[Borie]'ll be in a festive mood," Fukui jokes as Borie breaks down some carrots.
Ohta reports it's just water...and Ishinabe is being secretive. Hmm...
The whole chicken went into the pressure cooker, which he just opened and is dousing with water. It appears to be boiling as we pass the halfway point...
...back to the other side, Borie's cracking eggs again (which he combines with eggs and truffle juice), and Ishinabe's beginning to break down another chicken, beginning another dish. He's got stuff in the blender, which appears to be even more truffles! Even Ohta has no idea, as Ishinabe is being rather evasive...again...
"He's usually quite candid about what he's doing," Fukui remarks. "Guess he wants to keep his cards close to his vest."
20 minutes left as we see Borie preparing something similar to chawan-mushi, as he gets ready to steam something. That's headed for the oven, as Hattori takes a dig at Fukui's lack of cooking knowledge...and Borie looks to be in trouble.
Ishinabe, meanwhile, has a sauce in the works, while Borie throws the truffled chicken breasts (truffle-side down) in the pan as the 15-minute call is announced. The announcers are drooling as Borie flips them over and see that no truffle piece has fallen off the meat.
Yuzu citrus fruit and wasabi are out on Ishinabe's side (as Ohta observes, instead of Ishinabe telling him), probably for making a sauce. A French chef appealing to the Japanese palate, they comment...well, it IS a Japanese show, after all...
10 minutes left, and Ishinabe looks to be mixing and plating a salad as the pace (finally) picks up...Hattori terms it a "plachir" salad. Borie dunks some truffles into what the announcers were calling the chawan-mushi (though where's the chicken?), and Ishinabe's whole chicken comes off the heat with 5 minutes to go.
Borie has a "bed for the bird," as Fukui says, and he sticks the truffled chicken breast on top of the bed of vegetables. Ishinabe's dressing his whole chicken with vegetables and what looks to be more truffles on the garnishes...1 minute left...Borie is pouring a sauce onto his truffled chicken, while Ishinabe puts the finishing touches on his chicken as the clock runs out...
"And that's it...or at least it should be!" Fukui announces--the men are still working even after time is called! Put it down, walk away, Battle Chicken is history.
Borie's dishes:
--Fresh Truffle Royale--which can't be scored because there's no chicken in it.
--Chicken Breast Étuvé, Truffle Flavor with Vegetables
Ishinabe's dishes:
--Chicken Salad
--Chicken Demi-deuil (the whole chicken with truffle slices tucked under the skin)
We still have 16 minutes to go in the show. Surely the tasting won't go for THAT long...right?
On the panel today for the Chicken Battle:
--Novelist Yasuo Tanaka
--Actress Mai Kitajima
--Culinary Historian Masaaki Hirano
First up, Borie's chawan-mushi (or royale, as he calls it). Remember, judges, you can't judge this one, because there's no chicken in this one...
But they're speaking volumes of it! Hirano's taking the most time out of all of them, and when he finally shuts up, they taste Borie's chicken...which Tanaka terms "a mysterious French lady who chooses not to reveal herself even though you've seen her many times. It has that kind of depth." Oooooookay...
"Even though the chicken comes from France, chicken is chicken, right?" Tanaka responds to Kaga's prompt. Can you tell they're trying to fill time yet? And there's still 12 minutes to go in the show!
"I saw the history of France in both of his dishes," Hirano begins waxing poetic again. "I'm sorry I'm repeating myself so many times..." he adds. The camera cuts to Kitajima while he's speaking, and she's got this look on this face that just screams, "We get the point already, now shut up, old man." (I agree.) And Tanaka's going on a long discourse on how food is serious literature. There he goes about The Soup That Doesn't Count again...
Finally, Ishinabe's up.
"I wanted to set the scene by appealing to the natural flavor of the chicken in a way that would make it easier for Japanese people to understand," he said. The salad is up first...
...and again, Tanaka comparing food to ladies! This time it's a Japanese lady, "with silky skin." Whether he was thinking of Kitajima when he said it, we don't know, but whatever...even Ishinabe is giving him strange looks!
"I think I've been fortunate enough to be on the tasting panel every time Ishinabe-san has cooked so far," Hirano says again. Ishinabe is flat-out ignoring him, beginning to serve his second dish while the old man rambles on...I don't blame him, seeing as Hirano wasn't saying much anyway...
They're still talking about the salad? Hey, judges, I hate to break it to you, but I don't think Ishinabe's listening to you AT ALL...he's trying to serve you his second dish! Kitajima's asking him what kind of greens are in this salad (honeywort), and it takes him a full three or four seconds before he finally looks up and answers her.
"This dish serves the purpose of an appetizer," Hirano says again.
...seriously? I am laughing. I am laughing my head off. They've talked just about the salad for a full 5 minutes, and Ishinabe was too busy serving his second dish to listen to them for half of that time. Ay, Kami-sama...
At long last, they get to taste Ishinabe's whole chicken. And Hirano said something about comparing that dish to a wagon, and lack of maturity in flavor, and not the usual depth, and yada yada yada...Ishinabe's got this smirk on his face. I think HE'S as bored with Hirano as I am.
Every single comment so far has been (and maybe it's a result of the dubbing) a useful comment, an awkward pause, then a less-useful comment, then a full discourse that they could've edited out. In Hirano's case, double every awkward pause and full discourse every time he speaks.
Mercifully, this painful tasting portion has concluded, and now it is time to announce the winner--Borie letting it ride on one dish (although the one dish probably isn't the one with chicken in it, from the sound of the judges' comments), while Ishinabe appears to have disappointed the judges for the first time ever...and Kaga seems a little...TOO serious, if that's possible. It's like he's about to sentence the loser to dea--I mean, uh, forbidding him to have pride for at least a few days.
"An all-out passionate battle?" Kaga, we love you to death for your crazy antics...but don't kid yourself.
But nevertheless, who takes it? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Challenger, Jacques Borie!"
...well, at least Ishinabe's all smiles at the end? From the looks of their reactions, you'd think Ishinabe won instead! Anyway...
My take: I'm no culinary expert by any means, and since this is a TV show, I can't exactly judge based on taste, but I think Ishinabe was definitely more unique in his dishes, incorporating a Japanese touch in his French dishes. Borie, on the other hand, stuck mostly to the book--never mind the fact that one of his dishes didn't even HAVE chicken in it. Granted, if this were a truffle battle instead (which it certainly was shaping up to be, at the rate both of them were going), I'd still knock on Borie for being traditional, but at least he'd be able to count both of his dishes.
Still, it's a rare look at the first Iron Chef French, and also a rare look at the early days of a show that not only revolutionized the way we think of food, but also the way chefs and the world of cooking are viewed. It's a shame, though, that the only Ishinabe battle dubbed into English was the one he lost...he retired after this one, though he'd come back to fight two more in 1995 (which, for some reason, Food Network skipped over even though they aired episodes from that season).
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Japan Original Airdate: 12/19/1993
Episode: 10
The Challenger: Jacques Borie, winner of the prestigious MOF (Meilleur Ouvrier de France, or Best Craftsman of France) award. As of the date this episode was aired, there were only 50 chefs in the world who held this award.
The Iron Chef: Yutaka Ishinabe, Iron Chef French I. Iron Chef fans from the Food Network days may not recognize him, as this was the only battle of his (if the 2000th Plate Special is excluded) to be dubbed into English. His tenure as Iron Chef didn't last long: while he DID fight the very first Kitchen Stadium battle EVER, he retired at the end of 1993 after only 5 battles, briefly came back to fight two more in 1995, and then fought in the aforementioned special alongside Iron Chef Sakai in 1998. Despite this, an oft-overlooked fact about Ishinabe: he (or at least his panel portrait) is always seen in the opening sequence when Kaga chomps into the yellow pepper. In case you were wondering why there was a guy in green instead of red up there.
The Battle:
It's a special battle for Christmas, and Kitchen Stadium is decked out in Christmas decorations.
"What a wonderful time of the year it is," Fukui proclaims, full of holiday spirit. Joining him and Dr. Yukio Hattori in the broadcast box, is actress Mai Kitajima.
Even Kaga is full of holiday spirit--perhaps even a little too much, as he marches into Kitchen Stadium and loudly bellows "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"...5 days early. He declares this battle his Christmas present to his viewers.
And with that, Jacques Borie, MOF winner extraordinaire, marches into Kitchen Stadium. Kaga is unsure of whether Borie understands Japanese when he meets him at kitchen level. "Oh, yes," he reassures him.
Relieved, Kaga proceeds to call upon "the pride of the Gourmet Academy...the three Iron Chefs." And he does so...a bit more...forcefully than most of us diehard fans are accustomed to seeing. Maybe he's still trying to feel out the Chairman character? This was only the 10th episode, after all. But nevertheless, the original trio--Ishinabe, Michiba, and Chen--ascend into the ethereal atmosphere of Kitchen Stadium.
Kaga, digging deep into his brain, asks Borie (absurdly incorrectly, according to a friend of mine), "Qui vais choisissez?" I don't speak French, not like I'd know. Though Kaga's accent is...well, interesting.
And without batting an eye, Borie replies, "Je prends Monsieur Ishinabe!"
It'll be an all-French duel with Iron Chef Yutaka Ishinabe, the so-called "Sauce Specialist". So far, he's undefeated in Kitchen Stadium...but with an MOF winner on the other side, can he stay that way?
"When you think of Christmas," Kaga begins, "you think of only one ingredient. An ingredient found in almost all chickens--oh, sorry."
...way to go, Kaga, you gave it away. At least Ishinabe got a laugh out of it.
"Well...I meant in all kitchens," he quickly recovers. "I'd like for you to make Christmas dishes with it."
And with that, Kaga rips off the veil and reveals--surprise!--KITCHEN...no, no, CHICKEN!
Kaga's famed call of "ALLEZ CUISINE!" is a little more...subdued than usual. And so is the pace in which the two chefs approach the ingredient stand, but they're quickly up and back down with two chickens apiece.
Hattori comments the winner will be the chef with the more unique dishes, as this is an everyday ingredient.
"Oh no," Kitajima groans. "This is not my favorite part of the show," she says as Ishinabe cleans out one of his chickens. Borie, on the other side, is already breaking his down, beginning with the breast meat.
Ishinabe's using the whole chicken, and slicing up some black truffles (which are oozing juice as he slices them). He tucks those under the skin of the chicken, and as the camera cuts to the other side, we see Borie's assistant is also cutting up truffles...except in much smaller pieces! So much for the budget...
Ishinabe is tying up the chicken that has the truffles tucked under the skin, while Borie is coating chicken breasts with egg. And at this point, we get the first interjection from Ohta--"Fukui-san!"--who says Borie plans on only 2 dishes.
Ishinabe has the pressure cooker open and has stuck bacon and bouillon inside, from the looks of it (15 minutes gone already?!), while Borie is coating the chicken with the truffle bits from earlier. Hattori's calling for a sauté job here.
Hattori speculates Ishinabe's pressure cooker is for...well, we won't know, because the commentators are distracted by Borie drinking what they think is wine in the middle of the battle. Hattori wants whatever it is he's drinking.
"[Borie]'ll be in a festive mood," Fukui jokes as Borie breaks down some carrots.
Ohta reports it's just water...and Ishinabe is being secretive. Hmm...
The whole chicken went into the pressure cooker, which he just opened and is dousing with water. It appears to be boiling as we pass the halfway point...
...back to the other side, Borie's cracking eggs again (which he combines with eggs and truffle juice), and Ishinabe's beginning to break down another chicken, beginning another dish. He's got stuff in the blender, which appears to be even more truffles! Even Ohta has no idea, as Ishinabe is being rather evasive...again...
"He's usually quite candid about what he's doing," Fukui remarks. "Guess he wants to keep his cards close to his vest."
20 minutes left as we see Borie preparing something similar to chawan-mushi, as he gets ready to steam something. That's headed for the oven, as Hattori takes a dig at Fukui's lack of cooking knowledge...and Borie looks to be in trouble.
Ishinabe, meanwhile, has a sauce in the works, while Borie throws the truffled chicken breasts (truffle-side down) in the pan as the 15-minute call is announced. The announcers are drooling as Borie flips them over and see that no truffle piece has fallen off the meat.
Yuzu citrus fruit and wasabi are out on Ishinabe's side (as Ohta observes, instead of Ishinabe telling him), probably for making a sauce. A French chef appealing to the Japanese palate, they comment...well, it IS a Japanese show, after all...
10 minutes left, and Ishinabe looks to be mixing and plating a salad as the pace (finally) picks up...Hattori terms it a "plachir" salad. Borie dunks some truffles into what the announcers were calling the chawan-mushi (though where's the chicken?), and Ishinabe's whole chicken comes off the heat with 5 minutes to go.
Borie has a "bed for the bird," as Fukui says, and he sticks the truffled chicken breast on top of the bed of vegetables. Ishinabe's dressing his whole chicken with vegetables and what looks to be more truffles on the garnishes...1 minute left...Borie is pouring a sauce onto his truffled chicken, while Ishinabe puts the finishing touches on his chicken as the clock runs out...
"And that's it...or at least it should be!" Fukui announces--the men are still working even after time is called! Put it down, walk away, Battle Chicken is history.
Borie's dishes:
--Fresh Truffle Royale--which can't be scored because there's no chicken in it.
--Chicken Breast Étuvé, Truffle Flavor with Vegetables
Ishinabe's dishes:
--Chicken Salad
--Chicken Demi-deuil (the whole chicken with truffle slices tucked under the skin)
We still have 16 minutes to go in the show. Surely the tasting won't go for THAT long...right?
On the panel today for the Chicken Battle:
--Novelist Yasuo Tanaka
--Actress Mai Kitajima
--Culinary Historian Masaaki Hirano
First up, Borie's chawan-mushi (or royale, as he calls it). Remember, judges, you can't judge this one, because there's no chicken in this one...
But they're speaking volumes of it! Hirano's taking the most time out of all of them, and when he finally shuts up, they taste Borie's chicken...which Tanaka terms "a mysterious French lady who chooses not to reveal herself even though you've seen her many times. It has that kind of depth." Oooooookay...
"Even though the chicken comes from France, chicken is chicken, right?" Tanaka responds to Kaga's prompt. Can you tell they're trying to fill time yet? And there's still 12 minutes to go in the show!
"I saw the history of France in both of his dishes," Hirano begins waxing poetic again. "I'm sorry I'm repeating myself so many times..." he adds. The camera cuts to Kitajima while he's speaking, and she's got this look on this face that just screams, "We get the point already, now shut up, old man." (I agree.) And Tanaka's going on a long discourse on how food is serious literature. There he goes about The Soup That Doesn't Count again...
Finally, Ishinabe's up.
"I wanted to set the scene by appealing to the natural flavor of the chicken in a way that would make it easier for Japanese people to understand," he said. The salad is up first...
...and again, Tanaka comparing food to ladies! This time it's a Japanese lady, "with silky skin." Whether he was thinking of Kitajima when he said it, we don't know, but whatever...even Ishinabe is giving him strange looks!
"I think I've been fortunate enough to be on the tasting panel every time Ishinabe-san has cooked so far," Hirano says again. Ishinabe is flat-out ignoring him, beginning to serve his second dish while the old man rambles on...I don't blame him, seeing as Hirano wasn't saying much anyway...
They're still talking about the salad? Hey, judges, I hate to break it to you, but I don't think Ishinabe's listening to you AT ALL...he's trying to serve you his second dish! Kitajima's asking him what kind of greens are in this salad (honeywort), and it takes him a full three or four seconds before he finally looks up and answers her.
"This dish serves the purpose of an appetizer," Hirano says again.
...seriously? I am laughing. I am laughing my head off. They've talked just about the salad for a full 5 minutes, and Ishinabe was too busy serving his second dish to listen to them for half of that time. Ay, Kami-sama...
At long last, they get to taste Ishinabe's whole chicken. And Hirano said something about comparing that dish to a wagon, and lack of maturity in flavor, and not the usual depth, and yada yada yada...Ishinabe's got this smirk on his face. I think HE'S as bored with Hirano as I am.
Every single comment so far has been (and maybe it's a result of the dubbing) a useful comment, an awkward pause, then a less-useful comment, then a full discourse that they could've edited out. In Hirano's case, double every awkward pause and full discourse every time he speaks.
Mercifully, this painful tasting portion has concluded, and now it is time to announce the winner--Borie letting it ride on one dish (although the one dish probably isn't the one with chicken in it, from the sound of the judges' comments), while Ishinabe appears to have disappointed the judges for the first time ever...and Kaga seems a little...TOO serious, if that's possible. It's like he's about to sentence the loser to dea--I mean, uh, forbidding him to have pride for at least a few days.
"An all-out passionate battle?" Kaga, we love you to death for your crazy antics...but don't kid yourself.
But nevertheless, who takes it? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Challenger, Jacques Borie!"
...well, at least Ishinabe's all smiles at the end? From the looks of their reactions, you'd think Ishinabe won instead! Anyway...
My take: I'm no culinary expert by any means, and since this is a TV show, I can't exactly judge based on taste, but I think Ishinabe was definitely more unique in his dishes, incorporating a Japanese touch in his French dishes. Borie, on the other hand, stuck mostly to the book--never mind the fact that one of his dishes didn't even HAVE chicken in it. Granted, if this were a truffle battle instead (which it certainly was shaping up to be, at the rate both of them were going), I'd still knock on Borie for being traditional, but at least he'd be able to count both of his dishes.
Still, it's a rare look at the first Iron Chef French, and also a rare look at the early days of a show that not only revolutionized the way we think of food, but also the way chefs and the world of cooking are viewed. It's a shame, though, that the only Ishinabe battle dubbed into English was the one he lost...he retired after this one, though he'd come back to fight two more in 1995 (which, for some reason, Food Network skipped over even though they aired episodes from that season).
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Coming soon: The Iron Chef Timeline
My newest idea for a project (after having no posts in May at all):
Watch every English-dubbed (or subbed) episode of the original Iron Chef, in the order they originally aired in Japan, and review them all.
The Iron Chef Timeline. Right here on A Double V and Two Noughts.
Watch every English-dubbed (or subbed) episode of the original Iron Chef, in the order they originally aired in Japan, and review them all.
The Iron Chef Timeline. Right here on A Double V and Two Noughts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)