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.