BATTLE DATA FILE
Japan Original Airdate: 6/3/94
Episode: 31
The challenger: Kuniyuki Ishikawa, certified Maestro of the Japanese Cuisine Seminar Group, an organization with over 20,000 members. Established in 1930, the group was founded to preserve such intangible treasures as knife skills passed on by legendary chefs. He believes chefs must stay behind the scenes, whereas Michiba rides into the limelight.
The Iron Chef: another certified Maestro and the leader of the organization, Iron Chef Japanese I, Rokusaburo Michiba. Last time he put the kibosh on commentator Yukio Hattori (and did he ever), but can he turn back another one of his colleagues as well?
The Battle:
First-timer, actress Ritsuko Tanaka joins Fukui and Hattori in the broadcast box today.
Kaga has always been interested in the Japanese Cuisine Seminar Group, and says that the challenger, if Kaga had met him first, might've been the Iron Chef Japanese instead of Michiba. Hmm, interesting. Nevertheless, the Maestro marches into Kitchen Stadium, clad in traditional attire.
"If Michiba is the sun, you may be the moon," Kaga says to Ishikawa as he greets him at kitchen level. And after some more flowery language, he summons the Iron Chefs, and as if it's any surprise as to whom Ishikawa will challenge...indeed, Michiba is the marked man today!
"Today's battle is between two men of incredible caliber. I don't want to pull any cheap tricks to spoil the occasion," Kaga begins. "They will fight it out without giving up. Yes, persistence. Ah, could be 'sticky.' Japanese cuisine...sticky...yes, that's it."
And as Kaga leaves the American viewers scratching their heads, he rips the veil off the ingredient stand and reveals--of course! NATTO! And did I see Michiba crack a smile for once?
For those of you wondering...what the heck is natto, anyway? It's basically fermented soybeans, with silky, sticky threads that contain all the flavor and texture. And remember...stir it up 15 times.
Maestro vs. maestro showdown in one hour with natto...and Kaga calls out the famous battle cry, "ALLEZ CUISINE!" Small beans on the left of the stand, and large ones on the right today. Traditionally, it's used on top of rice and flavored with soy sauce.
Michiba, of course, starts out with his menu-writing--"Mini-Full Course Natto Dinner," Hattori says he's writing. And check this out, Ishikawa's doing it as well! Fukui notes that Ishikawa's planning on abalone steamed in sake, as well as Japanese beef with Japanese flavored-soy sauce. And here's another Michiba tradition: the Broth of Vigor!
Ishikawa is rinsing the natto to get rid of the sticky strings. Ohta's first report is that they're both planning on 5 dishes. And as Michiba fillets a flatfish, Ishikawa has a bonito broth of his own on his side! 15 minutes gone already...
Michiba is curing the flatfish with konbu, and word on the floor is that he's planning to use udon noodles! Ishikawa, meanwhile, is steaming sardines.
Michiba's food processor has natto, and his cutting board has lobster! We hear Ohta report on Michiba's comments on Challenger Ishikawa, and how he appears to be mirroring him...and in a rare twist, Michiba actually gets in a dig at him! "He didn't learn everything--I wish he learned how to smile more!"
Tilefish is being broken down on Ishikawa's side, and Michiba takes the natto (to which he's added the Broth of Vigor) for a spin in the food processor. And foie gras on the challenger's side? I'm as confused as Fukui, why is Ishikawa going for foie gras in Japanese cuisine?
Michiba's added kudzu starch to his food processor and taken it for another spin, saying that's to solidify the mixture. Meanwhile, Ishikawa has yuba out on his board, to wrap the tilefish in. The mixture from the food processor has hit some small hotel pans and the steamer, while we hear of trouble on the challenger's side--he gave instructions to one of his assistants to steam some clams, but the assistant steamed the sardines instead, which Ishikawa was going to use for meat fish balls! Uh-oh. He doesn't look happy at all.
And bad news on Michiba's side! He's cut his finger handling the lobsters, and he's bleeding a little...and the thing in the steamer on his side appears to be in limbo, if Fukui's comments are any indication.
In the meantime, Michiba has an omelette in the works. And as the halfway point is announced, he's added natto to that pan. Ishikawa is wrapping the tilefish in kelp in the yuba, and that's where the foie gras ends up! But no natto yet...Hattori speculates there will be a natto-flavored sauce to accompany that.
Omu-rice is on Michiba's side, and he's shaping it in a cup. And Ishikawa's broken out the beef! And Michiba's got uni right on top of the omu-rice...sparing no expense in Kitchen Stadium! A value-enhancer, they're saying...so THAT'S how he takes our money!
And there goes the beef on the challenger's side, on skewers and being cooked over an open flame! Not long after that, it hits the ice water for a very rare inside...he also has a sauce in the works, soy sauce and natto, it appears. The yuba wraps have hit the steamer, while on the other side, Michiba's whisking a mixture of shirotama rice flour and natto. Fukui thinks it'll be a dessert...perhaps in the vein of Chinese sesame seed balls?
20 minutes left, and Ishikawa has seaweed, yams, and ham in a wrap. He'll be deep-frying that, but maybe the oil's not hot enough?
Ishikawa isn't sure he's going to make it as he works with some clams. And there goes the natto right inside the holes he just cut inside of that.
Michiba also has a sesame seed cake in the fryer, and Ishikawa's already plating those stuffed clams!
Yuba also makes an appearance on Michiba's side, and he's wrapping natto inside of that. Speaking of yuba, Ishikawa's yuba is down on the plates, awaiting a potential sauce.
10 minutes left now, and Michiba is finishing up with his flatfish. He'll be wrapping the small yuba wraps from earlier into the fish.
Ishikawa has tataki-style beef on its own, but where's the natto?
Michiba's cutting up the kudzu starch mixture from the top of the battle, while Ishikawa is plating a sauce for the beef (natto soy sauce, Hattori says). And down goes the sauce on the yuba wraps! Michiba's flatfish wraps are plated as-is in small glasses, as are his sesame-coated natto confections.
3 minutes left now, and Michiba's adding more natto to a sauce for the udon noodles. Ishikawa is putting the finishing touches on some of his dishes as the one-minute call is announced, and Michiba's omu-rice has been garnished with lobster.
They're wondering where the sardines went...but Ishikawa had to give up on that one, try as he might. Final seconds ticking down...might be a battle of sauces in this maestro vs. maestro smackdown...
"And THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Natto Battle is OVAH!"
Challenger Ishikawa's 4 dishes:
--Steamed Clams Stuffed with Natto
--Japanese Beef with Natto Soy Sauce
-- Fried Natto in Beefsteak Leaves
--Tilefish and Foie Gras in Yuba with Sweet and Sour Sauce
Iron Chef Michiba's 5 dishes:
--Natto in Kudzu Starch
--Natto Rolled in Flatfish
--Natto Omelette
--Udon Noodles with Natto Miso
--Fried Sesame Seeds and Natto Biscuit
On the panel today for the Natto Battle are:
--Novelist Tamio Kageyama
--Actress Ritsuko Tanaka
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
Ishikawa's up first, as always. He says he thought about the combination of natto with the other ingredients, then tried to use each one to their full potential. (Sound familiar yet?)
Kageyama thinks his first dish is very good for summer, despite thinking it would be overpowering. Hirano thinks it would've been perfect if it were chilled--Ishikawa said he had that in mind, but ran out of time..
The beef gets accolades from all the judges--Hirano describes his approach as delicate.
Of the fried wrap, Kageyama says the yam flavor appears first, then the natto comes out from the background. Hirano likes the texture.
Tanaka likes the aroma of the yuba wrap, but Hirano doesn't like the combination of tilefish and foie gras.
A bit of a sour note for Ishikawa as we move on to Iron Chef Michiba's dishes...
Kageyama's amused by the kudzu noodles' texture. "Fun to eat," he adds.
Of his second dish, Kageyama says, "Natto wins." Without the yuba, it would've been overpowering, he says. But Tanaka thinks there's too much natto...
Once again, Kageyama, ever the chatty one, says the omu-rice is very luxurious with the addition of the uni and lobster. An unusual use of natto...
Hirano comments on the use of foreign cooking techniques in the omu-rice, and says the only purely Japanese technique was the use of the lobster. Whatever that means.
Hirano would've liked to see some citrus juice to add a stimulating element. "Natto and miso is too boring," he said. I tend to agree, as it's two different things made from the same base ingredient...
The dessert gets many "mm"s from the judges, while Hirano goes on about so many different things that I can't even keep track of them all. Dubbing fail?
But as Fukui says, this verdict means more than just a hill of beans. For one Maestro, the verdict will be bitter. It's now time to know...who takes it? Is it the Iron Chef or the young Maestro? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Tetsujin, Michiba Rokusaburo!"
He does it again! No surprise there, but Ishikawa--even in defeat, finally cracks a small smile! Victory for the viewers as well!
My take: Natto is tough. It's got a strong taste, but it's not an easy ingredient to make the centerpiece without overpowering everything else. Having said that, both chefs did an adequate job of controlling the natto flavor. I think it essentially came down to clock mismanagement on Ishikawa's side...but then again, what battle doesn't?
This is, however, an example of some of the hilariously bad dubbing, especially during the tasting segment. I guess now we know why Hirano disappeared from the show later on in the run...he never really said anything useful!
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Episode: 31
The challenger: Kuniyuki Ishikawa, certified Maestro of the Japanese Cuisine Seminar Group, an organization with over 20,000 members. Established in 1930, the group was founded to preserve such intangible treasures as knife skills passed on by legendary chefs. He believes chefs must stay behind the scenes, whereas Michiba rides into the limelight.
The Iron Chef: another certified Maestro and the leader of the organization, Iron Chef Japanese I, Rokusaburo Michiba. Last time he put the kibosh on commentator Yukio Hattori (and did he ever), but can he turn back another one of his colleagues as well?
The Battle:
First-timer, actress Ritsuko Tanaka joins Fukui and Hattori in the broadcast box today.
Kaga has always been interested in the Japanese Cuisine Seminar Group, and says that the challenger, if Kaga had met him first, might've been the Iron Chef Japanese instead of Michiba. Hmm, interesting. Nevertheless, the Maestro marches into Kitchen Stadium, clad in traditional attire.
"If Michiba is the sun, you may be the moon," Kaga says to Ishikawa as he greets him at kitchen level. And after some more flowery language, he summons the Iron Chefs, and as if it's any surprise as to whom Ishikawa will challenge...indeed, Michiba is the marked man today!
"Today's battle is between two men of incredible caliber. I don't want to pull any cheap tricks to spoil the occasion," Kaga begins. "They will fight it out without giving up. Yes, persistence. Ah, could be 'sticky.' Japanese cuisine...sticky...yes, that's it."
And as Kaga leaves the American viewers scratching their heads, he rips the veil off the ingredient stand and reveals--of course! NATTO! And did I see Michiba crack a smile for once?
For those of you wondering...what the heck is natto, anyway? It's basically fermented soybeans, with silky, sticky threads that contain all the flavor and texture. And remember...stir it up 15 times.
Maestro vs. maestro showdown in one hour with natto...and Kaga calls out the famous battle cry, "ALLEZ CUISINE!" Small beans on the left of the stand, and large ones on the right today. Traditionally, it's used on top of rice and flavored with soy sauce.
Michiba, of course, starts out with his menu-writing--"Mini-Full Course Natto Dinner," Hattori says he's writing. And check this out, Ishikawa's doing it as well! Fukui notes that Ishikawa's planning on abalone steamed in sake, as well as Japanese beef with Japanese flavored-soy sauce. And here's another Michiba tradition: the Broth of Vigor!
Ishikawa is rinsing the natto to get rid of the sticky strings. Ohta's first report is that they're both planning on 5 dishes. And as Michiba fillets a flatfish, Ishikawa has a bonito broth of his own on his side! 15 minutes gone already...
Michiba is curing the flatfish with konbu, and word on the floor is that he's planning to use udon noodles! Ishikawa, meanwhile, is steaming sardines.
Michiba's food processor has natto, and his cutting board has lobster! We hear Ohta report on Michiba's comments on Challenger Ishikawa, and how he appears to be mirroring him...and in a rare twist, Michiba actually gets in a dig at him! "He didn't learn everything--I wish he learned how to smile more!"
Tilefish is being broken down on Ishikawa's side, and Michiba takes the natto (to which he's added the Broth of Vigor) for a spin in the food processor. And foie gras on the challenger's side? I'm as confused as Fukui, why is Ishikawa going for foie gras in Japanese cuisine?
Michiba's added kudzu starch to his food processor and taken it for another spin, saying that's to solidify the mixture. Meanwhile, Ishikawa has yuba out on his board, to wrap the tilefish in. The mixture from the food processor has hit some small hotel pans and the steamer, while we hear of trouble on the challenger's side--he gave instructions to one of his assistants to steam some clams, but the assistant steamed the sardines instead, which Ishikawa was going to use for meat fish balls! Uh-oh. He doesn't look happy at all.
And bad news on Michiba's side! He's cut his finger handling the lobsters, and he's bleeding a little...and the thing in the steamer on his side appears to be in limbo, if Fukui's comments are any indication.
In the meantime, Michiba has an omelette in the works. And as the halfway point is announced, he's added natto to that pan. Ishikawa is wrapping the tilefish in kelp in the yuba, and that's where the foie gras ends up! But no natto yet...Hattori speculates there will be a natto-flavored sauce to accompany that.
Omu-rice is on Michiba's side, and he's shaping it in a cup. And Ishikawa's broken out the beef! And Michiba's got uni right on top of the omu-rice...sparing no expense in Kitchen Stadium! A value-enhancer, they're saying...so THAT'S how he takes our money!
And there goes the beef on the challenger's side, on skewers and being cooked over an open flame! Not long after that, it hits the ice water for a very rare inside...he also has a sauce in the works, soy sauce and natto, it appears. The yuba wraps have hit the steamer, while on the other side, Michiba's whisking a mixture of shirotama rice flour and natto. Fukui thinks it'll be a dessert...perhaps in the vein of Chinese sesame seed balls?
20 minutes left, and Ishikawa has seaweed, yams, and ham in a wrap. He'll be deep-frying that, but maybe the oil's not hot enough?
Ishikawa isn't sure he's going to make it as he works with some clams. And there goes the natto right inside the holes he just cut inside of that.
Michiba also has a sesame seed cake in the fryer, and Ishikawa's already plating those stuffed clams!
Yuba also makes an appearance on Michiba's side, and he's wrapping natto inside of that. Speaking of yuba, Ishikawa's yuba is down on the plates, awaiting a potential sauce.
10 minutes left now, and Michiba is finishing up with his flatfish. He'll be wrapping the small yuba wraps from earlier into the fish.
Ishikawa has tataki-style beef on its own, but where's the natto?
Michiba's cutting up the kudzu starch mixture from the top of the battle, while Ishikawa is plating a sauce for the beef (natto soy sauce, Hattori says). And down goes the sauce on the yuba wraps! Michiba's flatfish wraps are plated as-is in small glasses, as are his sesame-coated natto confections.
3 minutes left now, and Michiba's adding more natto to a sauce for the udon noodles. Ishikawa is putting the finishing touches on some of his dishes as the one-minute call is announced, and Michiba's omu-rice has been garnished with lobster.
They're wondering where the sardines went...but Ishikawa had to give up on that one, try as he might. Final seconds ticking down...might be a battle of sauces in this maestro vs. maestro smackdown...
"And THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Natto Battle is OVAH!"
Challenger Ishikawa's 4 dishes:
--Steamed Clams Stuffed with Natto
--Japanese Beef with Natto Soy Sauce
-- Fried Natto in Beefsteak Leaves
--Tilefish and Foie Gras in Yuba with Sweet and Sour Sauce
Iron Chef Michiba's 5 dishes:
--Natto in Kudzu Starch
--Natto Rolled in Flatfish
--Natto Omelette
--Udon Noodles with Natto Miso
--Fried Sesame Seeds and Natto Biscuit
On the panel today for the Natto Battle are:
--Novelist Tamio Kageyama
--Actress Ritsuko Tanaka
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
Ishikawa's up first, as always. He says he thought about the combination of natto with the other ingredients, then tried to use each one to their full potential. (Sound familiar yet?)
Kageyama thinks his first dish is very good for summer, despite thinking it would be overpowering. Hirano thinks it would've been perfect if it were chilled--Ishikawa said he had that in mind, but ran out of time..
The beef gets accolades from all the judges--Hirano describes his approach as delicate.
Of the fried wrap, Kageyama says the yam flavor appears first, then the natto comes out from the background. Hirano likes the texture.
Tanaka likes the aroma of the yuba wrap, but Hirano doesn't like the combination of tilefish and foie gras.
A bit of a sour note for Ishikawa as we move on to Iron Chef Michiba's dishes...
Kageyama's amused by the kudzu noodles' texture. "Fun to eat," he adds.
Of his second dish, Kageyama says, "Natto wins." Without the yuba, it would've been overpowering, he says. But Tanaka thinks there's too much natto...
Once again, Kageyama, ever the chatty one, says the omu-rice is very luxurious with the addition of the uni and lobster. An unusual use of natto...
Hirano comments on the use of foreign cooking techniques in the omu-rice, and says the only purely Japanese technique was the use of the lobster. Whatever that means.
Hirano would've liked to see some citrus juice to add a stimulating element. "Natto and miso is too boring," he said. I tend to agree, as it's two different things made from the same base ingredient...
The dessert gets many "mm"s from the judges, while Hirano goes on about so many different things that I can't even keep track of them all. Dubbing fail?
But as Fukui says, this verdict means more than just a hill of beans. For one Maestro, the verdict will be bitter. It's now time to know...who takes it? Is it the Iron Chef or the young Maestro? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Tetsujin, Michiba Rokusaburo!"
He does it again! No surprise there, but Ishikawa--even in defeat, finally cracks a small smile! Victory for the viewers as well!
My take: Natto is tough. It's got a strong taste, but it's not an easy ingredient to make the centerpiece without overpowering everything else. Having said that, both chefs did an adequate job of controlling the natto flavor. I think it essentially came down to clock mismanagement on Ishikawa's side...but then again, what battle doesn't?
This is, however, an example of some of the hilariously bad dubbing, especially during the tasting segment. I guess now we know why Hirano disappeared from the show later on in the run...he never really said anything useful!
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
