ICT: Battle Tuna: Michiba vs. Mera

BATTLE DATA FILE
Episode: 36
Japan Original Airdate: 7/8/94

The Challenger: Takashi Mera, who wields the longest cooking knife in Japan (twice the size of a regular knife).  He is the head chef of a restaurant which is frequented by many Japanese Prime Ministers.  Kaga says Mera reminds him of a samurai character in a Japanese novel (Sasaki Kojiro, Kaga later says, if that means anything to you).

The Iron Chef: Iron Chef Japanese, Rokusaburo Michiba, who's been specifically called out for this battle because his use of foreign ingredients in Japanese dishes have earned the ire of the challenger.  It's been a while since we saw him last, but he won a convincing victory against Hanato in the Sweetfish Battle.  How will he fare against the man with the longest knife in Japan?

The Battle:

Joining Fukui and Hattori in the broadcasters' box is, once again, actress Mayuko Takata.

And striding confidently into Kitchen Stadium comes Mera, with knife in tow (in its own bag and all!).  Looks a bit like a sword at his side as he brings it in.  He's about to unsheath it, when Kaga stops him and tells him to swing it around after the gong.  But after the formalities are complete, and the dry ice clears, Mera calls out--to the surprise of absolutely no one--Michiba.

"The challengers in my stadium of late all seem to be guessing what the theme is," Kaga begins.  "Today, both chefs might be thinking of a certain ingredient.  Summer.  A certain fish is in season.  The challenger is probably wanting to use his long knife to cut into the bones.  Am I right?"  Kaga cheekily asks.  And then he fakes everyone out by announcing the theme as pike eel (hamo), before ripping off the veil for real and revealing...tuna!

And as Kaga later proclaims, to enjoy tuna, "cook it on your tongue."  (If the fishmongers at Tsukiji Fish Market are to be believed.)

But these chefs won't be cooking tuna on their tongues, they'll be cooking it in all sorts of ways in Kitchen Stadium soon after Kaga's familiar call to battle: "ALLEZ CUISINE!"

And the battle begins with both sides frantically scrambling up to the ingredient stand to get a hold of this tuna that apparently cost over $10,000.  One whole fish in pieces on the stand today, and only one head up for grabs, and Mera...wait, no, Michiba gets it!  Apparently he told one of his assistants to grab it for him.  Cheeky devil, that Michiba.

Hattori says the fish weighs 60-70kg, or about 150 pounds.  Michiba straightaway looks to extract the eye, and both sides wanted the head, according to Ohta...but Michiba got there first.

And Mera is writing a menu a la Michiba, who appears to be a little late with his.  But then, Michiba's busy extracting the eyeballs from the head, so it's understandable.

And here comes Mera's famous long knife, which Hattori comments looks like a sword.  As he's busy filleting his tuna, Michiba has his Broth of Vigor on the stove.  Fukui provides some context with Sasaki Kojiro, who had the longest sword in samurai lore...and Mera shows off a bit by twirling his knife before setting it down.  Impressive.

Michiba is skewering the eyeballs for some grilling treatment, and he finally gets to the task of writing his menu.  Grilled skin is mentioned as he does so, as is a tuna carpaccio.

Mera is mincing tuna and green onions (for negitoro, says Hattori).  Further investigation of Michiba's menu reveals plans for six dishes, one of which will be sushi.

15 minutes gone already, and Mera is skewering eggplants which head over to the oven.  Michiba has the skin of the belly on his side, and he's got some double-barreled chopping action on his side.  He's quick to point out that in the samurai novel they keep referencing, the guy with the longer sword lost.  So...

Chutoro (moderately fatty fish) is being wrapped in yuba on Mera's side, while Michiba is mixing pine nuts and ginger into the tuna he was double-barrel chopping.  And the eyeballs have come off the grill as well!

Mera apparently overheard Michiba talk about the samurai tale, and quickly retorts that we're living in modern times, and that this isn't a fairy tale!  As he says that, he takes rice out of the cooker.  Fukui notes vinegar and light soy sauce as well, but Mera adds sesame seeds to his rice...maybe not for sushi?  But he does have a roller on his side...

Michiba, meanwhile, puts down green onions on top of the tuna/pine nut/ginger mixture, while Mera is indeed rolling a sushi roll with negitoro and ginkgo leaves (or was that shiso?)

Michiba is deep frying a cut of the most expensive part of the tuna (otoro).  Fukui notes as Michiba's slicing it that it looks like a tataki-style treatment.  Mera is also doing some deep-frying as well, deep-frying the sushi rolls in a plum sauce of some kind.  Hmm.

Michiba is making some incisions into some raw tuna, which Takata and Hattori note that it will open up at some point.  His frying pan, which contains tuna cheek meat, mirin, and soy sauce, flares up a bit...

Mera's eggplants are off the grill, and topped with the negitoro.  Uni has joined that mixture.  He's also preparing an uramaki (rice on the outside sushi roll), which joins the eggplants under the salamander oven.  Michiba, meanwhile, is preparing his sushi rice as well.

The sushi roller is still in action on Mera's side, this time with cucumber skins.  Michiba is now forming his sushi, which Hattori says will be wrapped in persimmon leaves.  Mera's wrapped item with the cucumbers contains yuba bean curd and grated daikon, which leaves Takata wondering where the tuna is...which is already inside the yuba skins.

Michiba's sushi goes down on the persimmon leaves with 15 minutes to go in the battle, while Mera is dicing tuna for sashimi.  Michiba drops the tuna (coated with something) with the incisions he made earlier into a pot of hot water.

Mera has some glass boat bowls to plate his cubed tuna sashimi on top of a shiso leaf, and now 10 minutes left in the battle...Michiba plates his tataki which Fukui says looks a bit French.  Iwatake (a type of mushroom) joins Mera's sashimi.

Tuna skins have been plated on Michiba's side, while Mera is working with some kudzu jelly.  That goes on top of the sashimi as the 5-minute mark is announced--Mera is completely under control, according to Ohta.

Michiba's carpaccio is being plated on top of a miso sauce of some kind (Fukui is quick to point out that he thinks he's watching Sakai instead), topped by some caviar.  And Mera is slicing his sushi rolls.

3 minutes left now, and Michiba's scored tuna is in a bowl, to be joined (perhaps) by his Broth of Vigor.  And Mera's sushi is being plated, quite nicely I might add...

1 minute left, and Michiba looks like he has branches in his hand...both sides, putting finishing touches on their dishes as the last few seconds tick down...

"And that's it!  The cooking's done, the Tuna Battle is OVAH!"

Challenger Mera is offering four dishes:
--Tuna Sashimi with Okra Paste
--Tuna and Cucumber Roll with Cured Plum Sauce
--Tuna Braised on Eggplant with Miso
--Tuna Sushi Rolls, Two Flavors

Iron Chef Michiba offers seven(!) dishes:
--Tuna Soup
--Tuna Skin Appetizer
--Tuna Carpaccio
--Grilled Tuna Cheek Meat
--Fried Toro Sashimi
--Tuna Sushi, Michiba Style
--Salt-Grilled Tuna Eyeballs

On the panel today for the Tuna battle are:
--Former Lower House Member Shinichiro Kurimoto
--Actress Mayuko Takata
--Culinary Critic Asako Kishi

Challenger Mera's dishes are up first, as always...who says he made it a point not to overcook any of his dishes.

As his tuna sashimi is served, Kaga notes that the dish is "difficult to eat."  But Kishi says it's all connected.  Kurimoto says it would go well with sake, but Takata notes the okra is too strong.

Kurimoto loves the cucumber rolls, saying you can taste the layering.

The eggplants are universally liked across the board, with Kurimoto saying something along the lines of "I can't believe it's not tuna."  Kishi notes the eggplant is overpowering, however.

And the sushi rolls...Kurimoto says it needed a bit more cured plum.  Whatever that means.

Michiba's now up...

Kurimoto doesn't like how the soup is a bit sour, but Kishi says it's a bit salty. Michiba counters that the salt was necessary to keep the tuna in check, but he acquiesces...for now.

The carpaccio gets "mms" across the board...Kurimoto is lost for words, saying there's no Japanese (or French) words to describe it.

Kishi likes the cheek meat, and Kurimoto is (again) rendered speechless by it.

Kishi thinks the seaweed on Michiba's sushi is unneccessary, but Takata likes the whole package.

And as Michiba serves the eyeballs, he sneaks a bite for himself!  And for good reason--everyone likes them.  Kurimoto says he could really go for some sake, and after all this...so could I!

But now, it's time to know...whose cuisine reigns supreme?  Kaga notes that, "performance wise, the challenger wins.  But what about taste?"  Will it be the Iron Chef or the samurai chef?

"Tetsujin, Michiba Rokusaburo!"  (To the surprise of nobody.)  One has to wonder if getting the head first was a factor, but even if it weren't in play on either side, Michiba made a pretty convincing showing.

My thoughts: There's not a whole lot else to say.  When you look at Michiba's dishes against Mera's, there's no comparison.  Michiba blew him out of the water, and it's not because he outnumbered him by number of dishes, either.

Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.