Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle

A legend observes a doctor operate. It must be truffle season.

Dr. Yukio Hattori vs Iron Chef Rokusaburo Michiba
Iron Chef 1994 Episode 16 - Overall episode #026 - April 29th, 1994

The Chairman is reminded that it has been only seven months since Kitchen Stadium's ribbon-cutting ceremony. Good times. So many apprentices being cut to ribbons...

Suddenly, Lord Worm-nom-nom, the Karura Oni god of set decoration, informs the Chairman of a traitor in his Chairdom. Who would dare demonstrate such impertinence?

Dr. Yukio Hattori, that snake! That lovable huggable snake in a tunic!

Our stalwart analyst has big ideas. There are only three iron Chefs. To become "the Four Divas" another must be added. Namely, himself.
The Four Divas are the Four Heavenly Kings in Buddhism (North, South, East, and West), and not Blackpink, though I am open to either pantheon.

The Chairman agrees to this wager. If Dr. Hattori wins, he will become the fourth Iron Chef.
If he loses…

Meet the Challenger:

Dr. Yukio Hattori

We are already quite familiar with Dr. Hattori, the humble and knowledgeable commentator, who seemingly has an anecdote for every obscure technique and ingredient. That is but a side-dish in the Doc's life.

At age 4, Baby Doc was peeling apples. At age 6, he was filleting fish. At age 9, he was picking and cooking crabs.

At 19 he entered the private Rikkyo (Saint Paul's) University in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, the largest Anglican university in Japan.

Dr. Hattori leveraged this opportunity to study abroad, visiting over 30 countries to learn their respective styles of cooking, while building a legion of Hattorites drawn to his rizz-suprême.

Dr. Hattori became the fifth president of the Hattori Nutritional College in Yoyogi, Shibuya (Tokyo) at the age of 31. It wasn't nepotism, it was destiny.

Students at HNC (of which there are 1,200) provide the sous chefs for these Kitchen Stadium battles. A one year course at Hattori Nutritional College: $15,000. The opportunity to say "Right you are, Doc" to Dr. Yukio Hattori: Priceless.

Additionally, Doc is the heir to "Hattori-style" cooking, a 500-year lineage with samurai origins. In 1561 the Hattoris established the protocols for dining in a samurai family (i.e.. pouring soy sauce directly on rice equals unceremonious and immediate death).

Sadly, Dr. Yukio Hattori passed away recently on October 4th, 2024, at the age of 78. I'll always remember him as the genial and gracious Iron Chef commentator who dropped PhD knowledge without ever sounding pretentious. Now, understanding his whole body of work and influence, the loss feels even greater.
Much love and condolences to the fellow Hattorites.

Challenger Dr. Hattori’s Sizzle Reel:

An exquisite clam soup as seen by someone with a concerning amount of eye floaters. If you would like to use this go-to Iron Chef sizzle-reel filter, it is called "Detached Retina" in Corel Draw 5 for Windows 3.1.

Students taking Advanced Applied Hattori 405 will create this spread of grilled whole tai snapper (sea bream) with a dozen delicate traditional side dishes over the course of two semesters. The fridge smells dreadful after Winter break.

What judge could possibly be qualified to critique the King of the Booth?

The greatest chef alive at the time, and quite possibly the greatest chef period, happened to be in town to add to his collection of Michelin Stars. 32 Michelin Stars, which is more than the number of Boston Market locations remaining, thus ending the mashed potato wars in a rout.

Pre-Game Quotes

*"Cooking reveals the entire personality of the chef in his dishes."*
Sous-vide stewards are supercilious. You *will* be doing the dishes, no matter in whose home dinner occurred.
Instant-Pot plebians are pugnacious. They *will* fight you over their decidedly-mid arroz con pollo.
Air-Fry folk are Faustian; sacrificing sacred counter-space for a combination hair-dryer x toaster-oven. They *will* steal your car.

"Iron Chefs, you're going down!"
I love the Doc. The most aggression he can muster is the same tone used to warn a cat off the dinner table.

Showdown

Before introducing Dr. Hattori, the Chairman takes a moment to establish that his works are immortal. The Academy will endure. When humanity needs us most in the Dark Forest, it will be the Academy that will provide us salvation.

The Chairman unveils Joel Robuchon in the same manner he does pufferfish. Chef Robuchon and Chef Jacque Borie rappel down from the triforium into the chancel, presumably to Dan Brown their way to the truffle-filled Holy Grail.

An apple a day, makes the Doctor enraged. Don't make an appointment unless you want your reflexes tested.

The Chairman asks Doctor Hattori about his prop apple. Doctor Hattori says he would like a panel to be made of him holding the apple like the other Iron Chefs, which are as follows:
Chen Kenichi - Tou (Chinese cleaver)
Yutaka Ishinabe - Apple
Hiroyuki Sakai - Pear
Rokusaburo Michiba - No prop. Hands tucked in obi (belt).
Mario Batali - A Yeti Rambler filled with negronis.

Iron Chef Ishinabe: I... I was the apple. Hey, is thing even plugged in?

With the ritual complete and the spirits satisfied, Doctor Hattori is allowed to select his opponent, and does so with aplomb. He challenges the esteemed Iron Chef Japanese Rokusaburo Michiba. Iron Chef Michiba also happens to be likeliest Iron Chef to retire next. Doc's selection combines statement and strategy.

Meanwhile, Iron Chef Michiba is confused why microphone jerk is now kitchen jerk, but attributes it to not being good with faces since the Pandemic (of 1346 CE).

Title Card

Challenger Dr. Yukio Hattori vs Iron Chef Japanese Rokusaburo Michiba!

The Chairman’s Fit:

Speaking of the Chairman's fit, I'm glad you asked

Today the Chairman is just an ordinary eschatologist from the misty forests of Wallachia. Where, specifically, is not of importance. Just know he has a mountaintop laboratory accessed by climbing 1,480 stairs, with a view "to die for!" he often jokes to his control groups.

The Reveal:

The Chairman hits us with the truffles like a dual-wielding rogue after our sweet-rolls. We know Joel Robuchon is pleased. These are Périgord truffles, not quite the Italian White Truffle in terms of luxury, but more Robuchon-appropriate.

Dr. Hattori is confident. He's grated truffles with a micro-plane on three different continents. Iron Chef Michiba, on the other hand, hasn't touched a truffle since Pangea was the it continent.

The Chairman’s Wisdom

"Use the aroma."

Like Joe Rogan, Périgord truffles are here for Musk, not looks.

The truffle montage contains (L-R, top-to-bottom):
1. A truffle pig (Julius), in the European countryside following his nose to truffles like Parisians foraging for chicken tenders at the Flunch trough.
2. A certified basket of Périgord truffles aka French black truffles aka the ones with CBDs in it. These are the truffles your truffle guy has to call his truffle guy to procure.
3. A scoop of truffle-silt into a soft boiled egg in an egg cup. Just like Grandma used to make for brunch, until the Walton family's Executive Housekeeping Supervisor fired her for wearing a non-approved apron.
4. Beef Tenderloin Rossini. We learned last battle that a "Rossini" is a dish combining foie gras, truffles, and demiglace. Gioachino Rossini was not a small man.
5. Truffle Ice Cream. This is intriguing. I hope Dr. Hattori attempts a truffle ice cream. No offense to Iron Chef Michiba, but his predilection to punctuate dishes with caviar would not make this better.
6. Sliced truffles. Did you know truffle flies' *(Suillia tuberiperda)* larvae develop in truffles? Find the flies, find the truffles. De rien.
Profound.

Allez! Cuisine!

Anytime Iron Chef Michiba is the first one out of the gate, it is going to be a time-management struggle for the challenger.

In the Booth

The Battle

Dr. Hattori unboxes a razor-sharp ceramic knife to slice the truffles. This is purely performative. He's demonstrating that he can bypass the Chairman's metal detectors. Dr. Hattori also 3D-printed a Ghostbusters' Proton Pack in case things get really out of hand.

Dr. Hattori uses his baked-dirt knife to slice some dirt-fungus coins. The Doctor spent an extremely lucrative and isolated winter in **[redacted]** weaponizing botulism. Nobody ever asks what field his PhD was in.

The Diary of Iron Chef Michiba
April 29th, 1994: In great relief, I discovered the unrelenting odor was not emanating from my person, but from these Yak-potatoes *and* my person; working in-tandem, accentuating each other's peculiarities. Sulfur dappled with spice, methane underscoring even more methane. A symphony for the nostrils. I've never smelt more alive!

The former Iron Chef French Ishinabe reminds us that terrines are his preferred way to utilize truffles. Truffle Terrines can rank as low as a 7.5 on the Stodginess Index (STODEX), meaning they can be eaten in the presence of one's Cofferer, but never one's Groom of the Stool; let the Seneschals catch wind. The indignity would be mortifying.
Also, Dr. Hattori is lost. He works here.

Ishinabe: First, you gotta think about how much all those truffles would cost together. Those truffles up there would cost between five and six thousand U.S. dollars.
Fukui: Unbelievable!
Ishinabe: The price is still going up.
Ishinabe: Even in France, only the bourgeoisie eat this at home.
Adjusted for inflation, that is over 4,000 Dogecoins.

Dr. Hattori has a mixing bowl of egg yolks, a carton of cream, and the scrapings of vanilla beans. He's actually going to do it. Truffle Ice Cream. The mad man!

A knife-wielding Dr. Hattori says "Hi" to the haters.

Iron Chef Michiba busts it down, flips it, and reverses it.

Fukui: Does lobster go well with truffles?
Iron Chef Ishinabe:

Player 3 has entered the game! Appalled that neither chef has burned their fingerprints off making his signature pommes puree, the heliocentric Joel Robuchon mustn't merely preside over this battle, he must exert his gravitational pull on the entire system.

Joel Robuchon: Chef japonaise bleu... shogun de la truffe?
Jacque Borie: Oui, le shogun de la truffe.
Iron Chef Michiba: C'est raciste.

The discrete Iron Chef Ishinabe casually mentions that Joel Robuchon served truffles in every single dish at a recent formal party in Japan. I must know everything about Joel Robuchon's 1994 Japonisme phase.
Did Robuchon emerge from behind a silk-brocade byōbu (Japanese folding-screen) wearing a kimono to serve course-after-course of French truffles? Only Iron Chef Ishinabe knows for sure, and he isn't telling.

Dr. Hattori is working on a périgueux sauce which, as its name implies, is from the same Périgord region of France as the truffles being showcased today. It consists of demi-glace, madeira, and chopped truffles. Sauce Périgueux is a classic accompaniment to eggs, filet mignon, lamb, and gout.

Iron Chef Michiba has a bucket of broccoli, lobster, and truffles. It's like the Iron Chef knew that in 30 years, truffle oil would depose powdered parmesan to take the broccoli-crown of gourmet-facsimile ingredients.

Dr. Hattori has a pie sheet and an American football shaped scalloped-mold ready to make a black truffle pie, which when cut into will release the stench of Wilt Chamberlain's gym bag.

"[Wilt Chamberlain] wasn’t fond of showers and hauled around a notoriously smelly gym bag stuffed with half-eaten sandwiches, uncashed checks from the Lakers, and fermenting undies. Wilt usually just peeled of his sweat-soaked garments, tossed them in the bag, then pulled them out and broke them of their stiffness for the next contest. If you wore your uniforms dirty, then you had to tape your nipples to avoid chafing. Wilt was a noted nipple taper." (Jerry West: The Life and Legend of a Basketball Icon. Roland Lazenby. 2010).
Black Truffle Pie.

Iron Chef Michiba, no stranger to the stranger seafood, intends to utilize shirako, or "soft" roe. A creamy-textured ingredient harvested from male fish. This is torafugu shirako, the most expensive shirako ($90/lbs), as it comes from the ordinarily poisonous pufferfish.
Today, farmed-puffers are not poisonous. Let's celebrate the entrepreneur who took that undoubtedly inebriated idea (start a poisonous blowfish farm and wean them off poison), and put in the effort to develop it into an industry.

Doc Hattori has a truffle broth with gelatin heading into the fridge to set. The wide-shallow eigth sheet-pan will allow the truffle-jello to set quicker because Science. Surface area is surely involved. Also qi, for sure. After that, who really knows?
Sir Francis Bacon died in 1626 from pneumonia he contracted while attempting to use snow to preserve a chicken. The Elizabethan scientist's posthumous reaction to refrigerators, and the use of them to make trufflle-jello in an hour, fascinates me. As it should you.

Sideline Reporter Shinichiro Ohta reports that the cardio-heavy Challenger Hattori has scaled-back from "five or six" dishes to "maybe three if I'm very lucky." An all too familiar reality encountered by first-time challengers. Those three dishes are pie, jello, and ice cream, like he's trying to reach a dinnertime peace-accord with a four year old.

What's that mixture in the blender and all over the Iron Chef? You would be right to guess milk, yogurt, prawns, shirako (blowfish soft-roe), and cream. Not much is known about the deep-sea Goblin Sharks of Tokyo Bay, except for the fact that this is extremely their jam.

The Doc has celery root (celeriac) being prepared for an inevitable puree. In scientific terms, celery root can be described as a "dense mofo." Dense mofos take longer to cook than less-compressed mofos. Don't decide to cook a dense mofo when already running behind on time.

Iron Chef Michiba's lobster and broccoli emerge looking triumphant. If you imagine swishing an upside-down floret of broccoli in that lobster broth, you'll understand why the Iron Chef has all the momentum. This is not so much a turning-point, as it is a confirmation.
Iron Chefs are pretty good. Don't challenge them.

Dr. Hattori's truffle-broth gelatin has set and has been rough chopped. Along side it, you guessed it, more shirako! Pardon me, I thought tiger pufferfish genetic material was a niche ingredient. Here we are with both chefs using it as sea mayonnaise.

The Iron Chef works on a gyoza with prawns, okra, and black truffles to be deep fried later. That is going to be a certifiable Michiba banger (CMB-YMB for life).
I think part of his secret and mystique is that Iron Chef Michiba has never eaten at a restaurant before. It would be beneath him to do so. Thus food. All food, and combinations thereof, are novel to him.
Shrimp, okra, and truffles? Sure! Blowfish soft-roe, shrimp, and yogurt? Yup! Y'all remember the natto, raw egg, and raw tuna in a hollowed out citrus?
Wild stuff. Never change, big Meech.

The Doc is sautéing some foie gras because this is a truffle battle. Joel Robuchon was dangerously close to hurling deep-fried eggs and flipping a table.

Hi friends. Apart from his labor-intensive mashed potatoes, Joel Robuchon is also known for a dish called "L'œuf de poule mollet et friand." I do not know how to pronounce it and I've never eaten it, and chances are neither have you. But we can *imagine* it.
It is a sous-vide soft-boiled egg, battered, deep fried, and topped with caviar. Let's take a moment to let that marinate.
Yum. That was satiating.
(photo credit: Bu Pun Su / Flickr)

In a microcosm of his day, Dr. Hattori drops a valuable nugget of foie gras between the range's grates while a pot of milk boils over to his left.

It doesn't appear the Doc is going to be able to finish his dishes today, much less cement himself as the new Iron Chef of *all* cuisine.

Truffles and foie only show up to these things on the off-chance that uni stops by. Oh hey uni, fancy seeing you here. Did you get my mixtape? Way less plosives, but way more sibilance. It's kinda my *ssssound*.

Dr. Hattori's architectural pie features foie gras, truffles, and truffle-broth gelatin that will melt into the pie a la a xiaolongbao soup dumpling. That is incredible. It has dominated his cooking time, but to serve this to Joel Robuchon is special.

Ohta: Oh great lord Robuchon, the Provider, the Sustainer. What are your responsibilities as God of French Cuisine?
Robuchon: Smiting heretics espousing nouvelle cuisine while also smiting heretics espousing food trucks.
Robuchon: It's about duality, you see.
Robuchon: Smiting heretics who don't poach turbot in a turbot kettle, yet also smiting heretics who have a bone marrow spoon....

Iron Chef Michiba has a yuba bean-curd duffel bag topped with truffles and daikon radish rounds. What's in the duffel bag? A Sony PlayStation 1, a CD-R of Metal Gear Solid, one liter of PepsiMax (room temp), and a toothbrush. Mom, don't pick me up until noon.

Sideline reporter Ohta is reporting that Dr. Hattori has some sake ready. Not a moment too soon. It's unclear whether it is for the dishes or for himself.

The Iron Chef is infusing simmering port wine with sliced truffles. You know what? It's going to be amazing. He did it again.

The Doc is indeed having his sous chef (and pupil) make a celery root puree. It is one of only four things you can do with celery root (mash, puree, roast, and soup). Hey celery-root fries, stop catfishing.

Dr. Hattori adds truffles to his warm sake for an interesting infusion. Remember that the Iron Chef is doing the same with port wine. Both chefs have also employed pufferfish organs. As for additional luxury ingredients, Dr. Hattori elected foie gras and Iron Chef Michiba chose uni. Joel Robuchon is getting a sensational show.

Iron Chef Michiba keeps the hits coming with a kayu (congee). Abalone kayu is the top-shelf version of a humble dish, being made more extravagant by the addition of truffles. This kayu also had eggs beaten into it, which was not something I knew I could do, but now will never stop doing.

With 20 minutes remaining, and no dishes nearing completion, Dr. Hattori is having a breakdown.

Dr. Hattori, in a state of lunacy, has truffles and raw pufferfish soft roe in a glass into which he will pour truffle-infused hot sake. He will make two human beings and two deities consume this.

And such will end Dr. Hattori's insurrection. The beatings will continue until morale improves.

Meanwhile, Iron Chef Michiba shows Doc how its done. He folds the shirako into a yogurt-cream sauce under a base of cooked lobster and abalone. The Iron Chef's shirako-tzatziki is in direct opposition to Doc's "drink this fish milt" approach.

The Doc exclaims "it's not thickening!" while vigorously stirring his celery root puree. This already time consuming dish is going to need additional work (and additional starch). There is less than 15 minutes remaining. Enough time to thicken this, yes. However, at the opportunity cost of finishing literally everything else. It's going to be a tough semester for his two sous chefs.

Back in Michiba Land, the sun is shining. The grass is greener, the water more blue, the dishes more cooked. People are smiling. The air is saturated with that strong 5G wave and the smell of gyoza.

In the heart of the Hattori Doya-gai, the sun peeks through the gap formed by the Firehouse Subs and the Firehouse Subs' dumpster for the first time in an otherwise dreary hour. The beam focus on this adorable little pie guy. The air, normally accosting with the sting of 100 broken bottles of oxidizing novelty hot sauces, instead smells like the promise of wealth and renewal. It is the dawning of a new day. One filled with hope and change, but not without the usual threat of raccoons on the sauce.

Chefs Robuchon and Borie are locked-in to the battle, but their translator is asking the deeper questions. Like why is the set decorated like a Minoan fishing village?

Requisite AI image of "Two French chefs and their Japanese translator in a cooking arena. The vibe is Victorian, gothic, but also vampiric. There are statues of Japanese deities and a glowing bowl of truffles. One chef is wearing a Washington Wizards hoodie."
Pretty much nailed it.

Dr. Hattori's truffle ice cream gets unceremoniously un-plated, as it was too much ice and not enough cream.

The Judges’ Table(s):

Legendary Chef Joel Robuchon (3 battles)
Judge Robuchon can smell truffles from a mile away, and hear truffles from even further with his patented RobuSONAR-3000, a device that shouts a heavily accented “No!” or “Oui!” every second depending on the presence of truffles. They are banned in most public spaces.

Actress Mai Kitajima (9 battles)
Judge Kitajima Judge Kitajima got into a controversy when her "Keep tubers Magnatum" campaign was co-opted and subverted by ultra-Nationalists.

Rosanjin scholar Masaaki Hirano (42 battles)
Over the past hour, Judge Hirano has swallowed a kilo of black truffles enveloped in individual latex finger cots. He is in a hurry to leave.

Dishes

Challenger Dr. Hattori completes four dishes:

Challenger Dr. Hattori’s first dish:
Truffle-flavored Sake

I'll order the truffle-flavored sake. That sounds interesting and expensive, which suits my lifestyle of conspicuous consumption. What's that mayonnaise adhering to the bottom of the glass? Is that... pufferfish reproductive organs? And I'm supposed to muddle it? Wow. I'm honored. *Chefs Kiss*

Robuchon: This was *very* unusual.
Dr. Hattori: You mean you like it?
Robuchon: ...

Challenger Dr. Hattori’s second dish:
Celery Root and Truffle Puree

This was a 35-minute dish started with 30 minutes remaining in the competition. The pot of milk was boiling over, the celery root taking forever to sieve, the puree not thickening, all while the eggs overcooked. Doc buckled down, threw some starch in the puree, popped the eggs with a fork, and threatened some sous chefs with immersive housing. (If they didn't want to live in Kitchen Stadium, they should have boiled milk better.)
What emerged was this very nice rich dish, which should have been the starter in a three course meal. Excellent job pulling it together when all seemed lost and he was ping-ponging his way across Kitchen Stadium looking for an exit.

Judge Hirano speaks for us all when he says he "was worried about [Dr. Hattori]." Judge Robuchon remarks that this dish is "not bad."

Challenger Dr. Hattori’s third dish:
Foie Gras and Truffle Pie

This is Dr. Hattori's centerpiece and masterpiece. It took every second of the battle to prepare. The results speak for themselves. This is a winning dish, and immediately revives his chances today. Or it would, if it were thoroughly cooked, which it was not.
The pie contains sauteed foie gras, truffles, and a truffle-stock. The truffle stock used the xiaolongbao soup-dumpling technique of adding gelatin to stock, cooling it, dicing it, and adding it the farce. The whole truffleuffagus is plated atop a périgueux sauce for more truffing. Next-level technique from the doctor.

Even if the Doc doesn't win the battle, he'll have won in the stadium of love. Despite the exchange of furtive glances, Judge Robuchon found the pie undercooked and not up to the level of Jollibee's peach-mango pie. Because *nothing* is.

Challenger Dr. Hattori’s fourth dish:
Truffle Ice Cream

This truffle ice cream set too hard. The judges found it good in taste, if lacking in technique. Judge Hirano reveals that "this is not ice cream. It's a sorbet!" with the declarative anger one uses to unveil a murderer. The horror!
Doc managed to salvage two accompaniments to his main course. The opening round of sake was a misstep. Overall, the day could have gone much worse. Let's see what the Iron Chef Japanese managed to accomplish with this French ingredient.

Iron Chef Michiba completes six dishes:

Iron Chef Michiba’s first dish:
Apéritif

The Iron Chef infused port wine with truffles and then mixed that with champagne, just as described in Action Bronson's cookbook.

This was better received than the Doc's apéritif, though not by much. Judge Robuchon, a French cuisine legend, likely views port wine as Four-Loko and infused-wine as Dubstep remixes. He is deeply troubled and is going to have to make a compound butter just to go to sleep tonight.

Iron Chef Michiba’s Second Dish:
Steamed Blowfish Soft-Roe with Sweet and Sour Truffle Sauce

Unlike Dr. Hattori, Iron Chef Michiba had the decency to cook his blowfish milt. This coming from an Iron Chef that would prefer to not cook anything were it relatively survivable. The portion-size is also preferable to the Doc's Bavarian stein of milt juice. Judge Robuchon calls this "sophisticated" and "wonderful."

Iron Chef Michiba’s third dish:
Boiled Egg with Truffle and Turnip

We have the softest of boiled eggs, a la onsen tamago, with uni, a slice of truffle, and a daikon radish slice. This mock-hollandaise makes the lobster broth cooked broccoli floret more than its usual afterthought. It is hard to determine which chef had the better truffled eggs today.

This dish aside (it was great), lets admire Judge Robuchon's chopstick game. Dexterous. I'd trust him to remove my appendix.

Iron Chef Michiba’s fourth dish:
Lobster and Truffles Salad

Iron Chef Michiba drops a surprise fourth-course salad. This works, as the previous three courses consisted for a sip, a shot, and a slurp. The Iron Chef combines the most opulent shellfish in the West with that of the East. They sit on the shirako-tzatziki and are topped with a red cabbage slaw, guitar-pick sized shaved truffles, and dollops of caviar.
Iron Chef Michiba was informed of Joel Robuchon's visit five minutes before the battle, to which he shrugged, and manifested this dish. Judge Robuchon loved it, saying it "harmonized very well."

Iron Chef Michiba’s sixth dish:
Truffle Spring Roll

One of those three words is accurate; a truffle is involved. This fried gyoza contains truffles, okra, and prawns and is served with asparagus tempura. Even though this dish has been sitting through real-filming-time 16 days, it looks delightful. It's not a gyoza combination, nor any combination of ingredients utilized before.
This page will likely be the #2 google search result for "truffles okra prawns." You already know #1 is Helenschin's "Porcini mushrooms & truffles triangolis with mushrooms okra in crispy prawns' chili sauce" recipe, which is as delicious as it is impossible to say aloud. Try it.
See.

Iron Chef Michiba’s sixth dish:
Truffle Rice Porridge

Iron Chef Michiba closes with a humble kayu. Humble is a relative term in a truffle battle. This fancy kayu was cooked in chicken broth and features abalone, and in a personal game-changer, an egg beaten into it. It seems so obvious, in retrospect, to instantly make a congee richer and creamier.
Knowing that rice, instant ramen, and congee are all enhanced by cracking a raw egg into it, have we truly explored the limits? Burrito bowls, butter chicken, French fries, popcorn, Campbell's Jason Kelce Legend Edition antibiotic-free Chicken Noodle Chunky Soup? Worse AI-generated cookbooks have been written.

The Oishi's keep coming. Though he didn't have a single showstopper, the combination of dishes should secure the victory over our Pie Doctor today, thus ensuring that the office of Iron Chef remains a triumvirate.

Judge Robuchon closes with some prosaic praise for the Iron Chef. If it was meant to be a haiku, it is a syllable short on each line. I've filled in the blanks for meter, capturing the Judge's intent.
[Oui,] I am from France.
[Oui,] the homeland of truffles
Dishes are great. [Oui.]
The Iron chef appreciates the effort.

Whose cuisine reigns supreme?!

The Chairman reminds Dr. Hattori of the potential consequences of his hubris.

The winner is Iron Chef Rokusaburo Michiba!

This battle will be remembered for Dr. Hattori's loss moreso than the Iron Chef's victory, which is unfair to both chefs. Iron Chef Michiba delivered a composed arrangement of truffle-infused small bites slurps, which kept the esteemed Joel Robuchon coming back. Dr. Hattori had three solid ideas that he neither had the time, familiarity, nor manpower to properly execute within the time constraints.

Remember this battle for Iron Chef Japanese Michiba taking the French theme ingredient of black truffles, not only in stride, but with the seasoned familiarity that makes one forget that he's working completely extemporaneously at all times. Remember our affable Dr. Hattori being put through the absolute ringer with no completable dishes with 20-minutes left in the battle, having a brief freak-out, then fortifying himself for a maniacal three course (and a drink) finish.

It is very easy to write these things, but if I'm being honest, it's well-intentioned nonsense. We've all learned too much about blowfish milt today. For that, this episode will live in infamy in our minds and in Joel Robuchon's gastrointestinal tract.

Episode notes:

My favorite dish today was the Iron Chef's prawn, truffle, and okra fried gyoza. Besides the truffle part, this seems doable at home.

My favorite *accessible* dish today is truffle flavored prawn chips available at your local Korean supermarket. Do they actually contain truffles? Only Robuchon knows. They were fundamental to the making of this post. Buy multiple bags and thank me later.

This is the first of two truffle battles, the same number as in Iron Chef America. I can't infer anything from this except that truffles are expensive and smelling them is half the experience, which doesn't translate into good television.
The next episode is the seventeenth of 1994, and 27th overall, the cabbage battle. Bamboo shoots, lamb, truffles, then cabbage. This is the playlist for someone that gets paid bi-weekly.
and always remember…