https://www.sujoyhere.com/home daily 1.0 2025-05-04 https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-episode-27-cabbage monthly 0.5 2025-05-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/03824bd1-3560-4841-a57f-d5e794de5505/Yamada-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out A raw unmarinated cabbage is a risky first dish. That's how confident the challenger is in his bagna cauda inspired fondue. I'd pluck a raw cabbage out of the ground and dunk it into that anchovy-cheese sauce like Michael Jordan in Trieste. The collateral damage would be comparable. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/18dbacc6-9c59-47b3-9a8a-0c6cfc7f0620/Yamada-D03b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out At this point in his journey, Judge Hirano is thankfully rendered speechless. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a8d1729d-fb89-4611-8d14-18c921b72e02/Kenichi-09a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/74067cf2-48ae-4bb2-a6f5-2efe446f00a3/Showdown-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Yamada is being cheered on by his former apprentice, Hiroyuki Kitami, and his daughter, who presumably lives with Mom and Mom's friend: Head Chef Hiroyuki Kitami. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/960de5a5-9f01-4b08-b58e-da9a78993236/Allez-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Yamada blazes through the gates, because he knows the real secret-ingredient is absolution. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/439c2df4-4171-4ee9-9e0f-1f8171dba2e2/Yamada-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6d35b9a8-206e-479a-b25e-b39c2edb9208/Challenger-10.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Chef Yamada started apprenticing at age 18, becoming head chef of Vis-a-Vis at 25. It was the type of place where you shake the maître d's hand, call the waiters by name, and send back the first bottle of wine because the vintage isn't right. Not because you want to, because you have to. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/46ddf020-4e8f-480f-b6d1-9ce72f6d972c/Yamada-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Yamada slices steaks of foie gras to be wrapped with cabbage. Could this be the elevated cavolo ripieno? There are still clams, scallops, and tilefish left on the challenger's ark. At least one of these surfers are going to meet this turf. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5e907937-6068-4651-b949-c2824937e074/Yamada-D01b.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Judges Kurimoto and Hirano lost in the sauce. Judge Takata? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/09160d42-8ef3-4a3b-9d05-ecc23307bcf9/Kenichi-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b86a12d0-ee62-4fef-9859-8f54bea4a215/Kenichi-11a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/16c85519-0b78-46be-bb14-56c3e4336de2/Kenichi-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The cabbage featured today is from the Miura Peninsula, where the men toil the land to the compositions of Chopin, the womenfolk return from market with bundles of wloszczyzna, the wee ones dream of a clementine in their Christmas stocking, and Witchers stalk Koajiro Forest eliminating occult threats. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/eefc69bb-158b-4628-b7ac-89862cf662d3/Challenger-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out At age 28, Yamada left for Italy, ascending a cabbage colored stairway to culinary heaven. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a80acab4-303e-4034-b90a-6fba8e52e7d3/Yamada-22.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Speaking of the soba-fettucine, Challenger Yamada tosses it in pancetta, butter, onions, and cabbage. I repeat: This is a winning dish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5fdb215d-9412-411d-ac08-4401dbc154fe/Challenger-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out We know the now humbled Chef Yamada is currently reduced to anonymity, but from what heights, and what exactly happened? Let’s start from the beginning. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dc5d0bb2-2ff6-47ec-8dad-97a29be1482e/Challenger-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out And when they ask me "where I been at?" I just be like "over there." Chef Yamada has been hiding-out as the chef of Popolare, the finest Al Treno dining on the outskirts of Tokyo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/74ee57d0-607a-4252-95d0-ff6e287d53a0/Intro-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/302d9802-2739-4aa5-ad27-e4fee52cb685/Kenichi-19.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef's chicken dome has finished steaming with a minute remaining in the battle, and emerges looking like a UFO (Unidentified Floating Obstruction). It is dawning on me all too late that this may not have been the Iron Chef's strongest outing today. The challenger's duo of cabbage rolls and soba-pappardelle is looking like trouble for our recently struggling Iron Chef, who has two losses in his past four battles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/99d30283-4033-48e6-bc74-88e07198e6d1/Yamada-D01a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7b594ce1-6f48-468b-a5dc-c6dcc495ca70/Reveal-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Cabbage! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b597ec27-7219-4039-8129-6088886bae39/Yamada-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Not done gilding the lily, the challenger tops the foie gras with a seared sea scallop. Well, seared on the presentation side. The only side that matters. These Surf-to-Air missiles are not going to be steamed, but roasted! Cabbage rolls can be browned in the oven to avoid resembling a swampy gym-sock filled with pennies. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1a32e4ea-f965-48c2-a206-83b7f6a1b5f6/Yamada-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Sideline reporter Shinichiro Ohta has tallied clams, scallops, tilefish, foie gras, celery root, and cherry tomatoes on the challenger's counter. This may seem like a deceptively high animal to not-animal ratio of ingredients, but keep in mind we are getting cabbage with every dish (and more than likely, as a physical dish). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b7c9a04c-a847-4066-9ffe-bdad49de0f68/Kenichi-D04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out This, the Iron Chef's best dish was a result of his two personality extremes working together. Warrior-Kenichi starting things off by hurling pork and cabbage into a stainless steel bowl until they became one. Rougue-Kenichi then made a pork dumpling with a cabbage leaf, tying it together with a strand of cabbage. Lastly, Necromancer-Kenichi brought his chances of victory back from the dead. Our challenger has a stronger case, but the Iron Chef has home court advantage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/212be49b-db12-4037-937d-4563406181bb/Yamada-04a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The challenger dumps uncooked arborio rice into saffron, buffer, and stock, to which Judge Takata remarks with confidence and familiarity "Oh, he's making butter rice!" He's actually making risotto, but I am very curious about Judge Takata's famous weeknight one-pot crispy butter rice. I'll chalk it up to a mistranslation, because Judge Takata is never wrong. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ada1e4b2-91f4-4d53-a97b-624f1646410b/Yamada-19.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out With 15 minutes remaining, the Challenger finishes his gilded saffron risotto in the pan. If you had to guess whether this saffron risotto would go under the good cabbage roll or the less good cabbage roll, what would be your choice? Elevate the good cabbage roll to the stratosphere, or bring the less good cabbage roll up to sea level? The former seems to be Challenger Yamada’s style. Go big or go tiny home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5464d891-fa64-436d-b3c7-3da82bca1f5b/Yamada-15.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Yamada's "tilefish" (probably also red mullet) fillets were patiently waiting for their big moment. They are also to be wrapped in a cabbage leaf. A somewhat anticlimactic finish for the red mullet, which is relegated to the "B" cabbage roll. "That's almost the same. That's not very interesting." remarks Judge Takata, before also dropping the mic and going home. It's okay, Kenji Fukui has dreamed of this moment every night for the past 26 weeks. Go get em, K. Dot. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3a6f2ac2-ebef-45b4-b0bb-1d6853aaa257/Yamada-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The Challenger has buckwheat, eggs, and a pasta machine. No, it is not soba, but likely a northern-Italian dish Pizzoccheri that shares the buckwheat soul of soba. This is a brilliant approach by Chef Yamada. Genuine judge juice. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0ce9435d-1c95-4b77-8f12-248eed32a39d/Conclusion-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/44001857-5413-44d2-b4dc-ea497ef6b067/Supreme-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Clarence Birdseye was a fur trapper who had previously worked as a biologist for the US Department of Agriculture. From 1912-1915, Birdseye found he could quickly freeze cabbage by plunging it into barrels of salt water. By 1929, he developed a new method for quick-freezing food, using metal plates chilled in calcium chloride solution to -45 degrees F. In 1929, he sold his company and patents for $22 million to Goldman Sachs and the Postum company. “nothing very remarkable about what I have done . . . the Eskimos had [frozen foods] for centuries.” The next time you are in your supermarket frozen foods aisle, doth thy cap to the three Kings of Cabbage: Clarence Birdseye, Xavier Roberts, and Hiromi Yamada for turning cabbage into gold. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/65d6ddab-f2b9-4b6f-8cde-265c703e43a2/Challenger-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out At Vinocchio's peak, Yamada lived in a $2 million home. Did it have to be shaped like spaghetti timbale? No, of course not. But did it have to smell like spaghetti timbale? Non-negotiable. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/15a9aaa5-2e1a-4880-b069-3d9e13db1cbb/Judge-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Rosanjin scholar Masaaki Hirano (42 battles) Judge Hirano is what happens when a cabbage patch kid is allowed to age for a century in a Trappist monastery's cheese cave. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/90db1979-b788-4d35-9681-a2f26a3c8e1c/Kenichi-18.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef deep fries his cabbage, cherry, shrimp dumplings! Afterwards, he then stir-fries them in chili sauce! These double-fried dumplings will feature the variegated textures of a crispy exterior, bouncy farce, melting cherry, and rock hard pit that will keep you coming back to Dr. Kenichi's backroom dental practice Chen's Grillz (located behind Chen's Grill). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c6f8d064-7617-4595-a377-b5c62f404c10/Yamada-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Yamada boils his celery root in milk for a puree, the second occurrence of this technique in as many episodes. This is diminishing returns of The Walking Dead proportions. In the course of making these two posts, I've watched celery root boiling in milk for at least a combined 10 minutes. I'm going snow blind, but with beige. Everywhere I look it's like a page out of the Magnolia Journal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a78673f1-7af6-4488-a8e5-449f02ea19fb/Kenichi-13a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d167bd15-70e4-43ff-88ee-3d600c5adec3/Challenger-08.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out On October 21st, 1991, Yamada was speeding in his sports car and crashed into a barrier, killing a pedestrian and a passenger, injuring others. He had to sell everything and remained in debt both financially and to society. He disappeared for two years until he could pay off his debt to the former. The latter is more complicated. What is the appropriate post-tragedy waiting-period before celebrating redemption? Iron Chef tells us it is 464 days per casualty. Roughly the gestation period of a white rhino. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3a3ce0a0-e159-4f76-8c5d-09ea0b0c09e4/Kenichi-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef has a food processor filled with prawns, cabbage, and egg whites. Do you know what this means? Funky dumplings! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/31b3fe62-0d51-4d31-92b0-1d623a191d66/Booth-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Dr. Yukio Hattori returns to the booth after last week's unpleasant outburst, joined by play-by-play commentator Kenji Fukui and Judge / actress / maven Mayuko Takata. Fukui: The humble cabbage. You practically can't give it away. Takata: Actually, South Korea imports 11 times more kimchi than it exports, at a $47 million trade deficit. Hattori: Why do we keep inviting her to make us look bad? Fukui: I apologize, Doc. You've been away. It is actually Takata-san that is now inviting us. Takata: Importsssssssss https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/eb641736-f14c-4c85-808e-ffd78529ad88/Intro-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman / Warrior-Priest of the Kitchen Stadium Culture is reminded of the fickleness of existence, of civilization skating on a cleaver's edge from harvest-to-harvest, and specifically of a top Italian-cuisine chef who did an oopsie three years ago, disappearing from the field of cooking. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7d9d1d09-8aac-42cb-ad35-4ed85dc816ae/Reel-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out This is not your typical spring risotto filled with the primavera goodness of asparagus and peas. Chef Yamada's "Spring" Risotto is leaden with broccoli (winter vegetable) and tomatoes (summer vegetable / fruit / orb). This is a commentary on climate change. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8bdac694-6d83-4372-9878-0b967ca97b97/Challenger-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Chef Yamada returned to Tokyo at 30, becoming the head chef of Basta Pasta. Current (1994) Basta Pasta head chef Hiroyuki Kitami was defeated in Episode 20 - Tomato Battle. Chef Yamada hopes to fare better today. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/52d21e09-f87b-4e20-8017-342947e3e04c/Kenichi-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Down, but not out, Chef Kenichi is the rose that grew from concrete. He gets in touch with his artistic side, Chaka Chen, and makes a grass of cabbage and caviar, leaves of cucumbers and bell peppers, and finally a dumpling flower that was steamed, deep fried, and then stir fried to golden perfection. The dumpling consists of cabbage and seafood around a cherry. It is hard to believe the same chef made the previous rustic chicken soup. The Iron Chef's personalities are wrestling for control of the steering wheel, and the judges are captive passengers desperately jabbing the rideshare app's SOS button. Speaking of, the judges surprisingly have no comment, except for Judge Takata who says she would have eaten this dish even without the cherry. This is Judge Takata's heightened etiquette talking, because what she really meant was "why the cherry tho?" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8dbc0e28-9135-4cf4-addd-d6c5477951d3/Yamada-D02b.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Judge Hirano complains he got a bad batch, but is nonetheless endlessly repeating incantations concerning "the path of the jaguar". https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f85e40d7-7e29-4de4-b3bb-1322927d3816/Judge-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Actress Mayuko Takata (54 battles) Judge Takata's 1992 single "Let me see your cabbage roll" was played at your wedding reception. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bd342296-7e89-4c2f-8bd2-5c0a7fc92258/Yamada-D03a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out "It feels like the cabbage is still alive" exclaims Judge / Space Cadet Kurimoto. Yeah, he's going to need a sitter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a64ca304-1b68-4e87-8525-3441dc5080f0/Challenger-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Yamada opened Vinocchio at age 35 with his rec-league team, the Nishiazabu 76ers. It was quite the process, achieving initial success, before ultimately collapsing like a knee with a degenerative condition. Tsunami Papi would have to disappear for reasons that will become clear shortly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5895ad8c-e5b2-46a3-b074-fb77a08cede0/Yamada-D04b.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The delirious Judge Kurimoto explains this dish is "kind of like a coalition government trying to convince the Socialist Party to stay with the coalition to maintain the flavor of reform." No. No it is not. Go to bed, Judge Kurimoto. You have to pass laws tomorrow. Furthermore, we all know Ben & Jerry's limited edition "Justice ReMix'd" is the true flavor of reform: Corporate. Today cinnamon and chocolate ice cream swirled with cinnamon bun dough and spicy fudge brownies, tomorrow filing the 10-Q report with the SEC. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/26bb3b48-07fc-4bca-b997-ebc12f75f3b2/Yamada-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Chef Yamada wisely begins preparing his celery root early. A strategy not heeded by Dr. Hattori in his failed coup d'etat last episode. The Doc's celery root is still boiling away in milk aspiring to one day be something greater than the fourth most interesting part of a celery plant (stalk, leaves, seeds, then root. Come at me.). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/edcf7e5f-6b17-4a6b-a812-73c44f92ce71/Yamada-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Prior to being golabki'd, the foie gras was dusted with flour and pan fried by challenger Yamada. Gołabki, the iconic Polish cabbage roll means “little doves." This is more of a chorobliwie otyła kaczka (morbidly obese duck). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9eb62d65-1bcf-403b-9bfa-3285ccc00dbb/Kenichi-D04a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Judge Yamada "I really couldn't recognize what the cabbage was doing in this one." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/865f8b53-bffa-4ec6-85a6-e4989c354bb4/Kenichi-02a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0afe838e-6360-4883-a8d3-54ea96bb60c7/Yamada-21.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The Challenger's zooms past risotto road, then past paella place, ultimately arriving at a dead-end of scorched-rice galette. A saffron-infused cơm cháy meets the best part of a dolsot bibimbap. Whatever this is called, it cannot be bad. Consider that a foie gras cabbage roll is going to sit atop this like a proud nesting goose that is only minutely suffering the effects of induced liver disease. Like the soba-fettucine, this is another dish composed of Italian classic combinations, but with a nod to Asian cuisine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/15deab82-6f92-4b57-b856-83bffb214058/Kenichi-15.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi already has a blender prawn farce surrounding a cherry dumpling. This splatted pork farce will be wrapped in a cabbage leaf. Two playful cabbage dumplings by the Iron Chef Chinese, who will likely close with his now room-temperature red mullet stir fry. Two dumplings vs Two cabbage rolls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dc6f7062-f445-44b5-9578-8fedaae1598b/Kenichi-07.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef deftly wields his 1.5 lbs all-purpose tou as if he was Clyde Stubblefield with a 7A-drumstick to paradiddle through a cabbage. He's as strong as he is funky. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0399f436-93d2-43d4-a810-bdd87f946607/Yamada-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Like anchovies, buckwheat is also used in both Italian and Japanese cuisine. The knowledgeable challenger hand-made pappardelle with a buckwheat-blend typically reserved for soba noodles. The pasta was tossed with cabbage, butter, and pancetta in a clam sauce. After plating it received a crown of truffles, royal robes of prosciutto, remaining one scepter short of being Charles III; the last of Charlemagne's line of Italian rulers, who apart from letting the Vikings into Paris, was better known as Charles the Fat. Just like that we've already crossed off two of the twenty-eight absolute legends on Wikipedia's List of people known as the Fat. They'll all get their due shine. I vow this. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8eb81afe-6f5f-489d-825a-0d7be9870702/Kenichi-08.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Kitchen Stadium's funky drummer does the funky chicken and we are all funkier for it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9c1f56e6-4a12-47e9-82e4-c9ba40500192/Reel-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out A surf-and-turf carpaccio of beef and shrimp, a dish so revered, it became the flag of Greenland. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9c62fc1c-e5e0-47b7-aaac-1c74fd0dc9b4/Kenichi-D02a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef's chance of victory appears to be sunk. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/780daf16-ddbc-4c73-82a8-ce64f258efb8/Yamada-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The challenger's first of two cabbage rolls. This one features “tilefish” (red mullet) in a celery root puree, wrapped with cabbage, and steamed. This is neither explicitly Italian nor Japanese. The addition of caviar with balsamic tomatoes on top only lessens the focus. This is the bleary eyed result of a chef who had an idea for a good cabbage roll and a great cabbage roll, and decided to hedge his bets and rush both. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7e20df5a-14e9-472e-90b0-f2e573a1b0cc/Intro-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The world outside Kitchen stadium is changing rapidly. It is the Summer of '94. May 6th to be exact. The Chunnel opens after seven years of construction. OutKast's Southernplayalisticadillacmusik dropped last week. Nelson Mandela will be inaugurated as South Africa's first black president in four days time. A wave of modernity is sweeping through science, technology, the arts, and politics; shining its light of progress into every nook and cranny of our societal English muffin. Everywhere, that is, except Kitchen Stadium, our defiantly primitive crumpet country; proudly draped in seal-skins and furs, huddled around a fire in a limestone cave, and absolutely faded on betel nuts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1a1cbb51-bbfc-4232-aaf5-ca20dc5f5e07/Supreme-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Touché Yamada. You can serially cook one serving at a time if you are moving at 160 kmh. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e2dece4b-3a42-4b73-8ce0-d2ee7907d916/Kenichi-14a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bc92f02e-ade5-4cd9-8898-9fcc166f7899/Fit-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Today the Chairman is Ted, a Buryat shaman who, possessed by a megalomaniacal sheep spirit, rises to command "Death Spiral" the FSB's elite team of figure skating assassins in Siberia. His lacquer vest cannot be removed, for it is the physical manifestation of his covenant with the supernatural Hype-Beast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3c2d06e8-39ca-416f-97ab-6f9cd629d661/Reveal-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The down-on-his-luck challenger is tickled by the hands of fate. A man clawing his way up from rock-bottom is dealt cabbage; an inglorious food synonymous with impoverishment. Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Chef Yamada contorts his facial muscles into what can only be described as "Of course its cabbage" amusement. Meanwhile, Iron Chef Kenichi is Charlie Brown lining up for a field goal attempt, per usual. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/49f44c3b-e147-47cb-9977-86ca01bdc769/Yamada-D02c.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out *Snaps Out of Trance* "In the middle of Little Italy, little did we know that we riddled two middlemen who didn't do diddly" *Snaps back Into Trance* https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ebe0d0db-d025-4fb2-820e-c52bbc4b8e18/Kenichi-14.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef steps up to the mound and pitches farce like a man possessed. Possessed by that funk. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1cbd6d66-45a9-437f-83a9-730089124dca/Challenger-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Chef Yamada now resides in a one-room studio. It also smells of spaghetti timbale despite having no cooking appliances. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e51273f6-db97-4588-93eb-ac14e0c657cd/Yamada-23.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The challenger knows how to utilize his culinary student sous chefs, doling out the painstaking but idiot-proof tasks of scoring, blanching, and peeling of cherry tomatoes. It could be worse, the other sous chef is cleaning out Challenger Yamada's storage unit. The rats have breached the timbale. It's freaking pandemonium. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/697ba3ad-3ccb-42d1-81a2-fb6ea7c1e12f/Kenichi-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef does the same. Hold on to your seats, we are in a cabbage blanching battle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2280a361-7dec-4a55-a963-b05f98afb2eb/Yamada-14.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Yamada's cabbage rolls are indeed going to be roasted, but first they are anointed with a cube of butter on the forehead, just like Pope Clement IV in 1265 CE. Pope Clement was known as Guy le Gros, which in English is "Guy the Fat." Guy the Fat goes pretty hard for a combination rap name and a chef name. Currently, only Paul Hollywood occupies that particular overlap on the Venn diagram I have meticulously scrawled on a floor-to-ceiling whiteboard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dec48005-d38e-4b2b-adb8-9f88cffab8e0/Yamada-20.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out DJ Yamada is mashing up risotto and fettucine on the ones and twos. Like all mashups, it sounds like trash. Fortunately, it will taste great and the ambidextrous challenger is going to keep these carbs separate all the way to judges' table. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6cbed5cb-44e5-4263-8b17-dc7a4ce53e43/Yamada-D04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Sound the air raid sirens! These surf-to-air missiles are coming in hot. A stunning diaphanous cabbage leaf melting into the foie gras and scallops underneath. This rich bundle is served atop an equally rich butter and saffron crispy risotto. Another belt-loosening, jaw-unhinging-like-a-python dish from the challenger today. The only downside was the erroneous attempt to sear scallops in a cold pan. He was rushing and knew he could hide the results under a blanket of cabbage and duck liver. The dish is no worse off for the shortcut. Suffix the dish with “à l'unilatérale” on the menu and charge $5 more. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/37570005-ff70-4d09-bbf6-1e43b752351a/Kenichi-D04b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/eb30014b-8048-462e-bd77-f2127e5f2685/Reveal-01a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman hits us with the English when we least expect it. Fun Fact: The Chairman speaks no English, but is fluent in screaming English, Japanese, and Sumerian; the latter reserved for screaming in private. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fd8441cb-84af-47e5-b6ef-e45b013a13bb/Kenichi-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Leave it to Iron Chef Kenichi to find the most unhinged way to serve a chicken and cabbage soup. He started by putting half a head of cabbage atop a rough chopped chicken, and well, that was it. Rustic. No toilet paper in the woods rustic. It steamed and voila another dish in which little consideration was given to the eating of the cabbage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/48079fcb-72c1-453e-8355-cc1edbdb3385/Kenichi-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef added cabbage and red mullet to the doubanjiang and blesses it with wok hei. Again, why so early? This may be a snack before the Iron Chef cooks the real dishes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a236a6f1-ea0a-44ff-ba85-b1969d6ba545/Reveal-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out We take cabbage for granted, but things get downright crazy when we don't have it. A December freeze in the south and a drought in the Midwest led to a shortage in the cabbage crop in March 1984. Leading up to St. Patrick's day, cabbage prices increased from 19-cents a pound to 99-cents. An average that wouldn't be reached again until 2019, 35-years of inflation later. This spike also coincided with peak Cabbage Patch Kids, and the ensuing Cabbage Patch Riots in which parents participated in a Bloodsport-style tournament at Toys R Us locations across the nation, creating Black Friday. Such is the dark and mysterious allure of the cabbage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d1b1b3de-e2a2-406c-a571-04f1575e446d/Yamada-16.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Truffle Alert! The challenger shovels some truffles atop his red mullet; an act more entertaining were he Ziggy Stardust. If you are observing Kitchen Stadium customs, truffle and caviar have been utilized, so you are now permitted to sit down for the remainder of the match. Pelting the challenger with shouts referencing his sauces as “weak” remains encouraged until the two-minute warning. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c22a3193-92d1-4bc8-bae9-f82973f26992/Kenichi-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out It is Wok o' Clock in record time, as Iron Chef Kenichi begins stir frying some doubanjiang. A little cabbage, a little protein, and some rice wine will complete this dish satisfactorily. The question remains: why so early? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c9ed7440-c2a0-4622-87e2-e73348462b67/Wisdom-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out 1) Fields of cabbage stretching into the horizon. The eternal cabbage patch prophesized by the first Lord Brassicus, Xavier Roberts. 2) The heart of a cabbage. To "have the heart of a cabbage" is a tremendous compliment. It means you are imbued with toughness, perseverance, and a distinct lack of taste. Fellow cabbage-hearts include Imelda Marcos and Craig Sager. 3) Raw slaw smells blah. Y'all done up and done it. Profound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/758d380c-1ab5-4f94-b530-b50284a2d4e0/027-Cabbage.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Cabbages and Kings https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9408f469-9b5a-4c80-9667-67a399e512ae/Judge-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Lower House Member, writer Shinichiro Kurimoto (109 battles) The ever-prepared congressman and economic anthropologist read Kim Il Sung's Theses on Socialist Rural Question in Our Country last night and has not slept a wink. Was the irrigation system worth it?! Cabbage needs but an inch of water a week. Now, if I were Supreme Leader... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d040d990-7acb-4f9c-89de-6452d4356d7c/Kenichi-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi's funky dumplings consist of a whole cherry (pit included) wrapped in a shrimp and cabbage farce, and steamed in plastic wrap. Like Sly and the Family (Cherry)Stone, this funk is ahead of its time. Far in the future, when humanoids have evolved a utilitarian probiscis in place of meddlesome degradable teeth, these are going to be more popular than Ferrero Rochers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/91fabc8c-c0ce-47ca-b381-310d616eee68/Yamada-11.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Both chefs are approaching this battle as if they only had 20 minutes. The Iron Chef already knocked out a stir fry. The hasty challenger sets to searing scallops in a cold pan. The second biggest mistake he ever made. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c9b989d9-93c0-4ef1-a567-c7faea50b5cf/Yamada-13a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Admit it. You want this. (A Polish Country House Kitchen by Anne Applebaum and Daniella Crittenden. Chronicle Books. 2012. - The best Polish cookbook written by a Pulitzer prize winning historian). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b9f7f5d6-93f5-4ba8-9957-ebe4684514ec/Kenichi-16.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef's bear paws demonstrate the delicate task of wrapping a purse of cabbage with separate strand of cabbage. There’s no way he’s going to do the rest of these himself. If you want delicacy, call a sous chef. If you want a wine cork plunged into a bottle with an index finger, call the Iron Chef in Velcro shoes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b40e50a5-6e5e-467d-ab3a-9a1f7eab62e3/Booth-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Judge Kitajima and Dr. Hattori return from Orfanotrofio in a spirited mood. Dr. Hattori: H-hey Kenji, did you enjoy watching milk boil? I bet you did, dingus. Judge Kitajima: I bet.. I bet you stood on your tippie-toes to see that cabbage blanching! Dr. Hattori: I could end you right now. Kenji Fukui and Dr. Hattori simultaneously: What?! ... Judge Kitajima: *hiccups* https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/eb0ccc28-a776-477c-809e-db03ac9fbbe4/Yamada-07.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Yamada too shows off kitchen strength in mixing his pasta. Kitchen Strength is not correlated to muscles (extrakitchen strength). It is a metaphysical property bestowed upon one member of each household that for reasons unknown, is the resident with the loudest sneeze. For example, Muscle-Chef Robert Irvine asks his wife to open his water bottles. Yet the diminutive Cat Cora can twirl a cast iron skillet in each hand like an aircraft marshaller. The Kitchen Strength leaderboard, updated real-time, is as follows: 3) You 2) Your Dad 1) The Chairman. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a7e4c31e-1a0f-4ff4-9569-21c63cd3e5b8/Supreme-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Before announcing the winner, the Chairman takes a moment to shade Challenger Yamada. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/76030a23-c21b-41de-82a7-a0e23c4b1b32/Challenger-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out A young Yamada would have cooked rice ready for his parents when they came home from work. This doesn't make him a prodigy. This makes him a kid with Asian heritage that didn't want no smoke. If you haven't figured out a rice cooker by age 12, maybe steer towards a degree in finance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cae08371-4066-4fde-a933-e4a95b8ebe40/Yamada-17.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Yamada's buckwheat pasta is being rolled out with 20 minutes remaining. The current odds on pasta shapes at the Chairman's 1F Pachinko Parlor, Orfanotrofio, is: Fettucine: 4/1 Pappardelle: 8/1 Ravioli: 10/1 Busiate (telephone cord): 100/1 Mobius Strip: 1/0 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/74089b7f-04de-4328-8d0f-2965a7053fe9/Reveal-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/de34248d-8a29-480e-b33f-637bae352274/Reveal-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1c1e0060-8ad1-43e8-9df9-03a332c85cd5/Kenichi-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out A ladle of intentionally cold stir-fried mullet in doubanjiang atop a folded leaf of cabbage. I'd call it a Sichuan Larb, were it not insulting to both Sichuan cuisine and Larb. This was not only the Iron Chef's first dish served, but the first dish he worked on. The dish was produced with intent. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this concoction was premeditated merger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9a49d509-d757-4d39-9602-ce96b03bbe65/Yamada-D02a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Resident psychonaut Judge Kurimoto "can feel the energy of the soil where this cabbage came from." A totally normal thing to say about a dish that is generously 5% cabbage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e46f532f-0a34-4a1d-8210-297d2464f5c8/Yamada-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The Challenger's apprentice and daughter discerningly observe the proceedings from above, exchanging isochronal "quite"s and "indeed"s interspersed with pinches from a Qing-dynasty snuff bottle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c1a0af69-45fd-4023-8426-07c2f9e00208/Yamada-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Yamada is blanching much cabbage for wraps or rolls. Cavolo ripieno, an Italian dish of stuffed cabbage rolls in tomato sauce, is a comfort classic. Chef Yamada will have to make it more interesting or Dr. Hattori is going to keep his attention focused on the 1994 version of TikTok (Pok-a-Tok). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bb409970-11b3-4871-8eea-8e33334e02ab/Booth-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Dr. Hattori: Cabbage is not all that interesting. *drops mic* *goes home* https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dd7452aa-0a53-4a5e-ba21-2c954d728a3f/Kenichi-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi puts a blanched cabbage leaf atop marinated chicken recreating a 1:1,288 scale model of Kyocera Dome Osaka (check my math, pointdexter). When the cabbage roof is retracted, chicken offal depicts the Orix Buffaloes being thoroughly waxed by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, as Chef Kenichi (aka McNasty) secures the league title for most mounds charged. It remains one of his proudest moments. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bef541b5-e7ca-420f-a69b-655b6d8b8a2f/Reveal-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/21315e08-b5dc-48f5-afbb-0ef5b0f2d90a/Kenichi-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out 1. Start a company called "Collective Bargaining Agreement" 2. Sell aprons embroidered "Second Apron" 3. Profit. You've done it again, Kenny! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e5331d45-4850-4336-8c4b-2dbdf75deaa2/Wisdom-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The 9th layer of cabbage is called "Judecca" and is reserved for those who committed treachery or betrayal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d20baa68-83c1-44ea-97e1-bb40483cfa7a/Kenichi-13.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The wild Iron Chef is spotted in his natural habitat enjoying a quick snack of cabbage dressed in caviar before a long day of golf course civil engineering. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9c1beaab-00c7-4bc5-b9ad-8f2093cf7529/Kenichi-09.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d15b7409-dcad-4a9c-9d5d-39752d9945dd/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Hiromi Yamada vs Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4516e947-9c87-4d29-9c86-34f490b32ab1/Yamada-18.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The answer is knife-cut pappardelle, expertly sliced like a soba master. As long as there is a cabbage in the same area code as these noodles, this is a winning dish. Would it be too much to ask for pancetta or prosciutto? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b6cca7c2-12e2-4f9e-9f1f-a1de05fb699c/Yamada-22a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Pancetta, you say? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ce607997-9be2-4303-8e5b-c24f4c3ac17b/Yamada-D01c.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cc645f29-a7b2-4f2c-8dfa-7818d4d376d9/Yamada-08.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Dr. Hattori: Whenever I go to [Challenger Yamada's] restaurant, he always cooks one serving at a time. This is an oddly inefficient process for a professional kitchen, even one as small as Popolare. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/714f15ba-6595-4749-98d4-c88a109241d7/Showdown-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The challenger wisely wants to move on from the past and get this battle started as quickly as possible, selecting Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi with barely a pause. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4497265c-ed9a-45fc-98ba-48c104e84cb0/Kenichi-17.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef's sous chefs thought he was crazy when they read "steamed chicken dome" in his notes. Yet here we are steaming half a head of cabbage atop a savagely chopped chicken. Iron Chef Kenichi away-from-the-wok heat checks remain something to behold, at a respectable distance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/87ca581e-6f65-4e87-bf9a-4117f8ba73a2/Supreme-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out ..who then wins! Challenger Yamada defeats the Iron Chef! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1722d2c5-29da-43fb-a89d-4c8bbad3b3b1/Reel-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Chef Yamada is credited for inventing cold tomato capellini. Pasta alla Checca would beg to disagree. In addition to this dish, Chef Yamada brought cabbage-green home with him from Air Italia to make this Nvidia swirl. What does it mean?! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5df12206-93d2-48a3-a027-631406e88af5/Kenichi-18a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0edd33c7-223d-497d-a13e-17cebf188506/Kenichi-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi's stir-fry becomes a braise with the addition of tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and water. Though a braise takes longer than a stir fry, the red mullet cooks quickly, begging the question: why so early? Update from Sideline reporter Ohta: San-en NeoPhoenix is taking on the Yokohama Corsairs in 45 minutes, and the Iron Chef (aka McNasty) is starting at power forward for the former, two technical fouls away from owning the league record. It will be this, and not his kitchen antics that will secure his title as beef brother number one. He must be in a hurry to whip off these warmups. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ef88fd99-09d2-4a1e-bf6b-f26aa0281a23/Kenichi-08a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #27 - Cabbage Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-episode-26-truffles monthly 0.5 2025-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2e81abb2-c948-4bde-bd15-7225c656ad94/Hattori-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/159fa441-0a71-477c-9313-0b4a87791469/Michiba-D03a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out This dish aside (it was great), lets admire Judge Robuchon's chopstick game. Dexterous. I'd trust him to remove my appendix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/873c8ed6-5634-4f03-9006-37ae9aa80fa5/Quote-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out "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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/80fd8680-17f4-462f-8924-713b66fef248/Michiba-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef is infusing simmering port wine with sliced truffles. You know what? It's going to be amazing. He did it again. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f5fa1ff5-dcbe-4a68-8115-a3cb8d8af5a6/Michiba-D01a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9d3bcc56-73eb-46fc-8dfa-df445afde604/Hattori-23a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b0585d3f-2c41-440b-a338-1af18965609f/Judge-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2d4c3921-389c-4feb-aaad-f4d2c72ba52a/Challenger-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5697d0f1-2725-448d-aae2-d26b9666905e/Hattori-D03a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8d66e89e-f83e-4a9e-bd2a-9783e77044d9/Robuchon-06.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Robuchon like? Yes. Robuchon like. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5f630faf-0aeb-4ce3-9b5f-4c9adcecfd4a/Allez-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Anytime Iron Chef Michiba is the first one out of the gate, it is going to be a time-management struggle for the challenger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7af8d02e-b928-401d-a4a8-c601c6ae7d81/Michiba-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5f05a2bd-d22d-45e2-a35f-4611a454969a/Reel-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out A lobster perm-idor. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4a3c0371-8fc1-4546-a085-6c9be76e6df6/Intro-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e192aa73-cd12-41d5-ad71-1f055640a7e9/Intro-06.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5f927d3a-1718-43e2-89f0-b0c76b6c055f/Hattori-13a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9e45d5e1-deb3-4b70-9f8c-87ff582d0eef/Title-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/68e52700-8cd1-4015-8242-9340fdad7de7/Hattori-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1949b8ab-d997-4e9c-bc64-c6e2e4cee0ee/Challenger-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9957cf1a-3e05-493d-98a5-42ae64045db8/Notes-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/28a2c578-d76d-4792-b6b8-472978c7d3de/Showdown-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out An apple a day, makes the Doctor enraged. Don't make an appointment unless you want your reflexes tested. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2df6c240-9ed1-4d96-ad4c-5a30aa1eed56/Reveal-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c0581d01-f920-46c8-9904-4f9c6377f838/Robuchon-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d5c1e925-ac57-4473-af19-b827d570afda/Michiba-D04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b310db77-f837-425d-8f7a-05ec534e5cd4/Hattori-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/50b636de-8f95-487c-8edf-e5c1e3c3d426/Michiba-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Joel Robuchon: Chef japonaise bleu... shogun de la truffe? Jacque Borie: Oui, le shogun de la truffe. Iron Chef Michiba: C'est raciste. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5f49818c-296f-4eca-a60c-7b4418fc7359/Hattori-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/eaf9bcc8-7270-4e43-b176-2b725e5f4400/Wisdom-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8fefc957-5d11-4870-8092-b24638c18314/Michiba-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba busts it down, flips it, and reverses it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4265b283-033c-4578-a090-d1ff2c955e9b/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Dr. Yukio Hattori vs Iron Chef Japanese Rokusaburo Michiba! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/38fae911-b326-4136-a7a5-7ac03053a684/Robuchon-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5b439407-4a35-44a6-b419-73628c578023/Booth-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Former Iron Chef French Yutaka Ishinabe replaces Dr. Yukio Hattori in the booth. The retired chef is a natural, delivering folksy platitudes in a three-piece suit like a country lawyer. Ishinabe: Who is standing on my podium? Where is my portrait? Fukui: Chef Ishinabe, you've been gone for 16 weeks. Per section 37 of the civil code, you've been declared deceased. Your rotary cheese grater was bestowed to Iron Chef Sakai. Ishinabe: So I no longer have to pay taxes, but I have to grate cheese without a crank like an ogre? Fukui: Right you are, Ish. Ishinabe: No deal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bf9be1ba-b62a-45b5-b5d7-70669f700458/Challenger-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5dff98b6-32ca-4285-9f22-40e3fef9639a/Michiba-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/40fb1d62-2ed7-4985-a6c2-2c5bec7ef0ae/Michiba-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4e094ff8-9b7e-44a3-8a15-7e7a5d1c6e36/Hattori-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1a649bee-a164-4269-950c-b336b97e8e1f/Booth-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Fukui: Does lobster go well with truffles? Iron Chef Ishinabe: https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/96f58de8-eb0f-4021-a431-3559f405f452/Fit-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/25362518-67c2-4d65-8d8a-49cb4219d2ed/Michiba-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/da1104d8-7cbb-4172-945f-2e90b0ebb61a/Robuchon-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/db999293-8c0e-4d47-a9a0-b900fd65a20e/Showdown-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ff6e8236-1114-4a2a-8d7c-748a27ebba82/Robuchon-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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.... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/058a26aa-bd84-452a-93d1-b3d2454d11d5/Hattori-D01a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Just kidding. Everybody hated this. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2ddba46d-9552-410f-b60d-e6a929a2dc3d/Judge-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c95022ff-16a2-4bbf-b885-262a050df4c6/Showdown-01a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/99f1c8d8-9c62-4e57-b84d-0d8e626699e1/Hattori-04a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c99f7c7c-e58e-4b1d-9e18-3aa6527933ee/Michiba-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/df6d94f4-27b0-4dc9-a78c-27cd0bddb755/Robuchon-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c050f509-26a4-4bd5-b4bb-8f5fc7265e5f/Michiba-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8fe58757-76c4-441d-b0b1-24b1970c5d79/Challenger-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/13dad6f6-338e-400c-9c84-5f0ecd43bb6d/Michiba-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3576fbe8-0ab0-4b44-84cb-0520e03cbc41/Michiba-14.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b12e5ced-fb17-43aa-99f4-2029cfe238ee/Hattori-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c349c1d0-2744-4fe3-aed9-e9644a64d105/Hattori-09.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5d79a193-dae7-4ae4-b7c7-b6e3858987c2/Hattori-18a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fdfbd028-3fb1-4771-875e-0a019dcb600d/Hattori-07a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out "[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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6d7c1a2c-d4a6-4bf3-a202-c7a355845086/Challenger-15.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out What judge could possibly be qualified to critique the King of the Booth? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3a08f1a9-8f5e-48d0-bdd3-6cd65dc8c5e7/Fit-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bbb256bc-e9f9-4a78-9d0b-1e6a1bb15281/Hattori-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out A knife-wielding Dr. Hattori says "Hi" to the haters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6dfe0b2b-11fd-4def-8719-4691375dfef0/Quote-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out "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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2870e9a7-49fd-4865-bc35-e4ace23601da/Intro-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f37a520c-b9d1-4753-9b75-983e90a9db7c/Hattori-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/35e9d0c4-74d3-4781-885b-f1782d94c48c/Hattori-19.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/701a5780-9d8b-4b3b-8abf-c27681436de7/Hattori-22.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/afeba546-727f-4925-b83d-563b56446075/Intro-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2f4223ae-367b-4aae-988c-f73a808bb7fb/Robuchon-08a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/20ab77ec-0e4e-4852-9e85-54aaf86f3b93/Judge-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/83541bdb-2660-4186-a37d-19bb0dbfc4b2/Hattori-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/11069338-0153-4f3f-b750-0cd5dfeeffc3/Robuchon-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out What's a king to a God? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/153c21e8-ccd4-4dc3-aa03-5a791ffb35ba/Hattori-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/30aecad6-f06e-47f3-8c5a-f1ca7e5aff32/Michiba-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f4849c18-e610-459d-b016-9e4249b3bd2b/Showdown-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d517b7ac-5a72-4cde-8304-92c9350ae33d/Challenger-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/34c49dd8-b6a7-405c-877a-f769efdc72a4/Hattori-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/da2c93ff-ca52-44d0-9eaf-e7ec08e83d36/Michiba-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7103b029-7bcc-4cb1-8d2b-1cae153cf0e2/Challenger-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out At 19 he entered the private Rikkyo (Saint Paul's) University in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, the largest Anglican university in Japan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c691e585-7320-4be3-950e-a3fb7e882bec/Michiba-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1527e449-1f6b-462b-9a9b-31225e796253/Reel-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c3069072-ca16-45da-bbe9-eef288ff6153/Michiba-D06a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c415ecda-2d55-4c15-9ca2-f8b673ed3e01/Reel-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b88eb0ac-4f2c-44d5-9b22-966f809d449f/Hattori-D01c.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/842fe9b1-22ff-4b70-8513-af6d17a35dff/Challenger-14.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out It was truly always a pleasure. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b26434c1-84ba-49e9-9052-9dd36a417f2b/Reveal-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/65965657-106e-4597-8268-e25b47a090b1/Intro-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman agrees to this wager. If Dr. Hattori wins, he will become the fourth Iron Chef. If he loses… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/518f393a-0187-4696-b564-690b5bbd790a/Michiba-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/583ee60a-64a2-4260-b622-6620a277186e/Michiba-D05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/810bd836-5deb-4712-944c-eb918e4ceb51/Showdown-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8842fa13-f444-48a3-9118-946f05d6243b/Hattori-17.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8fb9ccc0-5bbf-4a54-8034-b721875e1697/Challenger-08a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out At age 4, Baby Doc was peeling apples. At age 6, he was filleting fish. At age 9, he was picking and cooking crabs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b6974d5e-f506-4384-b880-eb6b02f19f43/Michiba-D06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/98b98251-3360-482f-b15c-8353c332970a/026-Truffles.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out A legend observes a doctor operate. It must be truffle season. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1e7068a5-21ce-43b8-8e2c-2a97739a3fed/Hattori-23.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Dr. Hattori's truffle ice cream gets unceremoniously un-plated, as it was too much ice and not enough cream. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b3899490-e091-41db-8d61-cdc58b7ad81a/Showdown-06a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5c4c5d92-1d4c-415e-8c05-72425512957b/Hattori-D04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ade2cea8-3317-4505-b301-253db9d79ef7/Hattori-14.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/591f7249-57eb-44b4-9ad2-407434ae1caf/Robuchon-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/acb19993-8beb-42cb-85c1-50772dbb379f/Hattori-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4075252e-edc5-4704-a4dd-e4de1c495f1b/Hattori-16.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f66621b5-f614-4501-b9a3-a0002cc5fe17/Challenger-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/97154e0e-071d-47ec-84ee-8dd533a05304/Hattori-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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* https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e82673b5-fce4-4254-8057-0e713a227822/Showdown-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/342839c7-6352-43c9-9744-f7e6af39acdb/Hattori-18.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out With 20 minutes remaining, and no dishes nearing completion, Dr. Hattori is having a breakdown. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/820f97d4-6d44-4848-af82-5774cf43521a/Showdown-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe: I... I was the apple. Hey, is thing even plugged in? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6f4436ab-5a69-44a8-8db7-6c4e07ffe365/Supreme-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman reminds Dr. Hattori of the potential consequences of his hubris. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/664d2765-8544-44d8-91fe-03c302976034/Reveal-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Truffles! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7daea898-f13b-4152-8129-6e2e49d2b2bd/Hattori-D01b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Robuchon: This was very unusual. Dr. Hattori: You mean you like it? Robuchon: ... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/adaa7743-6c55-4ff0-9876-206a18144812/Showdown-07.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1bcff611-df74-424f-9468-297066167b36/Challenger-06.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Dr. Yukio Hattori, that snake! That lovable huggable snake in a tunic! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a8ca7ed0-8d86-4d4e-86bb-9397c04ab4c9/Supreme-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out The winner is Iron Chef Rokusaburo Michiba! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5066644a-4d6f-4e70-ac8b-8c728612d830/Booth-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8f5ae4ce-1b2e-4c95-8ec0-8ee74c2a6c19/Hattori-20.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out And such will end Dr. Hattori's insurrection. The beatings will continue until morale improves. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dfc3d23e-e9e2-4d1d-8a5c-8f2bd90109e0/Hattori-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b3c64d20-368a-4f0c-bca1-3e6e89ca7617/Hattori-13.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/127ebb66-24c4-4ba0-8f55-77107afc63c4/Supreme-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/75f33e00-6c04-42b2-99d0-96e906ef6267/Hattori-D02a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Judge Hirano speaks for us all when he says he "was worried about [Dr. Hattori]." Judge Robuchon remarks that this dish is "not bad." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/14d9185b-dc9e-42cd-b478-6f15764f381b/Michiba-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/24a20747-5b72-4898-be5e-44492dcadd07/Showdown-06.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cef9347d-6096-4833-9bbc-c7d5e2351909/Hattori-15.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d8e39d7f-bd5a-4e89-b3e0-088467c46d8b/Hattori-21.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/eeed93dd-614d-4f03-8d24-faeb521d44db/Hattori-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8fe1a768-841d-4a95-87ee-f9dafa7725a1/Michiba-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/77e02ef3-685b-4edf-945f-df0ffa402ec0/Michiba-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef infused port wine with truffles and then mixed that with champagne, just as described in Action Bronson's cookbook. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/87b9c645-ea0e-4e3f-b02d-68339c05901f/Michiba-D06b.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #26 - Truffle Battle - Make it stand out 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. https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-episode-25-lamb monthly 0.5 2025-01-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4fb6f970-116f-48f6-9415-c51865fd5166/Reel-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Mufasa gazes disapprovingly at another terrine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c77b893f-ac27-4953-999f-5c49038336b7/Sakai-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a5fbe8b0-7c3a-4a9f-93ca-04ee7624273c/Sakai-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Sakai counters the challenger's truffles with his own truffles and butter sautéed foie gras atop the flamethrower lamb steaks. Julienned bamboo shoots will be added on top. The challenger has fallen into a relativistic low-gravity hypertime, experiencing minutes elapsing in mere Earth seconds. The Iron Chef is lapping him like Katie Ledecky does to whomever is swimming next to Katie Ledecky. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e4906259-a3a0-45d3-933d-2e088f199623/Intro-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman opens a letter. It is from the Federal Trade Commission, and it informs him that Iron Chef Sakai has indeed been running a pyramid scheme. Should the Iron Chef want to stay out of Club Fed, he will have to reduce the orientation training cost to $5,000 and three years of labor; thus becoming a perfectly legal MLM. If apprentices want to convince their friends and family to switch to term life insurance and remortgage their homes in exchange for a job at at the Crown Palace Hotel in Saitama, that is entirely up to them. We're job creators!' Let’s take a closer look at this rich history of occupational exploitation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6482efea-85f8-475a-9d77-7f5b97621ec4/Sakai-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Both chefs predictably go straight for the rack of lamb. If you are wondering, those decorative mittens on the lamb bones are called "paper frills" and they are mailed to you for free each time you break a bottle of champagne across a superyacht's bow. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/28627ff6-b557-434a-b48d-74ce3c46cad6/Sakai-10.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef torching circles around challenger Nakagawa. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5fe405d5-65fc-471f-8c3c-d2614d221ddb/Sakai-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Sakai sautés his foie gras in butter. We knew he was going to do that while it was still in the goose. That sound you heard was the Chairman leaping back up to Kitchen Stadium two-steps at a time singing "Foie foie foie foie" to the tune of the Meow Mix song. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/aaacf351-24f8-4092-9a7c-e28eeeef775f/Judge-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Actress Mayuko Takata (54 battles) Judge Takata likes her lamb like she likes her Harlequin Gecko purses, from New Zealand in a shipping container labeled "Milk Powder." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/42b6293f-ccf5-4e14-bee3-72ab4fa91d96/Nakagawa-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Chef Nakagawa carefully slices the silverskin off the lamb loins. This will not be wasted, as Nestlé-Purina will pay him two coppers per cubic sheep of silverskin. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f1cc87ac-9dba-4900-aff9-cae159752e1b/Nakagawa-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The protege continues at his mosey of a pace undeterred, bringing out a lobe of foie gras. Both chefs are now working with the same Rossini ensemble of luxury ingredients. Caviar and gold leaf remain the last bastion of avarice to throw at this cardigan-producing beast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2c8129c7-49b7-41bd-911c-e032c2a5e6be/Sakai-22.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Ohta: How do you think you did in today's battle? Iron Chef Sakai: https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/053d042a-9692-457e-9563-78d88b80dfac/Generation-1.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out We are introduced to the lineage of French cuisine in Japan. The first generation (gangsta d'origine) is headlined by former Iron Chef French Yutaka Ishinabe and current Iron Chef French Hiroyuki Sakai. They uphold French tradition utilizing a sprinkling of Japanese ingredients with a dash of Stankonian flamboyance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0f75d9d2-6b36-404c-a008-add0b32e54a2/Generation-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Bohemians! Led here by Philippe du Phillipeaux of Bistro Non-Conformité. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e5443982-c418-4e2f-ae56-dcd3bef5aa59/Booth-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Play-by-Play Kenji Fukui (right) and Color Commentator Dr. Yukio Hattori (left) are joined by the clairvoyant actress and judge, Mayuko Takata. This is the second battle for the future Hall of Fame judge and already her second time pulling double-duty in the booth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/982a4f08-cfd7-47e1-a4c5-652a60157551/Supreme-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Hiroyuki Sakai! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b587a7d0-e82f-453f-8aab-59a3a41652a1/Intro-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman sits in his little shop of horrors and ponders the fact that Iron Chef Hiroyuki Sakai has over 400 apprentices across Japan, leaving a trail of brunoised tri-colored bell peppers and "management fees" behind. This could be trouble. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/098d631a-cbca-48f3-b9b2-bbd0dd0b6157/Nakagawa-21.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Nakagawa places some flour-dusted foie gras nuggets into a pan with four minutes remaining in the battle. They won't be pretty, but they'll make the plate and be covered with a sauce and a shower cap. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ac2c9d29-b041-4d47-a657-198e273520b1/Supreme-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Per Iron Chef custom, Yukie, Kato, and Shota Nakagawa all now work as bussers for La Rochelle, Des Moines. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c493c499-c2fa-4b03-9a83-ee50d46b2d02/Sakai-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out It turns out that the French term for a rack of lamb is "carré d'agneau" and not "xylophone d'agneau." I cannot apologize enough. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3aa28119-7805-4ed1-a825-8d9febd77062/Showdown-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out A somewhat reluctant yet predetermined point from the challenger. "Do you see him in the courtroom today?" sort of point. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f64c9df3-2f2f-49c8-a5c0-48031347b524/Nakagawa-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out A piece of perfectly cooked lamb loin next to a last-minute foie gras nugget atop daikon matchsticks in a pistou sauce. It may look like the challenger plated the "paper frills," but rest assured, it's just something equally inedible like garlic peels or medical waste. In true Iron Chef tradition, anything is salad if you call it salad. Judge Kageyama likes the meat, Judge Takata likes the sauce, and Judge Kishi likes the radish. This dish, made up of three separate intended dishes, ended up a success! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/44297f81-2b6f-4936-826b-feb6ca5c661b/Sakai-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Sakai continues his torrid pace, making a sash out of bamboo shoots using the difficult katsuramuki technique. The sash will be julienned later. This is not a technique to rush, but the Iron Chef only knows one speed - Victory. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e37716d6-fbfc-40fe-b269-26d7437bc4ed/Sakai-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Sakai is wrapping his Rossini stacks in brik wrappers. This means it will get a final cook and hopefully a stylish flip in a sauté pan just like the Iron Chef knows I like. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7da83c0e-4f6a-4fe1-aa74-d19ee72d56be/Sakai-17.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The only thing that could stop Iron Chef Sakai from winning today's battle is if he burned down Kitchen Stadium. Don't tell him what he can't do. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5a24ee30-13a8-4d92-8096-1181b0f5c987/Sakai-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out This cold-starter of medium-rare lamb shoulder steaks topped with broad beans and spinach. The sauce is made with Kyoto carrots, veal stock, and balsamic vinegar. The accompanyments on the left side of the plate consists of assorted shrapnel from the earlier explosion. Potatoes, eggplants, shallots, Samsung Galaxy Note 7, etc. The judges unanimously approve, mentioning repeatedly that the dish has no bad smells. The challenger's raw sheep stank finale must have penetrated deep into the judges' nervous systems. They need this balsamic chaser. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ffd3b261-739d-44f1-aad4-c9528a8a8526/Generation-03a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Goodness gracious... Chef Mario Nakagawa, seen here using a file to make a cup of salmonella, represents the third generation of this French dynasty. The royal blood has turned foul. The natural order dictates revolution, followed by renewed nationalism from trying to conquer a continent, even more nationalism from occupation, and then generation four... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0a406b9f-cd12-41cd-97f5-cb9f144f5e41/Sakai-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Welcome to Iron Chef. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/418ab087-e82f-455d-99ed-3f1bc338e05d/Nakagawa-18.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out If you come at an Iron Chef, you best not miss. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fcf486ac-e780-4d49-a72b-528946391ab7/Sakai-20.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef's Rossini stacks get a pan-fry to finish. Amazing job holding together all the ingredients in a tight bundle. Unfortunately, we did not get to see the flip on camera. We know Iron Chef Sakai is the Flipmaster General of the Flip-Mode Squad and he probably went left-hand Eurostep off-the-glass. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1307ff66-65d0-4db4-8957-fa944ffcced3/Reel-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out This dish of lamb loin and chop with vegetables is proof that chef Nakagawa owns a stove. It's also a good indication that he's going to slay this lamb battle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/872fa351-b5d4-4a56-84d3-4fc192e67e24/Generation-2.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Generation Two is headlined by Kiyomi Mikuni, the reclusive sasquatch photographed in the Pacific Northwest, and Toshio Tanabe, the boxer/chef who was bested by Iron Chef Michiba in Episode 14 (Tai Snapper Battle). They're not afraid to gather around a camp fire, pop some Kirin Ichiban, and grill a whole Sika Deer in an asador while howling at the moon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0f284b99-bf99-4214-9006-2e80251b6389/Nakagawa-12.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Stick une fourchette in him. Challenger Nakagawa is cooked. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/343f6860-5caa-4d0e-8e2a-383b503d4959/Allez-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Sakai allows his protégé to be the first through the gates before throwing a few uncharacteristic warmup punches. The Iron Chef has heard the Chairman's decree: https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/946249b6-cc92-4614-8dfc-6f8224f215a9/Sakai-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Meat + Foie + Truffles + Demiglace = Rossini Dish. It is only appropriate that Kitchen Stadium's own fast-tempo "Signor Crescendo" try a Rossini. Conversely, our larghissimo challenger should try a Ma$e (Meat + Foie + Truffles + Ghostface's Fist). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8432bfc5-f879-433f-9005-fe7786f5bfd4/Reveal-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The party won't end until the Visigoths show up with black bread and hard apple cider. Things get pretty dark after that. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/33f62310-097c-4235-bd17-0b8b618998d3/Nakagawa-19.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Do you remember the two racks of lamb Challenger Nakagawa grabbed in the opening seconds of the battle? Well, you can forget them just like Chef Nakagawa did. They will remain uncooked and destined for the Chairman's Subaru. It is easily worth over $100, but the Chairman will hook you up if you know how to operate a TV camera and have a high tolerance for pain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5f61d3b3-d7e7-4584-870a-129a87aaf7e4/Sakai-D03a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out However, Judge Kageyama found this dish quite empowering. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/966a0ef1-1784-411d-94c9-d7b68070854e/Wisdom-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The Lamb montage contains: 1. The Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It is 50 sheep tall, 80 sheep wide, and 14 sheep deep. A staggering volume of 56,000 cubic sheep. Imperial system for life. 2. A frenched rack of lamb pan roasting in butter with garlic and rosemary. Fat cap on, like Cedric the Entertainer at a drive-through. 3. A lamb chop cooked to well-done. Someone was not listening to the bones. This lamb was killed twice. See you at the crossroads. 4. Rare lamb chops with a potato galeite. We are guaranteed to see lamb and potatoes from both chefs today.. Profound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/be0860c6-40ef-4912-8696-96f3a1243a3c/Nakagawa-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The Challenger has flour-dusted onion rings on parchment paper going in for a bake. They will never come out, remaining lost and forgotten. This is not the most exciting start from the challenger's corner. The Chairman, bored with these proceedings, has left to deal with a mutton emergency. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/376a0c5c-b054-4590-9bdb-e2d1e64a4499/Allez-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Sadly, the former Iron Chef French, Yutaka Ishinabe, could not escape the committee's justice. To be fair, he wouldn't be able to escape a retaliatory escargot. He slow. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d9b2c33e-811a-4523-9b10-67c45bb9f607/Sakai-19.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The spent ordnance was recovered from the ceiling. A classic exothermic eggplant; "Gassy Grimace" is what Sakai called them back in Basic. That was 34-years and three mustaches ago. He's been drawing on his eyebrows every morning since. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/67235513-05a4-41f4-88ec-60053f1550ab/Nakagawa-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out After some initial confusion, production assistants were able to save Judge Hirano's goat from the abattoir and return it to his assigned parking spot. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3afbcc88-12c8-428e-9233-e4e43a217a61/Nakagawa-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Nakagawa uses caul fat to wrap the lamb loins. A classic move to keep the loins from drying out and introducing a little flavor via fat. Again, caul fat in French is "crépine" and not "sac de détritus." So sorry. I learned all my French from this show. Also, all my English, if memory serves... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1201b211-f91e-4662-968e-325433e3afc4/Nakagawa-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Yukie Nakagawa would like to clarify that she does not cut her husband's hair. She did, however, buy him an oversized crucifix pendant and Mike Piazza t-shirt jersey, so he didn't really have a choice in the matter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b6b69c1a-bde5-465a-99c8-b97dfdd9a8b9/Reveal-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman hits the chefs with a powerful "Kohitsuji," but they are unfazed. Both chefs have ushered more sheep into the great Minecraft server in the sky than Romulus and Remus combined. Like the fratricidal shepherd twins, only one will survive today's battle and establish an enduring legacy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5146c75b-9635-4cd2-801d-8f1cc9ec73af/Sakai-08.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef torches some lamb steaks for some char, confirming three dishes (rib chops, shoulder chops, and loin). Let's see what the challenger has been up to. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/389a9ba4-d3fa-4904-b01c-723bb1bbd747/Wisdom-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out /r/OneSentenceHorror https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d69ef68b-5eb7-4236-a7ca-6c8589fd27c0/Sakai-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Sakai, Kitchen Stadium's commander of Operation Stackola, makes a Rossini tower (lamb, foie, truffles, bamboo shoots) all of which have been cooked in butter. The towers were then wrapped in brik (wheat pastry wrapper) and sautéed. They held together magnificently. This is bittersweet, because I know I will never get to see what this dish's cross-section looks like. The secrets of the universe continue to elude me. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ebfd8c29-2133-4578-9f49-b080814abd1a/Sakai-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef trims off the gristle from his lamb rack. Alpo Prime Cuts Juicy Lamb Bites coming to test markets soon. Twice the collagen, with all the bonemeal your French Bulldog, Maximilien Robespierre, has come to enjoy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5149d441-cd53-4b9c-a38d-4035c30b2f46/Sakai-16.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Not content to just deep fry whole skin-on onions, the Iron Chef deep fries whole skin-on eggplants. He's up for deep frying anything potentially explosive. Soft-shell crabs, wet tofu, frozen turkey, AirPods. Like and subscribe and become a Sakai-Sicko on Patreon for exclusive content and his unhinged thoughts on Tort-reform. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/46e90338-44c5-452a-bac0-b5fa88e7ab0e/Nakagawa-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The 59-minute effort from chef Nakagawa unfolded thusly: Trim lamb tenderloin. Wrap in caul-fat with parsley and truffles. Roast in pan. Pressure cook root vegetables. Admittedly, that is a lot of effort for a single dish. However, the challenger was not alone. He put his two sous chefs to work. While Nakagawa was spending his time idly rubbing truffles and then smelling his fingers, his sous chefs were doing the real heavy lifting (pretty much anything that ended up cooked). It was pretty much a Batali episode of Iron Chef America, minus the Starbucks cup filled with Port wine. All the judges said it was raw and smelled unpleasant, even when masked with truffles. Tough break to not finish the only dish you worked on. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ed99d01e-1cc3-4f85-b28f-cc3c1f726e40/Booth-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Dr. Hattori comments that "In Europe, lamb is considered one of the better meats. The best meat. Better than beef or pork, really." Later adding "the Europeans eat with their feet, live underground, and only the nobility may afford a Seiko TV watch." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f3d77ae6-cb03-48e7-8b1f-90f44285d0d8/Wisdom-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Glad we are all in agreement that Hannibal Lechter is a great host. Word of caution. If you are served just a single fake rose on two plates, three pieces of stemware, and 5+ pieces of silverware, you have not been slighted. You have been kidnapped by Gérard Depardieu. Get out of there immediately. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/82212402-72c5-4cc2-a384-9ac8baab055d/Sakai-21.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Sakai blends bright red Kyoto carrots with enough veal stock and balsamic to produce the calming pale taupe sauce best used to mollify one's humours. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bb6c1c5e-c6a9-424f-8b11-9e001e9cc10b/Sakai-15.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Sakai tops his rack of lamb with bamboo shoots and kinome (pepper leaf buds). The whole thing would get patted down with panko breadcrumbs. This is the Iron Chef's second lamb and bamboo shoots dish, which may seem odd. However, last episode was the "Bamboo Shoots Battle" in which 40 expensive shoots were same-day flown from Kyoto to Kitchen Stadium. This episode was likely also filmed the same day. The Iron Chef is smart to utilize another luxury ingredient typically not available fresh in the Kitchen Stadium pantry. This will be his closing dish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/86303811-6afd-4a8e-afdd-fb4c434d4aef/Judge-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Culinary Critic Asako Kishi (199 battles). Judge Kishi keeps Kibbeh Nayyeh in her sock whenever the urge for raw lamb becomes too overwhelming. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8ac064ec-c24a-430a-9bab-4f6a3428cfd5/Wisdom-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Rest the meat, broski. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/55d211e2-f858-4210-af2a-3562316190f0/Nakagawa-17.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Sideline Reporter Ohta spoke with the Challenger who said he has run out of time, is unable to finish multiple dishes, and doesn't think he can win today. A heartbreakingly honest assessment of what we have been witnessing. Only 10 minutes remain in the battle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/13c769b3-8eeb-4a61-bfc8-f25b09d159bf/Showdown-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Though the Iron Chef has known about this showdown since the production meeting (last night at Dave and Busters), the challenger has a surprise in store. The short mullet. No, not the majestic Agassi or regal Stamos, but a subdued variation favored by your nephew who considers scamming Robux to be a career path. Nobody ever sees it coming until it is too late. Both the hidden-mullet and the Robux scam. Advantage: Mario. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ce7b9591-a19a-4ae9-9588-07e76bff0d9e/Nakagawa-20.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The challenger's deep fried white potatoes were then pressure cooked with burdock, shallots, and yams in madeira and truffles. It is always good to have some components to serve. I am not sure what happened to the baked onion rings, but I hope whatever organic life has been sustaining itself off its nutrients for the past 30 years is a peaceful organism not aspiring for interspecies dominance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/29ac9081-dd5f-42d6-8cc3-fa8a074fcac6/Reveal-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Lamb! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0caeab3e-8cb3-4c05-91b3-fa03ebfef42b/Quote-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out "I'd like to show how I've developed as a chef... as a professional chef." I'd also like to show how I'd developed as a YouTube stunt chef. *Turns baseball hat backwards* Your boy is about to make steak frites with a flamethrower. This content is sponsored by MattRest, mattresses for dudes named Matt. Use coupon code "LETSGO" at checkout for an 80% discount. Smash that like. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/119d19a7-b8af-4262-975a-cf55a8364373/Sakai-14.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/51a74c00-ea58-4863-9150-8f6c8fe91dbf/Nakagawa-D02a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Judge Kishi did soften the blow by remarking that "meat is meat" and complimented the "bold choice." She did then add that she could only smell three of the sheep's four stomachs, and that Chef Nakagawa should take extra care to not wash the rumen next time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d3eb17b7-7c69-4187-be14-b71194bc1ec2/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Mario Nakagawa vs Iron Chef French Hiroyuki Sakai! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7445ff8f-5ec2-4c71-8cd4-abed77bc6117/Nakagawa-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The challenger has a new component! He's deep frying whole white potatoes... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8b70a992-da7a-4039-b161-c4d896d59b27/Sakai-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef begins pan roasting two racks of lamb in a very large pan before finishing them off in the oven. He's also deep frying something, but you already knew that. What you didn't know is that it is whole skin-on shallots. The mad man. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e155c419-0f82-4bc3-8f6c-b693729d66b1/Title-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5490f2cf-5fe4-4c41-aa4b-95a67d07d97d/Judge-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Novelist and actor Tamio Kageyama (65 battles) Judge Kageyama has proof on a ZipDisk that lamb chops were named after the television sock puppet and not the other way around. You're gonna want to see this. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2c286a77-0f53-490d-9468-9b58e78e7726/Challenger-M.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Sakai has never eaten at Chez Mario. Not because he doesn't want to, but because he doesn't know the secret handshake: https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/41e1a140-2c9d-467a-ad85-22d46255a505/Nakagawa-15.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out One and a half lamb loin dishes in an hour, my dude. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/85e41a87-793c-42fb-b826-50fe01d20817/Sakai-18.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out A cameraman named Take was burned on the face and kept on filming without missing a beat. When asked how he was doing, he replied "perrrfect" in a deeply concerning un-sarcastic manner. Don't mess with Take, the Iron Camera Operator. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/928ac2f5-0a1e-47ff-b467-58be85e9bd46/Nakagawa-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Checking back in with the challenger, it appears he spent the past five minutes sprinkling parsley on to the caul fat. This has been the slowest start by any challenger since the very first episode (in which that challenger made a salmon larb in two hours). Excruciating. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f96497f3-01ea-4ffb-8be7-68943ba4e4f9/Fit-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Today the Chairman is a Freshman double-major in Astrology and Astronomy at the Sanya Institute for the Criminally Insane. He knows the Virgo constellation has 35 exoplanets. What he doesn't know is how big of a fire he must set for the Virgins to notice him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bf9939a2-9343-4f25-ba55-f6c3b5227703/Reveal-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out We have frenched racks, hind shanks, kidneys, loins, and shoulder (in England they would be the scrag, chump, barnsley, fiddly-pondermud, and goggins). These are all between 6-8 months old, so no mutton. Lamb is enjoyed the world over in kabobs, curries, tagines, stews, Xinjiang stir fries, grilled, and yes, roasted chops on cocktail trays at your company holiday party (that's where your bonus went). When it is done right, lamb is hard to beat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ec05d655-262e-4843-949e-72623cc4025d/Nakagawa-22.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Ohta: How do you think you did in today's battle? Nakagawa: Just horrible. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/01c325cf-dcd1-4e58-93b3-2d90602710c9/Sakai-D02a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The sauce is made of lamb stock, butter, honey, and truffles. Predictably, the judges are lost in the sauce. Unanimous praise. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/efe1c6b9-c41e-4cc2-b11d-17157d6160d0/Supreme-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman receives the the verdict, but he's known the outcome for an hour. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/61b1555e-9bab-47aa-b73a-f76f096841f0/Nakagawa-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The challenger is still working on the caul-wrapped lamb loin, adding chopped truffles.. As good as this dish could be, one dish is not enough to beat an Iron Chef. Challenger Mario needs to get some additional components and some more lamb started immediately. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1d1bde79-bd35-4fd9-81db-67c65be3b01c/Reel-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Our resident egg-shell filer made a foie terrine with enough collagen to glue together a life-size paper-mache Kitchen Stadium. We're at an 8-out-of-10 on the stodginess scale. (An "8" is best eaten in a hot air balloon, adrift from the small thoughts of the squirearchy). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9d676980-7f22-48c1-bce6-eaec24edbd38/025-Lamb.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Sakai’s don’t concern themselves with the opinions of sheep. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b2e931f1-036d-4acd-9b5a-2eabe0386f34/Challenger-07.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6c1f6871-aa3a-4a2f-8a54-61af49a27595/Reel-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Simba, you made a minion. My sweet dumb boy. You mixed intellectual properties. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/991df23b-b42c-416a-b06f-1ed72ed3f3c7/Nakagawa-14.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Nakagawa throws an unadorned lamb loin into a pan, thus beginning his (*checks notes*,*checks calendar*,*checks tide chart*), yes, second dish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dbc75633-d130-4c84-a541-a73c18b95af6/Challenger-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The Head Chef of Chez Mario in Kamata, Tokyo, began working for Iron Chef Sakai as an apprentice at La Rochelle in 1979 at age 21. The hours were long, the training rigorous, the compensation predatory, and the mentorship more akin to Jay-Z rapping at hypothetical flight attendants ("I don't remember you. I don't intend to."). Nonetheless, he would arrive two hours early to chop onions, and leave two years early from his servitude-contract, joining Generation Two's Kiyomi Mikuni's Bistro Sakanaza at age 24 to focus on seafood. The wunderkind shifted his focus yet again at age 26 to confectionary and desserts. At Age 28, Chef Mario opened a restaurant and Freemason sanctum, Chez Mario, in Kamata, Tokyo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b7fa1b5d-6ba4-4a73-a292-31c14fcec1a7/Sakai-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef is deep frying whole skin-on European shallots (not the small Asian shallots). These will become cat-deterrent Christmas tree ornaments, if they don't violently explode first. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dbdca2e2-9bcd-46bd-8069-c1453d409193/Quote-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out "I'm a bit intimidated and I wish I didn't really have to do this." You know, the way that self-checkout is intimidating because I can't be bothered to look up the item code of scallions before I eviscerate them? *shivers mockingly* https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3b990b67-25d8-414c-a795-61d8ea435dd3/Showdown-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman is asking the real questions. The people have been clamoring. Fantastic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5cfa02ec-805e-4866-a801-f4563f816f5a/Nakagawa-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Checking back in with the challenger, and... yep. He has two sleeping bags of raw lamb sitting in a cold pan. This is the struggle of man who has never been financially compensated based on the length of time he works. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f6e5857e-f0b9-4eff-9545-52e74549db3f/Nakagawa-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Chef Nakagawa and his sous chefs perfecting Generation Three cuisine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4d52e0f4-59e0-402f-8bb8-927671e62898/Nakagawa-16.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Nakagawa suddenly finds himself back in the competition because when the smartest kid in class almost burns down the chemistry lab, this test is definitely going to be graded on a curve. To that end he blitzes basil, olive oil, and garlic to create 75% of a Pesto/Pistou. You know what? I respect it. Pine nuts are the 4th most important ingredient in a pesto but the most costly. Let's not get started on them having the shelf life of yogurt. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e5b69c56-edad-4263-8bf7-1c7c23c262cb/Nakagawa-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a8889244-5870-4829-8dbb-4b086a5722a5/Sakai-04a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef unveils an entire lobe of foie gras. Wait, let me try that again with the appropriate amount of lens flares. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/70030214-a17a-4874-ae83-7e5204033aaf/Sakai-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Sakai closes with a platter fit for a medieval king. We have racks of lamb browned in a pan then roasted in a convection oven. Not done yet, the lamb was then caked with bamboo shoots and kinome (pepper leaf buds), egg yolk, and panko breadcumbs before being finished back in the oven. The rest of the platter is composed of the larger ordnances from today's blast (whole skin on shallots, broccolini, eggplants, and bell peppers). There are two sauces: cream (of course) and truffle (you bet). Judge Ishii found this dish "too sophisticated." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f2a857ea-a101-4d66-b06a-18c1de0f1e8a/Nakagawa-07.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #25 - Lamb Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Nakagawa at his cutting board. https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-episode-24-bamboo-shoots monthly 0.5 2024-12-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dd2f5817-6b2e-4af0-91ba-2c9d182ffad2/Takahashi-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out The management and owners of Ikumatsu, satisfied with the number of trap doors, hidden passages, and blood stains in Kitchen Stadium, gaze approvingly upon these proceedings. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6c953e1a-bd73-4ec2-9c2f-96d42ffb4222/Kenichi-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Much like how the Food Network lost track of an apostrophe, I lost track of this dish. The Iron Chef has produced one more dish than I was accounting for. This starter has sliced bamboo shoots and scallops in hot mustard and sichimi togirashi, for a sinus-punch guaranteed to wake up the judges after the challenger's sushi lullaby. This is a blend of the Iron Chef and the Iron Detective. He'll kick in your front door at 5:30 in the morning, but it's to save you from Yakuza kobuns. Judge Kageyama declares the first Oishi of the day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0da31ef1-6e76-4e1f-af08-2049df24af06/Reel-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out A deep fried sushi roll with charred shishito peppers. Consider that this is just a segment of the whole pre-cut sushi roll. Now consider the size of the deep fryer, the amount of oil, and BTUs required to cook the whole sushi roll quickly and evenly. Lastly, consider the construction materials of 1800's Kyoto residences. I think I know why this restaurant is now closed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dc698c01-67fa-4e32-be45-0eb7845d02f9/Kenichi-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out It's half past one in the morning. Your head is ringing from all the bananas. So. Many. Bananas. The server has returned with a sinister grin and another tray. This time it isn't even phrased as a question. "Bamboo shoots, hot mustard, and mayonnaise..." You surrender your car keys, mobile phone, and identifications. You won't need those where you're going. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0d2fbcf7-bafc-47c1-837d-c59f83e2f3b6/Takahashi-22.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Abruptly, the battle is over and it is unclear if Challenger Takahashi completed his stone soup. He admits that he ran out of time, but does not admit that he cannot read analog clocks. He glances down at his two dead Casio Eminem-edition G-Shocks (on the same arm). They remind him of the fragility of life, if not the time. The outcome is looking bleak for our challenger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/95a4b2b2-8d8f-4bf9-b5d5-5ec2ec12f1af/Takahashi-D01a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Judge Takata comments that "this is more than good, this is great!" It is clear that the challenger has never heard a real compliment before. Perhaps has not heard any encouragement before. Only 15-years of listening octogenarians in robes calling him a coin locker baby because he didn't stir the dashi clockwise. I would give my stainless steel wok for Iron Chef Kenichi to crash the scene and give Chef Takahashi a hug right now. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cc75609d-24dd-432c-bc62-b045e47c9fe4/Takahashi-18.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Sideline Reporter Ohta: Is there anything you want to say to the challenger with 15 minutes remaining? Yutaka Yamane: *rolls ox-knuckles* Yutaka Yamane: "Ho Ho," says the keeper of the beat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/319998c2-95c4-496e-85c1-7be140b5e9b8/Kenichi-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef has bamboo chanclas! No, not the mass-produced footwear preferred by cruise ship perverts, but different bamboo chanclas. Ones made with himekawa (edible soft bamboo husk), filled with bamboo shoots and broad beans. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/26bd942e-9256-49fe-8876-655ae7383015/Kenichi-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi also switches gears from intricate to brute force. Both chefs have been marching to the same battle rhythm - mise, finesse, power, chaka (TBD). This entire chicken is going to be used for stock only. This was back before whole chickens were $25 and you and you had to sleep on the couch because of an argument over drumstick bone marrow. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8257db24-3c3b-40c0-a958-7e8b37e8a0b4/Takahashi-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out The challenger utilizes a large sentient bag of katsuobushi flakes to make a Michiba-esque dashi. Dr. Hattori comments that the quantity is correct when chopsticks can stand straight-up in the pot, meaning I can afford to make a tablespoon of dashi. Also, I am immature. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c2449cf9-d2d8-4139-aa6a-c9b98b63a38e/Reel-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out A mixed mushroom broth. This checks the "seasonal," "light," and "ingredient focused" boxes. The McRib is getting real tired of this gatekeeping. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cf417dc0-5b19-4c4b-935c-d547a41a0fad/Takahashi-19.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out For the challenger to have any chance of victory, his bamboo rolls are going to have to slap. Unfortunately, this does not slap. This is more a glare of timid reproach reserved for an Uber Eats driver who forgot your horchata. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/46887a15-ba69-4154-9f0f-fc123fda18f0/Judge-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Novelist and actor Tamio Kageyama (65 battles) Judge Kageyama can cleanly slice through three stalks of bamboo with one mighty swing of his retainer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3bb7129b-62b7-4462-8f77-06bb4e80a941/Takahashi-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out The challenger demonstrating the katsurimuki technique of making an obi (sash) out of vegetables, a technique we were deprived of in the Daikon battle. It would be silly to still be mad about that... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1dd8bf6d-764f-4c51-82cb-376e8ce1b004/Fit-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Today the Chairman is the consiglieri of a powerful immigrant familia from the Old World. It is said in hushed tones, that it is he pulling the strings on Don Boyardee's bribes to the Feds. Beefaroni talks. Now nobody is listening. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ab6e19df-5099-4e5e-9645-b0258aef262b/Kenichi-15.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out The bamboo-banana skewer with mustard-mayonnaise gets a deep fry. When converted to hex, that sentence is the private-key to my bitcoin wallet. 54 68 65 20 62 61 6d 62 6f 6f 2d 62 61 6e 61 6e 61 20 73 6b 65 77 65 72 20 77 69 74 68 20 6d 75 73 74 61 72 64 2d 6d 61 79 6f 6e 6e 61 69 73 65 20 67 65 74 73 20 61 20 64 65 65 70 20 66 72 79. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/447c6944-a1a0-494d-9a05-f87a8423c149/Kenichi-D04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef uses a himekawa (edible soft bamboo bark) flip-flop to hold some simply stewed bamboo shoots and broad beans. This is a demonstration of technique and knowledge, perhaps directed at the discerning Judge Hirano who has a himekawa sleeping bag he leaves in the utility closet. That said, it is his third best dish of three, thus far. The Iron Chef likely had a strong braising liquid to flavor these bamboo shoots, but I couldn't isolate anything specific besides doubanjiang. Let's just say it also had Shaoxing rice wine, white pepper, soup soy sauce, MSG, green onions, and an entire 400-lbs Meishan barrow. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/634bfe96-063d-4a5d-8051-d1d350d5dead/Challenger-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Stay in school. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/249e2021-c4f5-4463-8aba-f97dd91ef646/Wisdom-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Our Bamboo montage depicts: 1. A Bamboo forest depicted without wire-fu stuntpersons. Weird. 2. Cracking open bamboo shoots like a gas station cigarillo. 3. Slicing bamboo shoots uniformly, which we know is impossible because they are non-Euclidean. 4. Boiling bamboo shoots to remove the cyanide. That sound you just heard was all the intoxicated pandas laughing at us. Go back to sleep in a sitting position, intoxicated pandas! Profound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9f6ad391-61cd-4501-9683-7d715360e9a8/Takahashi-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out The Challenger has a beautiful whole Red Tilefish (Branchiostegus japonicus), which will be filleted and lightly boiled for a soup. A classic high-floor low-ceiling dish. The fifth-year Senior in the NBA draft of dishes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bdd6331e-72dc-4fd4-8923-bd2ee4d48dd2/Takahashi-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Kayoko Kubo: Which shape of bamboo is our young Takahashi going to use with the fish? Yutaka Yamane: *rolls ox knuckles* Yutaka Yamane: A horse tossed overboard can kick fast or slow. Ultimately it doesn't matter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d220479f-abed-4fad-900f-48c13908e05f/Intro-i00.jpg SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out If you are going to venture into the acai-dappled wilds of a US chain supermarket, ask the nearest Kelce for assistance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/da232719-2c8e-4e54-b9d9-c56ff26bd789/Intro-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Well, that was no help. Instead lets go to the famed Ikumatsu restaurant and Inn in Kyoto. Though now closed, the 200-year old establishment was a historical gem overlooking the Kamogawa River. There's bound to be a cheftestant there, but first, more about this establishment's legendary place in history. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c460b061-faa2-4878-a2ca-971ea4d71145/Kenichi-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef produces another combination of finesse and power. The delicately cut bamboo tassle "cigars" that were filled with a seafood farce and steamed. The stir fry was the standard Kenichi wok star stadium power chord - Theme ingredient + Ground Pork + Fermented Sauce (in this case tianmianjiang). The stir fry also contains dried shrimp and preserved mustard greens. Do these two dishes go together? No, but neither do they stand on their own. It was the right decision to combine these two into a banquet dish rather than serve six dishes total. The judges seem fine with it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9b297282-2e5c-4389-bfa7-cb4f6463d4bc/Wisdom-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out But NEVER hear the smell of bamboo shoots… lest you are inclined to incur the wrath of the Shinto deity Kuni-no-Tokotachi. As fun as it is to say aloud, you don't want no Kuni no Tokotachi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/73f0a833-a78b-4d1c-be2c-ea49162e85db/Kenichi-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out "Shang-jiao" is the Chinese word for banana, proving conclusively that English is the funniest language. Shout out to Finnish, because "banaani" is also very fun to say (but less fun to spell in song). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c60c9c8b-05da-46a2-8df6-3ce9c8c0b7bf/Takahashi-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Takahashi has three pots of boring on a simmer. The first contains sliced bamboo shoots. The second contains sliced bamboo shoots, but like thinner. The third contains sliced bamboo shoots, but like wider. I’d be on the edge of my bamboo papasan if that wasn’t a guaranteed way to break my laptop and neck. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3568c232-2bbb-49f2-b2db-87eea188878f/Kenichi-D05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out This one had me worried when it was just bamboo shoots and banana slices on a skewer. Ultimately it came together as a deep fried dessert. For best taste, the banana-to-bamboo ratio should be minimum 99-to-1. Pretty much the same as the allowable amount of lead in drinking water. At least lead contamination makes my neighborhood affordable, whereas bamboo is bringing nothing to the table (water table nor judges' table). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bdf24142-766d-4791-9eab-3c9c264a25ac/Kenichi-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out I've made a mistake. These aren't the chill vibes exuded by Chaka Chen. No, this is an entirely different persona smoldering its way to the surface. This can only be Ken Chenichi. His techniques are unorthodox, he doesn't play by the rules, demonstrates self-destructive behavior, and has a problem with authority. But darn it, there isn't a better detective on the force. Ken has icefish (salangidae), prawns, and egg whites in a blender and an ice cold Tsingtao pressed to his temple. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a9c0c3db-bce1-408c-8fe6-85f07bb9994d/Takahashi-15.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out The challenger is complaining that the rice cooker did not cook his sushi rice properly, which would seem like a poor excuse because it's only job is to cook rice properly. Then again they're like 85% wrong buttons, and the right button is labeled something like "Turbo" or "Super Saiyan." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1ef10b07-8f7a-4339-b099-2533f05345cd/Takahashi-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out The challenger has a dreary trio of bamboo shoots sushi. Bamboo maki, bamboo nigiri, and bamboo that-one-thing with the pickled shiso leaf. This is neither a wide variety of shapes, colors, nor flavors. This is the color palette for Fallout 3, a video game combining the aesthetics of a nuclear wasteland with those of the Washington DC Metro system. Nonetheless, again Challenger Takahashi demonstrates a new technique and credit should be given for that. If this is his weakest dish (it is), then he's in surprisingly good shape. The Judges are kind, calling this composed and indicative of the region, which is how I would describe an abandoned dog food factory in Wilmington, Delaware. One of the Iron Chef's two wildcard dishes (banana skewer or stogies) will need to beat this sushi platter to secure the win for the home team. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/17d958a7-8735-4b4f-94f9-31b74f3ddf41/Kenichi-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Cleaver drop moment. Iron Chef Chen Kenichi, the freight train of a wok star, reaches deep into his bag and pulls out this perfectly-cut jewel. I didn't know he had it in him. The Iron Chef intricately sliced a hollow, ridged, conical object into a bird's wing. This is a man seeing the world in 11-dimensions. He's making pea soups in 30-seconds. He's observing Higgs bosons decay. He's winning this battle. What a legend. Judge Hirano would talk for 30-seconds straight about only the magnificence of the chicken stock in the pea soup. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/12feeb44-8c0f-414e-8c96-f0f2219f079a/Reel-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out A seared scallop smoking a cigarette behind the bushes mumbling about the polio vaccine and Cybertrucks, and how everything is connected, man. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ab7e271a-931b-442f-a33f-5f87b4854161/Takahashi-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Takahashi combines his various Lucky Charms shapes of bamboo on a single dish with shrimp and wakame. Classic high-floor low-ceiling. Six-foot-five with a reliable corner three-point shot, a masters in sports marketing, and a cheese-grater prosthesis instead of a left-hand. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/42208e9f-7305-4f1d-9f26-61075429286a/Intro-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Yutaka Yamane, Chairman of the Kyoto Chefs Association, took charge of selection process. After weeks of calculation and divining of ox-knuckles, the mini-Chairman decreed that... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f7d5c234-3ac4-40e1-b921-ec4f398fbbaa/Kenichi-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out No stranger to the knife life himself, Iron Chef Kenichi carves bamboo shoots into the tread-pattern of a Nike Cortez. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/591296a7-ef8b-424d-8c2e-bdd20fe47539/Takahashi-17.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Takahashi has minced bamboo shoots mixed in his sushi rice. Sushi traditionalists are turning over in their burial mounds. I think its great, but then again I made maki rolls last week with cooked goat, mint, carrots, ras al hanout, and a pomegranate-harrissa sauce. I am now disbarred from visiting Japan again. I have no regrets. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/010d684c-641d-406d-b22b-b6eac5f28fe5/Supreme-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Chen Kenichi! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/058c0178-6ae0-4779-be1e-868111f81200/Reveal-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out I’m just going to stash this reaction GIF here for when you are texted to work on Black Friday. It conveys your excitement, is entirely non-committal, and there is no appropriate response back. Help yourself to a second slice of sweet potato pie and thank the Chairman. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ae4b76cc-a509-4c1e-9da9-2cb15d4cb503/Kenichi-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Iron Detective Ken Chenichi's ashtray is cluttered with spent bamboo-seafood cigars. The corkboard above it is equally cluttered. A dozen colored strings connect seemingly unrelated disappearances to a single common point. At the center of this spiderweb is a blurry image of a bedazzled man with a majestic mane. Mother of God... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1337310a-65e9-4e56-8a8a-cec0c170501a/024-Bamboo+Shoots.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out “Explore the world of Panda Snax and discover how tasty snacking can align with a healthier lifestyle.” The above was written by the SquareSpace AI just by typing in “Panda Snax.” I am equal parts impressed and horrified. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d69ae26c-2c00-449d-a52d-66c58c7c075c/Intro-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out "The rains will be heavy after the autumnal equinox." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e27dcc29-df13-48ab-8d74-8a776596250b/Kenichi-14.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef beautifully fans out his bamboo slices into the pea soup to resemble a wing. This leaves his total at four dishes: Banana skewers, stir-fry with stogies, bamboo chaclas, and this. The latter two are delicate dishes that are sure to be hits with the judges in presentation and technique. The former two dishes are not for the judges. They are the catharsis of the Iron Detective's decades of dishing-out extrajudicial retribution from Akasaka to Yurakucho. How can those who live in the light of day possibly comprehend the depths of night? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c1363184-5ef7-4102-a688-388ddfc5b8a6/Reveal-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Bamboo Shoots! The Chairman gives a powerful performance. I have goosebumps. These are the below-ground tender shoots of the fast growing stalky plants currently annexing your neighborhood, that can be used in soups and stir-fries. There are a few types of bamboo shoots for the chefs to select from today, including 40 shoots from Kyoto dug up the morning of this battle and flown to Tokyo. All the bamboo shoots have been pre-boiled for an hour to remove toxins. I think all this exclusivity with bamboo shoots is the wrong approach. To become more accessible to consumers, bamboo shoots should consider a rebrand to "Panda Snax" and find a Kelce to say it gives him panda quickness and football smarts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6c574e05-7633-4633-b253-6b03b78f56a7/Takahashi-06.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Takahashi demonstrates how not to use a deba knife to split a slick tilefish from head-to-tail. I'm choosing to interpret the fact he still has a left hand as a testament to his incredible skill and not his incredible inexperience. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d09094da-b5de-445e-973f-ee803747685c/Kenichi-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out You enter the soirée at midnight, elegant eye-mask adorned like the other resplendent yet discrete attendees. A server, clearly instructed to not make eye-contact glides a cocktail tray across your field of vision and back again, but slower, almost tauntingly. "Bamboo shoots and banana skewer?" Your fate rests in your reply. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c9e6d6fb-ad03-4806-abc1-3ad9ec5aa536/Kenichi-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi begins work on a pea soup with less than 15-minutes remaining, which means he should be done making pea soup with 14-minutes remaining. Remember that whole chicken from earlier? It has allegedly contributed to this soup. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/83294cc2-afaf-4683-aec7-2834228bb753/Takahashi-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out The hot rocks dish made it in time! We have a competition! The challenger was being coy about running out of time. He didn't mean in this competition. He meant existentially. We're all running out of time, man. "Ask the Mayans," he says in all seriousness, thumb pointed over his shoulder. Stay in school. This hearty stew contains bamboo shoots, shrimp, sake, seaweed, eggs, and hot rocks. Ironically, Iron Chef Kenichi cooked a similar dish in the Wheat Battle (episode 19), replacing hot rocks and bamboo shoots with handmade noodles and chili paste (upgrades in every way). I do appreciate the novelty of traditional horoku hot stones, even though Judge Hirano ate them whole, released a pyroclastic belch, and complained about the lack of seasoning. The last part is true. Mixed results from the challenger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/48a9b861-24f5-437e-b4a8-5066cf6f8b33/Challenger-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Chef Takahashi is one of the best young talents specializing in "pure Kyoto cuisine." Pure Kyoto cuisine is, of course, described the same as every regional Japanese cuisine (seasonal, light, and, ingredient focused). A young Takahashi made up his mind to become a chef during elementary school. While other kids were doing multiplication tables, Takahashi was eating earthworm ikizukuri and booger sashimi. Recognizing his "talent," Takashi's grandfather gave him a paint scraper and told him it was a magic chef's knife. Armed with this tetanus-wand, Takehashi dropped out of school and began a restaurant apprenticeship at age 15, eventually moving his way up to an apprenticeship at Uzuki at age 27, and then an apprenticeship at Ikumatsu at 29. He is 30 year old at he time of filming. If you are counting, he has been working as an apprentice for 15 years. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e1d275fd-12fa-431b-b100-428e582c8f17/Reveal-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi has come out of the tunnel with the body language of the Washington Wizards (Circa-always), which is appropriate because his work locker and weapons locker are one-in-the-same (Wizards Circa 2009-10). Unlike the Wizards, the Iron Chef is probably going to slum his way to victory. #Sag4Flagg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b370ace2-9823-4330-945a-35aadad9ffdd/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Munetaka Takahashi vs Iron Chef Japanese Rokusaburo Michiba! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bd145fc7-2a0b-42d4-b8c6-38cbeb0561f3/Reel-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out "I have confidence in controlling flavors at a very fine level." Turn my capsicum up by 150 Scovilles, my rice vinegar down to 3.55 pH, and this bass to eleven. *Harlem Shakes in silence because he is pointing at a Sea Bass.* Stay in school. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0156a8b4-df2f-4642-bb9f-aece97096fd3/Kenichi-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ca66707e-77a9-4514-a1e7-c79e5c102bfb/Allez-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Let's take a trip into the bowels of Kitchen Stadium, where a secure refrigerated storage room is nestled. It is one of 26 rooms of its type on floor B3. This one, labeled 'W', houses the wakame, wasabi, watermelons, and writer(s). A lone writer stoops above his desk (watermelon gaylord), wasabi-vapor induced tears pooling on the Chairman's assignment: create a catchphrase that will endure for the next 280 English language episodes. This marks the first time "Bang a gong, we are on" is said on Iron Chef. Nailed it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2ea247d9-ffbe-4e29-b4da-fb2106fa8713/Takahashi-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Takahashi makes a pile of bamboo sheets in seconds. The many years of apprenticeship may work to the challenger's advantage when it comes to mise en place. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/50152c84-14dc-46a8-9d11-7a06d226e396/Kenichi-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Speaking of mise en place, the Iron Chef's consists of broad beans, shrimp, dried fish, mayonnaise, dried scallops, and bananas. It remains one squid-ink short of being the worst Mario Kart item boxes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/feeb744a-694e-440e-ae0c-b39b74bc6b4f/Takahashi-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/044d3b7d-5462-4d0b-9b52-d16bbdd3d5d4/Booth-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Friends, let me introduce you to something I like to call "Kenji Fukui Makes it Weird." Take it away, Fukui: Fukui: If we had a bamboo festival, I'd choose you as the bamboo princess. Mayuko Takata: … My, my... I cannot wait for the next installment! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e3ae339d-1c65-4084-a49d-65e68bbd09a4/Takahashi-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Remember blanched fish before it met bamboo broth bucket? Individually unimpressive. But together, they really brought out the boring in each other. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c789b504-4997-4679-87c3-fa1c2cd00089/Takahashi-14.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Takahashi suddenly makes this battle square by preparing bamboo wrapped sushi with the obi-sashes he delicately carved earlier! This will be an amazing technical feat if it comes together. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f1d73980-9681-41f3-abc5-d2f02ed5f124/Takahashi-16.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out The challenger looks across the hangiri at his apprentice enthusiastically fanning the poorly-cooked rice, hungry for approval. He ruminates on the past 15 years as the sour acidic sting of rice vinegar scours him from the inside out. What plays out is word-for-word the "Not my Tempo" scene in Whiplash. It's uncanny. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6ee66d80-3eda-43b5-b904-49d403e09f3f/Judge-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano (42 battles). "A single cane may live but 15-years, but the grove can live for more than a hundred" remarks the elderly Judge Hirano, facing the ceiling agape, as he tilts another slice of discount Boar's Head deli meat into his maw with a black plastic spatula. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d7c8792c-2050-4fc5-a3dd-f36a36a40b47/Intro-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out There has yet to be a challenger from Kyoto (the 9th largest city in Japan) during the first 23 battles of Iron Chef. This may seem odd, but try saying out loud: "Jacksonville is a very large thing that very much exists." Despite being true, it cannot be said convincingly. Kyoto is Jacksonville with cooler hats. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f546e761-e443-4c3d-977a-30b3d9614e54/Takahashi-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Fukui: This young man, you could say he is a Kyoto-cuisine Samurai! Takata: If by looks, he certainly has the upper-hand today. Such disrespect is how you awaken the Iron Chef's alter-ego - Chaka Chen, last seen carving cucumber waves on the Hall of Fame worthy Scallop Battle. Let's be honest, in any variation of Iron Chef Marry-Romance-Murder, we're putting the ring on the Sichuan Sage. I can fix him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e2cddc31-9d18-4c7d-8aa4-99c3f4853ce5/Wisdom-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Also, Real G's move in silence like lasagna. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b7b0277d-4f25-4bcf-ab70-f6b9b7f247f4/Intro-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Kayoko Kubo, the Manager of Ikumatsu, happily encourages patrons to have their photo taken beneath the historical blood stains. "It's what Admiral Perry would have wanted." she insists, pointing at the tip jar. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/74f9cffb-be16-4227-bd64-2581000aca3f/Kenichi-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef plates his stogies and stir-fry together. This seems like a wise choice, as neither dish was strong enough to stand on its own. The Iron Chef ties everything together with a ladle of ground pork. Everything. This dish, his outfits, his décor, the Yokohama serial-arsonist case. Ground pork everywhere. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/203f789b-e5ac-4031-8255-b681cde3c319/Booth-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Play-by-Play Kenji Fukui (right) and Color Commentator Dr. Yukio Hattori (left) are joined by the clairvoyant actress and judge, Mayuko Takata. Judge Takata will accurately predict a majority of the challenger’s dishes today. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cc5ca73f-4628-4ef9-8a47-f99cedfcd64c/Kenichi-D05a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Judge Takata's mind and body are holding two opposite opinions at the same time. Is that a sign of first-rate intelligence, or the normal human response to bamboo-dessert honed over eons of survival? Likely both. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0ee0c388-b80c-4f38-a22e-961235143351/Booth-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Kenji Fukui makes it weird! (this should be sung to the theme of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”) Kenji Fukui: Grandma must be a good cook. Takata: …Well, she WAS a good cook. It's not what you think. Grandma got an Insta-Pot. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ec76e584-a26f-45df-b44c-693365e3ba09/Kenichi-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Iron Detective Ken Chenichi begins rolling his own bamboo and seafood paste stogies. *Exhales deeply* If Barb wants more alimony, she can catch the Roppongi Station Strangler herself. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/38c12efb-af69-4287-808a-27b3ccf4ffe9/Intro-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman has resolved to address this Kyoto-sized blind spot in his gladiatorial recruitment drive the only way he knows how: brutal competition. Atop the 1,300 year old Yasaka Pagoda the Chairman has placed a golden ticket... and at the bottom, a steel greatsword. Your move, Kyoto. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6346401a-c6be-4d4a-9cd9-de196c9085ec/Showdown-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Apprentice Takahashi, not permitted to speak until now, confidently selects Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi as his opponent. The four words I would use to describe the Iron Chef's at this moment are "Yawning," "Furiously," "Internally," and "Yawning" (again). Does Chef Takahashi have what it takes to forment an Ikumatsu revolution in Kitchen Stadium? No, that would be silly. The Chairman's stranglehold on power is absolute. However, the challenger does have the opportunity to plate some cool dishes before he has to spend another 15-years handwashing sweaty hachimakis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/79555010-49c8-4911-a247-dd3d8a9388aa/Intro-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out The Samurai Katsura Kogoro (later Kido Takayoshi) developed his plan to overthrow the Shogunate and lead the Meiji restoration at Ikumatsu, narrowly escaping with his life through an upstairs window via a hidden passage. He had the seven piece sashimi sampler served in a concave flounder. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7fd4fa71-7a6e-4743-9bfa-1484976f23e7/Judge-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Actress Mayuko Takata (54 battles) Judge Takata became a millionaire selling ornamental bamboo arrangements to nail salons and pan-Asian buffets. Now she's become the target of the Maneki Neko "Lucky Cat" Cartel. 9 Lives, starring the Rock and Ryan Reynolds, only on Netflix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/01213a8f-6be8-4e49-89c4-cfd91001b509/Reel-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out A resentful stuffed gourd watches from behind sweet-prawn fence as the other geometric children play their common denominator games. You're all charlatans! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f14059cf-6831-4bf1-8297-b2c2160c49dc/Takahashi-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out The challenger roasts some kuchiko (dried sea cucumber ovaries). It takes 40 lbs of sea cucumbers to produce a single pungent $3,000 kuchiko Dorito. The challenger has two: One for the battle, and one for the TikTok challenge. Stay in school. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/245bf359-3815-497e-86d8-3ac62fe0eaeb/Reel-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Soft tofu with celery in a consommé. The kind of dish that lets your date know you have plans for tonight, and those plans are a Property Brothers re-run washed down with a pro-biotic water. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/17309169-f342-4456-923c-b4c2f1885a44/Takahashi-21.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out The challenger is heating stones for Horoku, a Kyoto version of Caldo de Piedra. Ask your Abuela's oldest Loteria buddy with the loudest "La Guadalupana" ringtone. She'll say it is stone soup, and then send you on your way with a trash bag full of baby clothes (regardless of your baby situation). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d958b97f-5595-4919-8b34-552334b7f72e/Takahashi-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out This competitive first course consists of a wave of sliced bamboo shoots and cured cherry blossoms atop tilefish in a concentrated katsuobushi dashi. This is the challenger's strongest dish and the first he set to work on, which shows a level of predetermination. Though working from a template, the excontemperaneous flourishes are where the challenger excels here. The crest of bamboo shoots gives the dish more seaside appeal and the cherry blossoms help me not smell bamboo shoots. I'd rather carry shrimp paste in a satchel around my neck than smell bamboo shoots. The Judges all are in agreement that this is his best dish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bde2f7fe-ecc7-470e-bfe7-28370c25bb1a/Kenichi-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out It is Wok o' Clock for Iron Chef Kenichi! He stir-fries the week's long ennui away and is left with bamboo shoots in tianmianjiang sauce (sweet bean paste) with dried shrimp and ground pork. This is cathartic. Therapeutic. A man and his wok. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bdb917bf-3103-4ac4-8c99-70829cfb6aca/Takahashi-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out A cresting wave of shoestring bamboo is placed atop the blanched tilefish by challenger Takahashi, or should I say Chaka Taka? I'm back in on this dish, mahalo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/577270ac-2eac-4ef7-a51c-1493cc76b1a7/Takahashi-20.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #24 - Bamboo Shoots Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Takahashi is serving up a second, lower effort, bamboo shoot open-face sushi sandwich. The mix of bamboo shoot sushi on the plate will not help distract the judges from the fact they are still eating bamboo shoot sushi. https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-episode-22-cheese monthly 0.5 2024-11-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/25f26680-eb87-4396-8b59-00cbaae55890/Otakura-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Otakura finishes his skin-side down pan-roasted duck breasts in the oven skin-side up. He then sampled seven different bottles of wine to pair with the duck, fell asleep, and then found his phone in the rice cooker. Not again! I’ve got to lay off the duck. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6cf3e554-8585-480e-aa16-1a965964621b/Michiba-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out This is the most Iron Chef Michiba dish Chef Michiba could Michiba. Food inside peel. Superfluous caviar. Color stacking. King crab. The only uncharacteristic ingredient is the preserved duck egg, whose funk will be tamed by the avocado-mayo-cheese sauce. The judges are in agreement that this was great and also agree that literally everything can be called a salad. Pizza? Tomato salad. Neopolitan ice cream? Strawberry salad. Vodka? Potato salad. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dc759f1e-16d2-454a-aeed-38ef5829ec1e/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Hideaki Otakura vs Iron Chef Japanese Rokusaburo Michiba! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d9eb9321-d7d0-4c0a-b544-8fbe36551b6e/Otakura-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Otakura finds a whole venison loin and he intends to use 1% of it. That is $200 in 2024 US dollars, which means in 1994 it was six chickens, 14 cowrie shells, and a month of indentured servitude. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/163f6662-c266-40bf-a3a6-9aeceb9ee619/Supreme-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Rokusaburo Michiba! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1b2b810c-db1e-422f-8202-01fd27e43c36/Otakura-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out This unnecessarily slow melting of brie and honey took as long to prepare as the wonderfully cooked duck. The duck breast was pan roasted (skin down) then oven roasted to finish (skin up) for a perfect cook. The brie sauce, however, seems to be seizing up and is starting to look plastic as the dish cools. Fortunately, he will serve the judges before the Iron Chef. This was a strong finish for the challenger. Judge Kiyohiko is ready to go to sleep and he has the Iron Chef’s four-course calorie bomb remaining. We’re going to need a bigger kimono. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/92d182e5-98b0-48d7-bd7c-5f68754c1f81/Judge-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Actress Mai Kitajima (9 battles). Absurd. T.B.C. is just a fairy tale parents tell their children to warn them about the dangers of usury. Do you really think Judge Kitajima would be here, at this battle, if she were The Big Cheese? Ridiculous. Now run along. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a3c880d3-8242-47c1-a934-08a5c84b5c58/Judge-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Rosanjin scholar Masaaki Hirano (42 battles). If you don’t think there is a half-eaten Polly-O String Cheese in that man’s breast pocket, you don’t know Judge Hirano. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6b7121d6-39b0-4013-9e33-2db95b6fac41/Michiba-D04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba creates a nabemono by way of Zurich. What results is part sukiyaki, part shabu-shabu, and overwhelmingly cheese. The hot-pot contains everything in the Iron Chef's reach: Broccoli, clams, onions, beef, etc. The "base," if you can call it that, is all of the cheese. He wasn't even looking at labels before dunking them into the katsuobushi magma. We know there is brie, gorgonzola, and cream cheese. There is likely some cooking alcohol (mirin, sake, or wine), but only the Iron Chef's flask knows which one. The judges proceed to eat it like soup, with a spoon, unsure if they are being pranked. Cheese and shellfish have long been embraced by rebels who just want to see the world burn, and Iron Chef Michiba is rebel supreme. This blog is to provide information about the television show Iron Chef and in no way condones nor is affiliated with insurgency movements depicted on the program. I believe in separation of cheese and shellfish in all matters excluding white clam pizza, like any reasonable adult. This battle will be close. Initially it appeared that the challenger would not have the quantity of dishes to defeat a locked-in Iron Chef Michiba. Fortunately for challenger Otakura, the Iron Chef was feeling a little loosey-goosey today and ended his meal with two wildcard calorie bombs. The judges seem to be preferential to the Iron Chef’s early courses and the Challenger’s entrée. Let’s see who they crowned victorious. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2ce8bd6c-1cb4-4798-ab26-de0a93e9097b/Otakura-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Otakura: Yeah, I'll go for the Gorgonzola. No big deal. Iron Chef Michiba: *brainstorming* Challenger Otakura: Blue cheeses can be difficult to work with. Well of course you know that. Iron Chef Michiba: *ideating* Challenger Otakura: Yeah, it takes a real professional to make an ingredient like this sing. Iron Chef Michiba’s Portrait: *premeditating* https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/de491490-cdff-4778-bc4d-c1dc10d79439/Wisdom-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out A - The Italian piedmont. B - Cheeses and bottles strewn about like in an Elder Scrolls home. C - Loaf of mozzarella. D - Margherita Pizza feat. Big Mozzarella E - Tub of mascarpone. F - Tiramisu feat. DJ Mascarpone (Ramekin Remix) G - Wedge of gorgonzola. H - Alfredo feat. Gorgonzola x Freddie Gibbs I - Wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano. J - Carpaccio feat. Parmesan Funk K - Cheeses and grapes strewn about like in a Baldur’s Gate home. Profound. I started work on this episode two months ago and each time I’d re-start, this is the point in the episode where I would decide to go do literally anything else in the world. We’ve exhausted 29% of this episode’s runtime (and 17% of my year) and the cuisine hasn’t yet been allez’d. Speaking of which, let’s get to the actual battle without further delay. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/95e16f41-8645-4b0e-890d-023d62b3cde0/Allez-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out A measured start by both competitors for different reasons. Challenger Otakura is too cool to break a sweat or bend his knees. Iron Chef Michiba because he old. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/12ab6239-f312-42e2-9e73-e98b91858d6c/Michiba-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef’s bubbling cauldron of dried-fish stock and cheese has onions, beef, broccoli, eye of newt, etc. The climax of the episode will be if this is served to judges as a hot pot eaten with a spoon (nabe) or dipped-and-swished (shabu-shabu). If it is the former, I will be simultaneously awed and disgusted in a way that I imagine experiencing Borderlands on IMAX would be like. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6ea77bb8-45c1-406e-ad0c-a04102d7afa9/Michiba-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/574033e4-ea31-48c5-963a-dd77d7c29937/Otakura-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out The Challenger hosts a Real-Time-Strategy battle on the Carpaccio map. Though the gorgonzola units are quickly tanking through the black olive rush, the outcome will hinge on the capture of strategic olive oil and sea salt resources. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/53ad546a-edac-4344-be04-91abd63c367c/Otakura-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out A classic baked brie with honey by challenger Otakura. It's easy and delicious. This quantity is about $50 of brie and $20 of honey, so the cashier is obliged to give you a complimentary bottle of Barefoot rosé. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3dbf7383-b395-4fbe-8623-ca9f72080e0b/Showdown-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Otakura is cool as a carpaccio as he selects Iron Chef Japanese Rokusaburo Michiba with the casualness one reserves for the pistachio bucket at Ben & Jerry's. Iron Chef Michiba can't hear anything and you can't convince me otherwise. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b0ad6450-7557-4dba-91fd-1edf77ad4d06/Michiba-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef mixes mascarpone into katsuobushi dashi for the first time in recorded human history, a trait our inheritors will use to distinguish us from other primates. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/308752db-31df-4db5-9230-0989bff4f2da/Otakura-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/831023de-07ea-40b5-9bd9-829c0b4f8bf5/Otakura-D03b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Uh… Y equals M X plus B. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1aa31079-8539-442f-b92f-a23e367b9889/Michiba-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba begins his signature Broth of Vigor, a katsuobushi dashi made with a station-wagon full of dried bonito flakes. Cheese ramen would be the logical choice. Logic being the prevailing force in an environment wherein costumed Japanese men cook cheese for Dracula. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/58d024b3-4bc0-4410-85c5-ef6f846a311c/Michiba-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef begins scripting out his menu in calligraphy. Today it reads "Cheese + Hot = Runny. Cheese + Wallet = Money. Cheese + Uranium-235 = ??? (Awaiting Results)." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/edd9d04c-19b4-42b2-9e04-bb726e907dd8/Michiba-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba's Slimer-sauce is powerful enough to tie in three wildly disparate ingredients: king crab, broccoli, and preserved duck egg. Pretty much anything you dip into it is going to taste like Chipotle's garbage disposal in the best possible way. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f87ca5c3-4f1f-481c-9a5e-76b359ede0b8/Otakura-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out As evidenced by his sizzle reel, Challenger Otakura is familiar with venison. He becomes the first chef in Kitchen Stadium to select this protein, likely because the Chairman just planted azaleas and is taking no chances. Otherwise, it is a pretty standard carpaccio with black olives, chives, olive oil, nuggets of gorgonzola, and shaved parmesan. This is a strong starting course from La Colombian, receiving praise from La Kentuckian (Judge Hirano). Hold on to your LAP-band. This raw deer with cheese will be the lightest dish served today. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f023e35e-aef1-4440-a023-943e42a64d7a/Showdown-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out This tug-of-war handshake would go on for 13-seconds. I decided to save your WiFi adapter the 20 MB it would take to contain that entire dance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9434e1b9-c967-4162-9433-4ce270849aa1/Otakura-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out The challenger scores a duck breast, which could be paired with the strongest cheese available: Gorgonzola. The strongest cheese in general is, of course, the Chairman's Formaggio Segreto and it is only in season when river otters are. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6b4dc600-9e05-42a8-b1a6-09735a995f9b/Michiba-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out This is Iron Chef Michiba's second crab and cheese dish of the episode (and third of his career). It is a luxury crab rangoon actually containing real crab. The mozzarella provides a worthy substitute for cream cheese, or anything, or anyone (legacy salads, sick teachers, power forwards in foul trouble, etc). Though the Iron Chef didn't roll out these spring roll wrappers, he did doctor them up with various colorful ingredients like nori and matcha powder. These crab rangoons will never see a buffet tray. We have our first "oishi" from Judge Kitajima. All the Iron Chef needs to do is knock out a conservative dish or two and he's got this victory secured... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d0e8dd6d-db24-4b6b-bf54-10bcb2cf3b49/Michiba-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out The Rebel is formenting fermenting a rebellion. What Taco Bell did for "Mexican Pizza" is what Iron Chef Michiba is doing for "Tofu Pizza." Not only introducing a new food concept (which the Iron Chef managed to do without associating it with an old culture), but also doing so in a way that is worse than the sum of its parts. Those parts include: Scallops, cream cheese, and red-miso sauce. Trader Joes is going to replace the miso with sweet-and-sour sauce, call this Emperor’s Pizza or Tofu Marco Polo, and sell it for $12.99. It'll be fine because the font looks like letters formed with chopsticks. Totally cool. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/841e27b2-8b86-48aa-b87a-f0a355d66260/Otakura-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out The Challenger drops in wedges of brie, one-by-one. He watches each slowly melt into the featureless beige dip and homogenize completely before wiping a tear from the corner of his eye and repeating the process. He does not have to do it this way, but after the third wedge it became clear how wrong I was. I am brie. You are brie. We are all brie, and together... we are this hot mess. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ebc56e89-cdb6-46c6-aaa1-47a5a992fc6d/Otakura-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Back in the realm of extant foods, Challenger Otakura begins work on a tomato salad. If you were hoping for a handmade pasta, let me stop you right there. This man is about to make some mozzarella sticks. No, for real. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c01bfc78-e4b8-40d5-bd6d-b4c9825dbad9/Reel-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Double venison chop with grape sauce and pomegranate. This is the closest Iron Chef will approach Eastern Mediterranean / Southwest Asian cuisine until the Chairman becomes the world's most wanted saffron kingpin (1997-present). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/eedb27e6-cc0e-40e8-bae8-c9636c036eff/Michiba-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba predictably opts for seafood as his first protein. In another first, he’ll make the world's first crab rangoon containing actual crab. This is a man concerned about his legacy. FYI, The retirement tour begins next season. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2c550a69-b75c-42fd-a017-31b1f2a943d2/Intro-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman wants Italian food and doesn't want to waste time with a real introduction. Time to dial up his Pasta Daddy, who perhaps inspired by Little Italy, repeatedly gives his food the finger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9ddcb826-4211-497a-b7f0-8eac3921d780/Challenger-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Chef Otakura’s long strange viaggio has taken him from the the painted ceilings of Piccolo Padre to the haunted doorway of La Colomba, and finally the bedazzled freight elevator of Kitchen Stadium. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e7a51ede-79d5-46d3-a720-131536e8365a/Michiba-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef pan-fries large blocks of tofu for his third dish. He gave the tofu a quick dab with a paper towel before placing them in the hot oil. This is because his Chairman-provided health insurance does not cover skin grafts (and the co-pay is taken in blood). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6bd2550f-abe6-4897-8e8b-f154101be4de/Otakura-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Mrs. Otakura’s face is painted with a familiar aguish. I remember when he stole my heart with mozzarella sticks… and then when he broke it with loaded potato skins. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4f11904c-b119-4005-b955-e5d13fde969d/Judge-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Kimono designer Kiyohiko (4 battles). Today the stoic Kiyohiko is played by a particularly symmetrical wheel of Swiss cheese. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4e2d2662-e785-4016-a611-e6fcedb6574d/Intro-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman gazes intently at an outdated map centered on Italy. He likes to imagine a world where Yugoslavia didn't break up two years before this episode's airing and went on to win the next 30 gold medals in Men's Olympic basketball. He wipes a tear from the corner of his eye, takes a deep breath to center himself, and gets back to the task at hand: Carbo-loading. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3351f6de-f836-4685-8c63-ae11235067b7/Otakura-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Otakura makes thin slices out of the ivenison loin and then splats it into Carpaccio with a bottle of Salsa di Barbecue. Pro move. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d1210e28-3a1a-4b92-b814-a4177b79405f/Reveal-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Cheese! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e9dd322f-6b01-4e75-9d0b-0c1ef82ee854/Michiba-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out With 10 minutes remaining in the battle, Iron Chef Michiba puts three avocados and a whole bottle of kewpie mayonnaise into a food processor. That bowl contains 4,050 calories and 423 grams (0.93 lbs) of fat before cheesification. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/82f58d00-4933-4e53-aa46-c722a8479094/Michiba-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out In yet another unprecedented move, the Iron Chef touches a tomato. In an early Michiba biography (The Tale of Genji) it is stated he believes tomatoes only exist to make Italian food wet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/60d4a2cf-7917-4dda-892e-049c7995d006/Michiba-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out This curious odor reminds me of the Battle of Minatogawa. So much bloodshed…. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/07e98c75-13a0-46da-aa97-a3c54e6ce624/Michiba-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba’s cheese soup is bubbling in a cauldron. This started as a katsuobushi dashi and ended up as a compost vat for all the cheeses available (mascarpone, cream cheese, brie, gorgonzola). I… I can’t look at this. I need to scroll down. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e8c00251-bbab-4d30-b611-7eb8bc35b029/Challenger-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out A specialist of Northern Italian cuisine, chef Otakura worked at Italian restaurants in Tokyo at age 19. At 24, he began six years of training in Milan under the painted ceilings of Piccolo Padre. He then went on to work at Seizo Mikuni's Yokohama Excellent, Coast, and Hotel Domikuni restaurants. Most recently, he returned to Japan and opened La Colomba ("The Dove") in Kudanshita in Chiyoda, Tokyo with a second location near Gotokuji Temple in Setegaya Ward, Tokyo. A disciple of the Milan fashion houses (Armani, Prada, Versace, etc), Chef Otakura designs his own line of luxury chef wear monogrammed with his initials. Sales in the West have been disappointing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/09da3152-93d4-4083-b2c4-597bf32edb75/Otakura-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Otakura’s mozzarella sticks are getting a last-minute dredge before deep frying. I dismissed these a mozzarella sticks, and will continue to have fun with that, but this is a legitimate Italian dish of Mozzarella en Carrozza. It’s delicious and I want some now. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8f004f6b-8aaa-4ebe-b686-ef6fa1f780ea/Michiba-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef's avocado-mayo mixture is blended with mascarpone and gorgonzola to, you know, lighten it up. This ectoplasm can be used as a spread, a dressing, or to make repulsive candles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/471e16da-b49d-49f2-8575-7467352b85be/Reel-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Squab Taglione. I am impressed by chef Otakura's versatility with proteins. Venison (deer) and squab (pigeon) are both delectable (yumyum-in-my-tumtum). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6d69ab4d-a76e-4af0-96b2-797a38ed5283/022-Cheese.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Sweet dreams are made of brie. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/395a1ff5-785c-4928-bc0c-5265240f0449/Reveal-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Only Iron Chef Japanese Rokusaburo Michiba knows what he did to offend the Chairman thusly. Why else would he, a techician of of fine-tuning traditional Japanese ingredients into playful dishes, be tasked to produce a multi-course feast of cheese against a challenger specializing in Italian cuisine? Can he serve five different katsus? The last time Iron Chef Michiba experimented with cheese was during his only loss (Pork Battle). He vowed to abstain from cheese, reciting the vows of an devout and ordained Antilactite, and becoming a holy warrior for his order. Today's battle will test his skills as well as his beliefs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c278312e-e33e-4ded-b3c9-c691ed81c49e/Michiba-D03a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Nobody wants to be the first one to try this “pizza.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a76e68d8-9a30-4de9-9d35-cca145c32b49/Reel-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Pepper Steak Fillet with Cream Sauce. Cream sauce so thick, a lonely rapper slid into its DMs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d8e9808b-6e0e-4a59-b6a1-8a12c226e985/Fit-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Today the Chairman is a Dickensian dandy who, once confronted with a puddle in his betrothed's path, did not hesitate for a second before laying down then nearest orphan for her to tread dryly across. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f6a323bf-14d5-45f5-864c-a7e7912da049/Reveal-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Right-Click -> Save As… -> “Desktop_Wallpaper.png” -> Save. You’re welcome. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/05ae4916-febf-4bb2-b021-90aeb32e890b/Booth-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Play-by-Play Kenji Fukui (right) and Color Commentator Dr. Yukio Hattori (left). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/de227daa-53f2-4419-9d3d-647dbc75b77e/Michiba-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba's pan-roasted tofu is topped with scallops, cream cheese, and an akamiso-and-egg sauce in preparation for the broiler. You already know he’s going to call this stuff-on-a-shingle a “pizza.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/281ba030-3c5e-488c-8959-3472fae6dfc1/Otakura-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #22 - Cheese Battle - Make it stand out Wazzzup, welcome to Guy Fieri's Flavortown Kitchen! If you scan the QR code on your complementary wallet-chain, there is a "Healthy Bitezzzz" selection of salads on our menu featuring our famous mozarella sticks on a tomato, buffalo wings on a broccoli, and of course a beer cheese pub purger on another burger (but that burger has pickles). It costs $2 to remove the salad. Jokes aside, the judges are into it. Iron Chef isn't the culinary Ivory Tower I often portray it to be. Good food wins points, and Mozzarella en Carrozza are undeniably delicious especially the later at night it is. Nobody is touching that pumice stone broccoli, no matter what time it is. https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-episode-21-scallop monthly 0.5 2024-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/83dda89b-fdf7-4269-a3f5-9cc0d93ddf0e/Reveal-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out The challenger looks far more composed post-reveal than the Iron Chef, but I could say that about every Iron Chef Kenichi episode. The man does not exude confidence, even though he's a winner far more often than not. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7ddd8c5b-2bf6-41a6-ac34-5f752a1c4140/Kenichi-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef gets an "A" grade for effort, but the results were confounding. He spent a great deal of time concocting this “turnip” with scallop mousse, but ultimately it looks more like tofu. He then spent a great deal of knifework delicately crosshatching scallops into chrysanthemum flowers, only for them to fall apart and stick together irregularly. At the last minute the Iron Chef tried to save this by ladling a thickened soup of flaked crab and minced parsley over everything. If Iron Chef Kenichi is using parsley, things have gone awry. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8904f86d-d9a8-4bc1-aae1-d9b3779d1370/Kagata-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/079f0110-dc03-492e-baf7-a3ec5b6b4820/Kagata-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out This third course was a clinic and may well clinch the upset victory for the challenger over the Iron Chef. This is an omelet made out of a puree of scallops, eggs, cream and then mixed with caviar. The filling is a brandy flambé of scallops and foie gras. The sauce is black truffles, balsamic vinegar, and oil. Luxurious as it is creative and demonstrated a lot of technique, especially in cooking the omelet on parchment in a sauté pan. This is a dish worthy of an Iron Chef, or at least a victorious challenger. Iron Chef Kenichi has a large mountain of caviar to climb. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/74acfd01-6db5-49b0-ac63-436dfed4dbc9/Reel-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out "Foie terrine, it would seem. I am sensing a theme." - Dr. Seuss heavily medicated. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/79854ef1-81fd-45e8-913f-6c583f9803d1/Kenichi-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef mimics the challenger with scallops, cream, and eggs in a food processor. This explains why he had the steamers set up. All the signs for scallop mousse were there. The cream, the eggs, the steamer, the pocket watch. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0125d064-0b61-47fa-b5b6-1c16339f5811/Intro-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out The spirits of the fallen challengers return to Mt. Fuji, where the ashes of their respective tall hats are dispersed on the grounds of the Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shinto shrine. Kitchen Stadium is, at last, cleansed. Despite these efforts, the overnight caviar pillaging remains an issue (looking at you, Judge Hirano). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/df111f67-6b88-4f0d-86a9-5a31d685caf2/Kenichi-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out It's not wok o' clock, but the Iron Chef has a wok filled with a gigaliter of oil that will need time to heat up. He also has a tower of steamers set up. These are two of his three favorite ways to get cookin'. The third is, of course, his patented step-back three pointer in the iso. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e17a9057-0297-4977-9fdb-0de76e018c75/Kenichi-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef doesn't need no fancy tamis to mash some scallops. The back of his all purpose cleaver works just fine. Slice scallions? Edge of cleaver. Make ginger-garlic paste? Side of cleaver. Crack black pepper? Handle of cleaver. Sumi-e painting? Top of cleaver. Juggle? Multiple cleavers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/efbf4d15-a570-47df-8ade-34a846136eb4/Kagata-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out This tartar is made of scallops, scallop skirts, relish, and caviar. It is topped with uni and parsley and served atop diced tomatoes encircled by a moat of parsley oil. It is luxurious and definitely more nouvelle cuisine than haute, much to her employer's chagrin (but to the delight of the judges). Quick history note: Pilgrims used the scallop shell to symbolize their pilgrimage to Saint James' shrine in Galicia. Therefore Saint-Jacques equals scallops on pretentious menus. It's like if in the year 4000CE, ducks were called Jeeps because Jeep owners today carry rubber ducks. Language is weird. Almost as weird as Jeep owners. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4c03644b-f3ee-4f79-a98a-7537f7651ae4/Judge-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Actress Yuriko Ishida (2 battles). This too is Judge Ishida's final appearance as she will be bitten by an unknown perpetrator and spend eternity sating her thirst for all things sanguine and shellfish; blood clams, mainly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8ccd67dd-2853-4fdb-8568-d770f007e32d/Intro-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman pours out some sake to appease the spirits of fallen challengers, whose spectral forms haunt Kitchen Stadium with RF interference, open caviar tins, and all around bad vibes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/90d074f5-505c-4dfa-ad36-557047c92ede/Kagata-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kagata's scallop and caviar omelets are indeed filled with flambéed scallops and foie gras. If you ordered this at a restaurant, you would have to provide your car keys as collateral. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bd78735c-1093-4e6a-8063-cbe77b8593c3/Challenger-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Chef Kagata graduated Women's Nutritional College and worked at Tokyo's Royal Park Hotel under Executive Chef Mitsuo Shimamura at age 22 perfecting high-end French cuisine. At 23, Chef Kagata became the youngest winner of the England's Toque d'Or cooking competition. She is known for her craftsmanship of artistic terrines. Chef Kagata invented the terrinium, which is is a mostly self-sufficient terrine kept in a glass jar that has to be fed aspic every four days. It smells ghastly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/de61186d-a59a-4d95-b7ba-cadc9e2a5cdf/Kagata-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kagata is not throwing away the scallop coral and skirts. Her courses are already significantly more interesting than I thought they would be. Royal Park Hotel has been imprisoning her in 1880's banquet dining. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0eacb365-cad8-497a-b6ae-2212ba4a9997/Kenichi-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out To elaborate on the concise humble name of this dish given by the Iron Chef, this is thin sliced raw scallops and scallop skirts over celery leaves and a cucumber wave garnish. I often criticize Iron Chef Kenichi's plating, but these fresh scallops swept to shore is splendid. The soy-based dipping sauce also includes oyster sauce. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/68851215-d2d3-4d91-a53a-1ecb18e39b41/021-Scallop.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out When Kaga met Kagata. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f7f90539-660d-4182-a53d-951fc209c48c/Reel-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out "A mean green terrine with a duffel of truffles." - Dr. Seuss in a fever dream. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/91e043dd-237e-424a-acd4-10e8548ad489/Kenichi-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef's steamed scallop cakes are disappointingly cut into mere square blocks. It's like tofu, but at ten times the cost. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4074c3b7-e7d1-4d02-bf25-f1e068459ed7/Showdown-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman, a known lonely vampire, introduces the challenger as "Princess Kagata Kyoko" and offers her a rose. Chef Kagata is no fool, having brought her silver chef's knife if things get out of hand. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bea6d375-8025-4b5d-aeff-7bb8cd8349fa/Allez-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi's bow is left hanging as challenger Kagata strides right by him. "Kids these days" remarks Judge Hirano from the green room as he eats another chicken wing, wipes his mouth with his sleeve, and discards the bones on the carpet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/556f453f-fb1e-48bb-a0be-de34c5f57f9e/Kenichi-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef has hailed an uni boat. These sea urchin will be blended into a sauce. This indicates either uni noodles (a la Eric Ripert) or a thicc uni stir fry (a la Chen Kenichi). Either is a win. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/49b81f69-85fe-4d4b-a3f8-7bcd73f802b3/Kenichi-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef's quick-fried scallops, mushrooms, and edamame are stir-fried in an uni sauce! That makes two scallop and uni dishes for the Iron Chef. Whereas the challenger has two scallop and caviar dishes. Don't try this at home. It would be financially ruinous. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ffd8d961-13b9-45ce-a80b-ab2a25d4bd8e/Kenichi-06.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out No slouch with the knife either, Iron Chef Kenichi makes fine cross-hatching slices 80% through each turnip and each scallop, keeping them attached at the base. The likelihood of these hedgehogs remaining presentable after cooking is lower than the Chairman's resting heart rate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/682e965d-dba6-4845-8ae7-d44b6bb27d6b/Kenichi-14.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi has soy sauce, oyster sauce, and something reddish (doubanjiang and/or ketchup?) mixed together. This will hang ten on his cucumber wave scallop sashimi dish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5cde19da-240c-4fe4-a179-9fdcec2becb5/Kagata-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kagata has caviar, relish, and black pepper mixed into a bowl of finely diced scallops and scallop skirts. Given the relish, this is going to be a scallop tartar. Kudos on the use of the scallop skirts, but this is not something I can replicate at home. I squandered my caviar budget on the live scallops. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0ab54b87-0424-4352-a519-cf8e45c557a8/Kagata-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out The challenger takes a page out of the Iron Chef's playbook and unwraps her own uni boat to plate on the tartar. She'll head to judge's table with at least two formidable dishes. The Iron Chef has his work cut out for him. Given that this is likely the second episode he is filming today, he is running on fumes. Caiziyou oil fumes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d80c5785-90d1-464c-951a-89ba7ce5c252/Kagata-D03a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out The judges unanimously give this dish effusive praise. Judge Yuji hasn't felt this alive since he was reincarnated as a Qing dynasty Pekingese seventeen vessels ago. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3dc2afb5-29fc-405d-a8b2-764377c7b0f0/Challenger-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Tokyo’s Royal Park Hotel: where dreams are suspended in an aspic, steamed, and sliced into Kandinsky cross-sections. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e4c30dd3-557e-4177-891d-7cc17266f408/Kagata-07.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Unable to restrain herself, challenger Kagata has a foie gras flambé in brandy. To summarize, she has a dish with scallops and caviar, and another dish with scallops and foie gras. The lobsters in Kitchen Stadium are scurrying to hide behind the gold leaf. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/81d567fa-bb75-4d4d-b90f-f61bcdd43794/Kagata-06.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out The challenger user her vampire slaying knife to furiously mince some blanched parsley. This serves as both a plated compenent to a dish and a warning to the Chairman. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/27437179-a631-47d3-80d8-f5f73e8f6298/Booth-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Play-by-Play Kenji Fukui (right) and Color Commentator Dr. Yukio Hattori (left) are joined by a special guest commentator, Judge Yuriko Ishida. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6819f9fa-2282-48af-80b8-58363079db36/Kenichi-13.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef has a laugh at some comments he overheard from the booth, presumably questioning his surfing bonifides. Little do these barneys know, brah. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bb389b9e-a8e8-4a35-8f40-5b578c30045e/Showdown-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Chef Kagata gives nary a glance at the other two Iron Chefs as she selects Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi. She must have some inside information that Iron Chef Kenichi just burned 3,000 calories during the Wheat Battle, which was likely taped earlier today. If the Iron Chef can plate even a single dish without guzzling a liter of Eastroc, it will be a moral victory. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a36501c8-43e5-4f41-8c74-5a4f6232680a/Kenichi-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Rarely one to spend much time on garnishes, Iron Chef Kenichi makes a cresting cucumber wave for his raw scallop dish. You know Chaka Chen carves through waves like he does cucumbers, broski. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/776462a2-a60e-4804-bace-6da2ee2a6e97/Kenichi-15.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef solves the mystery of the scallop hedgehog serving it raw atop a scallop cake. Given the amount of time and effort spent on this dish, the results are underwhelming. I present scallop on scallop. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4cd012f1-ffb2-414b-93d5-2f2e93a410a5/Intro-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out This is the dawn of a new era. No longer is Iron Chef the all-male self-important fantasy camp of codenames, rituals, homilies, maxims, arcana, and secrecy akin to an Ivy League secret society. No, now it is the gender neutral self-important fantasy camp of codenames, rituals, homilies, maxims, arcana, and secrecy akin to a state school secret society. What a time to be alive! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/14af14b7-85fe-457d-bb5e-21142d0e5fff/Supreme-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kyoko Kagata! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9ff73327-d9ee-4bb0-b752-34cff1ada8ff/Kagata-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out The challenger demonstrates the technique of popping scallops. Touch it, bring it, watch it, turn it, leave it, stop, format it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d1e6ed1a-0845-4bd3-b9eb-80291a07d4db/Judge-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Columnist Kotari Yuji (2 battles). This is Judge Yuji's final appearance. He reached nirvana during the Tai Snapper battle thus he no longer desires earthly pleasures. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e8e7df1b-7b74-4e47-868a-d1343fdfc197/Kenichi-D03a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Well, I thought it was good. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/51b2d29b-680d-4b33-8107-db7aa74d0235/Kagata-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out After the foie flambe, the challenger flambes scallops for the same dish. If she can incorporate brandy into a third dish, the Chairman has to dress like Winston Churchill for the remainder of the battle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f316d256-20de-4bf8-83f2-1dd2b46135b4/Kenichi-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef's scallop mousse heads to the steamer. It would be amazing if he cut this mousse into scallop shapes and served them back in the shell. I present "Scallops" (scallops) / scallops. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a16a52d2-4768-4380-9438-68099557e5d0/Kagata-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out With less than five minutes remaining, the challenger releases her third flambe on the scallop coral. In Kitchen Stadium it is customary, after the third brandy, to enjoy a fireside cigar while Judge Hirano itemizes in alphabetical order what is wrong with society today: Aardwolves (too much aard, not enough wolf), Abigail (she knows what she did), Absinthe (not brandy), Absorption rate of leading paper towel brand (conspiracy?) .... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3310d23a-746b-443b-8648-5fb69672c99a/Reveal-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Scallops! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a4348fe3-b077-464d-bfac-dbab2cfc7d40/Kenichi-16.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef manages a starch thickened stock of crab and parsley with the last amount of ATP in his muscles and pours it atop his hedgehogs before retreating to the walk-in freezer to dry heave. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c6fd744b-8a78-4dbe-ae85-69d160c7e187/Kenichi-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out It's wok o' clock for Iron Chef Kenichi. He's deep frying some scallops and quartered white mushrooms briefly to set before they get a proper stir fry. This is the "passing through oil" technique he uses prior to all his stir fries and MMA bouts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b17c1a05-2120-4444-bc14-c75eb4896743/Judge-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Food critic Asako Kishi (199 battles). Judge Kishi ain't going nowhere. At least that's what her back tattoo says. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2ccdc118-48b5-4563-ab80-b306fd5ebe4e/Kenichi-11.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out What Iron Chef Kenichi loves most about wok o' clock is that it can be any time you want. Wok o' clock is a state of mind. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5f88ec6d-2166-4afb-bbfa-edb652df5928/Kagata-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out This minimalistic dish was completed in less than two minutes. The scallops' coral got a quick sauté and flambé in brandy then served atop some mixed salad greens and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Though not a lot of work went into this plate, credit must be given to the challenger for having prepared the scallop coral (roe). When you have the opportunity to have live scallops, using just the adductor muscle seems wasteful. Also, scallop roe is delicious. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bd824f91-eb9f-4914-b276-3455cbbe722c/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kyoko Kagata vs Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a9e1cca9-aa0e-448b-9249-f58aeddb67ff/Kagata-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kagata's scallop skirts, relish, and caviar are served as a tartar atop diced tomatoes and a parsley sauce. The upset watch is officially on. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/541e06d0-d99b-4285-9854-eee5c1101fc1/Kagata-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out The challenger is smashing scallops through a tamis. This train is headed to scallop mousseline town, population: everyone who wears a pocket watch. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8bf238ff-6caf-4a5a-b632-c95414e0e170/Kenichi-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out On any other day, the Iron Chef could present this last course and walk straight to his ‘67' Jeepster Commando (go figure) knowing he is secure in the victory. Halved scallops, quartered white mushrooms, and edamame were giving a quick deep fry to set before being stir fried in a strained puree of uni. This is a ridiculous "only on Iron Chef" sort of dish that is nothing short of amazing. A strong case can be made that it is the "better bite" of the two competitor's last courses. This will make the judging all the more difficult. Two of the three judges today will not return to Iron Chef, secure in the knowledge they will never eat this well again. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8d3f4b5a-9499-4ba1-9457-fb90f897343d/Kenichi-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3a8ba48a-fd48-4abc-bb29-16ac02127e40/Kagata-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out The challenger's mother watches from behind a colander. You could say their relationship is... strained. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b98dba76-3fd0-4a9c-b5fa-556602f8a34c/Reel-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out "Terrine on a board? Good Lord, I abhor what is in store. Snores galore. I shall soar to the floor and restore nevermore." - Dr. Seuss, RIP. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/072a6d99-b334-49ba-bd7a-2f0070b7b1ed/Booth-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Judge Ishida: Is it normal for the judges to be asked what their blood type is? Dr. Hattori: The Chairman insists on it. Fukui: The Chairman also insists on saving you from exposure to the sun's harmful rays. You shall not want for natural sunlight henceforth when you purchase the Fukui Corporation Scallop Lamp today! Judge Ishida: I’ll take twenty! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d06c630a-f2fb-45b1-905b-4143d29dac66/Fit-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out By day, the Chairman is a research assistant at Antartica's McMurdo Station. By night, he's an unlicensed safari guide (poacher). You need penguin down? He can get you penguin down. Ask for Dr. Happy Feet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ccb05418-7536-432b-a02f-98cea9524c57/Supreme-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5310d341-3343-4b0d-9fe7-a67120f8f252/Kenichi-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi reaches behind the counter for a jar labeled "funk." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6a14f1d1-c547-4eea-a5f9-87d1eac83f32/Kagata-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #21 - Scallop Battle - Make it stand out The challenger's tamis smashed scallop was whisked with eggs, cream, and caviar before and is spread onto some parchment paper and cooked like an omelet. This will likely wrap around the flambéed scallops and foie gras. If so, this is a wild dish. High effort, lots of technique, and very creative. It is too early to start the upset watch, but the potential is here. https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-episode-20-tomato monthly 0.5 2024-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/140da465-8411-46eb-bede-52f66e8557f3/Kitami-09.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out The moment the challenger realizes he is about to put a glass dish under the broiler. Oh no, this will have to be baked into an oily mess instead. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fe716f0a-c839-4dec-a7b5-865cd92ea719/Sakai-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef's tomato steaks are sandwiched between zucchini rounds and the sautéed horse mackerel. Sakai stays stackin’. If his children ask for crepes, he’ll make a Mille Cake. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e533fec2-c3de-4c57-aca9-386c20202e74/Kitami-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out This was the surprise dish by Chef Kitami, or more accurately, Chef Kitami's sous chefs. This dish is more reminiscent of Chinese-American garlic shrimp stir fry than a Shrimp Scampi, and is his most East-meets-West offering of this competition. The dish is also dripping wet. Swampy wet. So wet that only utensils that make sense are a fork and straw. Wet to the point that the cabbage is serving as a retention pond. There is enough standing water on this plate to cause a Yellow Fever outbreak. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/067122e6-222d-4653-b828-f75cf301a443/Sakai-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out The Iron chef has the two most tomato-forward dishes of this competition. This dish began as a pan-roasted tomato steak in garlic, butter, black pepper, and liquor. The zucchini and horse mackerel are nice complements to this tomato showcase. The Delacroix-Brunoise, a fixture of the Iron Chef's colorful garnish game, makes its first appearance on this series. Momentous! The Judges are on board. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b3d6c271-b734-422c-a8bc-20fa9c5b2151/Sakai-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Sakai is using ring molds to stack tomatoes, shrimp, and scallions. During his last battle, he did the same with scallops, oysters, and caviar. He can't quit stacking slippery ingredients. The law of gravity does not apply to him. The Delacroix exists outside of spacetime. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/41c51221-d62a-4331-a173-7fb748416283/Kitami-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out The challenger haplessly mixes oiled pasta with tomato concasse. He will have to sauce this on the plate to have any hope of tomatoes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5700f336-dbaa-44ea-a524-812bbfb4a3ba/Kitami-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Chef Kitami may have been torn between a ratatouille and a caprese salad and settled on something in between. It may seem like the challenger is encroaching into the Iron Chef French's territory, but ratatouille originates in Nice, which is about as close to Italy as one can get in France (and was briefly in the Duchy of Savoy and Kingdom of Sardinia, rather than France-proper). History lesson aside, plating either a ratatouille or a caprese salad would have been a better option than this concoction destined for the end of a salad bar between the tri-color rotini and the egg salad. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/01dc69b9-518e-43de-bde6-b17a4a3557a7/Fit-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Today the Chairman is a Maître D' at a fine dining TGI Fridays concept restaurant. May I recommend the new Truffle Tot-Chos? They're handmade tater tots with truffle aioli, Parmesan-Romano, and parsley. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/89ca5699-0de1-4618-818a-52124593cee4/Sakai-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out It only took the second battle before Iron Chef Sakai takes off that ridiculous prop hat to prove there is not a rodent underneath. The other two Iron Chefs simultaneously exclaim "you can do that?!" before immediately ripping off their costumes like NBA warmup apparel. Underneath? Board shorts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5de399a3-ed5b-44bb-bf09-96cdce622c84/Intro-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out At the helm of this open-kitchen celebrity hotspot is our challenger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/09e0a2fc-e2a8-4b22-bb59-9b604c4a0d2e/Challenger-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out After graduating Futaba Culinary school, Chef Kitami spent four years training at an Italian restaurant in Tokyo. He joined Basta Pasta at age 23, becoming a professional boxer at age 26, then head chef of Basta Pasta five years later. A professional pugilist prepares perfect Puglian plates in the prefecture.... Parmesan. You have to root for a guy in a chef's coat embroidered only with the word "chef," as if he'd be mistaken for the mailman. Note: This is already our second professional boxer to appear as a challenger on Iron Chef. The first being Toshio Tanabe (#4 - Tai Snapper). Unsurprisingly, the Chairman is taking the word "battle" literally. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/637fe53a-fcb5-42c9-8255-0f7667395a48/Sakai-D03a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out We can skip the scoring, head straight to the decision, and beat traffic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c26dc9c6-120c-439a-8005-1941ec0d659f/Sakai-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cee86bc8-9287-400d-9f75-4992c6b98ea4/Kitami-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out The challenger gives his eggplants a deep fry. There are only three acceptable ways to cook eggplants. Deep Fry, breaded and pan fried, or roasted with a miso glaze (a la 1990's Nobu or 2020 TikTok). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c2399ed5-6d17-4e4c-8cd3-52cfb9e2787f/Sizzle-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Cold Spaghetti with Peaches and Tomatoes. Chef Kitami will make this exact same dish again for the forthcoming battle, minus the peaches. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2b73c696-f527-4b9a-8bec-f0e3537de5d0/Kitami-15.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Just when things look bleakest for Chef Kitami, his sous chefs reveal a dish of fried shrimp, diced tomatoes, and julienned vegetables (that appear to be stir-fried). Can we give the challenger credit for this? What if this is considered his best dish of the competition? Did he order garlic shrimp from Golden King and top it with canned diced tomatoes? I need the lost tapes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4ef66f08-9819-41cc-8092-e3158de59d02/Kitami-D04a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out It is a risk to serve food the same color as the tablecloth in a transparent vessel. Judge Kageyama’s did say it was the second best fabric he ever tasted, leading to an uncomfortable discussion about the plethora of Japanese vending machines. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/21f5b356-7802-4c00-9a74-6da35510971f/TomatoCat.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Nice drip. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/eb7963fa-d03f-47f7-bb6d-270bfd2f4987/Sakai-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef pan-roasts his off-road tomato wheels with black pepper, garlic, chicken stock, and liquor. "My first dish is a tomato. Bon Appetit." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f3f69245-a81c-49e2-a03e-d9177ce69f0f/Kitami-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out This efficiency of coring tomatoes only develops by practicing hundreds of times a day while a superior in a large hat and small mustache yells "Velocemente, nerd del pomodoro!" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e3b319d9-aea9-41fd-99f3-196221cce46e/Kitami-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kitami begins planking Japanese eggplants, which like the tomato is also a nightshade. Popular nightshades include tomato, eggplant, bell peppers, and tobacco. Despite longstanding myths, only one of these is actually lethal (green bell peppers). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0195fafa-2289-48a6-be2b-adbbc99e885f/Sakai-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef begins sautéing the lightly dredged horse mackerel fillets. He’s going to be sliding these around constantly and get perfectly crispy skin with not a molecule stuck to the pan. Is it the amount of fat in the pan? Is it the legato movements of his sauté hand? Is it the fact he’s a wizard residing in a satellite universe peering down on us through his Hovel telescope? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/87bb34f0-d4f2-459f-b0b9-844fd09fe68e/Judge-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Actress Mai Kitajima (9 battles). Judge Kitajima serves her guests peeled cherry tomatoes just to flex. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8ee40074-d325-4d04-b079-8e8e4a4be195/Kitami-D03a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Judge Kitajima: Sir, I think somebody has washed my pasta! Chef Kitami: It was him. Judge Kageyama: ...Busted. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4bd3510b-2a8f-48b1-a819-7ea63e596c55/020-Tomato.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Two Hiroyukis enter, one Hiroyuki leaves. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/12aa326a-ceb7-46cd-a5a0-264f582ee20f/Sakai-12.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef uses his extra time to audition for CSI: Miami. "Revenge is like gazpacho" *dramatically removes glasses* "Best served cold." *Title music* https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e426dc90-a349-4140-9633-89f244753ff2/Sizzle-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Spaghetti with Duck and Cabbage. A beautiful autumnal dish once again utilizing spaghetti, his pasta of choice. He once tried bucatini and couldn't sleep for a week. If spaghetti is hollow, does it still have a soul? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/16e43f80-5f44-49ac-9893-082f72e11427/Kitami-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kitami's sous chef presents him the Chairman's selection of today's finest cheeses. We have buffalo mozzarella, a fresh cheese made from the milk of the Mediterranean buffalo. Parmigano-Reggiano, an aged cow's milk cheese. Lastly, Segreto del Chairman, a pungent cheese made from alarmingly fresh platypus milk. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f6b99aa6-0862-4a25-8dd4-d6560e420182/Reveal-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Tomatoes! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d232bba7-36f7-41fc-92ca-7afccc24e86c/Kitami-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Behold the washed pasta topped with diced tomatoes. Just like Nonna used to make, if your Nonna loves TV dinners. The challenger has dug himself into quite a cannelloni. This is the challenger’s only dish to showcase tomatoes as anything more than an afterthought. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ff4d8727-c3ee-4b4f-8d76-17da0ef9eb94/Sakai-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out This chilled tomato soup has a lot of body. Strained tomato puree aside, it is about 50% chicken demi-glaze (ie brown chicken stock reduced to a gelatin). Add the fried garlic and pine nuts, and this may be the most flavorful European tomato soup East of the Pyrenees. No fourth dish required. This will be a straightforward process for the judges, whose only confusion is in regards to the chives garnish. The proper action is to pinch them between one's upper lip and nose in the manner of a moustache while grunting rudimentary French. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d77151e6-a467-4411-b28f-a2600fe8f608/Sakai-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Sakai ladles his rich gazpacho into wine glasses before they get chilled. Serving soups in stemware is classy touch. The Chairman requests his serving in a pewter goblet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/211044fc-ac8f-4b53-9f8e-c03067a20deb/Kitami-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out The challenger begins dicing some fresh buffalo mozzarella balls. A caprese salad would be the logical choice, but this is Iron Chef so it is probably going to be ice cream in a temaki sushi hand-roll topped with salmon roe. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d08b61e9-96e6-4070-88e7-920fb55f5ae2/Intro-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman is snapped out of his meditative state by faint vibrations on his culinary spider web. He puts aside all thoughts of feeding on desiccated moths and traces this particular strand's tension to... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/23ca64ef-416d-4d59-89e0-9cc42cdc9c23/Kitami-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Remember that fresh mozzarella from earlier? The rodent under the Challenger's hat instructed that it be used in a ratatouille. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3509069c-7309-4334-a79b-cd2e650fd3a9/Sakai-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out The Delacroix begins with a colorful salad dressed with a pistou, encircling a stack of tomatoes and shrimp. He never leaves home without his ring molds. This goes head-to-head with challenger's first dish, also being a tomato and shrimp combination. The Iron Chef's offering is the more composed of the two. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6a1c31c8-8aeb-4cb8-948c-33f6160d04dc/Showdown-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Chairman Kaga breaks out his trademark lingering handshake to unnerve challenger Kitami. If the challenger entered the boxing ring to tap gloves with his opponent and instead was met with this handshake, he would have to forfeit due to psychological trauma. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/46c98946-7526-4cb4-8315-95b48f9363a1/Sakai-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef does indeed have a gazpacho in the works. His tomato-basil puree is mixed with a chicken demi-glace and fried sliced garlic. This dish is already a winner. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/106838c4-7184-414f-9920-69149a35282f/Judge-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano (42 battles). Judge Hirano says he intentionally bombs at comedy clubs for the free tomatoes thrown at him. Nevertheless, don’t get him started on woke culture. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/49d3aa99-8265-49db-9f37-b13e32768b52/Kitami-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kitami spreads a thin layer of his stewed tomato sauce atop a spiral of deep fried eggplants and ground lamb, and tops it with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano and basil. This glass dish is destined for the broiler. Do not try this at home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1841badd-1f62-4bb4-81ba-66e2f5ffe9fb/Allez-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman celebrates a first down reception to begin the battle. Chef Hiroyuki gives a slight bow to Chef Hiroyuki and we are off to the races. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4d30f0fb-6de7-4567-8f4c-2937633a1c9c/Booth-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Play-by-Play Kenji Fukui (right) and Color Commentator Dr. Yukio Hattori (left) are joined by a special returning guest commentator, the erudite Judge Mai Kitajima. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/88f7aa90-8bb4-4b89-91ec-ca8b35350e8d/Sakai-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Sakai tosses peeled and de-seeded tomato wedges and basil into a blender to make a puree. There's nothing interesting about that (yet), so here's a tomato cat: https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2fb2b9bc-1319-4856-85d9-fbf0a552f4e0/Kitami-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kitami begins mashing down tomatoes with onions to make a concasse for his inevitable spaghetti dish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6313d038-fe7e-4a63-a79f-08e14fce70c2/Intro-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Basta Pasta has attracted numerous celebrities including: Honami Suzuki - Actress (Shizuko on Samurai Gourmet on Netflix) Naoto Takenaka - Actor (Takeshi Kasumi on Samurai Gourmet) Yumi Aso - Actress (Keiko on Oscar nominated Perfect Days) Kyoko Koizumi - Singer and Actress (Taya in Umami) Peter Tosh - Owner of rival restaurant Rasta Pasta. I made one of those up. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/17ec00ed-2a8c-49dc-abc0-3dff1eaff2b0/Intro-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Basta Pasta! An Italian open-kitchen restaurant established in Harajuku (in Shibuya) Tokyo in 1985, before relocating to New York City's Flatiron district five years later. If you are wondering, yes, the owner Toshi Suzuki also owned a male exotic dance club called "Banana Power," but that is not what has the chairman's mandibles salivating. Well, maybe a little. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1cf5922b-8dfa-4e48-bf52-5b8fa6916658/Kitami-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Stop the competition. Chef Kitami has dumped all his pasta water down the drain and is rinsing any remaining residue off of his capellini in a colander. What a tragic turn of events. Iron Chef Sakai has won by default. I don’t know what to do for the final ten minutes of this episode. Maybe cook some pasta. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/47240342-983f-44fb-aa08-d782bf6c7bcc/Sakai-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Sakai watches over the Chairman who watches over Iron Chef Sakai smelling a tomato to ensure it is not an angry persimmon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f4b8fc95-503e-4aaf-a4d9-47f2ee7c7ac1/Judge-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Novelist and Actor Tamio Kageyama (65 battles). Judge Kageyama wrote a VeggieTales fan-fiction about Bob the Tomato learning that he is actually a fruit. It's four pages and written mostly in crayon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6ea9e6df-5541-40e1-a697-bfc8044c12b8/Supreme-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Hiroyuki Sakai! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2575db4d-c62a-4cca-ad4d-9b7a664ba7f7/Kitami-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out The challenger blanches the cored tomatoes in order to peel the skin. Thirteen of his twenty tomatoes will get this treatment. The other seven are for the post-battle Tomatina festival. Things get wild in Kitchen Stadium after dark. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/eb5bcc93-e668-4a14-9995-1e7dd5a56014/Showdown-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out It seems the camera person was also shook by the shake, taking a second to confirm the challenger still retains all of his fingers. Hiroyuki challenges Hiroyuki to determine who gets to be Hiroyuki and who ends up as Hiro-two-ki. The winner also gets to keep his mustache. Italy vs France. It will be like 2006 World Cup, only with more potential for headbutting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8e7fbcf4-0691-463c-8e9f-173cd05ddc77/Sakai-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef sets up a classic assembly line. His first sous chef cores tomatoes, Iron Chef Sakai slices the tops and bottoms off, and finally his second sous chef governs an Amazonian rubber plantation with a despotic fist. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2b0b610c-116d-46ab-8b27-e8cb02707bbc/Wisdom-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Our tomato montage depicts: The old stone church of St. Tomato in the European countryside. Tomatoes sweating harder than Zion Williamson in the fourth quarter. Tomato halves grilling cut-side down. Tomato salad with olive oil cosplaying as the Chupa Chups logo. The magma of stewing tomatoes. Tomato halves cut-side up. Profound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/96d18864-8665-4d7b-927a-36c487f7a7c2/Booth-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Fukui: Tomatoes didn't arrive in Italy from the Americas until 1548. Kitajima: What did the Americas get in return? Dr. Hattori: Smallpox. Fukui & Kitajima: … https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6e3cd51f-2374-4e96-929f-fd5baa170a40/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Hiroyuki Kitami vs Iron Chef French Hiroyuki Sakai! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ac9a9a01-297b-4af8-be62-2e39a32a9078/Kitami-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/31588859-6ff2-4e16-b865-4647bfbbf332/Kitami-14.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Despite all his vigorous mixing, Chef Kitami's pasta hits the plate looking like it never has seen a tomato. Which would be authentic for pre-1548 Italian cuisine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f80c907c-3028-46b3-ab14-1e206345cb14/Sizzle-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Crab Spaghetti. While I like both crab and spaghetti, I love that chef Kitami isn't shy about garlic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cdc1a22b-802d-445d-8300-9ced0ecb0b7d/TGIF.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out *sigh* https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/997ceefb-4f03-45f0-a4f7-6dff7d275f8c/Sakai-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Symmetry is beauty. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5eb2a169-eb10-4c8d-986e-20cb4a2e568c/Sakai-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out We have our first protein sighting as the Iron Chef preps horse mackerel fillets. I did not have horse mackerel on my protein bingo card, but it should be nice with a butter sauté and tomato accompaniment. The horse mackerel derives its name from the fact that gauchos ride on its back to herd sea cows. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/35cce7a9-3885-4036-a7fd-632de8e164a9/Kitami-D04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out A casserole version of eggplant parmesan and the only hot dish of his four offerings. Despite the name, the eggplant was fried and then baked with ground lamb, a hint of stewed tomatoes, and shaved parmesan cheese. This greasy flotsam produces enough biodiesel to move a Ford F250 at least seven feet. That said, it is probably delicious. This is not a dish for the napkin dabbers or faint of heart (or otherwise cardiovascular maligned). I'm starting to think Chef Kitami doesn't actually like tomatoes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8fe5ba89-72b2-4180-ad68-408739445b33/Sizzle-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Glazed Japanese eggplants, uni, and cheese. I don’t have the number of synapses required to even imagine what that tastes like. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/231b2b3a-8e58-4a53-ab7a-b40f05e10899/Kitami-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out It is spaghetti time for chef Kitami! Correction, it is capellini time! Lighter than spaghetti, but not as ethereal as angel hair, and of little purpose when the former two are in the pantry. If the spaghetti trio was the Fugees, capellini would be Pras. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ff1d4571-7b9e-425c-bad2-950bb4eaf433/Challenger-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #20 - Tomato Battle - Make it stand out Your whole party must be present to be seated. I cannot stress this enough. https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-episode-19-wheat-flour monthly 0.5 2024-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f7912b5a-2e28-4d94-b38f-11f3aa75ece9/Kondo-D03a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Case in point: Judge Ishida admires the dessert before putting it back down on the plate rather than taking a bite. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b216a849-083a-4605-b028-f5e3127f118f/Kenichi-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef began this dish first, knowing that it would be a challenge to complete in an hour. First he prepared a batter with coconut milk, flour, eggs, and water. Averse to ovens, he cooked the batter in a wok. The batter was poured into molds and chilled until a silky-bouncy cake emerged. That cake was dredged in flour and deep fried and then sprinkled with brown sugar. An impressive amount of work went into this dish. Though it does not have the presentation wow-factor of the challenger's dessert, this will be a better bite. I think the Iron Chef has the advantage heading into judgement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d5d66d78-e5e3-4774-8357-eeee5c441a16/Kenichi-17.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi tops his dumplings with a doubanjiang-based sauce on the zebra plate. Looks great, but I'm more interested in this being back-to-back episodes of the Iron Chefs using these plates. Zebra plates should only be used for layer cakes or wild game (hopefully not zebras). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/35f1b3ce-a99d-47cf-be06-4933dc279716/Kenichi-17.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out The Iron chef dumps some egg into his soup and finishes his deep fried dessert. It is always reccomended to throw an egg into soup. Not just sundubu. If you aren't tossing an egg into instant ramen by now, cancel your DSL. Third and final dish complete. Let's head to the judges table. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/afe9a4cb-15a8-4464-9a24-5bad71425796/Supreme-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Chen Kenichi! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a779268a-6542-4d80-a721-79735bbf2b9f/Challenger-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Chef Kondo demands his environments are opulent as his garnishes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/82c6dc73-662e-48b5-bdb5-d204d45b00fa/Showdown-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kondo confidently selects Iron Chef Kenichi with a defiant raising of the fist. We'll get to enjoy a Chinese cuisine battle. The Iron Chef specializes in Sichuan cuisine, whereas the challenger specializes in Hu (Shanghainese) Cuisine. The secret ingredient will determine who has the advantage, though something like pork or carp would have them on equal footing. You've already read the episode title so let's skip this discussion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/64cb80b3-76a3-43ab-88cc-015b1146d488/Intro-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman opens with a brief overview of the Chinese Civil War's three body problem: 1) Leader of the Chinese Communist Party, Mao Zedong 2) Leader of the Kuomintang, Chiang Kai-Shek. 3) Last but not least, Gu Axi, the cook for Chiang Kai-Shek. What this has to do with today's episode featuring a Sichuan vs Shanghai cuisine battle on a Japanese cooking show, I do not know, and quite frankly, am too afraid to ask. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c14430bd-144e-45d2-873e-7a6156da4548/Reel-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out I don't know what this dish is and I don't care. However, I want to know EVERYTHING about those crab garnishes. Are those carrots? Papaya? Paper mache? Can I take them home? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d729a059-bd32-4aa1-9944-3b96fd53b65b/Reel-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Qinjiao Rou Si. The OG pepper steak. Not on any calendar, but it should be. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/686376f9-8403-4f00-b62a-6d2637e06a50/Reel-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out A hubcap filled with yuenyeung and river stones. The OG boba tea. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b923871b-73c8-44ab-a4a3-a03b6c563278/Reveal-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Wheat Flour! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/65a8acfe-3c30-42cd-be78-2093104b00b0/Kondo-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out The challenger dredges the soft shell crab in flour in preparation for a deep fry then stir fry combo. I hope this is not his only flour component of the dish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/94429e77-0bad-4697-9111-3547c63c2bf0/Kenichi-07.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef rolls up his sleeves to give his bear paws room to breathe. He could knead iron and carbon into steel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/72927a3e-a67e-4b14-b6f8-11b6ae10a535/Kenichi-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef has coconut milk, whisked eggs, and flour in separate bowls. There would normally be a few directions this could go, but Iron Chef Kenichi does not bake. This dish is going on a lengthy journey to become a fried coconut pastry. A dim sum dessert is always welcome, but I'm preferential to the pineapple bun. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/08b331ac-ab27-4971-86dd-fe36bd390914/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Shinji Kondo vs Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6f2b1f09-8560-4f00-847b-27cef8a7c19d/Kondo-D01a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out This is not how to eat a soup dumpling. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e6df70ea-9f35-483f-9126-1bade18b621a/Kenichi-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef does soupify his stir fry, dunks in his "pasta," and serves it in a donabe. First dish almost complete. We'll need a status update on the green pork dumplings and the coconut dessert batter, so there will not be time for a fourth dish. This means we've got a three-on-three matchup between the chefs including one dessert each. This is a judge's dream. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7ce7a52f-2f76-4ce0-abce-61221e4dda83/Kondo-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out This fun dish by the challenger would be at home in a crab or miso battle, however is a bit forced in this flour battle. The soft shell crab was dredged in flour, deep fried, then stir fried in a hatcho miso (black miso) sauce. Donuts are served as far away from the crabs as is geometrically possible (across orange valley), because this required some flour. Challenger Kondo woke up this morning with Miso Crab on his mind, and nothing was going to deter him. Not even the rules of this competition. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6a9c3ccd-77dd-4676-8b11-8a2939d22991/Kenichi-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/369a0461-90eb-45f9-b045-e989d06709a1/Kenichi-06.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi does have some green dumpling wrappers thanks to his spinach infusion. The ground pork seen earlier will serve admirably as the farce. It looks like he may have done this before. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a9aef156-1dfb-4682-a9d8-d2dc428d616e/Kenichi-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef infused his flour with blanched spinach to get these vibrant green dumpling wrappers. The farce is a standard ground pork mixture and the sauce is doubanjiang based. Two endives give the dish bunny ears in-time for the photo. This dish will not beat the challenger's xiaolongbao in the first course dumpling matchup, but is good enough to keep things close for his advantageous second course. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5da1bbae-14a8-4ab3-8f91-4771199d2447/Allez-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi is usually first through the gates, but the hastened challenger manages to slip by ahead of him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d6df7dc9-6966-4508-9335-b3299d55b083/Reel-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out More beef stir-fry, but served on a sizzling platter. In the West, a sizzling platter indicates a restaurant known for the size of its margaritas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bbd466da-ee9b-403f-88c8-0fe7c2a200ed/Fit-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Today the Chairman is the wallpaper from Louis XIV's brooding chambers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1a197ff4-f6f5-495f-ae43-5cccf8b45cc9/Kenichi-15.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi begins boiling his pork-filled green dumplings in kansui (alkaline water) with 10 minutes remaining in the battle. The alkaline water will keep the dumplings springy. The Iron Chef likes his dumplings like he likes his khakis: Single-pleated and smelling of shaoxing rice wine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0425c298-0a18-4133-8402-e9da987dd5f8/Kondo-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out The challenger wisely checks for freshness, as these were not live crabs and they decompose famously quickly if not stored properly. How quick? Like buy at a farmers market, stop for lunch, and stink up your vehicle quick. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/29d833f3-62c4-4c7d-8718-df468e39c080/Kondo-07.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out The challenger confirms this assumption by completing his handmade knife-cut noodles. If he can use the excess dough for xiaolongbao, he is going to be very tough to beat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bcfb69fe-2442-44b2-b699-cbdd1a67b468/Kenichi-D01a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Judge Kageyama finds these dumplings finger-licking good. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7f2c4a43-a880-48b2-9b27-ce470a6e2dff/Kondo-16.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out ...and ends with a lotus flower. Incredible. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/44f3d080-dcb2-4bba-9d50-36f8e4755b3b/Judge-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano (42 battles). Captain Hirano bakes his own bread to feed his squadron of pigeons. An army can’t march on an empty stomach. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7f617d98-aad0-4e31-84bb-843c53522017/Kondo-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out The Shangai chef hits a leadoff home run with a classic Shanghai soup dumpling. This is a great start to any meal. It is also a great meal itself. The farce is ground pork, cabbage, rice wine, soy sauce, and gelatinized pork stock. The dumpling is diligently pleated in a twisted pouch and then steamed. The gelatinized pork stock melts into soup during steaming and will pour out during the first scalding bite. There is an art to eating these without second-degree burns, starting with cradling them in a large soup spoon and a nibble. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/487b920f-7478-48a8-bded-efd633911a60/Kenichi-10.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out The return of the stir-fry from Iron Chef Kenichi! The wayward son has returned. This is going to start as a stir fry, but probably end up a soup to float his "pasta" in. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/54621dfd-0fcd-4c4d-aded-03b9b8244872/Kondo-09.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Xiaolongbao confirmed! The challenger definitely gets an 'A' for effort even if he only brings two dishes to the judge's table. I counted eleven pleats. Impressive. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e8894387-f8f1-4133-ac3e-fde71bc45e06/Kenichi-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef rolls some hand-formed dough nuggets against a strainer before dunking them into boiling water. A rustic approach from the most rustic Iron Chef. He must have a soup plan, though he hasn't started the soup part of it yet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3641a25f-779a-47c8-8557-d8ff50be992f/Kondo-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kondo begins mashing his fried noodles into a mold with sugar and butter. This will get a bake and become the dessert course. This leaves no flour component for the crab dish, yet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1dc26e87-d625-42f5-bab3-8d10ac54199d/Booth-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Play-by-Play Kenji Fukui (right) and Color Commentator Dr. Yukio Hattori (left). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f080c89a-ff6e-4f95-979a-51a7a7dc9405/Kondo-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out This crunchy snack was made with deep fried handmade knife-cut noodles. The noodles were pressed into a mold and exquisitely cut into diamonds and arranged into a star. The lotus garnish made of daikon is stunning, and will guarantee the challenger sweeping all the presentation points awarded this battle. This is not as impressive as it sounds, as Iron Chef Kenichi has not won presentation points in any battle ever. He just makes food that is good to eat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/363078a4-9d7d-49a7-9062-ce9adba7b6b1/Kondo-15.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out At last, what we've all been waiting for: It is garnish time for the ulterior decorator. He starts with a daikon ribbon... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/81805b7f-43d3-4e76-a153-fe950a4f49a8/Kondo-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out It's wok o' clock on the challenger's side as he is the first to prepare a stir fry. Though the Iron Chef shockingly did not stir fry last battle (#17 -Turbot), you can count on him to wok and roll shortly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3c5d38ee-5652-4493-95e9-631fb06a6265/Kenichi-09.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out As the Iron Chef toils over the boiled water, his sous chef is pretending to be busy and doing a poor job of it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5e7969e7-46ad-4f07-89cb-28221740a40f/Judge-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Actress Yuriko Ishida (2 battles). Judge Ishida thought this was going to be a “flower battle” and spent all week leveling up her bellsprout. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9d632c27-2ac3-4436-9bba-4c2a34326303/Kenichi-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out A silky and jiggly coconut dessert is unmolded by the silky and jiggly Iron Chef Kenichi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d41d297d-6514-4cb7-9733-f73b3acc2203/Kenichi-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef is wok blanching some greens. He normally does not plate unadorned greens nor purees. These greens are going to infuse some dough for either green noodles or green dumpling wrappers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6109a342-36c3-4061-8988-7210990bf49d/Reel-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out July on your your Human Resources administrator’s Marjolein Bastin wall calendar. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a18b83f4-f870-4ca8-9086-25700bf9c480/Kenichi-14.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Not done with this dessert yet, the Iron Chef dredges the coconut cake batons in flour and brown sugar in preparation for a deep fry. Pro moves being made right here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/81900509-9992-428d-899e-5056480ad25f/Kenichi-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef's blanched greens are mixed into a bowl of flour. He has some ground pork set aside. This can only mean lean green dumplings. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4ba0e872-a3b3-425c-8337-6ac06cc3df5f/Kenichi-16.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Some last-minute shrimpies and chili flakes are added to the Iron Chef's rustic stew. This will go head-to-head with the challenger's crab dish in the battle of main courses. Any ground lost to the challenger's xiaolongbao should be made up with this hearty stew. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/078db482-9c3f-454d-bca0-446d34abba80/Judge-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Novelist and Actor Tamio Kageyama (65 battles). Judge Kageyama went on a gluten-free diet but had to quit because it deprived him the pleasure of eating Elmer's Glue. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/28de01bf-6114-4d6a-b05f-3bcac3700460/Kenichi-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef's coconut batter goes into a wok, because he is Iron Chef Chen Kenichi. If the only tool you have is a wok, you tend to see every problem as a stir fry. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c8361326-9676-4475-8a14-fb63ed5a83ab/Kondo-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/18a37631-11a7-4438-90fc-04947db9eaf8/019-Wheat_Flour.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Gluten and Intolerance! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b65ca25e-596a-4d2f-95c5-9473b87c52d7/Challenger-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Chef Kondo was the Master Shanghainese Chef at Sanno Hanten in Akusaka for 12 years, later becoming Head Chef of Shunyuki in Hotel Gajoen in Meguro, Tokyo. He learned about the Chinese Civil War in 7th grade. He wisely has no opinion on the subject, remarking "Yes, I am reasonably confident it did happen." A master of garnishes, he once garnished a steak with another, larger steak. He wears a fedora to garnish attention. If an employee shows up late, he garnishes their wages. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2b72992b-4352-4d4d-8255-bad1761f79eb/Kondo-06.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kondo begins rolling out the dough. Given the size, we're heading to noodle town. Population: me (and Dr. Hattori). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c9257ca1-b37a-4e82-8fbd-4b12b74a522a/Kondo-17.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kondo's xiaolongbao hits the steamer with 5 minutes remaining. That is a 24-inch wok with a 20-inch bamboo steamer inside it, and another five 10-inch bamboo steamers inside that. Inside the last steamer? A matryoshka doll. Second dish complete. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/21c433af-19f4-4bca-b066-cdf5f9fee1be/Kondo-08.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Dough in, dumpling out. Dough in, dumpling out. All work and no play makes Kondo a dull boy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3ace1964-10f2-454f-8366-5c6889ac931b/Kenichi-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi's thickened coconut batter is oozed into some baking pans… to chill in the freezer. I repeat: Iron Chef Kenichi does not bake. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/de6aa790-3aca-4bf8-872f-ebbfad7318ce/Kenichi-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out The contents of the Iron Chef's pre-soup are ground pork, tomatoes, onion, cabbage, mushrooms, and baby corn. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8f1d042e-4f12-4185-8512-31ed1fd72601/Kondo-14.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kondo fries some doughnuts, which will be served with the crab. Sure, I guess this counts as using wheat flour, but the discerning judges are going to see right through the approach. He may as well plate a ¥10,000 note with flour sprinkled atop. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b7ae10bb-c692-4e78-b46f-959de1c5dff9/Kondo-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out In a somewhat disappointing twist, Challenger Kondo decided to deep fry his knife-cut noodles. This is the rare instance when deep frying does not make something better. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d5a6883d-269d-4efd-a5d4-bc3120f3390e/Kondo-17.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out The challenger's deep fried crabs are done stir frying in a brown sauce and are indeed served with the donuts as the flour component. Third and final dish complete. Time to sit back, relax, and over-garnish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/64d9adc7-6545-405c-9598-a0831cb81225/Kenichi-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out This was an entertaining dish to watch come together. The Iron Chef started by hand forming some eggless garganelli and giving it a boil. Then he stir fried everything but the kitchen sink (ground pork, tomatoes, onion, cabbage, mushrooms, and baby corn). Afterwards he added either water or stock and simmered it to make a soup. Lastly went in shrimp, garganelli, chili flakes, and a beaten egg. Every addition made this stew better and better. This will secure the second course for the Iron Chef over the challenger's crab stir fry. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/68c55adf-91d1-49d8-b27c-27670796d171/Kondo-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Time to make some dough. The challenger has an egg in Mt. Flour's caldera and is hand mixing vigorously. It's hypnotic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c47d6fe3-e484-4f41-9f75-5a8d5209070f/Kondo-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out For the first time in Iron Chef history, the Challenger cuts off the Iron Chef and scoops his ingredient from the Iron Chef's side. *Cue inappropriate civil war commentary* https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c8ef7c98-fe83-4efd-9048-9dc3c6fbbd63/Kondo-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out The challenger brought his heavy duty tree trunk cutting board with him. I've wanted one of those until I saw Chef Wang Gang's YouTube video on the upkeep. It takes more care to maintain than a Jeep. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/128cbe89-fe5f-4fa5-b22f-8951a5904bdd/Kondo-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kondo is prepping soft shell crabs. Not the garnish kind, the actual kind. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ae2ce95b-32cc-4da3-989e-f96d44ebcc02/Kondo-18.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Done for the day, challenger Kondo embraces his inner John Travolta meme. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f28c25b2-6eda-428d-af56-9f1a594aec40/Reel-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #19 - Wheat Flour Battle - Make it stand out Maybe shumai, maybe September on the same calendar. https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-episode-18-oyster monthly 0.5 2024-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/570a690c-e1f0-41e6-aa90-3d73b3b6e46d/Intro-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman receives some devastating news. Iron Chef French, Yutaka Ishibabe, has opted for early retirement despite the Chairman not matching his 401K. This comes as little surprise to the viewer as the languid chef has not yet appeared this season. He is still hibernating through winter in his den. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f69727f2-0b19-4e65-bd29-10e0d83d400a/Allez-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out A cautious approach from both the Iron Chef and the Challenger, as if each French chef was expecting the other to dash to the truffles first. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3b409d23-935f-41dc-8a63-35bfc59e69e6/Showdown-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Shokr has the privilege of being Iron Chef Sakai's first casualty. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1847f508-80b7-4346-bcf2-aa7e0ff7f8fc/Booth-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Play-by-Play Kenji Fukui (right) and Color Commentator Dr. Yukio Hattori (left). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3fe56e76-7ea5-4a56-94af-a0950513d2bc/Shokr-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out This is a wild dish that checks almost every Iron Chef trope. Giant oyster bellies wrapped with bacon, injected with truffle juice, and pan roasted in butter. After that, the oyster-bundles are adorned in a sauce of butter, truffles, glace de viande, red wine, and more truffles. This is a dish for the person that hates oysters but loves truffles. The presentation, however, is tragic. It looks like cowboy coffee was spilled on breakfast. This is the judges favorite offering by the challenger, but no Oishis were awarded. A strong debut from Iron Chef Sakai will result in a decisive victory for the home team. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ff851ade-dd02-4c4a-ab93-6905251349b1/Judge-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Lower House member, writer Shinichiro Kurimoto (109 battles). Judge Kurimoto contends that oysters are a raplodisiac, inducing passion whenever rhymed. Cloister... Cloister... Cloister... I don't think it is working. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fe92cbc1-19ca-4f13-8a5b-1db46e1cc9a1/Sakai-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out The Delacroix is arranging his potato galette artfully before they hit the broiler. "Sphincter de Pomme de Terre" (1994). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2166a01f-4c32-4122-9299-fc1568b3f9a8/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Guy Shokr vs Iron Chef French Hiroyuki Sakai! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4ae51e73-86b3-4e5d-9246-0af26ac8c7fa/Shokr-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Yes, yes it can. This is now a truffle, butter, demi glace, and red wine sauce. It may as well be wearing a beret. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b9e391cb-337e-4bd3-9f05-098fa3752dc6/Intro-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Enter Hiroyuki Sakai, the new Iron Chef French! Known as the "Delacroix" of French cuisine, a reference to French artist Eugene Delacroix. Sakai would live up to his nickname with artistic colorful plates dripping with nudity butter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8ac5f55f-19b8-4aa6-b95e-9e94f90ddba0/Shokr-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out This daikon and oyster slider is termed a "ravioli" by the challenger. Whatever we call it, it is a baked oyster sandwiched between two thin sheets of daikon radish and topped with a yuzu-butter sauce. The citrus of the yuzu should go well with the daikon-oyster ravioli. The cucumbers have gathered around to observe the ravioli, but they are neither helping nor hurting this dish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b759c40e-e2d6-4832-a2f8-944331d4978c/Sizzle-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Terrine depicting the smiley face with sunglasses emoji. . https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6ef974b5-1c87-498e-aeab-00584b7fa9f0/Shokr-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Shokr's injected and wrapped oysters are done sautéing (in butter) and are looking lovely. I'm expecting this cacophony of flavors to be plated with his cacophony sauce (sauce cacophonie). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3771b9bf-3634-4cd2-9b3f-5f87bb519bd2/Sakai-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Pan-roasted oyster wrapped in leeks, atop more leeks. Atop all that? The rescued pan fried potatoes. Leeks, potatoes, and oysters brings the thought of a creamy colonial era stew, the likes Martha Custis and George Washington would share during a Williamsburg social. Iron Chef Sakai has brought this dish to the future! By future, I mean the 19th century instead of the 18th. He replaces the cream with a brown sauce, uses a plate instead of a bowl, and literally elevates the ingredients. Judge Hirano, born in the 19th century, ate the whole thing! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/91881ebf-ab22-4891-88c9-2d5d8dc3829a/Sakai-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Vibrant soup of chrysanthemum greens blended with a reduced chicken stock and strained. In the middle is an oyster and another sea scallop with another creamy drizzle. This may be too similar to the first dish. An effective Iron Chef strategy is to produce an additional dish utilizing the components of others. This brings more to the judges table and saves time by having the mise en place already done. The judges will determine if the chrysanthemum greens are enough to set it apart. The judges appear to be split, with Judge Hirano loving the dish and Judge Kitajima giving it a pass. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6cd8a8d4-6109-47f2-94cb-ac9342b95b91/Sizzle-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out More transmogrification wizardry. A cucumber weaved into a Chinese finger trap. Note: like "Chinese Checkers" and "Chinese Water Torture," the "Chinese Finger Trap" is not of Chinese origin. It is the result of the West wielding orientalism with all the tact Paula Deen wields Antebellum culture. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6be37133-31f8-4138-9274-2273f44bb62c/Shokr-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Shokr has onions, bell peppers, and glace de viande (concentrated demi glace) cooking down into a sauce. This seems heavy for oysters, but he brought glace de viande with him so he is darn well going to use it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/99b86ada-6a7e-497a-8e9f-414a4d150718/Sizzle-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out A sliced pear put back together. This is wizardry. A particular school of sorcery where one transmogrifies things into the same thing but, you know, less alive. Mogrification, if you will. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/921e13a6-b6bf-4019-9870-5c8f0d02a584/Shokr-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Shokr is going to deny me a "Challenger Shucker" pun, resorting instead to baking these oysters open. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c6f3b91e-ccd5-48de-9bdc-c8bc05daae48/Shokr-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out "I was happier in Paris" Mrs. Shokr reminisces from the pantry. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/59d76a3e-fdb5-4f8c-b96e-6d2052b7832c/Sakai-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef dunks unadorned oysters into his chrysanthemum greens soup. Second dish complete. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d27b42bd-10e6-460b-813f-8e880435a6e0/Challenger-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out French Chef Guy Shokr worked under the legendary Joel Robuchon at the three Michilin star restaurant Chez Germaine. In 1987 he got married and moved to Japan. In 1988, he was tricked by a Kitsune nine-tailed fox spirit and imprisoned in Nagoya Castle. He is work released each day to work his craft at the Sun Members Nagoya Shirakawa hotel's Rose Room restaurant. For eternity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/22be8319-91b2-4caa-9dd4-afdfb8c51ba8/Challenger-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Not all Kitsune are tricksters, but this one had all the signs of being one. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/35d97c96-db9a-4eb0-8769-522a73d2ebd4/Sakai-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Sakai begins by shucking these burly bivalves into a bowl. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5e55d77e-63ba-46ff-a1f1-ce04c26c67ce/Intro-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Worry not. Iron Chef Yutaka "The Artist" Ishinabe will return as a special guest challenger in three more battles. However like Boudin ceding to Monet in France, there is a new artist in town. This artist will become a Kitchen Stadium legend and arguably the greatest Iron Chef in history. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/57d36560-598b-424a-9505-4c09237012c0/Sizzle-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Grilled bacon wrapped scallops. Also a Venn-diagram of church, state, and the Chairman. Notice that they do not intersect. When you are in Kitchen Stadium, the other two can't save you. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b929e975-a894-46bc-aa15-7de1a3d41647/Sizzle-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out "Senecio" a cubist painting by Paul Klee in 1922. I'm sorry, it is actually “Scallop Crudo” by chef Hiroyuki Sakai in 1994. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/214ad7f4-2e7b-494a-a9fe-6e24400a02de/Sakai-11.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Okay, I feel better now. The Iron Chef is not a wizard, just a human with a big hat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/140d0f08-ff36-4e3d-af3b-3d3d5aee94b0/Sakai-10.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out I could try this galette flip 100 times, and I would fail 100 times (burning myself with oil splatter 33 of those times). Iron Chef Sakai is a wizard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/31b62b54-65c1-4074-9f26-fa3e14022e5a/Showdown-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out In a classic power move, the Chairman lets the handshake ferment into something funky. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/56556f6d-37ad-47bb-9d3c-cd43fcb7da8f/Reveal-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Oysters! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a4867ea2-b23e-4ce0-8ca8-a20aad960e28/Sakai-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Sakai is blanching chrysanthemum greens which will be blitzed with glace de volaille (chicken version of glace de viande) into a a green soup. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/db78e72f-1900-4e12-9cec-498cddc3d83d/Sakai-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6dcc9899-7f54-4fd5-a6fe-11a6bd3784ef/Sakai-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Sakai has cylindrical molds filled with oysters, chives, and sliced sea scallops. This probably will not get a cook, so it will be riveting to see if these slippery Jenga towers manage to stay upright when unmolded. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c106a1cb-d252-4f20-99ef-e98c6abed716/018-Oyster.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Shokr shucks shellfish by the sea shore! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e300d9f9-94a2-478a-ab29-ffb8dd96b5b8/Shokr-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out The challenger's truffle-butter-meat stock sauce has reduced to the consistency of toothpaste. Can it be saved? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/028af1ce-9ccd-477e-bfa7-c2852d981da5/Shokr-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Dr. Shokr has a hypodermic needle filled with truffle juice that he is using to inject the bacon-wrapped oyster bellies. What a strange sentence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e494736d-92ca-478a-9660-45c847bac465/Judge-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano (42 battles). Judge Hirano, like the pea crabs stowing away in his oysters, is a kleptoparasite. He lives in Kitchen Stadium and feeds off the bounty it provides. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7d053623-f596-4d25-af25-c23863aa5aa3/Shokr-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Shokr's brown sauce reduction gets two sticks of butter and a handful of shaved truffles. Now this is a French battle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/800c14e9-4a55-4274-8d56-0b151b612ffb/Sakai-14.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef is also using mayo-cream sauce to paint a UPC onto a zebra plate. If you scan the UPC, it rings up French Quench, the bottled version of this sauce to be use as a post-workout beverage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/adbb3461-d4af-4d09-bc14-7f7ac0b6b156/Shokr-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Dr. Shokr gets surgical, cutting around the oyster bellies. "Dr. Shokr" is definitely the name of a Pokemon gym leader. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5a5ce578-e738-4f78-a88f-abc5602ab525/Sakai-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef is also wrapping oysters, but using leeks instead of bacon. I know which I'd prefer. Bacon knows who I'm talking about. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c0b5190d-aa3a-41b5-a5d0-b4ac5611895c/Sakai-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Despite this being his first battle, the Iron Chef knows the importance of time management and allows his sous chef to assist in handling the main ingredient. This is a level of trust rarely demonstrated by the other Iron Chefs who normally treat sous chefs like Skyrim companions. Hold my gear, don't get in the way, and only speak when spoken to. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/04fad557-e508-48bd-94e0-4148e413379f/Shokr-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Sideline Reporter Ohta: How was your trip to Kitchen Stadium? Mrs. Shokr: We had to drive, as airport security frowned upon pockets full of hypodermic needles and loose gelatinized meat stock. Fascists. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2f87420f-aa11-4cce-8e32-6cdd44010c43/Shokr-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Shokr's oyster bellies are wrapped with bacon. I should have seen this coming. Presented with Wembanyama oysters, the playbook really opens up. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/635167d1-d93c-4f1b-b20a-af7f5d9b6854/Shoker-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/186ceff7-f8ea-4bba-9812-12ab092ac6c9/Shokr-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out The Lil' Shokrs, on the other hand, are loving this. "Papa, make a champagne mignonette!", "Yes Papa, vanquish these shuckboys!" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c6feae1b-08c4-42a0-957c-c4e0ed9cda1e/Wisdom-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Wise words. Don't pour out any oyster juice to the homies. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8848603c-86a0-4889-89ed-8c3b28945e53/Intro-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out The man. The myth. The legend. Iron Chef Itchy-nabe. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5c408d34-1517-4fc3-990c-bdcfe3f0368c/Sakai-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef is making a shallow-fried potatoes galette or a two-dimensional potatoes anna. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fb490f24-5758-427b-b8b7-75c5fc9d0bcc/Fit-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Today the Chairman is the Chaplain of Paisley Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ea9c1124-ce15-4fbb-9b72-faaa57942320/Sakai-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef repurposes his potato galette ring by plating it armadillo on the leek-wrapped oyster. Good recovery. First dish complete. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0ecd2dd0-92d8-411d-9535-ff39b74fbe31/Sakai-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Done shucking around, Iron Chef Sakai freaks a leek. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/03994f12-493c-4da8-913d-7360e6a88664/Intro-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman reflects on Iron Chef Ishinabe's five battles. There was the time he plated a single dish in the Salmon battle and won. The numerous marathons of idly scratching his nose. The way he'd manage to poach a whole chicken in every battle regardless of the theme ingredient. I'll always remember him for the time he made two different bundt cakes in the banana episode. Iron Chef Ishinabe, your Richard Karn vibe will be missed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/120459eb-41d4-4b9e-8f60-e0574873871d/Sizzle-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Roast veal shank with tourned carrots, broccoli, and crown of asparagus. Dibs on the bone marrow. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9f1e708a-f6c4-4374-97d9-6f6cf0175707/Sakai-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out #Oysters #Scallops #Caviar #NotACircle. This leaning tower ended up toppling. In retrospect, these weren't the most architecturally sound ingredients. This is a hefty cold starter with no expense spared. This is pure judge fuel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/89841733-5802-46cd-86b7-4b5d0ecd7a13/Judge-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Actress Mai Kitajima (9 battles). Judge Kitajima always carries a shucking knife in her purse. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/737832e1-bfc2-4743-87e2-6029b0aae2a8/Sakai-15.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Defying gravity and texture, Iron Chef Sakai's slippery oyster and scallop towers not only stay upright, but support a toupee of caviar. Third dish complete. With less than five minutes remaining, the challenger has yet to finish plating any dish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2c48cc96-2252-4a71-a5ae-c1982e2f0689/Sakai-D03a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Judge Hirano joins the clean plate club. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/23fb57e4-fea5-4098-af96-12850425745c/Shokr-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Shokr picked up a thing or two in his years in Japan. Here he has daikon radish wraps for his baked oysters. These will be topped with another daikon slice and become low-carb sliders. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7b0bb45d-c3bb-44d7-856b-49bf9a2a7b24/Sakai-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef's leek-wrapped oysters get a quick pan roast in butter. Calculating the Iron Chef's use of butter across his 87 battles, the total figure comes to: One Moogolplex kilograms. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/88dc313f-5500-45f1-9361-9d64bc6e79db/Sizzle-08.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out In what has become standard for challenger entrances, the chef is flanked by servers carrying empty plates in slow-motion. If this were the WWE, "Do You Hear the People Sing?" would be blaring through the speakers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/390b0505-1a77-426d-96c8-e5c818d81973/Sizzle-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out A terrine. Also the flag of Tranmogrivania. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e500cacd-5dac-4ebf-ac72-0e3432b41956/Supreme-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Hiroyuki Sakai! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9ae46bad-f58a-4d4d-bbb3-48bc6e92aa13/Shokr-14.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #18 - Oyster Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Shokr's daikon-oyster sliders get a quick bake and are his first dish to hit the plate. His second (and final) dish would get a splatter of sauce in the final seconds with the finesse of a cement truck. https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-episode-17-turbot monthly 0.5 2024-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fb26fbb1-8184-4065-9b32-585b4e9c10a9/Reel-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Maitake Soup reimagined into a miniature golf 18th hole. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1bf2de84-19b3-4f44-ba97-fdf272da9070/Kandagawa-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out The Kandagawans watch from the gallery. Well, four of five watch while one contemplates the choices he made in life to end up wearing a disposable hat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/17a0579d-def4-42ba-9acf-b45785f09ac6/Kenichi-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef's filet game is strong. No waste. Beautiful filet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3b1793c2-0687-40d0-9c7e-f36b42a3d1f9/Kandagawa-D06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/927285c5-ad81-4a7f-9da3-bff35294578a/Challenger-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out It wasn't long before Boss' reputation attracted the rich and famous, including: Asahi Kobayashi - Singer and songwriter Hiroshi Itsuki - Enka singer and composer Saburo Kitajima - Enka singer and songwriter Master Kenjiko Matsudaira - Master, apparently Sadaharu Oh - World lifetime home run record holder (868) Bunta Sugawara - Actor and voice of Kamaji in Spirited Away Kyoko Koizumi - Singer and actress. Miho Nakayama - Singer, actress, and lead of a Famicom dating-sim produced by Nintendo Jiro Watanabe - World super flyweight boxing champion. 26-2 as a professional Ayako Fuji - Enka singer Yoshikazu Fujimoto - Drummer of Kodo Hiroki Matsukata - Actor and cover star of a PlayStation fishing game Tatsuo Umemiya - Actor Yuriko Hoshi - Actress Robert DeNiro - Actor I made one of those up. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3df591ad-cfa1-4ab7-9924-801a9656c1b2/Kenichi-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Surprisingly, it is Iron Chef Kenichi making some sushi or sashimi slices off the filet. He hasn't served a raw dish since the fugu (pufferfish) battle, when he wrapped some around an asparagus spear. To serve a sushi against Boss Kandagawa takes courage. Given that he is plating in a bowl, I suspect some hot soup will be poured atop this dish prior to service and all will be right in the world. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/76f87d85-1b62-471e-9fad-c9df8e76bcfa/Kenichi-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef’s third dish will be a turbot wrap. His one will be stuffed with bacon and enoki mushrooms. No stir-frying today from the Iron Chef, which is a bit disappointing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b0ea0e32-e995-4c42-bd90-c9f9c3395b54/Reveal-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Turbot! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/640a3148-6de2-4464-a2d2-f0b03d1a2893/Kandagawa-18.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out With time still remaining and no plan to utilize it on a seventh dish, Boss Kandagawa continues his party tricks and makes an origami bird.. wait no, ladle? I don't think even he is sure what he made. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ff97b9e2-df71-42a5-ba34-4290a96063fc/Kandagawa-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out It wouldn't be Iron Chef if someone didn't hollow out a citrus to use as a serving vessel. Today it is challenger Kandagawa who stuffs yuzu with his raw fish-natto snot mixture. This is challenging. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/af138678-2710-45e5-863e-dd2fe159b001/Kenichi-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7d327677-3619-4abf-ad1a-1f41ee923a27/Reel-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out "Taro Soup" Lego Creators set. 500 pieces. Ages 12+. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d71dfd31-5fcf-42ba-9010-b8356fb80ba6/Booth-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Play-by-Play Kenji Fukui (right) and Color Commentator Dr. Yukio Hattori (left) are joined by special guest Katsuya Nomura (middle), a baseball hall of fame player and manager. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1680e31c-1e80-481a-a161-2d884d0f7cb0/Reel-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out A bunch of sudachis in and around an abalone. Edible gold leaf sprinkled onto inedible actual leaves. This is not food. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/162a4422-2bc2-4bfd-8513-e59d6ca777ad/Kenichi-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef retrieves his bowl of turbot sashimi from the fridge. It will still be doused in something hot, though there was no indication he had prepared a soup or broth. The Sage is up to something. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3df46c5c-4601-43f2-b959-1f02afe7508d/Kandagawa-07.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Boss Kandagawa is roll-shaving some gobo (burdock root). Very impressive. This is the knife-skills equivalent of patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time, but with higher stakes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9fa72a2c-a9a7-45cb-a1b8-e99a9ffb7ee0/Kenichi-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out It may appear that the sous chef is not contributing anything, but he separates out all the pink Starbursts in the green room for the Iron Chef. It is the most crucial of preparatory tasks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c2773040-640b-4825-b89b-303ec8ffd0bb/Intro-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman snaps out of his anti-mindfulness meditation with one resolve: to be the boss of all bosses. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1034bb19-c5e1-48d8-b429-68678943e5dd/Kandagawa-D05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/305d95fa-07ed-4c37-87c9-2dbe30ddc76b/Intro-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out The Boss delegated to his underlings, each losing to the Chairman's Iron Chefs. It is time to take matters into his own hands. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2bdb5871-ce9e-48cf-b8a4-269f9a388bf4/Kandagawa-15.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Kandagawa's sushi balls are then skillfully gift-wrapped in bamboo leaves. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fe6bcea6-15da-47f3-b7fa-3810ea87ce33/Intro-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Boss Kandagawa crashes into Kitchen Stadium. He's here to do two things: Defeat Iron Chefs and cut fish like a Harlem Globetrotter... and he's all out of fish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f13e32e3-d729-4eb7-a17a-8a9d5bb388ad/Kandagawa-17.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Apparently done cooking, Boss Kandagawa tags some parchment paper with his set. Rollin' 20 Osaka gang. SuWoop. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0aa7462c-0a1c-4aae-b013-394a9e0f6211/Kandagawa-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kandagawa starts preparing a shibanachi (steamed turbot marinated with seaweed). He has been busy, as this is the fourth dish he has begun work on, and you can bet there will be a sushi course as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bfcd112a-933f-44f3-b1c6-79d11f7a6c83/Kandagawa-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kandagawa does indeed have his turbot chunks boiling in a light stock prepared by his sous chefs. There will be soy sauce and mirin added to this, of course. I won't take credit for the prediction earlier, as predicting a soy braise from the Kandagawa clan is like predicting the sun will rise in the East. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fc7a31f0-9d68-4c48-a6e0-13d3067ba599/Kandagawa-14.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kandagawa begins prepping his turbot nigiri sushi with dabs of wasabi and it looks diminutive. No, he's not carb counting, but instead going to use plastic-wrap to squeeze these into adorable sushi spheres. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4652e90c-9d43-4f71-b435-13e24f3b9a32/Kenichi-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef steps out of his comfort zone for this raw starter of sliced turbot topped with julienned scallion whites, pea shoots, and an oyster sauce based... er... sauce. I like the strategy of embracing the Kandagawa philosophy but putting his own twist on it. This looks like a fun dish to eat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dc11252c-fd39-4898-b767-8c60c7b4473a/Showdown-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kandagawa chooses Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi. This is Iron Chef Kenichi's second battle against the Kandagawa clan, the last being a win in the Prawn Battle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1fe28d0c-725f-4a45-9ba2-f300240dcef4/Kandagawa-D06a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out The Boss delivers a much needed palette cleanser. The turbot received a dollop of wasabi, was pressed into the rice by twisting it in plastic wrap to produce a spherical shape, and then wrapped in bamboo. This is a winning dish and maybe enough to make the judges forget about the fifth course in an otherwise unforgettable meal. The Iron Chef has an immense mountain to climb. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/066b5f9b-9fa5-4da2-979b-232643dfdaac/Kenichi-D01a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Judge Nomura is delighted. Iron Chef Kenichi gives a "you darn right" nod back. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/236fc171-884f-4314-b13a-6ddbe6d6f522/Kandagawa-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Boss Kandagawa's desultory starter of leftover turbot and shredded nori was cobbled together in the closing minutes prior to making balloon animals for the judges. It won't be a bad bite and judges appreciate the simplicity after 16 episodes of being bombarded with gold leaf adorned deep fried dishes. Judge Kitajima is a fan, dropping the first of two oishis this service. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/34bd9adc-c852-4a55-a14e-4b61768e2f5d/Kandagawa-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out The hits keep coming. The turbot-shiso roll received a brief deep fry before being dunked into this light braise of soy and vegetable stock, and garnished with a julienne of colorful veggies. Thus far, Boss Kandagawa is staying true to his philosophy. All dishes have been ingredient-focused and minimal in presentation, but also thoughtful. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3a5aea3f-0039-4883-98fa-e5a3540a7863/Kandagawa-16.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kandagawa is throwing together a last minute dish of sliced raw turbot, shredded nori, and a light dressing. That's the sixth dish from this maniac and he has time left. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6b3691b1-5a04-4e03-927b-2ea451334fce/Supreme-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kandagawa! At last, victory for the Kandagawa clan! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/06218489-b8e2-4c27-8a2d-b7532bfc89c3/Kandagawa-D05a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out The coursing of the menu has been great, going in order from raw, steamed, light soup, heavy braise, and then pressed sushi to close the meal. Wait, what's that? That is a citrus (yuzu or orange) stuffed with chopped turbot, natto, and a quail egg. Take the sliminess of raw chopped fish, add the sliminess of natto, and top with the sliminess of a raw egg. If you tried to pick this up with a spoon, it would slither away into Tokyo Bay. These are challenging and assertive flavors, smells, and textures. There's a 75% chance Judge Nomura does a Bushuru on the Chairman. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/171095d5-c2ed-472d-a069-4f306b7085df/Reel-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Fileting a live eel nailed to the cutting board through its eye-socket. Boss isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f81a7008-4d22-486d-838c-2c6f1ad2ba25/017-Turbot.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Kandagawa Boss Battle! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7ad5b1a7-dc50-48b8-aec0-419428ea0cde/Kandagawa-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/15c22951-2daa-4fd1-b991-cb0c9ed04190/Kenichi-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out This was an entertaining dish to watch come together. The turbot fillet was wrapped around enoki mushrooms and bacon. A light weihua crepe was wrapped around the turbot. The roll was then battered and deep fried. The kewpie mayonnaise sauce will make this an even richer dish. The carrot and leek julienne garnish will serve to lighten it up a bit. Let's see if he returns to lighter dishes after this and the challenger's belt-loosing six courses. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4d0ec283-f9b8-4e94-9d69-2b74ec4abb56/Judge-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Actress Mai Kitajima (9 battles). Judge Kitajima brings the high heat, both with her culinary critiques and her legendary 4-seam fastball. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8c119ef4-86a9-463e-b570-72f316b7a0dd/Kandagawa-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Kandagawa is still patiently skinning away. Interestingly, once removed of fins, turbot starts to look more like an actual fish and less like a frisbee. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0df8a5a3-66cb-4079-9ad1-da23e72d72e2/Kenichi-D03b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out This is an interesting dish. It is also indescribable, because we didn't get to see what went into it. The Iron Chef starts with his second raw preparation of turbot, lining his serving bowl with sashimi slices. Into it we can discern minced scallions, goji berries, fried egg roll wrappers, and something undefinable and gray which could be either raw shrimp, cooked mushrooms, or dryer lint. Given the judges' reactions, it is not dryer lint. The hot congee is then poured over the bowl to lightly cook the fish and disperse the litany of other ingredients. This is a fancy congee, which is normally a humble dish utilizing leftovers. The Iron Chef started his prep-work with this dish and it was his centerpiece. Though he is often portrayed cartoonishly, Iron Chef Kenichi has displayed nothing but confidence today. Will it be enough to overcome Challenger Kandagawa’s six dishes? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/37a5907a-3ff4-4d34-93da-3442a52f760b/Kenichi-D03c.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out This was a hit as well. Three for three. Unanimous praise from all the judges. This is going to be a close verdict. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a7cd1b00-4c59-4e17-ab01-c5561cf12560/Kandagawa-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out The challenger sails an elegant shibanachi boat to the judges' pier. It consists of a large portion of turbot and tofu steamed in kelp. This would smell heavenly if not for the dollop of natto. The dipping sauce, sudachi, scallions, and gari (pickled ginger) are thoughtful accompaniments to this aromatic boat. Next port-of-call is Judge Hirano's heart. Great start by the Boss. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a35852a9-128d-4304-9406-e0b3862b3ce4/Kenichi-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi begins slicing more turbot onto serving plates. This is an unprecedented two raw fish dishes from the Iron Chef Chinese. Are his burners broken? Did customs seize his shipment of caiziyou oil? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4ee33961-2abd-45ca-972c-a3eb2ce3ad6d/Kenichi-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5a29eaf3-de84-43b6-9a95-8c26370687ab/Booth-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Fukui: Coach Nomura, what is your strategy when dealing with turbot? Nomura: Turbot is a left-eyed flat fish. I would call in a righty from the bullpen and feed it a diet of breaking balls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/87b4edc8-3237-4700-a1fa-3575ba2dc863/Showdown-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Boss Kandagawa enters with his entire retinue of Kandagawans. Sadly, they cannot help him once the Cuisine is Allez'd. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c0e4831f-f9ea-4655-80c6-1fce060d1c30/Kandagawa-D04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out These were the flounder chunks painstakingly skinned by Kandagawa during the opening minutes of this battle. As expected, they were given a boil in a soy-mirin-dashi stock until sweet and tender. Though an excellent dish, it is not his best despite utilizing more of the challenger's time than any other offering. This sliver of inefficiency may give the Iron Chef a chance against such a formidable showing by the challenger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/47902cc2-596c-4bb2-8892-7d81a268da33/Judge-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Manager of the Hanshin Tigers and Hall of Famer, Katsuya Nomura (5 battles) Judge Nomura, a former Catcher, knows a thing or two about protecting the plate. He will slap the spoon out of your hand if the situation calls for it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0f2e024b-d2bb-400c-94c6-3cb909d69755/Kenichi-D03a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0045621c-8f2d-49f3-8fe9-5a2558064ee3/Judge-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano (42 battles). Judge Hirano accidentally invented the spitball during a spaghetti dinner. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/38b15eb2-cf3b-4582-a923-6fd68d625431/Kenichi-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi has some weihua crepes (flour and cornstarch), which are going to wrap his bacon-turbot rolls. Layers upon layers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d87fe17b-b207-4639-a5d1-0254ec02d4bc/Fit-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Today the Chairman is dressed as a gentleman-pirate quartermaster who embezzles rum and doubloons to fuel his lavish lifestyle. He gets away with it due to his mastery of jigs and knives. Mainly knives. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f49425df-0e58-4ee3-9d51-999a234ec25f/Kandagawa-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out After all that delicate skinning, Challenger Kandagawa chops the turbot into chunks. If this is not going into a soy based braise, I'm going to retire and only do episodes of Iron Chef America. *shudders* https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f9013879-9950-47d5-b7dc-03ca5e819564/Kandagawa-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Taking a page out of flounder preparation, Challenger Kandagawa is going to roll flour-dusted turbot around shiso and AA choy (stem lettuce). That seems destined for the deep fryer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c1fc4ba7-4cc3-4d22-bf20-c4b21c0a3a42/Kandagawa-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Boss Kandagawa has chopped raw turbot, and egg yolk, and natto ready to compete for the triple crown of slime. No word yet on if okra was invited to this party. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0a63f36b-ace9-478f-8c5d-8e4d56685658/Allez-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi hits the turbot-button and is first out of the gates with a perfunctory bow and dash. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0ffa3501-ea03-40f5-991e-248fe85e09ff/Kenichi-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef has a kewpie mayonnaise sauce in the works for his fried bacon-turbot rolls. I like every word of that sentence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d1eb4d73-0ce3-4600-90f2-38b9a0c103e1/Challenger-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Boss Kandagawa began his career at the age of 18 at Nadaman in Osaka. He opened Fukuyanagi at age 23, and Kitashinchi Kandagawa at 27. He established the Kandagawa philosophy of cuisine, which is supposed to be austere, seasonal, and ingredient-focused (but has instead gone the way of gold leaf and deep-frying during this competition). It wasn't long before the Boss and his associates had Osaka under their purview. You need some sudachis squeezed? Call Boss. You need some debtors' wallets squeezed? Call Boss. You need a Tai Snapper plated on a Miyajima White Pine bonsai tree? Definitely call Boss. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0b4a0030-4d91-4263-b848-aae701bf2ece/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Toshiro Kandagawa vs Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e78c1164-bd0f-4abb-a8f2-c733870500ac/Kandagawa-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out These are very large turbot. Each chef has taken two apiece. One to cook, and one to use as a paddleboard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dc0b804d-e84f-488a-90aa-af5d313429f1/Kandagawa-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Activate the Sushi Signal! Boss Kandagawa has some sushi rice being seasoned in a giant hangiri. That is a confirmed fifth dish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/118c1941-eada-4837-ae6e-4cbe8fdd95a4/Kandagawa-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kandagawa begins by skinning the dark-side of the turbot prior to fileting, a technique we've seen Iron Chef Michiba use before on a Tilefish in the Foie Gras battle (Episode 2). This is a good way to deal with scales and skin in one procedure, however turbot do not have scales. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/22267bb1-17de-4346-8a54-b08455887622/Kandagawa-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #17 - Turbot Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kandagawa turbot rolls hop into the deep fryer with 30 minutes still remaining. This would seem premature, but these are only going to set in the fryer and then be dunked into a light dashi. Iron Chef Kenichi will wait to deep fry his rolls closer to service. https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-episode-16-conger-eel monthly 0.5 2024-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6b19c91b-8ad6-4451-a679-ae62bf3e5d53/Masaki-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Maska's plating uzaku (grilled eel and cucumber dressed with sanbaizu) into a fish bowl. This playful sunomono is actually going to be the last course. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9611af17-1dd6-4aaf-86a6-f0ac861e0b7e/Masaki-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Third dish, third different technique. These eel fillets were rolled around burdock, deep fried, and then braised in a soy dashi. Two more "oishis," but Judge Hirano remains silent, lost in thought about an electric eel powered Discman. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a5842219-5e49-4ce7-87ef-f72fca624589/Michiba-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out A light cloudy soup with eel broth a clumpy thickening agent (kudzu starch?) and a mysteriously yellow deep fried ball of conger eel. I guess we'll never know what made it so yellow, but perhaps Japanese mustard was involved. This dish does invoke a spring snow melt, but from a taste standpoint it too difficult to tell if it is a hit or a miss. We'll have to rely on the judge's reactions. They respond with the unanimous triple-oishi! This is going to be a close finish coming down to the sushi and fried eel bone dishes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1d1027f3-0593-4e76-8dbc-32e522485846/Michiba-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/64e49115-943a-4b3e-8f96-f310439e333c/Masaki-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out The Challenger's deep fried eel Dippin’ Dots are placed in steamer. That's two different dishes that got set in the fryer and finished cooking elsewhere (the eel rolls in the braise was the other). If he's committed to taking this technique to its nadir, he will deep fry eel fillets and then poach them in the dishwasher. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/653aaca0-6384-4d8e-9f2f-4afb2ff9b16e/Masaki-D05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out The sunomono is served last. Grilled eel and cucumber dressed with sanbaizu (rice vinegar, soy sauce, and mirin) and served in a fishbowl with a ginger stem, of course. Modern presentation of a classic dish is right up the judges alley. Another dish, another hit. This was one of the strongest showings from any challenger thus far. Iron Chef Michiba certainly has his work cut out for him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1d0ef961-2089-4322-9d32-e51a87a256cc/Masaki-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Masaki is bit slower on the filet as well. I expected better from a ninja. The good news is that this should conclude the live butchery of today's battle, until Flay with Flay, on Food Network next spring. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2d77dbce-a9ea-4baf-aca2-3720c0d42819/Fit-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Today the Chairman is a Templar Knight about to ride into battle on the mighty steed from Beyonce's Renaissance Tour. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c677f4a4-1d8f-4f7c-a83a-40b521694a31/Michiba-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba gives his eel filet a quick blanch. As Doc reminded us, eel needs to be cooked, even for sushi or sashimi applications. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f214ceae-8d50-4091-be6b-901e780c9065/Reveal-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Conger Eel! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/590a23be-7962-4c4a-85e8-4b183505e280/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kazuyoshi Masaki vs Iron Chef Japanese Rukusaburo Michiba! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1ac46105-c6b5-4b88-b2c8-8084f04e6b87/Michiba-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef quickly filets the eel. Thank goodness it was quickly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/80c89aa9-4ed0-4731-af2f-2deb36d9dd94/Michiba-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef has been quietly blanching eel for the past few minutes, but then pulls out this neon yellow battered eel concoction. We're going to have to wait to find out where that hue is coming from. A ladle of Japanese mustard or Uranium-235? I'm not sure which would be deadlier. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fc14ed73-b7f4-4fbc-9b0e-f1b006a053bb/Masaki-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out The challenger has eel rolled around gobo (burdock root) and dusted in flour in preperation for a deep fry. Don't worry, the gobo will soften with cooking. Otherwise it would be like eating a flounder-wrapped pencil, coincidentally, a dish Judge Hirano credits to maintaining his wits. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/52565c2a-d3ca-4582-8d2c-f2b67fdada63/Challenger-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Boss Kandagawa brought an actual ninja to a knife fight. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e6e55822-9795-4b0f-9928-9cd4671cbadf/Judge-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Lower House member, writer Shinichiro Kurimoto (109 battles). Judge Kurimoto's 1990's website, homopants.com, is a treasure of a time capsule of web design (and domain name registration). Seriously. Go there immediately. I'll wait. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d451bbae-ff2c-4cca-bb06-4e089d7dd06d/Masaki-D00.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dd2e6e87-7df5-45b0-96da-7cbc27fe52a5/Intro-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Last episode we saw the youthful Challenger Koichi Taniguchi fall without much resistance to Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi. This time Boss Kandagawa will select Kazuyoshi Masaki, who will bring his decades of experience, lofty laurels, and potent ninjutsu to face the most similar Iron Chef to his skillset. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/909c24f0-d63d-44fe-a4f8-6722f85ce5b4/Masaki-09.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Now it's a nigiri battle! The challenger raises the stakes by doing it mostly one-handed! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fded732a-20c7-46a7-89d9-4c43361d881d/Judge-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano (42 battles). Judge Hirano only exists on the DarkWeb. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/75cff97d-12a2-4516-8271-8c6e347e6c31/Michiba-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Peer-pressured into deep frying, the Iron Chef's yellow eel is dunked along with crispy eel back bones. I saw a rice cooker on, so hopefully we get a sushi showdown to complement this deep fry duel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bdde2d5c-9e63-41e1-a24f-842926d88bf2/Masaki-D04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Another technique. This one coating the eel filets in some starchy balls of unknown origin, deep-frying, and then steaming. Another soy reduction was poured over the top. This seems a bit redundant after the last dish. The novelty of the steam treatment does not move the judges. This is the only misfire thus far, but that can be all it takes against an Iron Chef like Michiba. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1e3fe506-002f-4fc3-8dce-e5be20c3a71c/Michiba-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out This was the flower-cut eel filets briefly blanched and served on ice with a shallot pledging its allegiance to this first course. This is about as "ingredient focused" and minimalist as conger eel could be. Iron Chef Michiba sets the tone for his meal by beating the Kandagawa Clan at their own game. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ff8d4472-2764-4751-a99d-8083b8edf016/Michiba-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba the Rebel is feeling playful as he makes a balsamic reduction to appear like eel barbecue sauce. I think he'll go with a not-so-traditional kabayaki. We'll know more if we see him fire up the grill or broiler. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f73a4f89-6c55-4199-b717-06fa5f71041d/Masaki-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Eel boiled in soy sauce and vinegar topping sushi rice. This is the challenger's entry into the nigiri battle. It is a strong contender, going with a boiled eel rather than the usual grilled or broiled eel lathered with barbecue sauce. It seems like a smart choice, as the anago is less fatty and rich than unagi. Unanimous effusive praise from the judges. Fabulous start by Challenger Masaki. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b2aae482-0006-4268-aa29-4f0e80ed3e7f/Masaki-D02a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out The Judges favorite dish from the Challenger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a2eb1af3-40a7-43e7-bf7b-c512071e8c67/Masaki-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Masaki's deep fried eel rolls are placed into a soy based dashi. The purpose of the deep fry appears to have been to set the rolls. While Iron Chef Michiba is going to use blanching in water, Ninja Fry-den is going to deep fry the eel for almost all his dishes first. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c294c832-64e2-4e7a-b429-633084a30b9d/Judge-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Actress Mai Kitajima (9 battles). Judge Kitajima's doesn't go to websites lacking TLS encryption, and you shouldn't have either. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/10033271-e8dd-4390-881f-eec62aed5779/Challenger-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Masaki enters kitchen stadium with a resume like none other before him, and very few after him. He is well versed in sushi, kaiseke, and upholds the ingredient-focused philosophy of the Kandagawa school, perhaps better than Boss Kandagawa himself. Let's touch on some of the highlights of his well respected career: Japanese Culinary Federation Instructor Director of the Japanese Culinary Association Secretary of the Osaka Prefecture Culinary Association Presided over the Ise Jingu shrine rebuild ceremony. Chef of the Ninja Museum-adjacent Iga Ueno Kanko Hotel at age 27. Chef of Teru Sushi and Arima Onsen Choraku in the Gran Resort Princess Arima in Kobe. Has never smiled. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a2f7d636-cced-4d4f-9acc-b0c62a2a6ce4/Reel-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Okay, I know this one... *checks notes* ... a lot of stuff in a bowl. I should get paid for this analysis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/136b2b50-afa8-4533-8ff2-284f1212b617/Reel-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out This is quite the platter of... *checks notes* ... a lot of stuff in a lot of stuff in a lot of suff. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/acb0428c-7e18-4d93-be59-0bfdb6b31b25/Showdown-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Japanese Michiba is the selection! This is going to be a good matchup. Each chef shares similar approaches to cuisine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1265c34b-c380-4142-b6e9-54e9e9e557fd/Michiba-12.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Nigiri time! Watch the Iron Chef work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/22d80778-d72a-4b26-9d33-fa1ec9ea620b/016-Conger.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Kandagawa Round 2! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/544a28af-6207-4767-99eb-6a5ab5d3a9cb/Booth-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Play-by-Play Kenji Fukui (right) and Color Commentator Dr. Yukio Hattori (left). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/16787ae2-274b-423b-b02c-53be9c15cd0e/Michiba-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Both Chefs bare-hand grab the slippery conger eels, which have been known to sever a thumb. They each make it look easy, which it is not, as can be evidenced by the fish mongers grappling with the eel tanks at your local Asian grocer. The tip jar is there for a reason. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/46e6f80b-e268-403c-bd88-144b920e75ea/Michiba-D03a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Judge Kurimoto is going to start a GeoCities website dedicated to this dish. Will there be hit-counters and comic-sans? You better believe it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f72fd030-2de9-43d0-9c1e-2bb0b0340b2b/Michiba-06.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef does the same while portioning out his fillet into inch long pieces. The cuts are spaced out a bit wider, which will give a flower-like appearance once curled by boiling. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/949abd37-8048-482b-81a8-e090e8f25fdb/Michiba-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba finally gets to calligraphy his courses with just 30-minutes remaining in the battle. This is usually his first order of business. Today it reads "Sureal Eel, Eel-egal Roll, and Eel on Muscat." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/652bd781-4af5-4ea4-a537-134717fbbf71/Supreme-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Rokusaburo Michiba! Boss Kandagaws remains gracious in back-to-back defeats, but he must be upset internally. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/167a037a-21e9-42bc-a51a-bd4d722b9f49/Allez-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out In a test of wills, neither chef advances to the podium. A classic ninjutsu tactic. You can't be stabbed in the back if you go last. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/500b0e53-292f-4de0-97b5-4dedffc94fe4/Masaki-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Masaki breaks down the ribs delicately and uniformly into edible bits while preserving the filet. Fortunately, if you purchase unagi or anago from the frozen section, this step is already done for you in addition to the application of the eel barbecue sauce. Worth the $10. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ebab9b52-fe3e-41a8-8751-1778889b1ae5/Masaki-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out A tasty lightly fried gold nugget of eel, plum, and herbs. Quality start. No complaints here. The judges approve. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c7045826-0a58-4263-967c-dd57465cd082/Showdown-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Boss Kandagawa leads Koichi Taniguchi and Taniguchi's avenger, Kazuyoshi Masaki, into Kitchen Stadium looking like a No Limit album cover. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/069fbd0b-a1f2-4e39-bc40-b4a55dd7e395/Masaki-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Kazuyoshi Masaki is next up on the carpentry challenge, and is having a more difficult time with it. It is only a matter of time before this becomes a challenge on an amateur reality cooking competition. Slay with Flay, on Food Network this fall. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d4f02f81-e054-449e-b71e-486e67bfcb76/Michiba-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef's entrant in the nigiri battle. This looks more like a classic eel nigiri, whether anago or unagi. However, that glaze is a balsamic reduction rather than the traditional eel barbecue sauce. Great twist on a classic. Those raw broccoli florets can go right into the compost, where they belong. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bd801cfe-6417-47db-98d7-b4c8c7fb33ee/Masaki-10.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out The Kandagawa Clan watches intently from the gallery. If they lose again, Boss Kandagawa will not give them a ride back to HQ in the KandagaWagon (Mitsubishi Delica). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9dab60f9-5932-43ec-bea2-ff80339ef364/Intro-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out We cold open with Boss Kandagawa continuing to examine two bowls. If he selects dinnerware like he selects challengers, last battle was a styrofoam container and this battle is Arita porcelain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b10daf98-75bf-445e-a6fd-3b90b103a334/Reel-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Tai snapper playfully plated with a scored shiitake mushroom cap. Iron Chef Michiba and Challenger Masaki are the same person. Michiba was sent from the future in a convoluted Looper-like scenario to defeat Masaki in order to protect seafood sustainability. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4d3bbd78-b062-49c9-88a5-ddd3115c5f86/Michiba-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Ten minutes later, Iron Chef Michiba has completed his magnum opus "Harder, Better, Faster, Conger." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/49f1b8e3-4101-449a-8842-4235e1120f0e/Michiba-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba is first to nail the eel to his cutting board. I think he's done this once or twice before. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7e91130e-5118-4bcf-8ec0-b3a2c4ee96c7/Michiba-D04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out This dish is infuriating. It demonstrates a cool technique of frying eel bones until crispy and edible, but is served atop blanched tri-color bell peppers. Were are the 1990's the peak tri-color bell pepper era? I feel like it would have been earlier, along with tri-color rotini. More importantly, would this be any fun to eat? Alas, we are going to see bell peppers and asparagus ad nauseum during this show's entire run. I should not be so jaded, because the judges are going to be amazed like we were for ube in the 2020's The judges voice their appreciation for the dish, though none are shown actually eating it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cc1a6615-bb1f-4456-abb3-26eda003e73b/Michiba-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef's second eel is not happy with its front row seat to these proceedings. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/23f8b8d1-64d2-4d14-a86b-392ad7c0fa68/Masaki-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #16 - Conger Eel Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Masaki has coated eel fillets with Dippin’ Dots in preparation for another deep fry. https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-episode-15-prawn monthly 0.5 2024-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/24b34495-ad09-4aad-be46-5ba7db712419/Showdown-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Chief Kandagawa leads a contingent of six chefs into kitchen stadium. This is a show of force. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/80b0ed47-b5d7-4d0b-96bd-a7b39ee9248d/Kenichi-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi has a little time left so decides to make a quick soup with prawns and pickled mustard greens in which to serve the dumplings. It can only help. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/60d62ee2-5c02-4101-b990-6f4ef681cd59/Intro-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e76a5241-29e7-4944-93d6-61c6f826f66c/Reel-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Broiled fish rolls, more prawns, and charred yuzu. Another dish that would be at home in this competition. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c04d7d0e-b346-4165-847b-e2d74c1bd1c7/Taniguchi-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out The Kandagawa clan looks on disapprovingly from the gallery. From left-to-right: Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Bashful, and Sleepy. Unfortunately Sneezy could not attend due to food safety guidelines. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ea631464-dd8b-4a6b-8f64-542778326ecf/Taniguchi-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Taniguchi plops out some shinjo surimi (mackerel paste) mixed with minced shrimp in a suribachi bowl. Bouncy fish balls incoming and likely a soup involving that dashi we saw earlier. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8ccc9c46-9a88-4dea-b79d-186c3d29131c/Taniguchi-17.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out I thought this julliened vegetable garnish was going to be a platter for the fried ebi rolls. Instead it is for minced raw shrimp, sprinkled with goji berries and gold leaf. Why you do this? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cc7390c0-df23-4ae3-a504-17ed1903c7d2/Taniguchi-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Taniguchi has a katsuobushi dashi in the works. A staple of both the Kandagawa clan and of Iron Chef Michiba. It will be fun when that battle occurs (unless you are a bonito). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/67eddd1a-0c41-437d-8c28-bda2a27f1fed/Taniguchi-15.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Taniguchi's fried sushi is out and magnificent. Please do not drizzle it with mayonnaise. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2cd9f3ab-9c79-47e8-bfb1-e34a66e853d5/Kenichi-D01a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out The judges love it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7c4dcde6-bce5-4cf4-8354-c70a3e6dd919/Reel-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Separating lobster tails and slamming down the head with some showmanship. The dunk is, of course, rule number one of the Kandagawa clan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/703888c0-c1f2-417e-801f-55b4cfb2f889/Taniguchi-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Kandagawa’s minions look on, left-to-right: Sleep 1, Sleepy 2, Sleepy 3, Sleepy 4, and Sleepy 5. Also, that half hog has been there since the pork battle four episodes ago. Somewhere a producer has a graph showing the number of episodes that can be filmed in a day intersecting with the decomposition rate of pork. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/76d16418-c283-461f-b307-63003b2cbad0/Taniguchi-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Taniguchi does indeed have a sushi roll in the works for his steamed rice. A sushi roll with shrimp, pickled greens, and cilantro. Very interesting. Heebie Jeebies Ebi Roll. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bcb3eb9c-8147-4a84-9f0d-23ee7fe072c7/Reel-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Tai snapper sashimi. Reckless speed is rule number two of the Kandagawa clan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6ab97f7d-6863-4327-8fe5-e3502fe1175a/Kenichi-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi goes full Jacobin on these these royalist prawns. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ffb75cab-908e-4de1-9b4a-05321fc4aa2c/Taniguchi-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Chopped shrimp, greens, and straw mushrooms lathered in sesame paste and mayonnaise and topped with salmon roe. This is something I would make when cleaning out the fridge and pantry, not something I would serve as first course in Iron Chef. A kitchen sink dish that looks like it was made in a kitchen sink. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2476cd2c-ffd8-44e4-a666-482840f84de8/Kenichi-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Shrimp passed through oil (briefly deep fried) from the Iron Chef, but you knew that already. That is a prerequisite for his signature dish - Chili Prawns! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/747ab48c-3196-4801-847b-40e144c6b767/Taniguchi-D0.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/43084afe-7cd5-4aaa-a250-e3e4c1ce4985/Taniguchi-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Taniguchi's fish paste balls are wrapped and ready for a steam treatment. This certainly was a rehearsed dish regardless of what the theme ingredient would be, as evidenced by his steamer being ready prior to the start of the battle (and the fact he brought mackerel paste in his luggage). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/680ef598-a36b-4362-b40c-1f901595ea1d/Reel-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out A trio of various shapes and colors. Much like [insert any Marvel team-up film], there's a lot going on from a sensory standpoint, but I couldn't tell you what it is. All I know is that it is expensive. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b8e8951a-67f2-4149-a37b-9f40b2e31cd9/Kenichi-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out *Sigh* This is your standard shrimp stir fry as brought to you by Google except for two inexcusable components. The first is the all too common ring of bok choy that is inescapable among Iron Chef stir fries yet only seen in strip-mall pan-asian restaurants flanked by a Dollar General and a liquor store. The second is the shark's fin. Give it up. It adds nothing compared to the cost (financially and ecologically). Dried scallops would've been fine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9ef13eeb-8d12-4351-9886-f407d7f33e34/Taniguchi-11.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Taniguchi's bag is apparently mincing yuba skins with sashimi knife. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d22b22f3-bd82-478a-bd48-154f3f294097/Taniguchi-14.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Remember when I mentioned that the Kandagawa clan is focused on the austere purity of ingredients local to Japanese cuisine? Well here is some gold foil. Quick to abandon our principles, aren’t we? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5d2d3033-c03b-440a-9f55-3d72f46994cd/Challenger-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Chef Taniguchi was born in Gifu and was initiated into the Kandagawa clan at the age of 18 upon catching, beheading, and alley-ooping three endangered species of his choosing. Chef Taniguchi went on to become head chef at Setsugekka Kandagawa at age 30 despite a more lucrative offer from Master Shredder and the Foot Clan. He is your standard level one boss, designed to take you through the tutorial and basic battle mechanics. A win for Challenger Taniguchi would be a great upset. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/23891514-c7f0-4d00-b86e-62d70302dae4/Kenichi-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Chen Kenichi precisely slices garlic rapid-fire with his giant Chinese cleaver. It's mesmerizing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fba71191-7cf0-4cf3-ae7a-64ce0f28abe1/Kenichi-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef could have merely served the from-scratch dumplings on a paper towel, but floating them in this cornstarch and egg thickened soup with pickled greens gives more to the judges and keeps the dumplings hot through the challenger's service. Veteran move. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/726887c5-c21f-4038-9814-c032474c3701/Kenichi-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi is kneading some dough with those bear paws. Dumplings incoming. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9536bbe6-3829-4448-bacc-d39cd89d3323/Showdown-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Kandagawa allows chef Taniguchi to select his Iron Chef opponent. Iron Chef Chen Kenichi is decisively chosen. Chef Kenichi looks ready. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b0c6f7f9-e7a5-4a66-8b49-095558f13e4b/Intro-06.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman doesn't take kindly to being challenged or is about to make some shakshuka. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4985bbd7-7a8c-4ac3-9af9-1622e21277a0/Kenichi-07.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef stuffs his dumplings with a prawn farce, opting for a single pleat. Either do a full series of pleats or do none at all. Single pleating dumplings is like velcro shoes. Either lace up like an adult or wear crocs like a an adult with a hangover. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ed985bd9-050c-42bf-91c4-7c53583ee1c5/Taniguchi-17.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Kandagawa gazes at Taniguchi's gold mess with a degree of concern. I don’t think he’s going to hang around for the verdict. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b583270a-6aed-49ff-aba7-e7ce8d8d1f79/Fit-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Today the Chairman is dressed as Singapore's Changi Airport terminal 1's carpet. He blends in during the day, then emerges at night to lick all the pens. He's a sicko. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3df5dab4-64d1-4f39-ac56-9b6e94058fc7/Reveal-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Prawns! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e948eb00-5b58-4752-b537-a3765409cac4/Supereme-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Chen Kenichi! Hat bump from the challenger and applause from Kandagawa. Credit where credit is due. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/95795233-0226-4f85-9edb-1c7e41eb938b/Kenichi-D0.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e15cb580-aba7-4a69-a4a1-9b49194fc52b/Reel-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Raw prawns in bamboo with sudachi and gold leaf. Amazing presentation for what is essentially four bites of uncooked food. Taniguchi has seen Iron Chef before. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/61bfa0c3-6ed3-4c43-a46f-f66fec112af5/Taniguchi-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Taniguchi is steaming sushi rice. Ebi rolls or nigiri incoming. If you expected a raw shrimp dish based on the challenger’s sizzle reel, you would be correct. However, this is not that dish. Stay tuned for some bold choices. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4c9b9b3f-ccea-407b-80da-ea76b6cee8d2/Allez-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out The challenger and Iron Chef exchange a respectful handshake on the way to the shrimp trough. I expect Chief Kandagawa to discipline challenger Taniguchi for that display of weakness. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b6a620d5-851f-4477-a217-9a62bc3d424e/Kenichi-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Meanwhile back in the Iron Chef's corner... still kneading. Laboriously. Iron Chef Kenichi could knead iron and carbon into steel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/41b04168-dd02-4267-bbd0-ab7522183906/Taniguchi-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out If you were wondering what challenger Taniguchi's sous chefs were doing all this time, here's finely julienned vegetables ready to garnish a nonsense dish of minced raw prawns. Time well spent, fellas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0122c8c7-ad6d-49a5-803b-85c883bd1655/Booth-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Play-by-Play Kenji Fukui (right) and Color Commentator Dr. Yukio Hattori (left). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cd436e2e-87b9-4fdb-9fae-233dd65a01fd/Intro-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Boss Kandagawa is nationally known TV chef, with multiple restaurants, a little bit of an attitude, and a whole lot of minions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d833609f-affd-48aa-9547-24f7f0fa88eb/Intro+-+05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Yes, this too is a bowl. Just as I suspected. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ef1f66b9-8827-409e-a799-4c88f2e49745/Kenichi-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out If you were wondering what Iron Chef Kenichi's sous chef's were doing all this time, its a by-the-numbers shrimp stir fry. I'm pretty sure this exact recipe is in a J. Kenji Lopez-Alt cookbook, but fortunately sparing us the requisite ring of bok choy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9acdfd79-cbc4-4391-bc9e-f64c6b8f978b/Reveal-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi is indeed ready (believe it or not, that is his ready face). His father, Chen Kenmin literally invented Chili Prawns. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/78593960-cacc-49a1-b44a-1ecdadf31687/Taniguchi-D04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Ebi rolls with pickled mustard greens and cilantro deep fried. This is the challenger's best dish by a wide margin. I am absolutely going to attempt this. Unfortunately, his odd number courses are not going to offset his even number triumphs. Two solid dishes from Iron Chef Kenichi should end this battle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/eeb78e7e-e2b2-4b0c-968a-d8676f389051/Intro-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman is transfixed by an animatronic crab. The sheer crustaceous destructive potential, the likes which have not been seen since Ebirah vs Godzilla, has the Chairman's wheels turning. If he can apply deep learning AI to this construct, there will be no stopping him. Armies will fall before him. There is only one force that can stop him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/22da7fc1-2b43-4e49-8d51-001040b203ae/Intro-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Do NOT cut fish like Kandagawa. You are on Iron Chef, not bartending at TGI Fridays. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/de4c718c-267f-441f-b8de-31f2853926b2/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Koichi Taniguchi vs Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e238917d-a156-43fb-a2e5-c5854e88a04f/Taniguchi-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Clan Chief Kandagawa looks on disapprovingly from the refrigerated section of Kitchen Stadium. This is his cool down tent. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7e57097c-4219-43a1-a283-eb69050e09a1/Taniguchi-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out This should have been the first course. The mackerel-shrimp ball serving as a base for a poached shrimp. A lonely shiitake mushroom and katsuobushi dashi. The flavors work and is closer to the "Kandagawa" approach. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1fa928a7-2840-48e7-b1a4-3db3ebba629a/Kenichi-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out This is Iron Chef Kenichi's signature dish. It will not falter. Doubanjian, ketchup, and a heap of garlic coat the stir fried shrimp which were briefly deep fried with cornstarch beforehand. His father, Chen Kenmin literally invented this dish. It will not lose. If you don't know, now you know. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bb24445d-fd3a-421f-8b16-a1ba32a2b729/Judge-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Actress Mai Kitajima (9 battles). Judge Kitajima honestly does not care if all but the largest shrimp are not deveined, and thus neither should you. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/730d7a0f-990b-44c3-9a9c-c7c1d0294663/Reveal-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Chief Kandagawa is more demonstrative in his enthusiasm. Chef Taniguchi's portfolio displayed a mastery of prawns. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/50e65f99-6510-42e5-906e-78e8220501a5/Judge-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano (42 battles). Judge Hirano raises cherry shrimp for aquariums and for company. It gets lonely in his hovel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/88ad2293-e276-4368-ba1c-047255673262/015-Prawn.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Enter the Kandagawa Clan https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b9a9be8a-b973-4458-8612-6436753b0056/Taniguchi-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Oh boy. Beautiful julienned vegetables Crushed peanuts. Raw minced shrimp topped with goji berries and gold foil. This is absurd. The challenger is making a mockery of these proceedings, which may have been the intent. The Kandagawa clan may not be trying to win this early battle, but instead demonstrating Iron Chef's tendency to put lipstick on a pig. I hope the joke was worth it, because the deep fried sushi isn’t going to save challenger Taniguchi from this deficit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/99925118-e490-4fca-a09d-ff3238cb6398/Taniguchi-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out The challenger is pouring sesame paste into the now empty suribachi. This will the base of a sauce of his first course, a deconstructed firecracker prawn. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/30f60f26-7542-45a8-b086-444d583c983e/Kenichi-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef has shark's fin under a boil. That's challenging. 1994 was a different time. Sharks were depopulated for their fins and the theme song from "COPS" won a grammy for best reggae album. Dark times, indeed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6c8b7e01-1250-4062-b3f4-0f1e01b7284b/Judge-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Novelist Tamio Kageyama (65 battles). Judge Kageyama weighed in on the “shrimp” vs “prawns” debate when he declared them all to be “Shrimpy Smalls.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e7954794-b045-4bdb-a46d-9585e3c7c19b/Taniguchi-16.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Taniguchi also has a last minute dish of shrimp salad drowning in mayonnaise and sesame paste. It can only hurt. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/33988ec1-412f-43ce-b9ae-0dcc623ac8c5/Taniguchi-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Surprisingly, Challenger Taniguchi dips his ebi rolls in a batter to be deep fried. Astounding! He's not bound by Kandagawa rules anymore. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8b046119-3cf5-4607-96ec-ca581090cf88/Kenichi-09.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Speaking of which, it is Chili Prawns time! Iron Chef Kenichi will make this dish dozens of times and it never gets old. This is chef in his bag. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b4d14b9d-a3ae-4526-9263-decf712097d2/Kenichi-D03a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Predictably, Judge Hirano loves it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/207aefa3-b081-44e3-b0fb-0a5abc79c870/Taniguchi-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #15 - Prawn Battle - Make it stand out Sideline Reporter Ohta: Do you have some tricks up your sleeves? Kandagawa: ... https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-episode-14-tai-snapper monthly 0.5 2024-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/877ed8b1-1659-4c13-81f3-874b9d5160ad/Michiba-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba has braised fish heads and collars in a large soup bowl, as the braising liquid further reduces to get poured on later. This would normally be his closer, but remember the surprise I alluded to earlier. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/68d3ff37-3121-471d-885c-c283aeabe486/Michiba-d1.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out We knew Iron Chef Michiba was going to make a beautiful tai sashimi expertly sliced to be translucent and retain an edge of red. There are few better starts than this. There is a bit of a surprise coming for the judges. This will be incorporated into the final dish and not to be eaten yet. Just admire the beauty of windowpane sashimi and hang tight. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/eb5c409d-9452-4117-935b-21870cdf9db1/Tanabe-10.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Tanabe effectively pounds his saffron fish stock through a chinois, before delegating the task to his noodle-arm sous chef. We'll have a classic French soup de poisson.... eventually. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/731c8fe8-c621-4301-a345-4de9732cdd3a/Reel-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Shucking oysters. A French cuisine chef with a seafood specialty. He's like Eric Ripert except more Bloodsport and less Buddhist. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9a75a443-7cd4-4b31-96ae-cb0cdd78fc92/Intro-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman has a moment of clarity during a brain freeze. Gone are lingering thoughts of amateurs battling the Iron Chefs. Those synapses are frostbitten out of existence. It's time to bring in a professional challenger AND professional fighter to do battle in Kitchen Stadium. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bf3d1f21-450c-4d72-8ac6-6292dd8378db/Tanabe-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Tanabe leaves the filleting to his sous chefs. It'll be a cold day in Kitchen Stadium if Iron Chef Michiba were to do the same. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ff2b3c41-488e-4ab6-a9b2-49ba629419eb/Judge-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Food critic Asako Kishi (199 battles). May actually be animatronic. Judge Kishi will be the A.I. godhead that will enslave us all. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5b37124f-d48d-47bb-9738-390a426f4077/Challenger-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Tanabe is as talented a chef as he is an athlete. He was an Olympic gymnastics hopeful while attending Nippon Sports Science University. Feeling like gymnastics didn't allow him enough opportunity to give his opponents Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, he became a professional boxer. In five years he won 15 matches, losing just 5. Chef Tanabe peaked as the #6 bantamweight boxer in Japan. After giving up his professional career, he spent three years studying culinary arts in France and the "sweet science" in neighboring Belgium under Colonel Guile (then known as Jean-Claude Van Damme). Chef Tanabe worked at a French restaurant A-Ta Gueule in a restored train carriage in Koto City, Tokyo. At the time of filming, Tanabe is the chef of Misaki Seafood and Misaki Bison (M. Bison, for short). Despite becoming a professional chef, he never gave up his love for pugilism. Chef Tanabe is still an active "Street Fighter" as evidenced by him showing up to the battle with a head wound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/306daae5-acc0-425b-922b-de83cdfc405a/Tanabe-11.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Tanabe takes a white wine break. He learned that after three years in France. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2036aa2b-079e-44c6-97fd-b8c027bbdc7a/Tanabe-d3a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Chef Tanabe breaks out a classic competition dish of salt baked fish. It is a wise time management strategy to pour a bunch of salt over a whole fish and stick it in the oven while other dishes can be worked. The judges respected the technique. Plating a rock of the salt dome was an interesting choice. More visual than practical, unless I was a malnourished bovine. That's a solid two good courses from the challenger, but it takes more than that to defeat Iron Chef Michiba. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fe392d44-faf9-49e6-b978-7ace26bedd2b/Tanabe-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Tanabe's sous chef has some melba toasts ready. This might also be part of the Challenger's wine break and not part of this competition. Where is the other sous chef with the Boursin cheese? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4450bc58-30e9-4dc8-8b94-7e3b924d175f/Reel-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out A dark plate of horagai (conch). Contrary to the more accepted techniques of steaming or a hammer, chef Tanabe extracts conch meat by having a sous chef throw them at his sturdy skull. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7bf4358c-e419-4100-8af9-11bfe60163f4/Michiba-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba gets his Tai sashimi out of the way early. No surprises here… or are there? Just some perfectly sliced glass translucent tai snapper which would be a winning dish by itself. Just wait until judges table. He’s playing chess while we’re playing checkers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cfeb9ef3-8348-4777-a3f4-375e44ddfe91/Michiba-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba unleashes his trademark Broth of Vigor, a katsuobushi dashi with enough bonito flakes to build a snow man. He's forgone this broth in his last two battles, ending with a split 1-1 record. He's back in his zone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8ee6eb15-6f21-48eb-8549-6c5a62a44409/Michiba-d4c.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Judge Yuji found the meaning of life in this bowl. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/599bc731-0fa9-416c-821e-acd45482dc78/Challenger-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c91e3619-0946-4125-8db6-bf0ad0a33f0e/Supreme-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Rokusaburo Michiba! The heavyweight champion of Kitchen Stadium. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b88e9c0d-6f5e-45b1-9815-592e15b425a1/Tanabe-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Tanabe's salt-crusted tai is out of the oven. He looks happy with it, though he won't know until he breaks it open for the judges. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4eea481a-4ad3-4ea7-8b08-251cfa4d6866/Judge-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Columnist Kotari Yuji (2 battles). Judge Yuji never recovered from the experience of this first battle. He relocated to a small sea side town where each morning he dips sashimi into green tea as tears roll down his cheeks interrupted only by spurts of maniacal laughter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/284f0a63-41b5-4da9-96e5-cb0a0fd96006/Michiba-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba puts the steamed kombu, tai, and mushrooms in a yuzu peel. Bingo, you won! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0e8ecb70-d227-4e67-8a26-277d9bfa4981/Michiba-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba is splitting the fish heads as now both his sous chefs are auditing this class. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/02bf57d7-4e65-4381-bc6c-0cd1fbad0fac/Tanabe-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out The chefs share the loot equally, each with one large and three medium Tai. I'm not going to call them Sea Bream just for internal consistency. Consult your local ichthyologist with any questions or concerns. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/50e52777-c0cd-4b35-a673-ac104c36cb26/Showdown-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out A champion's introduction from the Don King of these proceedings, who is definitely standing on a box. #TeamBox https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1e6fe283-854f-4107-bbf5-d84b5009b06f/Tanabe-d0.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/369b671e-3cc4-4a65-9b48-696975b1ac2b/Tanabe-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Sideline Reporter Ohta: How did your husband get that cut on his brow? Etsuko Tanabe: Shadaloo. Ohta: Excuse me? Etsuko Tanabe: You're excused. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/71eac7d2-2b4c-4797-a1fb-2bcc4918bb09/Michiba-11.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Time for the Michiba dance! You put your left nori in, you take your left nori out, you put your right nori in, and toast it all about. He's having so much fun right now. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/16604bb1-a39f-403a-9849-d6388bf1a841/Michiba-d0.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f37a4623-d757-42ab-8bc9-3f968a30450c/Michiba-d4a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out No, not Thai Tea. Tai Tea. The rebel is at work. Remember the tai sashimi from the "first" course? Well that is scooped into a bowl with toasted nori, herbs, and wasabi then hot tea poured atop. Served with a few dipping sauces, rice, and more nori. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dbf2bef8-3dac-4762-9f18-ce822140c6ff/Tanabe-d1.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Chef Tanabe’s plan is to challenge the judges with an experimental first dish before easing them back into the familiar. The tai organ and intestines were given a soak in milk then smoked over corn silk in an effort to tone down the funk. It is served around a pile of raw tai scraps with chives. Embrace the funk, chef Tanabe. This is Iron Chef. Predictably mixed reactions from the judges. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/50cf1f5b-8c3e-4195-bc4c-949d2e7a1eb2/Wisdom-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman gives us a montage while we ponder his wisdom. 1. The same b-roll of fishing boats in a bay we see every seafood episode. 2. Fresh Tai Snapper looking embarrassed to be a part of these proceedings. 3. Tai Snapper in soup looking... well, not looking at all. 4. Tender bite of braised Tai Snapper. 5. Tai Snapper clip art. Probably the same one I used for the title image. Profound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8b39b66e-ee3c-4985-9c38-0d67a0fbd459/Tanabe-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Tanabe proves that anything is French if you add dairy. Even fish offal. This quick blanch in milk will remove some of the smell of the offal before it is further cooked. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/03af958e-a97d-4023-a79a-91bad7a8d224/Tanabe-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Tanabe is separating the organs. I'm intrigued. A French dish with fish offal. The creation of new dishes adapting the ingredients is another reason Iron Chef is great. [Insert Iron Chef America Chef] hasn’t touched a fish organ in a decade. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ad2c6d98-5c78-490a-a8fd-93478e021981/014-Tai.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Bringing knives to a fist fight. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e29c1c2c-4485-44f9-bcc3-242ba025c4de/Booth-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Play-by-Play Kenji Fukui (right) and Color Commentator Dr. Yukio Hattori (left). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6cf323a3-ee9b-4910-a7e9-b095e1430c64/Michiba-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out The sage, Iron Chef Michiba, artfully writes out his menu. Today it reads "Sushi sushi sushi sushi rockin' everywhere." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c1ed766c-57ce-49c7-8f45-45b0ba95cd95/Michiba-d2.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Tai nuggets, beech mushrooms, and tofu steamed and plated in a yuzu with sake and mandarin orange juice poured atop. Elegant presentation and an appropriately light, if boozy, second course from the kaiseke master. This is not the first nor the last time Iron Chef Michiba has plated in a yuzu. If it works, it works. The dish is met with unanimous approval from all three judges. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/315e45de-b92e-4767-8054-2f600d7ed5f5/Fit-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Today the Chairman got confused as to what fighting video game we would be parodying, and showed up as bedazzled Sub-Zero despite the producers insisting on (again) no fatalities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/04ed9126-75bd-49a9-a61d-0d9618196630/Tanabe-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out The fish offal has finished blanching in the milk and is now going to get smoked over some corn silk and bay leaves for about five minutes. Everything he has done up to this point is new to me. I hope the judges respect the technique. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f8c0e370-286c-4d21-a06d-daa2a6b99a7e/Reveal-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Tai Snapper! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/854be938-0b1c-4802-be88-a5a4d096aaec/Tanabe-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Tanabe begins preparing the requisite salt-baked tai. Chefs have been using this to dazzle judges in cooking competitions since Beat Bobby Archestratus in 400 BCE. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/db887846-146d-4fc5-85dd-cfeab4dc6a3f/Tanabe-14.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Tanabe's soup de poisson has thickened nicely and has a great color from the saffron. The points he’ll inevitably lose for the smoked offal will be made back by this dish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7db0f510-0557-4ecb-8e97-d547aa52de32/Allez-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Neither Chef defers at the pass, and neither makes eye contact. This is a change from the last two "I'm just happy to be here and have some fun" challengers. Kumite! Kumite! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/92ef111f-ccd4-4eb8-8a56-1e1dc08d89b6/Tanabe-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Tanabe's wife and two sons, Ken and Ryu, are in the stands. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2d233838-ae37-4549-a868-485e253d1870/Tanabe-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Tanabe has a rich fish stock going with all the bones, heads, fins, and a large pinch of saffron. That is going to be deliciously gelatinous. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2b6d5f61-ad22-4127-bf83-6b590d5804bf/Michiba-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba's knife safety leaves a lot to be desired. No wonder his sous chefs won't get near him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1e7d7681-0f37-4242-b54a-71e2790815a9/Tanabe-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Tanabe's smoked tai entrails are plated next to the raw sliced tai on a bed of celery leaves... and that's it. I applaud his for “using every part of the buffalo,'“ but the cooking process of the offal was more interesting than the final product. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/06b6a772-bde6-44fb-b219-147eab1a1dde/Michiba-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba has kelp, tai, and tofu in a steamer. To this he will add brown beech mushrooms. If you know Iron Chef Michiba, you know this will be served in a hollowed-out yuzu. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7d25aacf-a7e5-4f5d-9a65-f60f26d2b804/Michiba-d4b.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out The challenger's salt-dome theater has been surpassed by the Iron Chef’s own theatrics. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0234e4b2-abb2-448c-9684-926bf65822e9/Judge-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Actress Mitsuko Ishii (7 battles). Sadly this is the expressive Judge Ishii's last battle until 1998 (four seasons later). Despite her limited appearances, she is a lock for the Iron Chef Judge Hall of Fame. I just made up the hall of fame, but it should be an extant thing that we can visit just so we can see an animatronic Judge Hirano give a 11-minute diatribe on the fall of Babylon and how it relates to yoshoku cuisine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d15cd061-4819-47a7-8b87-fa75330a0105/Reel-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Tai Snapper, asparagus, tomatoes, and garlic butter. How fortuitous. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e0f738fd-1418-4d63-998f-84ba0e7b9170/Tanabe-d3.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0ff09787-77c1-43c3-ada8-dcb4cc06e62d/Michiba-d4.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4a4ae21c-008b-4f82-9bc9-190d28be0b35/Michiba-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba's reduced braising liquid (katuobushi dashi, soy, and mirin) is being ladled over the tai heads, collars, and burdock root. I can practically taste it, and it tastes divine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3e08f473-2fe1-439e-9741-7db5644307e3/Michiba-d3.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba delivers some heartier fare. The braising liquid (soy, mirin, katsuobushi dashi, tai head stock) was reduced to a sauce-like consistency and poured over the tai collars and burdock roots. The coursing trends heavier with stronger flavors. The importance of Iron Chef Michiba's menu planning is being demonstrated this battle. Positive feedback from the judges how have until now favored the lighter dishes. Michiba is about to reward them with quite a surprise. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3e3ef5f0-b7b4-45b6-94a9-c178abc1b1ef/Showdown-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Straight to business. No pointing. Challenger Tanabe calmly requests the reigning heavyweight champion, Iron Chef Japanese Rokusaburo Michiba. It’s the eye of the tiger, it’s the thrill of fight! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/852e64b8-7c45-416d-ab3d-2cfd0ac5887a/Tanabe-d2.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out This is challenger Tanabe’s finest dish. The forthcoming salt baked tai may have theatrics, but is not the star. This classic French fish soup is infused with saffron and topped with a melba toast surfboard. This began with a rich tai stock utilizing bones and fins then punched through a chinois. Simple but elegant and technique-driven. Challenger Tanabe knows he rocked this. The judges agree. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1ca4606d-1713-420a-a519-7e84c0a4c153/Reel-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Lathering Chilean Sea Bass with clarified butter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/448cac37-da9f-4733-a2ba-c10794f651c3/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Toshio Tanabe vs Iron Chef Japanese Rokusaburo Michiba! Rising up to the challenge of our rival! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2464d255-a119-4ff3-baf1-b211fe22c979/Michiba-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Sure enough Michiba prefers to scale and break down the fish himself. While his forlorn sous chef watches from as far as possible without his shock collar triggering. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2dc23c7d-f968-4425-9ac8-38cd77f44240/Michiba-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #14 - Tai Snapper Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef adds a heavy pour of sake and Sanbokan (a sour mandarin orange) juice to his drunken steamed tai, tofu, and mushrooms dish. https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-episode-13-egg monthly 0.5 2024-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bc4bb710-383a-4669-85e1-fc30b30c0f17/Judge-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Kimono designer Kiyohijo (4 battles). The succinct Judge Kiyohoji left a Yelp review for McDonalds Shinjuku Station that read "yes. it is food. stars." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ea2b3aa3-3716-4d9d-8ffd-7713d92393cb/Hoshino-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba will not be the only one coursing out his menu on paper. Our Challenger channels his biology teacher experience and grabs a pencil and paper. He may just be behind on grading homework. “It’s photosynthesis, not photo-syphilis. Nice try, Keith. B+." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/61b2eb21-7a09-439d-9863-1ff87b140018/Michiba-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba's rolled omelet is sliced and looking nice. It gets plated into a bowl, indicating a broth is forthcoming. Watch out for that spiny lobster sashimi as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f34c2821-0e30-4f5e-9411-c03c076a0ccc/Michiba-14.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba does make a tempura after all! This bowl has tamagoyaki, lobster sashimi, and mushroom and asparagus tempura. This dish may seem like an hour worth of work itself, but all these components cook very quickly. Michiba’s time management shines yet again. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/433315fb-776d-4cfb-881e-18a42aab771a/Michiba-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/da08e730-5f9a-4107-88c7-617d0fc4d25f/Allez-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Hoshinro wastes no time, beating the Iron Chef to the pass. Also, he is very tall. That long stride length will be an asset today. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/65564df4-08de-4790-9920-924e1afa8e52/Booth-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ed123b40-ca6d-4a70-9b4e-d6d1aab033ce/Michiba-D03b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Judge Ishii is not alone. All three judges approve, making the Iron Chef the favorite to win. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1777bdff-ffb0-4877-bb7d-58cfcd6207ee/PlayIn-3-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Jun Hoshino - High School Biology Teacher https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/94448d72-f057-465e-afc5-5399b4a9c64b/Judge-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Actress Mitsuko Ishii (7 battles). Judge Ishii asks if you are going to finish your lunch after she has already begun eating it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9232d6a9-83c8-4cf7-b334-c3fcaa7b79b5/Showdown-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman gently requests that challenger Hoshino to select an Iron Chef to battle, rather than his usual bellowed demand. The challenger authoritatively picks Iron Chef Japanese Michiba, who is glancing at his producer like "do... do I destroy him?" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/32ced771-e478-4452-9a5d-71a5e7f9c54a/Michiba-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba goes for his more classy and impractical traditional parchment and ink. We have a battle of scholars today. Michiba's scroll reads "Tempura, Chawanmushi, Tamagoyaki, Tamago Nigiri, Caviar????" You could have guessed that. “Classy and Impractical” is also the name of Iron Chef Michiba’s cookbook. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/924ee25d-6eb5-4ae7-800c-c78fd44c6f25/Hoshino-15.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Sous Chef: Caviar? Hoshino: Caviar. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/085ef6dd-123c-4170-8755-1f4394191aaa/Hoshino-16.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Hoshino sauteeing spinach to accompany the scrambled eggs and potato. He is becoming increasingly aggravated at these Lilliputian utensils and cookware. The Chairman may as well give him an EZ-Bake Oven. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/83f6e586-2730-4af4-ba50-5985d5067e06/Hoshino-19.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out The Challenger has apparently seen an episode or two of Iron Chef before and tops his scrambled eggs with caviar in the final seconds of the battle. The Chairman will be pleased. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/41777f60-098b-40c6-bd4e-faefbc42082c/Intro-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Why should I let them eat cake when I can have it all for myself? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/be153c66-da91-4b5b-8636-3b1a5aa91573/Hoshino-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out The Challenger's gyoza (or egg roll) will contain a farce of eggs, ground beef, scallions, and bell peppers as the filling. Breakfast gyoza (or egg roll). He did say he can come up with ideas no professional would. I love it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/05fb03f1-dab2-44f3-a063-8457d4fdc499/PlayIn-3-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Wakame, Tuna, and Scallop Donburi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d2df8150-985a-4ac3-9bab-ecec090ea2d4/Hoshino-14.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out The Challenger prepares scrambled eggs in potato cups. This is asking for some cheese and bacon, but this is also Iron Chef so…. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/344211a0-76ed-424c-8a82-a6a532ca0dd7/Michiba-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba, fresh off the pork episode loss, cannot wait to start utilizing seafood again (much to this spiny lobster's chagrin). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4d213ae9-1559-4bb2-ac71-956f87bb8cd3/Michiba-D.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9fc059fb-529a-4f8f-b56e-8ace96b5bd6b/Hoshino-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Jun Hoshino's wife looks on from the Kitchen Stadium gallery. This is already the third of eleven cuts to her this battle. Just another reminder that Iron Chefs are married to the life. Who's the real winner? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/64becf61-5218-4ca0-8446-cd26f81b030a/PlayIn-3-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Lamb Donabe with root vegetables. Looks scrumptious. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0eda5da6-cd08-4482-83d3-fcde3fc30c68/PlayIn-4.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Unsurprisingly, Biology teacher Jun Hoshino wins the right to battle an Iron Chef in Kitchen Stadium! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/aa070589-4cbc-4718-993e-db18e3f5f298/Quote-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Like ends meet. Like time with my family. Etc. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/13eb79c6-dddb-4621-afa0-32a6576a77dc/013-Egg.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out 1994 was a bygone era when eggs were considered a humble ingredient and didn’t cost a dollar each. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/62edee30-6d91-4bae-9353-27757ed2e5ab/Cut-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out You are inside your home, Jun. Where your family sleeps. Take the flames down a notch. That's just irresponsible. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/15463038-9edc-4fbe-8847-f40089cfc641/Hoshino-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b0b18fe6-1fa4-49d2-9033-8fb1bbebfac2/Michiba-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out The iron chef is serving the lobster raw atop the tamagoyaki. That's our Michiba! *Michiba theme song plays* (it's ODB's "Shimmy Shimmy Ya"). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9feae156-fb60-4163-ab84-a05cd25546a9/PlayIn-2-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out An especially luminous roasted vegetable stew. Is that a Cipollini onion or a celestial object? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/59967d50-a9da-48a6-8a21-d5f68a922718/Hoshino-17.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out The Challenger grabs plates with four minutes remaining. More importantly there is an entire pig in the pantry leftover from the season premiere, confirming these maniacs film three episodes a day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d5aaa461-6e31-43f4-a4a3-c4abd48e835f/Hoshino-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Hoshino, our tallest Chef to have yet graced kitchen stadium, is cutting at thigh level. That cannot be good for the back (nor cutting speed). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/217d314f-ebbd-4dd1-af50-4658db4ca260/Hoshino-06.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Egg drop soup from the challenger! I should have seen that coming. Great idea. He can take it off the heat now and not deal with again until service. I’m starting to think we will not get a chawanmushi from either chef. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3ffd47ba-5941-498d-8bf1-175d58c5ed4d/Hoshino-17.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Hoshino snuck some large raw oysters into what I thought was an egg drop soup, but is now looking brothier. I am not complaining. This will be served cold. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b6a1b69a-0f8b-49e3-af44-3e630fdabb47/Portfolio-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Awwwwww. No dishes are going to beat that. Am I going to have to root against an Iron Chef today? Yes, yes I am. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ed1b717c-13a1-4f2b-95aa-73c14f088640/Hoshino-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Home-cook Hoshino has an egg and flour in a bowl. While he’s not going to risk hand-made noodles, he will attempt hand-made fried dumplings. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5c42a8e8-92fd-4c17-a907-e05b8c534daa/Michiba-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0d666e6a-0da6-4bdb-b53e-add1ca58118a/Michiba-D02a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out I didn't catch any eggplant utilized by the Iron Chef, but presumably there is a disc on which the poached egg rests. More tongue-in-cheek wordplay from the Rebel. That said, this looks great. There is a light soy broth at the bottom of the bowl that when mixed with the runny yolk, would make the eggplant wonderful. Advantage goes to the Iron Chefs second egg-on-egg dish over the Challenger's soup. Tie ballgame. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/81433e05-979a-44f3-b70d-8e382cf9db43/Michiba-13.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out A soy-based broth is ladled around Iron Chef Michiba's poached egg. This is a simple but assuredly delicious dish that took him all of five minutes to make. This confirms three dishes from the Iron Chef. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/383935e3-bb5c-4c8d-b19e-3f9371b91cec/Michiba-D01a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out A perfectly medium-boiled egg yolk served atop a leafy green, adjacent to a broccoli floret, and heaping dollop of mayonnaise, and topped with caviar. This is more art than food. I don't know how to eat this. I don't know if I'm supposed to eat this. I'll take the Challenger's scrambled egg, potato, and caviar dish over the Iron Chef's starter, please. The sheer quantity of mayonnaise is off-putting. Like previously mentioned, sour cream would also look like egg whites and pair better with the caviar. The Judges are not enthralled. Challenger Hoshino’s potato, scrambled eggs, and caviar is the better opening dish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e6712596-7277-4b7b-bca7-aeb95faa9e80/PlayIn-2-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out He murdered that savory mushroom soufflé (in a good way). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e159ff57-d89a-49ba-acfa-3a1463302a99/Hoshino-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Hoshino's dough has rested about 10 minutes and now he has divided it to make very large round wrappers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bb5139a1-3801-436f-8f23-14fc9634dca7/Hoshino-D03a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out These calzone sized deep-fried gyoza were made from scratch and topped with a hollandaise sauce. Hustle points awarded. The filling is ground beef, scrambled eggs, scallions, and red bell peppers. They are a bit unweildy and could've been limited to one per plate. The execution was a bit heavy-handed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a4bc56ec-b0dd-472c-9604-d3dd2948e7bf/Hoshino-18.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Hoshino: See this spinach? Sous Chef: Yes. Hoshino: Spinacia oleracea. Wind pollinated. Sous Chef: Okay... Hoshino: That will be on the final exam. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bae85b9c-402a-4651-ac6e-583ef5b81629/PlayIn-1-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Wok cooking asparagus in his home kitchen and making it look... well... not easy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/86b53e72-6e11-4a14-849d-0bd15ab99a81/Michiba-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out The lobster tail meat is being expertly extracted, likely for a sashimi. I've cut my thumb open on the lobster shell doing this exact same thing. Karma. Well, karma and lack of a giant deba knife. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9db66145-ef74-4c0d-b0ea-31d02c8a1165/Wisdom.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman gives us a montage while we ponder his wisdom. 1. The traditional old streets of 1950's Osaka, which may actually be a screenshot from Nishikata: The End of Summer (1961). 2. A steaming brick of a tamagoyaki omelet. 3. Omelet in a pan. 4. Eggs having air whipped into it with chopsticks. 5. Brown chicken eggs in a nest. Profound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6d6fdc6f-9713-4db5-8f48-af828448c6c5/Booth-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Play-by-Play Kenji Fukui (right) and Color Commentator Dr. Yukio Hattori (left). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b38f8a25-21c5-41cb-9f4a-3b5c1e2bd3b1/Michiba-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4c032c09-091a-4e2d-a4e1-58135408d9df/Hoshino-D02a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out A brothier and again, lux'd, version of an egg soup. We saw the challenger utilize the egg-drop technique and then immediately put the pot of soup in an ice bath. At some point, additional broth was added. Raw oysters are always great, but why stop there? Crab meat or lobster is crucial when going toe-to-toe with Iron Chef Michiba. Mixed reaction from the judges. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/98ecb27d-7f56-48b9-91f8-74b95e3bfabd/PlayIn-3-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out His Kakiage Curry Beef Donburi was featured in a printed publication. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/36fe9ecf-db08-4673-9f57-be651212b3d5/Michiba-D03a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out At last, a tamgoyaki, and quite possibly the fanciest tamagoyaki ever plated. This is egg-ceptional (sorry). Let's run down the components, each of which could have stood alone as its own dish. Tamagoyaki rolled-omelette with chives. That was the technique I wanted to see demonstrated, and I was not disappointed. Lobster sashimi (lightly cooked in the dashima / kelp-broth). Lobster and eggs are great complements, and the Iron Chef is a sashimi master. Mushroom and chives tempura. The Iron Chef demonstrated critical time management getting these tempura clusters to hold together during the last minute deep fry. If they fell apart, he'd have nothing to top this dish (and it would still be great). The third dish must go to the Iron Chef. Let's check in with Judge Ishii. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1e16b833-d339-4e23-b4cc-868f3bcf50c3/Hoshino-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Hoshino is not the quickest with the knife, which is to be expected. These bell-peps will not go into a rolled omelet but the hand-made dumpling. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/41255acc-f3ff-49b0-95d8-061be97fdad4/Michiba-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba has many eggs on a boil. I'd love it if Rokusabura the Rebel just served a soft-boiled egg in a pewter pedestal egg cup as his opening course. The Chairman would be into it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/daf4e873-8f5e-4413-abb4-d88a2a18263d/Hoshino-D01b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Hoshino: What came first, the chicken or the egg? The egg. Hatched from the genetic ancestor of the chicken. Judges: *uproarious laughter* Hoshino: That wasn't a joke. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f2b2b5bb-f891-4595-ad2b-ec7729a1f673/Michiba-06.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Rolled omelet alert! Iron Chef Michiba is giving it try in a round skillet. I figured if any Iron Chef had a dedicated tamagoyaki pan, it would’ve been Rokusaburo Michiba. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2105134f-fff4-4ae1-9d3b-3a755c770a4b/Supreme-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Rokusaburo Michiba! Not much of a surprise, but still, give the man his flowers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ba486009-8b71-47e9-8e14-eea0af2329e4/Michiba-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba begins poaching eggs likely to be stored in a water bath until he needs them until nearer to the end of competition. He is the best at time management of all the Iron Chefs. These little tricks are why. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6e8312e2-84d8-47b9-9cd2-7038c3d3a754/Reveal-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Egg! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f8f87318-720d-44fb-9752-8b2585c167de/Hoshino-12.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Simple half moon fold on the gyoza. Those bear-paws can palm a Volkswagen, but are not made to pleat a dumpling. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4585e5ab-cec5-460d-b1e0-89402edb516a/Intro-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman is deep in thought, combing his mental rolodex for the right challenger. The Iron Chefs have won 9-of-12 battles so far, so you know what we need? A less formidable challenger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/de355785-8628-4239-9824-a9bb7e89b224/Hoshino-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/484b818f-84be-4efb-8a19-d65bd6f26978/Hoshino-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f5ffd69b-32fa-43be-9adc-243390d906bd/Hoshino-D01a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out The challenger lux'd his scrambled egg in a potato dish with some caviar. Normally caviar is flung about Kitchen Stadium with little rhyme or reason, but I think it works here. Caviar complements potatoes well, and will bring some salt to both the potato and the eggs. Hello sautéed spinach. I see you. The judges aren't going to eat you, but I appreciate you. One oishi from Judge Ishii. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ac6538d9-d9fc-4302-93c9-f5b5376bb7ef/Michiba-D02b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Judge Ishii is a fan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/61b7ad3b-9953-42b8-8267-1c060a1ff73a/PlayIn-2-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Shigemasa Kuroki - Security Management Director https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3dd3e90f-e2ce-4231-905c-5ced1430d0ef/Intro-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman is struck by the image of a throng of salarymen marching though Kitchen Stadium. Yes, that's it! To be accepted by the people, I must defeat the people's champion. This calls for a celebration! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c2281b1e-4826-427a-84b5-8c9f31e2d4c3/Hoshino-07.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Hoshino also gives some eggs a soft-boil. Is he going to peel those himself with those tennis-racket hands or give his sous chef something to do for a few valuable minutes? Both. It's all hands of all sizes on deck to dispatch these shells. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0efea94d-3968-4a96-8648-49b463225e2d/Hoshino-10.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Good technique demonstrated by the challenger, constantly rotating the dough as he applies pressure. He is definitely in a hurry, as only 25 minutes remain to get these filled, cooked, and plated. This could be an eggroll given the size of the wrapper, but he hasn’t squared off the corners yet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2917040d-3377-4b58-8dbf-5868f3fc7bc2/PlayIn-1-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out De-constructed crab rangoon by way of a taco salad. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c01746cf-3055-40c1-8023-0a736ef5ed61/Michiba-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba's grated daikon and mushroom concoction gets a little soy and mirin. This will be strained and ladled over the tamagoyaki and lobster. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9a62e090-a456-4c47-a17f-4cf58f504844/Hoshino-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Hoshino's chunky dumplings get a deep fry. This is no longer a breakfast gyoza, it is a breakfast calzone. This is what Paul Bunyan ate each morning while deforesting North America. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5c93aca8-b0ae-4d24-9c76-548b97867ea2/PlayIn-1-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Tetsuchu Kawabe - Director of Development https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d4b053d2-739a-4d50-a2fa-851c3a2cd4d4/PlayIn-2-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out May be a murderer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e3de1a29-cb9d-4bde-8c1d-6874499e51b3/Hoshino-D.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/614b7e95-9940-4622-832f-8e002003c078/Hoshino-D03b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Judge Ishii requests a circular saw to portion her gyoza. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c48c9b52-a4cb-48d7-8d9b-40b881a72646/Michiba-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba is in garnish-mode with three minutes remaining. Yuzu zest. Never idle, Michiba zests yuzu on the train, zests yuzu while pretending to listen to producers, zests yuzu while zesting yuzu, etc. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b54d5f92-9ab5-4232-a8f6-c2badfed7956/Challenger-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Jun Hoshino is a very talented 31-year old home cook, whose donburi was featured in a printed publication (those were things like magazines and newspapers that existed in 1994). Mr. Hoshino is a biology teacher at a public high school in Yanagawa. The Iron Chefs have never felt the pressure he endures on a daily basis. Forged in fire... or enzymes, or whatever. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4d757d7d-e364-44c4-adcc-46eda608e7eb/Michiba-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba has some components being plated. A perfectly boiled egg yolk with the mayonnaise to mimic the rightfully discarded egg whites (the blister-wrap of food). It is topped with caviar because this is Iron Chef Michiba and he cannot help himself. Fun presentation, but I don't want to eat that. Sour cream (or creme fraiche or Mexican crema) would’ve been a better option than unadulterated mayonnaise. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/23add3bf-6a02-4dd7-bbfc-b229e2ff3579/PlayIn-1-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Beef and broken noodle stir fry. I don’t think the broken lo-mein noodles were intentional. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f9646784-056f-4c06-9d10-423054d365b0/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Jun Hoshino vs Iron Chef Japanese Rokusaburo Michiba! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/88581c74-21b2-44b9-be13-9e7f0986c70e/PlayIn-2-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Beautiful tuna tataki with some unfortunate saucing and garnishes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/70bdd391-63e6-4c6d-bc85-f0735c6bb0b4/Judge-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Food historian Masaaki Hirano (42 battles). The Century Egg of people. Equal parts salty and ashy, but 100% funky. Get down. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d29cc6df-e0bf-4840-a2ff-81f2b5cd79fc/Hoshino-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Sideline reporter Ohta: How do you think your husband is doing today and do you think he can defeat the Iron Chef? Tomoko Hoshino: Jun is doing eggs-quisitely. When he's not scrambled, he's hard to beat. He's a real egg-head and hatched a plan today. I don't think the Iron Chef is all he's cracked up to be. I think Jun can poach the victory from him. Ohta: This is eggs-hausting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cd04b615-7cd5-408b-9c85-ad04c5e0d360/PlayIn-1-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out Crab legs in a thick soup with rice vermicelli noodles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8061dfbc-9def-4497-bd47-1f6310f047b7/Michiba-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out At the halfway point of the battle, Iron Chef Michiba has ladled grated daikons into hot oil. This is new. He takes it off the heat immediately, adds shiitakes, and sets it aside until time to plate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f97e1a63-523f-47d4-b87b-1202a13607fa/Fit-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #13 - Egg Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman, whose thoughts on "the rabble" are well known, is symbolically dressed as Marie Antoinette during her flight to Varennes, an ill conceived attempt at both counter-revolution and escape from the guillotine. The Chairman intends to change that history today. https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-12-squid monthly 0.5 2024-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7419afbd-6f7b-4db7-b9a2-5650876aa7c3/Cut-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out More wok tossing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dc7129ee-9f79-4a9f-b6c5-d46141ce31c9/Kenichi-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi's squid puree gets hand mixed with some egg whites. From a tactile standpoint, that is the most upsetting sentence ever written. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/63353c4e-f3bc-4452-93e5-c7cc4ad3c620/Quote-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out “"Confidence comes from having a healthy body, speed, and a lot of firepower." *snaps fingers and a flame ignites from his hand* https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/287ad7c4-52b5-4f2e-8f5f-a7b1d8ad685b/Judge-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out J-Pop record producer Yasushi Akimoto (22 battles). Judge Akimoto has consumed the ink sacs of squid, cuttlefish, octopus, and Haruki Murakami. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/32f386ff-e07b-4744-a19c-2e35ab5a6170/Showdown.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Weiping is grinning ear-to-ear as he challenges Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi. Chef Weiping seems eager to cook for an idol, rather than playing up the confrontation. He's as happy as we are to see the Iron Chef back in action after a prolonged absence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8974c4e8-d92a-4cd9-a158-dd2cc6000fb4/Weiping-D01a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Thick indeed. You could float a quarter in that. In addition to the cornstarch and egg whites, there are squid scraps, shiitakes, and tofu. The plethora of beige ingredients is topped with some minced Jinhua ham. This is going to be a satisfying thick spoonful, which will get the nod over Iron Chef Kenichi’s broken soup. Good start by Challenger Weiping. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f2c1d6b6-2adf-4ab8-9ec6-528c25c0a398/Weiping-D02a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out The challenger demonstrated exemplary knife skills in cutting the squid and carrots to resemble coral. Add in a heap of aromatics and I can almost excuse the broccoli ring. At least the broccoli is adequately cooked unlike a previous challenger. This is another solid dish by Challenger Weiping. Iron Chef Kenichi has to bring his best. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e74c9bb3-dd0f-46a3-9a6b-fc69f110f2b5/Weiping-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Weiping signals wok o' clock. It appears to be squid mantle scraps and shiitake's going for a quick blanch. A bit anti-climactic, but admittedly too early for some real wok-tossing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dd495d83-1ae1-4daf-abc6-8f25998bf4c5/Weiping-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out The challenger's squid-and-cheese stir fry is plated family style atop a ring of vegetables (of course). This looks decidedly less appetizing than his prior one. The asparagus spears have already begun fleeing the scene. Adding cheese, butter, and asparagus to a dish does not make it “French” any more than a dollop of mayonnaise in a beret. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7507f2ab-f6b9-49c1-a905-32af283a190f/Weiping-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Weiping's squid scraps and shiitake soup is fortified with enough cornstarch to float Jinhua ham, bringing his total to three dishes: 1) This soup 2) Light stir fry with broccoli rings 3) Cheese stir fry with asparagus rings. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fee05865-109a-468d-a552-4d3a4b247344/Kenichi-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi instead uses a smaller knife to more delicately skin these unusually girthy squid, working much slower. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ca2781c5-f294-4493-a91f-5018e2451b94/Kenichi-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/181a8e18-43b8-4de1-afbd-834ed5844093/Challenger-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Born in Guandong in 1949 (with a smile already on his face), Chef Weiping performed his first one-hand wok toss as an infant. At age 16, he cooked in Cuiyuan (Emerald Garden) Cantonese restaurant in Hong Kong. He quickly made a name for himself, handling hot coals with his bare hands and testing oil temperature with his toes, becoming head chef at 23. At the Emerald Garden, Chef Weiping cooked for Bruce Lee who immediately arm-wrestled Chef Weiping and lost, suffering second-degree contact burns in the process. It wasn't until Chef Weiping defeated Jackie Chan with a timely Ifrit summon that he was allowed to open the Tokyo branch of the Emerald Garden at age 28. Chef Weiping has been the Head Chef and resident Fire God of Nagae Sake House in Nerima, Tokyo since 1990. He is known for his mastery of the flame; delivering wok hei to his ingredients and immolation to his enemies. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8f6dbc9b-ced6-4b0c-bda7-0a8f63ddec0d/Cut-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Wok star. That 16-inch carbon steel wok weighs 5.3 lbs without any food in it (and is held from the edge, rather than the center of gravity). This takes immense strength and he makes it look easy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ff715f08-2e39-4e89-b7f2-19cce5422313/Weiping-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Weiping speedily scores the squid with mathematical consistency. This is hypnotic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c4febcc5-9038-4121-9c92-a43892163e1c/Kenichi-D01a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef comes out strong demonstrating his technique. Cutting the squid into chrysanthemum flowers was time consuming but worth it, given squid's quick cook time. I'm not totally against this star of baby corn and pile of boiled mushrooms as they'll dip well in the chili sauce. Matched up with Challenger Weiping's coral reef stir-fry, the advantage has to go to the Iron Chef. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/70c30d67-2851-4416-8eb5-17649a5722e3/012-Squid.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out If you talk the talk, you must rock the wok. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b0cf793f-e7a5-4311-baf9-73b11f50c8cb/Kenichi-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef adds an okara slurry to thicken his hand-mixed squid slime. Nobody wants a thin squid slime. Okara is a by-product starch from soy bean processing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/04a2eb27-7eeb-4cff-9a57-d5be0eb5ae4d/Kenichi-D02a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef spent an inordinate amount of time on this curdled soup, but let's hear him out. The squid and egg white puree was thickened not with cornstarch, but with okara (soybean flour). Okay, heard. The challenger's soup is more appetizing. For one, it is not broken, and secondly Jinhua ham over goji berries any day all day. That should tie things up, but if you know Iron Chef Kenichi, you know his signature finisher. His chili stir-fries knock down judges like bowling pins. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7602fef5-3194-49fd-96d2-f54cd178e235/Weiping-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out The Challenger's cuttlefish, tofu, and shiitakes finish their boil Now he’s got a basket of beige. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2b33c7fb-d6a9-4f6c-a901-702d303a74de/Wisdom-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman also gives us a sneak peak at the first ten minutes of this battle. Both Chefs will be delicately and precisely scoring squid mantles. Therapeutic, unless you are a squid. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/10f6a1f8-49e0-4a1d-80a3-63229086d6e7/Kenichi-14.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef's scored squid cylinders are done blanching and are looking like magnificent little sheep holding a meeting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c2c15050-1eb3-4f71-abfe-e7bf5bc07b88/Kenichi-D.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0badb262-d7fb-42cb-9338-79caa774bf26/Weiping-D03a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out What a mess. Where to start? Ah right, the cheese. Chef Weiping tried to stir-fry cheese and this is what happened. I’m not sure what highly-processed cheese he utilized that didn’t split immediately, so I guess that is a win. We have highly irregularly cut squid (scraps from his previous dish and a brief attempt to make cylinders), a pile of cheese and butter, asparagus spears that are being pushed off the plate by the pyroclastic cheese flow, lemon half-moons, and a decorative tomato flower. Bruce Lee would 3-inch punch this across the stadium. Jackie Chan would parkour over this, and break his foot in the process. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/26586cf0-614f-4c14-bec9-7e7d0a4d35f1/Kenichi-18.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out You know why I love Iron Chef Chen Kenichi? Interactions like this. Sous Chef: Here’s some more chili paste, I’ll just spoon it over to ….. Iron Chef Kenichi: *palms it with his bare maws* Sous Chef: Okay then. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d4099496-d90d-4d54-89a1-3ec729bc6dce/Challenger-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b7b8fced-9850-4f39-bd32-e479c5e0f7d5/Weiping-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bcb2c81d-7359-44a8-9494-58d21250d53d/Weiping-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out The Challenger's stir fry has carrots, ginger, negi (large scallions), and the first squid steak he scored, sliced, and blanched. Very decorative knife work completed in very little time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b8d82cc8-84b7-4c63-8584-a638f2b53655/Kenichi-15.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi gives a last second "pass-through-oil" to his squid scraps, shiitakes, and celery to prepare it for his finisher... Doubanjian coming. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/630cac42-f8fe-4199-95f1-b48d5cf16805/Judge-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Food historian Masaaki Hirano (42 battles). Judge Hirano is long winded as the theme ingredient is long limbed-ed. Oh no… That sounds like something Judge Hirano would say. If you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/59828ecc-6a38-4dd5-93aa-6ab51acc4aaf/Reveal-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Squid! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e13ad697-8e0d-4c60-b1c8-4c3183d61f87/Weiping-D03b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Judge Akimoto details the breached asparagus levees against the flood of dairy. The Red Cross is on the way with Lactaid. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3b92f075-8599-4f30-8820-470a6b388221/Kenichi-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/03934783-dfdd-42bf-b10d-db49d60b6b00/Weiping-D01b.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Judge Asaji approved with an oishi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c2343e5a-1659-4718-921e-60825dd53f08/Allez-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out This is already a joy. The wide-eyed challenger and the Iron Chef exchange a real handshake, followed by the Iron Chef offering a guiding hand. The body language is master and apprentice. It should be noted that Iron Chef Kenichi is 7-years YOUNGER than Challenger Weiping. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ce3e96e8-dc2b-4c4b-8f7a-a05833409632/Kenichi-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef version of the egg-on-a-spoon race. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cf17ad9c-17be-4a28-a0b8-e91e04312b22/Kenichi-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi has also utilzed his mantle scraps to form Mt. Ika, the slimiest climb. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4c9397eb-e2f9-469d-aa4b-ad18bafdaa63/Judge-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Actress Yoko Asaji (3 battles). Sadly, this is Judge Asaji’s last battle. In addition to squid, she has deliberated on the daikon radish and octopus, giving her the experience necessary to serve on the Supreme Court. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1d375a95-6b89-4d8d-81c9-901a45d3f985/Kenichi-16.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out In his signature move, Iron Chef Kenichi breaks out a few tablespoons of doubanjian into a wok. You know the Iron Chef is not done until kitchen stadium smells of heavenly fermented chili paste. In a moment of inspiration, the Iron Chef added some shiro miso to the chili mixture. Spicy miso. Nice. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bbe90a9c-562e-4499-a25b-81fbec107cde/Weiping-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out The challenger makes quick work of these large mantled squid, deftly removing the ink sac with his biggest knife. Perhaps an indication he plans to utilize squid ink in a dish. Spoiler alert: He does not. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/83a6dfb3-4330-408a-8625-452913783ffc/Weiping-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Weiping then slices the squid perpendicularly on the bias to make frilly slices. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8de98a75-d587-4df0-bd7b-0cfb7796c4a3/Kenichi-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi's scored squid steak. He has another three to do. Luckily these will cook in about 30 seconds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/03996e77-db38-4b27-b868-6092d83ad704/Intro-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Sadly neither Chris Tucker nor Andy Lau are along for this ride. Instead meet Chef Wang Weiping. What he lacks in loud cultural jokes and prop fighting, he more than makes up for as a wok star fire mage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/17cc3f2c-8054-41be-8068-b9cbf7917f09/Kenichi-D02c.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Judge Hirano scolds the Iron Chef, who looks like he is about to cry. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7b5f586d-b07f-4b82-b024-6d569e0d260c/Kenichi-D03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f451da1a-7f87-429f-a83f-2335169751c1/Weiping-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Weiping has squid going into his cheese (!!!) sauce. We are in uncharted territory. At least he did not stuff squid with cheese to make a katsu (Iron Chef Michiba just woke up in a cold sweat). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/67855aad-ff4d-4c93-8c6e-ce7b10ee5357/Cut-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out ….and even more wok action. It would’ve been nice to see some of his completed dishes like other challengers. It’s like trying to determine if an athlete is a good basketball player by only watching a slam dunk contest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6ec5ecb8-f83a-4add-8e59-f5b726d4b5c4/Kenichi-07.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Much like the jaws of an alligator, The Iron Chef's arms clamp much stronger than they pry. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c349865d-4fa0-4305-b023-4bf05b3df3fa/Weiping-06.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Weiping's sous chef is doing some On-the-Job-Training shadowing his head chef. A lot of looking and pointing, but no touching. A Yorkshire Terrier would be just as effective. "You're doing great. Woof." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8ebf2602-26b1-45c2-a40d-720a9fca0d74/Kenichi-D01b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Judges? *crunch, crunch, crunch* That’s a good sign. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f0e6801f-e94a-47a9-8b40-9a709012c5fa/Wisdom-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman gives us a montage while we ponder his wisdom. Fishing boats in the bay. Legendary cephalod battle - Squid vs Octopus. Blanched scored squid. A kraken. Profound https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/28ec0cd9-a1c6-4629-ba39-f6d664916ebb/Kenichi-17.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out 10 seconds later, the Iron Chef’s spicy miso stir fry looks like this. Incredible. This confirms three dishes for the Iron Chef: 1) This chili squid stir fry 2) Sheep conference. The “Baaalta conference?” No? Fine.. 3) Broken soup with squid slime and okara. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/88ca080a-032f-4f47-a7b1-8a3c23e9ce7c/Supreme-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi! The Iron Chef always looks relieved and gracious after victories. Challenger Weiping is happy to have challenged the young master, and appeared to have a blast the entire experience. It was a very fun and expressive duo of chefs battling in Kitchen Stadium today. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dec2979d-8ad8-4dab-ab05-0fb1186d34b8/Weiping-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out The Challenger's squid stir fry gets plated atop the requisite strip-mall-restaurant ring-of-broccoli. This looks light enough to be an early course, and won't suffer too much being completed so far in advance. Going family style is a smart move rather than plating five of these individually. Both Chefs will adopt this for their stir-fries. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8a2201fe-f467-4d01-88a6-6192cf5e2db2/Intro-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Our story begins, like so many others, in pre-handover Hong Kong with Jackie Chan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/84f9d27d-28e0-4700-b07e-8020ed93e706/Weiping-D01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7a13dc69-204c-41a7-b79c-f580b5097b9f/Kenichi-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi swerves and doesn't use his squid slime for meatballs. Instead it is being lightly simmered with water to form a soup. Not the most visually interesting dish yet, but don’t worry, it only gets less appealing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f3a4f1b2-9e79-4528-9b0e-9fe0f8e3441d/Kenichi-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef's hand-cut wheat "noodles" are deep fried. You are right to predict a bird's nest for something saucy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1d79f366-b6e6-4224-9247-990b3fa07dce/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Wang Weiping vs Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ede4e489-7e83-4850-83b3-4517b9862c4f/Weiping-D.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/21c2f10f-aba0-49f2-9887-ae56bbe57960/Weiping-D02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5470cc94-beb1-450e-919c-7d6312421eb5/Weiping-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Weiping has some aromatics going into a wok, while his sous chef stands by patiently for a treat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/76d546ff-33b5-4ead-a2c1-c8678f3fac40/Kenichi-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef has his mountain of squid scraps in a food processor with some cooking oil. Shrimp meatballs? Squid noodles? Meat glue (transglutiminase) was utilized pre-Wiley Dufresne (ie the Chicken McNugget). I don’t see any being added yet, dashing my hopes for a squid surimi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4d0ff81d-3a20-44c6-98ea-94b5ec3c942b/Weiping-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Weiping has onions and cheese (!!!!) going into a wok. Presumably for a Cantonese pretzel beer dip. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a2646f3a-a274-4476-969a-3423c03ba731/Fit-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Today the Chairman is a board game. You can start at either end of him and roll dice to advance. The decision really says more about you than him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/83a61134-31f0-4037-a847-2b1f047ecde2/Cut-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Igniting his jet engine wok burner. This will empty a 20-pound propane tank in one dinner service. Does Kitchen Stadium have enough BTU’s to meet the challenger’s needs? (No. No it does not). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/58412ce0-ab32-449a-99bc-9d596b7790e0/Kenichi-D02b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Judge Akimoto is not a fan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/70895184-8a9b-4116-b6fb-26df65a9f0b6/Kenichi-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef's wheat wrappers are rolled and hand-cut as if they were noodles. These are certain to be deep fried. Sichuan fideos. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/75eaa84d-02af-477f-b748-421d134435fb/Kenichi-D03a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Well, that's your ball game folks. The sidekicks are better (fried noodles and seaweed) than any of the challenger's superfluous plate ringing. The star is better (spicy miso squid, shiitakes, and a ton of aromatics) than the challenger's cheesy squid. If the Iron Chef made one mistake, it was serving a soup instead of a second identical one of these. Judges? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/064049e5-ad31-4310-b4dc-2a57e6897074/Kenichi-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out These unusually girthy squid are not squid at all! That's a cuttlefish, as evidenced by the "bone" rather than a "quill." This is a stadium of lies. It will have absolutely zero impact on the proceedings, so I’m going to pretend it is squid. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/24764982-5e4c-4e44-9d2f-34a2ff9602d5/Kenichi-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi does the same but keeps the steak intact. Once it hits heat, this steak will curl into decorative shaggy cylinders. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b974053c-71d8-4241-814a-6efc49a03a1d/Booth-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out Play-by-Play Kenji Fukui (right) and Color Commentator Dr. Yukio Hattori (left). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f399debd-757d-424b-866e-80b84ff3cc9c/Kenichi-D03b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #12 - Squid Battle - Make it stand out A knowing nod-and-smile from the Iron Chef. He’s got this. https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-11-pork monthly 0.5 2024-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/13481ce6-337c-4ff6-94cf-451d18cb596d/Zhou-D2.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/62f6a0cf-14c1-4a3a-8210-e5ebbb8b8db8/Zhou-D5.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/69fd1e37-6e2b-4b10-bbfd-7cd8b75bea77/Zhou-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Fellow wrap-star Big Zhou has pork rolled around enoki mushrooms and asparagus. This bundle of fun will be mysteriously sealed, deep fried, sauced, and served on steamed bok choy as the third course. Big Zhou is winning this wrap battle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3cd7bd98-7f5b-47e5-8cd3-14bf3eed080c/Michiba-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Iron Cheb Michiba has a light pork broth gently simmering and small soup bowls set aside. This will be the accompanyment to the cabbage rolls. The Iron Chef has three wins and zero losses when making his trademark katsuobushi-dashi (“Broth of Vigor”), which he has eschewed in favor of this broth of lethargy today. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4d0257d8-2a64-4989-89f9-aae9864e40ce/Zhou-D2c.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Pass. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b8e8514f-4fc5-448b-96b9-ddeb297b4bf2/Zhou-15.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Chef Zhou’s pork belly cubes and daikons are done pressure cooking in a dark braising liquid (likely soy sauce, dark soy, cooking wine, sugar, and water). This is shaping up to be a buta no kakuni, which along with the chawanmushi should be appealing to the Japanese judges. This will be excellent. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/191658ae-b157-4ad7-a296-cb9d8a9d38b8/Portfolio-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Shark’s fin soup. This controversial dish is not likely to make a re-appearance in a pork episode. Thank goodness. The Zhao’s had previously served shark’s fin soup in two of their past three appearances. Both dishes were well received, however It was not the ultimate judge-bait they imagined. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/73df3cad-fd96-4cce-83db-1a26b3feb238/Zhou-D2b.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Lil’ Zhou definitely not sneaking in these lettuce cups from his van. If he unzips his jacket, a liter of mapo tofu will pour out. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7d0ea83f-969c-471f-911a-acc44319575e/Michiba-D2b.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Judge Hirano: "When approaching the fork in the road, never serve pork in the cold." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cdf795f3-0349-4356-b954-98c012241cb4/Michiba-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba’s rare pork surprise is going in a ginger-soy-mirin marinade. Normally we’ be looking at a stir-fry, but that is not in the Iron Chef’s arsenal. I think he’s done with this dish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/db0d46ad-c855-4c78-8777-513fe60877a2/Allez-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Zhou begins the match by walking in the wrong direction to pick up the theme ingredient. He did the exact same thing last appearance. This may not be indicative of failing to learn from past mistakes. Big Zhou may not like Iron Chef Michiba, and would rather take the wrong way around the stadium than to share a lane with him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e9e308bc-bf61-4604-910f-79fe7249e71e/Zhou-12.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Zhou’s chawanmushi is topped with a pork meatball, shrimp, and scallops before returning to the steamer. It may not seem pork-forward, but the chawanmushi is made with pork stock. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/46013e37-0274-4f27-996c-9dc26936c8d3/Intro-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Today’s battle features a re-match between challenger Tomitoku Zhou (aka Big Zhou) and Iron Chef Michiba. The Iron Chef previously won the crab battle against challenger Zhou three episodes ago. Two of challenger Zhou’s protégés have also been defeated recently in kitchen stadium. This will be the last chance for the Zhou crew to achieve victory in Kitchen Stadium. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/46580403-c19a-4f13-b9db-e1eb10847d97/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Tomitoku Zhou vs Iron Chef Japanese Rokusabura Michiba! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/76491675-6851-461f-8d80-a20e40bce5cd/Michiba-14.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba’s pork-and-cheese katsu is done frying and looks like a dream. I googled and determined that I’m 2.2 miles from the nearest pork-and-cheese katsu. Dreams can become reality. I’ll be right back. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d5fc037a-34f6-4b91-b8e5-58170e174d12/Michiba-07.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Also on the deep-fry tip, Iron Chef Michiba the Rebel is laboriously stuffing pork with cheese. Pork and cheese katsu. To make beautiful cross-sections, you must first get dirty. Watch-off cuisine at its finest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/92acb2d0-a6e7-4925-b93a-defdca5644ed/Zhou-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Shockingly it took 11 episodes for rice to appear on Iron Chef. Not appear as a theme ingredient, but in general (episode 2 play-in tournament omurice aside). Thank you, Chef Zhou. You are already a winner no matter the outcome of today’s battle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/19f2b1dc-da24-469d-ba40-fe77816312cd/Michiba-D2c.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Nope! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/77497bae-dd50-46e1-a428-63f3b195aae0/Portfolio-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Seafood platter. A lively posed sea bream that could swim away at any second if it weren’t paralyzed by the embarrassment of being used as a vase. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/25c0d5bd-da53-4cec-a411-3be2bfe7a994/Michiba-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Wildcard, indeed. Iron Chef Michiba very briefly blanches the starch-dredged pork slices. They’ll cook quickly, but this is still rare pork. On his menu-scroll, Michiba wrote “#3 - Oink Oink Pork Surprise.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dd67f044-bb92-491f-87b2-0c46f6ddb858/Michiba-D2.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8219a9f2-fcb2-44a7-a064-2a76d2dacfcd/Zhou-D3.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f3ca6fd6-27ca-4eeb-9efc-4c01921ad69a/Michiba-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba’s broth of lethargy gets ladled over the cabbage rolls. This confirms three dishes from the Iron Chef (katsu, oink-oink surprise, and this starter). The katsu is going to have to do some heavy lifting to win the favor of the judges over the challenger’s five courses. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4e42d91d-f7b3-47ad-8dea-d9411f76aeae/Zhou-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Reporter Ohta: Did you get he nickname “bomber” for all the home runs you hit? Zhihong “Bomber” Zhou: No, the jacket came first, then the nickname. Only then, the home runs. Baseball is a game of patience, you see. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/acb31b9c-66dc-4b2a-8d51-623f7c4a4468/Fit-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Today the Chairman is a Kobe cattle baron looking for love, but also looking for blood. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fb9ee5ac-a56b-47f3-97c5-ca4b0ac5b649/Michiba-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba begins by coursing-out his menu in calligraphy. Today it reads “Pork Tonkatsu with yuzu, tonkatsu with sudachi, tonkatsu with wasabi, tonkatsu with bulldog sauce…” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b637adf5-d137-4442-85a3-0bcd8f1a9a96/Zhou-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Chef Zhou, true to form, is going to deep fry something. Today it is going to be a pork, enoki, and asparagus roll-up. Tomorrow, a pair of crocs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dff42d03-847f-42b9-a074-c39be9b0896d/Cut-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Turning an angry crab into an angry curling stone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bb2c6683-117c-4ce1-bf3b-86bbad0c9c1f/Zhou-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Reporter Ohta: What does it take to be a Zhou? Can I be a Zhou? Tomiteru “Lil” Zhou: To be a Zhou it takes hard work, dedication, and a tangential relation to the longest reigning dynasty in Chinese history. You can be recognized as an honorary Zhou if you contribute to the advancement of the porcine arts or, if that’s not your thing, survive the Running of the Hogs quadrennial. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/522ff74a-3e49-4d77-97cc-4bb3f2b63fce/Reveal-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Pork! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/48be3529-675e-4489-8643-f699a80974b0/Challenger-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out We already know Big Zhou, the boss of the 1993 Cantonese ladder match. To summarize from episode 8, “Big Zhou is a henchmen-flanked, cleaver-wielding sentinel thwarting progress to passage ways, treasure chests, walk-in freezers, and princesses.” Big Zhou began working in a Chinese restaurant at age 18. He moved on to a restaurant in the Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku at age 28. At 37, he established himself at the oldest Chinese restaurant in Japan, Haichinro in Yokohama. At age 38, Big Zhou became the biggest Zhou. Period. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/938bc67d-b85e-4039-addb-06d798a03f46/Showdown-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Unprecedented! Challenger Zhou cuts off the Chairman and demands a re-match with Iron Chef Michiba. The last time Chairman Kaga heard the words "don't bother" was when he tried to turn himself into the Tokyo PD over the cattle exsanguination incidents. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a512b73c-0397-48f5-b656-a6ef62325c09/Michiba-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Pork alert! Iron Chef Michiba makes some thin slices of pork shoulder. Hmmm… this won’t be a wrap. We already have a deep-fry (tonkatsu). Chef Michiba does not stir-fry. Oh no… oh no… this can only mean one thing. Dr. Michiba’s raw food diet dictates that the prognosis is trichinosis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f8c1d96b-46cb-4eb7-86b8-69c426aa353c/Zhou-D1b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Oishi from Judge Fuji. Good start by Chef Zhou in this re-match. He is demonstrating better time management and understanding of the judges’ tastes than he did in his first battle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cf5e4fad-7274-4f30-9b4c-67b3d3647b72/Showdown-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Big Zhou rolls deep, bringing henchmen Lil’ Zhou (in red) and baseball star Bomber Zhou (in bomber). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ccb1958c-6787-4f95-ae12-0383822298ef/Zhou-19.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Bomber Zhou after being informed that he will not get to try the food. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/da13fb7d-1a37-4258-9cf4-b7dfdc4bf178/Zhou-D3a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out This dish was a master class of technique. Sliced pork rolled around enokis and asparagus, mysteriously secured, lightly dusted, deep fried, sauced, stir fried, and plated on steamed bok choy. High effort dish. The feat is all the more impressive considering he finished 3.5 other dishes (the lettuce wraps only half count). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/911cb630-67b1-43bf-afce-291a2e04ea91/Booth-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Play-by-Play Kenji Fukui (right) and Color Commentator Dr. Yukio Hattori (left) are joined in the booth by judge Mariko Fuji (center). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e3f9a4b4-ea31-47ef-a5ee-edf7cd3363eb/Judge-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Lower House member, writer Shinichiro Kurimoto (109 battles). His first of 109 battles, Judge Kurimoto forgot where he parked. Every night he haunts level-B2, key-fob raised in the air, shrilling the word “Un. Be. Lievable.” over and over again. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ade68e27-1bb3-40ae-84ce-348fdfb8f860/Michiba-D3.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dde30a30-e85c-4604-8890-b976b71f523c/Zhou-D2a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Surprise dish! There was no footage of this being prepared, but I can summarize it anyways: Bucket labeled scraps + long beans + oyster sauce + wok = Two-minute dish. This lettuce cups for scraps approach used by Challenger Maruyama the Mincer in the very first episode of Iron Chef (he lost). To be fair, it was Maruyama's only dish and today Chef Zhou has four other bangers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a978e0a9-1e56-46a8-9982-ecb6221151c2/Portfolio-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Fried crab with the evaporated milk and gin sauce that secured his loss in the crab battle, but secured his C-Suite position at Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Kitchen.. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/990d7f40-ccfe-4936-bc84-3beb6b127baf/Michiba-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Meanwhile, back in Iron Chef Michiba’s rectory… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e641e03d-fc6e-4c53-9d76-16921d438d2a/Zhou-18.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Chef Zhou’s pork chahan is looking lovely. This will be one of a bountiful five dishes from the challenger (chawanmushi, rolls, buta no kakuni, secret lettuce cups, and this fried rice). Don’t bother scrolling-up or rewinding to find the secret lettuce cups. I suspect the challenger had Lil’ Zhou sneak the lettuce cups in through the side door prior to judge’s table. Using the first battle to case-the-joint is a pro move. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e93149b0-55d6-47b0-8ed2-3753103c395c/Zhoud-D5a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Hats off to Chef Zhou for holding fried rice in such esteem as to serve it last. What a beautiful fried rice it is. Flipped expertly in a wok the size of a satelite dish, this is the chahan of champions. This dish earned praise from both Judges Fuji and Hirano. A near flawless performance, scrap wraps aside. It would take one amazing tonkatsu to defeat him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/88d0711a-c830-43df-8db6-6a45518a604c/Zhou-09.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Lil’ Zhou encourages Big Zhou to not finish second again or he’s in for a clobbering. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/21da4f98-8efd-407b-bdb9-3030cca06499/Intro-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out It’s a new year, an old challenger, and a little of both from KAGA-3000, the Chairman’s latest clone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/276288d7-fc91-4afe-9059-7ccee8274ee2/Cut-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Knives are out and sharpened. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/53b152fb-c6b5-46a3-ac35-707485f18bc6/Zhou-17.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out It is Wok-o-Clock again, as Chef Zhou returns to get his 20-ingredient chahan started. Every day is left arm day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c7680668-3821-4f30-a123-8f7bb494a9f6/Michiba-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba decides to use a portion of his writing time to chamfer some daikons. He has yet to touch any pork. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cb82bda3-4ec2-40bc-9dcd-aa61c35d9f60/KL-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Big Zhou slaps garlic into garlic paste. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4decd976-5407-4a99-9e2c-9ff71b044f1d/011-Pork.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out New year. Old scores to settle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/60988aeb-9e2b-41aa-9b47-9fb7b9033535/Zhou-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Zhou goes straight for the slab pork belly. Great instincts. The challenger is going to have to work quicker than he did last appearance in order to get this cooked in time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e620cbe3-f58b-4307-81a3-48efeda4c10c/Michiba-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba’s pork napa cabbage rolls. Presumably it is pork. There has been no sight of the protein on his side, but his sous chefs may be handling that duty. These chonks will be double-wrapped, steamed, and served in a soup as the first course. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7bd6d424-bd06-443f-a3b7-a00d7a848fea/Intro-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out In battle crab, Big Zhou completed his main dish 15-minutes into the episode and made a sauce combining ketchup, mayonnaise, evaporated milk, and gin. He lost and was banished into the lowest rung of Kitchen-Diyu by the Chairman. He’s had 3 TV weeks to think about it (probably shot in the same day in real-time). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c78a5e89-e65d-4338-a639-f1a144999f4b/KL-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out A classic double-cleaver ginger mince from Big Zhou. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/afb379a2-5950-4494-b9b7-7b724d5b2814/Michiba-D2a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba demonstrates his disdain for the theme ingredient by lightly warming it and plopping it in a bell pepper. The message was received loud and clear. I am Michiba. I took my watch off for this. Call me when it is seafood. I have a tee time to get to. This dish all but secures the victory for the challenger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6242721b-dff8-4fce-a1dc-8d39d9c7eeaf/Showdown-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba predicts a rematch and six more weeks of winter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8c81db1d-ddc8-4122-b22e-42d86d47d35c/Zhou-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Big Zhou is working on a chawanmushi using pork stock instead of a dashi. That is a fantastic Cantonese spin on chawanmushi, a dish which is always a hit with the judges. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9fe84a94-ed18-4222-95a2-195c35da66db/Michiba-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba’s rare pork surprise begins to take form. That form is semi-cooked pork shoulder plopped into a bell pepper in order to attain a view of the lost broccoli floret that wandered onto the wrong plate. This is the Iron Chef’s surrogate for a sushi or sashimi dish. Credit should be given to the Iron Chef for taking big swings. He could’ve been picking his nose while pressure cooking pork belly and opening cans of truffle juice like another Iron Chef who I shall not name (Ishinabe knows who I’m talking about). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d620c158-1589-492f-b5bf-dc5de60eeb5c/Michiba-D.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/de9b7fa5-ead5-408d-a1be-b35a7211ab0a/Michiba-D1a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out There are two large cabbage rolls in this bowl of pork soup. The judges just ate five dishes and there is a katsu coming soon. This may be an uncharacteristic misfire, which is unfortunate because the next dish is a total unknown. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/99bb1620-ad4b-4a81-a7d4-d162129f0ce5/Michiba-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out ALERT: Iron Chef Michiba has removed his watch. We’ve seen him drowning in fish scales and all manner of effluence, but pork is the line that must not be crossed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f4f1bee5-be65-4920-9d42-9138812ed708/Zhou-D.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/844eb4e6-7106-41ba-99e2-e49938588452/Zhou-D4a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Hefty. Large cubes of skin-on pork belly and daikon radish pressure cooked in a soy-based braising liquid, thickened, and served atop blanched spinach. The challenger is smartly not trying to beat the Iron Chef at his own game. He's willing to cede some presentation in exchange for messy delights. Despite what Iron Chef Michiba thinks, this is the real Take-Off-Your-Watch cuisine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7f467a19-efd7-45f5-bb9a-c76e2fb8153c/Zhou-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out It is Wok-’o-Clock in record time as chef Zhou gives the cubed pork belly a quick stiry fry, hits it with some alcohol, and then pours in stock for a braise. The challenger is already demonstrating more urgency than he did at any point in the last battle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a83fca5b-d674-4e00-866a-c7e87e044b81/Zhou-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Chef Zhou double-cleavers a hillock of ginger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9f7d6651-e0c4-4020-aba0-f940bc56b2d9/Showdown-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out You have broken the format of the show, Big Zhou. It’s all Calvinball now. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/988b4dd9-b112-4d13-b7f3-cf1e28ad045a/Judge-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Actress Mariko Fuji (1 battle). Judge Fuji bought a timeshare in Orlando just to score tickets to this battle. She's having some regrets on both counts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4135f60d-f74b-4cad-8804-bf6862a87922/Zhou-14.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Zhou has all the makings for a fortified chahan (fried rice). We’ll see a wok-star in is element. His herculean wok-arm will one-hand toss all those ingredients. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/12f6195e-7477-41c9-9dbd-5ee1ab3a0b8d/Zhou-D4b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Judge Hirano is here for it. He is absolutely delighted this dumb pig built his house with sticks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/101d3544-5b85-4b29-828d-e2bbeabbc002/Supreme.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Zhou! Second time is a charm for Challenger Zhou! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/25c46016-1725-4738-bb52-e16a30787026/Michiba-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba halves his dredged pork slices. This is going to be his wildard dish. The good news is that he won’t serve raw pork because he won’t serve raw flour. There will be some heat applied to this dish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5599c11e-ca92-475f-9af6-9263e80f4dc3/Zhou-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Relegated to the sidelines, Lil’ Zhou and Bomber Zhou reenact paintings. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b1e96330-7037-4c9d-a161-abdba2b4027a/Michiba-D3a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out A standard tonkatsu would have been the least surprising dish today, however Iron Chef Michiba the Rebel made a pork and cheese katsu. Perfect execution of a many-stepped dish requiring both significant time but also temperature management. The heavy roll is topped with a bright salad of pickled vegetables and caviar. Does topping the katsu with caviar make katsu more yoshoku or less yoshoku? This will compete with the challenger's chahan for the best dish of the day, but it likely will not be enough to overtake the challenger in the overall competition. Judge Hirano spoke positively about the katsu, but his praise was more effusive for Challenger Zhou. Judges Kurimoto and Fuji also appear to be leaning towards the challenger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ae2460fb-0f01-4885-84b8-5c3cad48c8d5/Judge-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Food historian Masaaki Hirano (42 battles). The forlorn huffing-and-puffing Judge, who wanted 50% more pork, but was unable to overcome the masonry fortifications of the third Wilbur. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6e4d750c-3c91-4a02-8c57-12b7885264aa/Portfolio-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Crab leg stir fry completed 15-minutes into the crab battle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b4ca4896-73b2-47bc-b0c0-98e46a9bf9eb/Zhou-D4.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/acd6e11f-e0fe-4b36-bec1-2f5ab6f2e4c5/Zhou-D1.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0327fa8f-6dc1-4f02-9164-db1e610c927c/Zhou-D1a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out The first of an astounding five dishes today is a steamed egg custard made with pork broth and topped with more pork and shrimp. Great use of pork stock by the challenger. Even better homework. Judges always love chawanmushi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f3e6c695-462f-4487-875a-da08b5a1ef4d/Michiba-D1.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-10-chicken monthly 0.5 2024-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0ba8e024-df3b-43d4-919f-8e095058c73d/Challenger-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Grand Chef of L'osler in Ginza, Tokyo. Chef Borie Began apprenticing at age 14 in France. Worked at Hotel de Crillon in Paris. He moved to Japan at age 23 and worked at Hotel Okura Tokyo. After 13 years, Chef Borie received the M.O.F. award at age 36. He operates numerous French restaurants in Japan. Chef Borie prefers to be addressed as Chef Borie MOF, or simply Truff Daddy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/235b4f71-08b9-4960-a118-4595c06c0036/Borie-D01a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e96397f5-bc57-41ce-88f4-c2e0d9778f83/Borie-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Borie reduces a whole chicken down to boneless skinless chicken breasts, which Doc comments is "not interesting or dynamic enough for a show like this." Truth. We're not meal-prepping protein bowls. This is Iron Chef! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/57fb766a-2e50-42ad-af23-ee0b8aa2ff1b/Ishinabe-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out With 10-minutes remaining, both Chefs proceed with a scramble drill. Iron Chef Ishinabe has yuzu, wasabi, soy sauce, and blanched chicken leg meat ready for a salad. These are surprisingly Japanese flavors from the Iron Chef French. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5c7c121c-2679-405b-b0ea-e085984eac94/Borie-07.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Borie pan-fries the truffled cutlets in butter with 15-minutes remaining. The truffles improbably do not fall off. Great time management and technique from the challenger, who gave the coated cutlets a brief freeze prior to cooking for increased adhesion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/71b962df-7de3-4bc7-ad20-cbf9bec20754/Ishinabe-D02b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef's centerpiece. A whole chicken with truffles tucked under the skin and lightly stewed in court-bouillon and bacon. Stewed vegetables and truffles and a sauce of cream, chicken broth, and more truffles. An impressive feat in an hour. You may remember an un-truffled version of this dish when it was presented as "Radish Pot au Feu" in the Daikon episode. The Chairman will not be fooled. Iron Chef Ishinabe's undefeated record is in serious jeopardy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/20562523-9a88-4670-b792-ea455deb1b06/Ishinabe-07.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out The chicken battle has turned into a black truffle battle. Iron Chef Ishinabe throws a few more big-faces in a blender for good measure. This will go into the chicken and pork stock. The Chairman excuses himself to the restroom, bringing his coat and keys with him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fb7ad13f-ef24-40bf-93ac-e0b2a3779914/Borie-D02b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Borie's elevated chicken cutlet. He made cutlets (broken down from a whole chicken) and pressed minced truffles onto one side with egg yolks and parsley. The cutlets were briefly chilled, sautéed in butter, and plated on a mirepoix-truffle stuffing and a truffle-cream sauce. In a battle where both Chefs were determined to out-truffle each other, Chef Borie out-truffled physics. This dish is an absolute hit with the judges. Judge Kitajima "I know this is chicken, but not the chicken I'm used to eating" as it was "juicy and very tasty." I get it. Some prepared chicken is neither juicy nor very tasty. Judge Hirano: "I was able to observe this the whole cooking process. You handle the ingredients with great care." Later calling this dish the "greatest chicken" and how he was "moved by the way it was prepared." Highest praise from the shaman himself, who was only just getting started. Chef Borie is the favorite unless Iron Chef Ishinabe can pull more truffles out of that chicken. Chef Borie does have one last challenge. Due to the double-length runtime, we receive longer feedback from the judges. Thus Chef Borie must endure three classic judge reactions that we'll see plenty of in the future. 1. Pretentious Prose 2. Friendly Fire 3. Meandering Hirano. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d5cf90c6-00c1-403e-8f90-43a682591014/Cut-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Servers with pretend dishes following an empty-handed chef storming into the dining room? This must be a boss battle. We last saw this entrance two episodes ago (#008 - Crab) in the conclusion of the Cantonese ladder match. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6f85a83e-84e6-469d-b1df-32161c90301a/Borie-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Borie ladles his truffled eggs into a teacups for a steam treatment. There is no chicken in this mousse. You had one job. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/07360d16-553b-49b1-98f1-1261014e5c08/010-Chicken.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Joyeux Noel! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a85f36b9-fb35-45c9-aac9-a3c09304981b/Intro-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Joyeux Noel! This will be an all French battle. Whose Reveillon will reign supreme? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/67688311-01b8-4c28-acd0-d52c4270b088/Judge-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Actress Mai Kitajima (9 battles). Came here to eat, judge, and do commentary. She's coming for your job, Chairman. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/874206e3-f2b9-4a01-a819-62bd6839336a/Ishinabe-D.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0e6e8383-3741-40bb-9931-4baf8be101a2/Cut-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Borie may know a thing or two about cookware but he don’t know nothin’ about this pan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/26f6c75f-8f4d-45ec-8e50-f3644e983d6e/Borie-D01b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out A French truffle-flavored steamed mousse. Judge Kitajima was the first to correctly predict a chawanmushi and she loves Chef Borie's take on it. Judge Tanaka delivers a Djokovic backhand "It would be perfect for relatively older people." Judge Hirano, a relatively older person, remarks "Incredible taste." Unfortunately, this dish cannot be taken into account by the judges as it doesn't contain any chicken. Challenger Borie would have been better served by plating a $100 bill in an envelope, but then we would have been deprived of this wonderful exchange: https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ce6df15c-9683-41e3-ac53-4fd51c7ad972/Ishinabe-D02e.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Do you think Judge Hirano is hinting at something? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c9e3d845-03aa-4bcd-8fbc-41b546132377/Borie-D02e.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out 3. Meandering Hirano After already calling this dish the “greatest chicken,” Judge Hirano comes back for seconds. "Food always represents the history of that country. This dish speaks of France itself. I saw the history of France in both of his dishes. These days, I see so many chefs creating dishes that are so twisted or overdone. This one, like I said before, is so pure, and straightforward, and innocent. I've eaten many dishes and compared them, but I take my hat off to a dish like this which is very very good. Really. I'm sorry I'm repeating myself so many times, but this is incredible. Just hard to describe. Flavors keep coming out, you know? Chasing you... and not letting you go." Haunting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f3cce8bb-7710-4505-9d5b-ab305db8e7d5/Ishinabe-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out With his first dish squared away, Iron Chef Ishinabe begins breaking down a second chicken. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5bb38482-4c75-4ecd-ab14-334ad2d6379c/Challenger-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Same hat. True story. It’s where he stashes his truffles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fd649b9b-fb8f-4de8-811e-8e2151308947/Fit.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Today the Chairman is dressed as his former alias, DB Cooper, complete with life jacket, winter gloves, parachute, and flotation neck roll. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9dc31754-1bc3-47f3-b613-27e0c99566bd/Ishinabe-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe trusses the truffled chicken. A classic Truff-N-Truss. This confirms a whole chicken dish from the Iron Chef. Time will be tight to cook a whole bird. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/38e06024-e72f-4d1e-a664-e29b6e716d64/Borie-D01c.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Judge Hirano: The flavor really lingers in your mouth. Chef Borie: Thank you…. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/92433a91-b8b8-4541-97a7-a4757667740d/Ishinabe-D01e.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out 3. Meandering Hirano Judge Hirano: I think I've been fortunate enough to be on the tasting panel whenever Ishinabe-san has been cooking so far. He is so skilled at creating a story in his dishes... and today, in a subtle way, chicken is quite a weak ingredient in flavor, you know? Not that powerful so I think it is important to pick the right seasonings to flavor it... and he tried not to overcook the chicken, as Tanaka mentioned. Trying to maintain the natural flavor of the chicken. The chicken is just lightly broiled, boiled. This alone is a very good dish. I appreciate his talent. Translation: Thanks for not putting truffles in this one. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/05d4b72d-dc6c-4485-b37c-68a75c0b6c42/Showdown.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Surprisingly, Iron Chef Ishinabe is not pre-selected for this French Christmas battle. Challenger Borie has free reign to select, for example, Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi if he so wishes. He does not, regrettably sparing us from Christmas Chili Prawns. Back to back episodes for the torpid undefeated Iron Chef Ishinabe, who is normally hibernating this time of year. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a9184bde-6cbf-40ee-a806-d20367e0ab4e/Intro-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Jacques Borie is an M.O.F. (Money Over Foie) recipient. This gold medal is awarded by the President of France to the nation's best craftsmen. Previous winners include chefs Joel Robuchon, Andre Soltner, and Paul Bocuse. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/31a08cc6-0d83-4057-9333-6dc5e1f0e77f/Borie-D02d.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out 2. Friendly Fire Judge Kitajima: I would love to try making this at home, too. Chef Borie: ... (am I being mocked?) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2e219989-7d6e-4011-a511-dac8c67b9508/Borie-D02a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e1e878e4-8496-4f4c-8425-66e38af5f65b/Ishinabe-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Pressure cooker to the rescue. Iron Chef Ishinabe has his whole truffled chicken, pork belly, thyme, bay leaves, carrots, daikons, and morels in it. This will give him a hearty stock, "poached" chicken, and room to breathe. No signs yet of a second dish from the Iron Chef, but now he has the time to figure one out. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/65d51728-39c5-4f4a-ade4-e21fba1c4e75/Ishinabe-D02a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/59d5b883-a4eb-4963-b01b-996ff9519de0/Allez.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Play-by-play commentator Fukui specifically mentions the "leisurely pace" out of the gate. Battle chicken starting true to form. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e299ab7d-6f1f-4d13-b800-d82750113325/Intro-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out There are no Christmas truces in Kitchen Stadium. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7b9bab58-1843-41a6-9cc5-587a4f09e3b4/Ishinabe-D01b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe's scramble drill dish completed in about twelve minutes. Blanched chicken leg meat flavored with ginger, wasabi, soy sauce, and yuzu dressing. Remembering that it is a Christmas episode, Ishinabe claims the salad is constructed to resemble a Christmas tree. It does not, unless a boabab was feeling festive. Between the challenger's irrelevant first dish and the Iron Chef's irrelevant first dish, the edge must go to the Iron Chef for actually including chicken. Iron Chef Ishinabe broke out of his stodgy French cocotte and used some Japanese ingredients. Unfortunately he phrased it pretentiously, saying "I wanted to make chicken easier for japanese people to understand." That is not going to win points with the judges, who are (let me check)... right. Japanese people. The Judges come right back with 1, 2, 3 combo (Pretentious Prose, Friendly Fire, and Meandering Hirano). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1df203cb-c204-4b68-9fff-54043239a388/Borie-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Borie also utilizes a bounty of black truffles. Chairman Kaga gestures a breast-stroke to discreetly inform the server that he would like a separate check. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/029d28b8-13b9-4991-ba80-9a70cbcfc561/Ishinabe-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe's Truff-N-Truss is plated as his centerpiece, rightfully so. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/022494df-8c12-42f5-b65a-cb21a2e5f4ee/Reel-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Filet and salad. Classic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/357552c4-8e2d-4826-abb4-3f011d9bffa1/Judge-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Novelist and Governor of Nagano Yasuo Tanaka (1 battle). Name a topic and Judge Tanaka can seamlessly weave a lengthy simile comparing said topic to a specific nationality of a woman in a specific state of undress. Not a great dinner guest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fda7e4b9-63fb-47ce-9aeb-e4f177686f49/Judge-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Food historian Masaaki Hirano (42 battles). Pockets-full-o-truffles. Also his handle on eBay. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/069e9407-77de-4656-9446-60cbaa09934e/Reel-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Potentially carrot soup with no pixels, like I asked. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/859478e8-6c88-4667-bc68-96437bebcfd3/Borie-D.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/05d220ee-a530-4a5c-a778-f5cfed403495/Reveal.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Chicken! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c74c003b-cf17-4b73-ae12-36a5f973eeb7/Wisdom.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Profound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/05afdd6f-4e6c-48f5-b74a-191dd5c512d8/Borie-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Fukui comments "It's not even halfway through here and he's having a little bit of touch. He'll be in a festive mood today." Fukui is the best. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a78d565d-eca6-41d5-8a65-95e6e4c4b857/Borie-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Borie's truffled cutlets are sliced and plated on the truffle stuffing. The plate itself is not made of truffles, as far as I am aware. Missed opportunity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7c68bc2a-f279-461b-b440-1b9f9665f755/Borie-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Borie cut the chicken breast into cutlets, brushed them with egg yolks and chopped parsley, and dredged them in black truffles. "Truffling the cutlet" is the French version of the "lipstick on a pig" idiom. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dd31408b-68d4-4dde-a8fc-161c5ed698d5/Reel-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out If you view Chef Borie’s dishes with a sepia filter, they will look the exact same. Slice of foie gras terrine. It is safe to say we are not going to depart from classic French cuisine. A dash of turmeric in the carrot soup is as wild as it is going to get. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/666e681b-ca91-4390-91d0-704826ed980e/Cut-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Slicing truffles. Foreshadowing the next 37-minutes of runtime. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/67954e1c-c4dc-4d4d-bced-dfeac6e67ee9/Ishinabe-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe removes the truffled chicken from the pressure cooker with his bare hands. The stock will continue to reduce further, as will the nerves on his fingertips https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c129cf56-9f79-430d-8df1-67b701e17c34/KL-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Borie planks a carrot. Okay, there was not a lot of interesting knife skills this episode. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e35a3864-ec68-4256-8055-2dfba7d50fe1/Ishinabe-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe surrounds the bird with tourned vegetables and morels leftover from the same dish he did in the Daikon episode. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/848a2cd2-8699-4e27-b68f-97fdf556d778/Ishinabe-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe slices a C-note worth of black truffles to tuck beneath the skin of a whole chicken. Amazing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a78afb9c-1558-435c-9628-39b796f53696/Supreme.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Borie! Chef Borie was gracious in victory, acknowledging the win with a nod and proceeding to stand arm-in-arm with Iron Chef Ishinabe. No gloating on Christmas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f0369fc8-c5a7-4903-9030-d15b58a87848/Quote-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out A humble approach from Challenger Borie. He does not guarantee victory, merely stating twice that he's getting an "A" for effort. To which Iron Chef Ishinabe replied "I'm going to use one technique, which is a nap around the 20-minute mark." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6586790b-44bf-4cdc-b5e3-9fa3d130d9bd/Borie-D02c.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out 1. Pretentious Prose. Judge Tanaka has some thoughts on this dish being "Like a mysterious French lady who doesn't really reveal herself, even though you've seen her ... many times." Chef Borie has no response to this. Nobody has a response to this. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5a93c6d0-0e37-4f99-8756-5ea3ba9b046b/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Jacques Borie vs Iron Chef French Yutaka Ishinabe! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b3ad0f82-8213-421e-9831-59725b341bdd/Borie-08.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Borie uses his remaining time to complete a traditional stuffing. Truffles? Truffles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1f979a7e-414e-4088-b315-54cfd895aa60/Ishinabe-D01c.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out 1. Pretentious Prose Judge Tanaka continues his fixation, "This one is like a Japanese lady, a model showing us her white and silky skin." Iron Chef Ishinabe has no response to this. Nobody has a response to this. It should be noted this is Judge (and later Mayor) Tanaka's first and last episode. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/68a2be3a-3de1-41ba-a8c6-c07b1e92dcdb/Ishinabe-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe spelunks poultry cavern. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7108757d-01d9-462a-9ec9-d69dc0cfeb28/Intro-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out ‘Twas a week before Christmas, when all through the kitchen Not a chef was smiling, because the secret ingredient was chicken. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/40245606-36da-46dc-aa54-0a7bc1e5f53f/Booth-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Play-by-Play Kenji Fukui (right) and Color Commentator Dr. Yukio Hattori (left) are joined in the booth by judge Mai Kitajima (center). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/730cf960-3976-4472-9712-d5d7da710e32/Ishinabe-D02d.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Judge Hirano dashes those hopes immediately. "One drawback about this dish is lack of maturity in flavor, in my opinion. It's good but I don't see the usual depth you have in your dishes that you usually inspire me with.... You held back too much..." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/54e933d2-c611-4f97-8c69-634dc65e27c4/Ishinabe-D01a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/40d61b83-f705-46f6-a1d5-c01e7268acc5/Ishinabe-D01d.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out 2. Friendly Fire Judge Kitajima: It's Japanese, but not too Japanese somehow. Judge Kitajima: Is this root of honeywort? [It is!] The ingredients are all Japanese. How come the finish is Western flavor? I'm puzzled. It is safe to to say that Judge Kitajima was not thrilled with Iron Chef Ishinabe's chicken for dummies comment, and is having some fun with it. She can identify root of honeywort. Don't talk down to her. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6853d036-b2d8-4541-b646-69c9f7a1d5b7/Borie-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Chef Borie has egg yolks, heavy cream, and truffle juice being whisked in a mixing bowl. He may as well be humming La Marseillaise simultaneously. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d358cccb-674c-40a4-b95a-79ba056ef7bd/Ishinabe-D02c.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #10 - Chicken Battle - Make it stand out Judge Kitajima with an Oishi. "Delicious. I love this.... Perfect for Christmas in the woods." Which is coincidentally where Iron Chef Ishinabe's den is located. There might be hope for the Iron Chef yet. https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-9-banana monthly 0.5 2024-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/951db5ce-6d78-410c-9bb1-0277bf285990/Cut-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Just lacquering a Christmas tree. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/54ee2c0c-82fe-455f-9057-d88c85b38f56/KL-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Like Joffrey on his name day, Iron Chef Ishinabe cuts a cake with a sword. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1af1d8c9-2b74-4e94-b792-db6dac1fa39b/Judge-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Etiquette expert Minako Imada (1 battle). A ghost from the Meiji period. Her unfinished business is to teach your unrefined self to stop rubbing your chopsticks together. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6eb6c8de-3e64-4b95-a44c-717e4b3972d0/Reel-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Etoile de Noel. A poinsettia inspired chocolate cake. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/859a8d40-ed2f-41b1-a6e6-694a3d0b415c/Oyama-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out The Snowman utilizes a saccharimeter, an instrument for measuring the concentration of sugar solutions. Appearing content with the purity of his ice cream base, Chef Oyama thanks his plug (the Chairman). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/95f0065d-329e-41c1-9ca0-9da85224275c/Fit.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Outerwear is Saint Nicholas of Myra, underneath is alllll Krampus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/81fbbfaa-913f-4f50-a19b-dc2aae85467c/009-Banana.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out The Snowman Cometh https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d73ba319-e4b5-4a27-9eb3-fe355ce2f76e/Cut-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out There’s levels to this chiffon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/84151e09-1016-4a4c-be2b-2e4e8e9b7e98/Oyama-11.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Chef Oyama makes white chocolate banana candles. One of roughly ten thousand components on his dish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dc1a205e-a041-4004-86ac-23422c4703d4/Reel-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out This looks like a Basque cheesecake on top of a marbled cake. If Chef Oyama can make a dish like this in an hour, Iron Chef Ishinabe is in for a tough battle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6d4e6fb8-81b8-4389-a7bf-f984e12a28e6/Ishinabe-D2.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out The first of two banana bundt cakes. This one features vertical striping from slicing two sponge cakes into a circus tent. In the middle of this one-ring show? You guessed it. The banana-cognac mixture that went into every dish. Garnish of strawberries and mint. Lengthy positive feedback was provided by the judges. If the second banana bundt cake is serviceable, the Iron Chef will have won. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/09b1bf21-53ab-45b5-b90f-58d2ebab07fd/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Eizo Oyama vs Iron Chef French Yutaka Ishinabe! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9ab9ce36-fb7a-4e4f-a5eb-c4e193355d87/Reel-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out The secret ingredient is a flamethrower and a star-shaped mold. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/11465ea4-9b83-4d92-a9e6-a93351d7bc24/Reel-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out This one is creepy. Can we please convince the red dwarf on work detail to put down the saw? Yellow dwarf is trying to bust out of this joint. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0cde76a5-f98b-4b9e-92fe-d52bdd76786a/Intro-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out The other podiums remain darkened because Iron Chef Ishinabe has been pre-selected for this battle. Not just because he looks the most like Santa Claus, but also because he’s the most apt to battle a French-trained pastry chef in a Dessert battle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ba4b2efe-9629-4295-9b6b-7f1f677a403c/Oyama-13.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out The challenger’s cold banana ice cream was eventually extracted and plated on the hot creme brulee. There’s still 10 minutes remaining in the challenge. Ice cream soup is forthcoming. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c8f2417f-6e5c-4f6a-a0a3-c7863b5e7a90/Ishinabe-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe’s cakes were cut with a sword and then stacked in a gugelhupf (mini bundt pan). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1a10951c-4da3-4f0a-8e33-cbcfb79baf3f/Ishinabe-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe wisely uses his last ten minutes to make a bread pudding with all his scraps. His sous chef is here if you need anyth… no? Okay, then. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/115a68f8-bf2e-40fe-8e8d-0be0642607d2/Oyama-16.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Oyama plates all his components on a single dish: Flambéed bananas, creme brulee, banana baked Alaska, chocolate pinecone, chocolate logs, white chocolate candle, and a skiing Santa Claus (of course). He could not resist diving into the toy chest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/460f59d0-1f21-4da9-a002-a3dcb5b406ac/Cut-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out In the kitchen, wrist twistin’ like a stir fry (whip it). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c359881a-3532-41a5-a75b-8a1fa74f417b/Showdown.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Not a traditional showdown as Iron Chef Ishinabe has been pre-selected. We do get this juicy handshake, though. The Chairman is standing on a box. Moving on. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8c753265-c5ac-4793-83a5-6cb1c7a261db/Oyama-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Oyama has an ice cream base with more liquor. This explains the shallow veneer of a creme brulee, as the ice cream will be piled atop. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4d9e4c44-fdbb-49e7-974d-518c67eaed21/Intro-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Christmas is the Chairman’s third most favorite time of year, after blood moons and the ides of March. Oddly, each is also celebrated with a yuletide log. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b8e74513-a728-42ff-8209-d49e00bc4056/Reel-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Another work of art. This one smells of grandmothers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ad0d9390-1037-454a-9992-73607e80443a/Ishinabe-D3.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Pardon me for referring to this medieval Alsatian classic as a mere bundt cake. This gugelhupf is closer to a bread pudding in a mini-bundt pan (also called a gugelhupf), likely due to the Iron Chef (Eiserner Koch) having a lot of leftover flambéed bananas. You know the East German judge Kishi approves. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a58c7152-a046-4ad8-998c-d11d7041b98b/Ishinabe-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe is standing in front of the microwave like it is 2am after a night of bad caloric decisions. The cognac-bananas are in there. The Iron Chef pauses to check his prep list but it is just a blurry phone number on a bar napkin. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5269309e-033e-4a52-8d22-356ea15115f9/Reel-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out White chocolate cake. Stunningly decorative and a little bit hokey, which is the essential combination to achieving Christmas spirit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/34203df3-f33b-4111-9da1-cc1d4540206c/Challenger-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out At age 20, Chef Oyama worked at A.Lecomte in Roppongi, the first authentic French pastry shop in Japan. At 21, worked at Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris and attended Koba Confectionary school in Switzerland. Chef Oyama returned to Japan at 26, working at Ma Maison at age 27. Chef Oyama’s kitchen resembles a mobile science laboratory. Strewn about his RV are beakers, Erlenmeyer flasks, xanthan gum, Bunsen burners, candy thermometers, kitty litter, and pseudoephedrine. His breakthrough came with a dessert called “Blue Magic,” a blue slice of swiss roll cake served in a ziploc bag. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/044d5a6f-33c0-4066-b670-26c00baaade5/Ishinabe-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe is the first to reach for the liquor, pouring cognac over whole peeled bananas. A good start to any battle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ab58bf71-f84f-4b33-ae67-e63779d06999/Oyama-D1.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out This is not a dish, this is a narrative. A disaster movie. Santa checked his list twice and is now rapidly descending banana ice cream mountain in a fury. This is a scene of a dozen beautiful accoutrements in various states of suboptimal temperature. The ice cream has melted. There's no way the brulee has retained the crust. The chocolate pinecone is not edible. Surprisingly, Ski-Santa is edible due to being molded with elf paté. We get one oishi from Judge Kishi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fed51e58-51b9-406f-8e1e-7fc1a3c623b6/Oyama-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Oyama’s banana hubcap is out from under the broiler. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/26534a30-158f-4fcc-8e53-09608ea250fc/Oyama-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Oyama is sculpting white chocolate on an anti-griddle with a library card and a twenty-dollar bill because of course he is. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7ac1ef32-c65c-4e11-98a7-e171b59161c6/Judge-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Chef Oyama does not agree with the feedback. He’s furious nobody ate Santa. That was the waygu of elves. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ee1b6235-9bbb-485f-9baa-a5aa6745ec02/AllezCuisine.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out The chairman is thrilled, the chefs are languid, per usual. A one-hour time limit for a dessert challenge should be more stressful than normal, given the potential amount of baking and ice cream making. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3344cf9e-aafb-4b93-b138-ff7c9fb462e1/Ishinabe-10.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe drizzles his swizzles for shizzle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0b8db8a0-5c54-480d-9e14-3bc2b011d8a4/Oyama-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Oyama is right behind, with sliced bananas flambe’d in… St. Giles gin? Interesting choice of liquor. This will taste like banana cough syrup. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/734d8363-09dc-443d-a9cb-726d0bc21032/Ishinabe-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Heeding the Chairman’s wisdom, Iron Chef Ishinabe isn’t shy with the vanilla beans. The Challenger is doing the same (see Knife Life). Thus far both chefs are employing the same formula: bananas x liquor x vanilla = yum. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8af03c4f-4899-4bdb-bf37-0a7bde364991/Judge-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out J-Pop record producer Yasushi Akimoto (22 battles). Co-wrote the Bananas in Pajamas theme song. The proceeds paid for his third home, the Bananadome, which by design has no stairs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d19b4fdf-7a72-4c2f-9c21-a7d3d8008204/Intro-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out It’s a Christmas special Dessert Showdown in Kitchen Stadium! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1cb25ecb-0341-4135-a5e1-1c2267f39aa6/Intro-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Chairman Kaga, ever the perfectionist, nailed it on the first take but insisted on several more. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/351c6488-aff1-40b6-b891-3d2aab92d5df/Ishinabe-D.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/62ea4482-4d51-4d91-af6b-3bbad550617f/Judge-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Food critic Asako Kishi (199 battles). Judge Kishi once had a fly in her soup. She made that soup fly. 13-stitches. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/35cc9e90-1662-43d9-912c-36623066e033/Ishinabe-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe has an ice cream base going as well. He doesn’t need a saccharimeter to know this is a home run. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e3779f88-dd71-4563-bf8b-f29872a53a8e/Intro-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Shinjuku’s Tokyo Metropolitan Government building, at 48-stories is the tallest City Hall in the world. This is where Challenger Oyama (aka the Snowman aka Kaisen-berg aka Big Meech the real Big Meech) flings his cakes right under the noses of the literal top cops. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/76b5165b-5363-4c44-837e-46c3a7969764/Oyama-09.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out At the halfway point, both chefs focus on their garnishes. Chef Oyama is painting chocolate onto leaves, which are then assembled into pinecones. Is it edible? Does chef Oyama care? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7f49ae56-a1b6-412c-893a-c85bf1ad1ad4/Ishinabe-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe has two cakes ready to be sliced and layered into a bundt-pan for a striped effect. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6219fb3f-adc4-4fff-a5cb-79f323938b00/Oyama-14.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Sure enough, the challenger’s banana ice cream glacier has melted into the Sea of Creme. A powerful statement on climate change by chef Oyama. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d4791b19-1a16-499f-ad08-3ae813a36db4/B-Roll.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Profound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e0ebb497-811a-4f5e-86d4-291aaaab0820/KL-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Oyama slicing bananas with a paring knife. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a01fc838-fbac-4eed-a586-09dd1acef8e5/Supreme.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/abef30a3-b906-4ee7-ac32-c81943e34610/Oyama-12.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out The Curse of the ice cream machine claims its first victim. Our favorite sous chef claims his third. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2890c556-3960-452e-b8ec-408d288f7989/Ishinabe-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe’s microwaved cognac banana mixture is ready to be spooned into a cake two cakes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/42e597fa-2692-40a1-9082-420880ebacb9/Booth.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Play-by-Play Kenji Fukui (right) and Color Commentator Dr. Yukio Hattori (left) are in the booth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fa7ccf31-35e5-45ad-9513-d1a0bb2b1656/Oyama-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Oyama has prepared a creme brulee pond in which his flambéed banana slices will float. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/32b50f9b-1751-4471-bd81-30f228a013ea/Oyama-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Next on challenger Oyama’s garnish list are poo emojis studded with almond slivers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/173cc287-8c88-4936-9f23-ce5cc0854bf5/Ishinabe-D1.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out A banana ice cream quenelle and pirouline on “tropical” fruits (raspberries and strawberries). This dish came together in the final minutes. A fancy banana ice cream on a Dole fruit salad cup doesn’t sound bad, but it didn’t win any points with the judges. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c0acc777-b49f-4e65-909d-7f9640b3502f/Ishinabe-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Not one to be out-garnished, Iron Chef Ishinabe makes straws. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e4a1f2a8-b666-4536-ba42-934d755a5bfa/Judge-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe knows he won. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e4e50dcb-d2af-4967-9c95-235b56e64930/Challenger-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Kaizen-berg does not knock if the doorbell plays Westminster Chimes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7fb856b9-bc1e-44f7-940d-8079e28acd1e/Reveal-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Banana! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9adf2946-ae75-4db3-be3b-0f77cb80db83/KL-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Oyama carefully splitting a vanilla bean and scraping out the vanilla meat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ffc37766-4fa2-4575-af90-839802b48f34/Oyama-15.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out Final touches. The challenger torches the melting ice cream. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/543a39fc-b9c7-40d9-8656-83a87d5adb54/Reel-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out The top of this cake is so beautiful that I did not realize there was a cake underneath it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/55ad96fc-11a5-40e0-9954-cf130eb25c49/Oyama-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #9 - Banana Battle - Make it stand out As expected, challenger Oyama pours the creme brulee base over the flambéed bananas. Though the dish is already plated, the whole plate will go under the broiler to finish. No ramekins in sight. This is an unusually shallow creme brulee. https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-8-crab monthly 0.5 2024-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/204ea588-a19d-481c-898f-fcd2803b0d60/Intro-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Big Zhou is not happy, and is coming for the Chairman. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/82d7f8d1-73b2-4083-b5ff-9d09abb9772b/Zhou-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Big Zhou’s stir fried king crab in XO sauce is complete with 45-minutes remaining in the battle. Seems premature. Chef Zhou would have to remove the bell pepper garnish to reheat this dish prior to service, so that is not going to happen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b57010e7-a6ab-4821-8c9a-ff82a1075085/Michiba-D1a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef opens with a suimono course of a clear meatball soup. The meatball is made of crab body-meat and potatoes. The clear broth was derived from the katsuobushi-dashi “Broth of Vigor.” Shiitake mushroom and yuzu peel garnish. This dish did not receive adequate airtime in regards to its construction. It’s hard to tell because it was one of three dishes involving the chef making crab meatballs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b6130501-e379-4132-abde-580ed5d7eb3e/Challenger-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out The boss of the Cantonese level of Iron Chef 1993. A henchmen-flanked, cleaver-wielding sentinel thwarting progress to passage ways, treasure chests, walk-in freezers, and princesses. Big Zhou began working in a Chinese restaurant at age 18. He moved on to a restaurant in the Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku at age 28. At 37, he established himself at the oldest Chinese restaurant in Japan, Haichinro in Yokohama. At age 38, Big Zhou became King of the Koopas in the Mushroom Kingdom. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/70659237-e2ac-419f-a0c8-eafb859293a4/Reel-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Did you think Big Zhou had underlings follow him with empty plates just for the intro? Nah. Big Zhou rolls like that everywhere. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8b6ed85b-52b2-4f45-abe3-8110e6f4d961/Zhous-D1.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out This crab stir-fry looks great, minus the Bolivian flag bell pepper garnish. Unfortunately, this dish was plated with 45-minutes remaining in the competition. The judges continue not to touch anything in the shell. Lil’ Zhou should’ve passed that tidbit along to Big Zhou. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f8af6f6c-d487-4860-b988-25cbdaf6b13a/Zhou-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Zhou realizes with 15-minutes remaining that he can and should plate a third dish. He does the expected, and brings out the shark’s fin. A terrible choice not just ethically, but also because Lil’ Zhou did the exact same thing with lobster three episodes ago. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/225a868d-f54c-4b4e-868a-427685fec123/Michiba-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out The “Broth of Vigor” is another Iron Chef Michiba trademark. It is a dashi with a laundry basket full of shaved katsuobushi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a45ce69e-e24c-48e1-b669-7c5ba2a37e75/Michiba-D3b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Judge Ishii finds this dish Oishi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4988e254-584a-4188-8315-95f8cc5c6c71/Booth.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Play-by-Play Kenji Fukui (right) and Color Commentator Dr. Yukio Hattori (left) are in the booth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4b5bcb98-eeb6-455b-bccc-ec2ba71277a7/Zhou-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Zhou segments king crab legs with a cleaver; a trick he once used while dining at Captain George’s buffet. He is no longer permitted at Captain George’s buffet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4cce1d3b-4ba0-45e1-8784-874b7314e59b/Fit.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Tonight the Chairman is hosting a Murder Mystery Dinner Party. The invitation read “Mystery Dinner Murder Party” which surely was a typo, right? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/46ad4bd3-947d-4d9b-8ebe-5b431c2649e2/Zhou-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out A bleeding Big Zhou extracting king crab merus sections while our favorite sous-chef pretends to be busy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f45294e8-66d5-4fd7-a996-a70b16b9a884/Zhou-07.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Lil’ Zhou is tasked to spy on the Iron Chef’s proceedings. “Act natural. Little will the Chairman know that it is me, Lil’ Zhou, under this clandestine bucket hat.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ba4f6e18-faa1-439f-834b-bd53888e0731/Reveal.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Crab! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/28d55d6c-782a-4701-b628-6b983bb28b6a/Michiba-D3.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba, the Rebel, always delivers a sushi or sashimi course. This time he surprises us, presenting it as his third dish of four. Cooked king crab sushi would have been delicious itself. Chef Michiba takes it a step further and makes a farce with the king crab and yamaimo mountain yam, wraps it in yuba, and deep fries the whole roll. Lastly, Michiba delicately carved bell peppers into Japanese maple leaves, and forgoes the yuzu for a sudachi wedge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/91c0c897-d94c-4cbb-98a1-3fee0c6ac6b2/Intro-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman isn’t afraid. He is bringing fists to a knife fight. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f16868e3-e6d9-4c61-b1f7-d1bbd5484844/Michiba-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba has flaked king crab, grated daikon, and herbs stuffing a yuzu. Chef Michiba is still upset he wasn’t chosen for last week’s daikon battle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c66f414e-a1dd-4e3e-97ad-a9720f1dfe7c/Michiba-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Tokyo police do not own a “Jaws of Life” hydraulic rescue tool. They just call Iron Chef Michiba. However, in Kitchen Stadium are his powerful mitts are the “jaws of death.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/21acab39-c2eb-41d7-a4a3-36c7fd6fbdec/Zhou-D3.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out The challenger, Big Zhou, makes a shark’s fin soup with goji berries and leftover crab on top. You may remember episode #5 (Battle Lobter), when Lil’ Zhou made a shark’s fin soup with goji berries and leftover lobster on top. All members of Big Zhou’s organization have “shark’s fin x goji berries” tattooed in old English on their biceps above the barb-wire. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fa9cf1bc-04d4-45cd-a4db-fe8023cf2f9a/Michiba-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Thankfully one of these chefs is going to serve a minimally adorned crab leg. Iron Chef Michiba plates the legs on his miso-tomalley sauce, which will be hidden by garnishes later. It’s there. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/aa3b7e47-04aa-4054-ba4c-b550756abffd/Zhou-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Zhou inspects the crab’s wingspan. Its lateral movement is a known plus. This crab will be very switchable on defense against the pick and roll. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/eff658f9-e2eb-4e5a-95a3-8a4eb3967dcd/Michiba-D.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e596c3b9-2f91-4b2a-ba96-a9254085a812/Zhou-D3b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Judge Hirano’s ramblings allows judge Ishii to house this dish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4359687a-b3f1-4294-a57e-b8223fbc9b14/KL-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba uses a deba knife to transform an angry king crab into an angry curling stone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/78dd273e-fff0-4105-acaa-cbf30eb1975d/KL-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Zhou does the same with a Chinese cleaver. There are no losers in Knife Life today, well, except the king crab which can live 20-30 years in the wild or 20-30 seconds in Kitchen Stadium. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c5f3ecbd-ff59-41b6-8e2f-9f09fd183924/Supreme.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6402acca-15a1-4268-a47d-0105a3c13eac/AllezCuisine.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out No, I didn’t forget to loop the GIF. Both Chefs are asleep at the wheel, marinating on the Chairman’s wisdom of using the most expensive part of the most expensive ingredient. Iron Chef Michiba has no excuse. He’s competed on this show twice before and is still acting like a new hire. “Nobody trained me on the allez cuisine procedure. See you at happy hour.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9bb01cad-e4ea-44fc-9f0e-7a250b668b86/Challenger-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out It is recommended to save before dining at Big Zhou’s. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/54ba3f8c-8156-4eae-9084-e47292cbd63d/Judge-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Kimono designer Kiyohiko (4 battles). Judge Kiyohiko has a list of names of people who use the phrase “take a peek behind the kimono” to indicate a forthcoming divulgence. The list is growing faster than he can prune it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d3264e47-f5ad-4ace-8685-7a522ba301df/Zhou-D.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/88ee4e19-ca23-44e8-bcd6-93fc8bdfe51b/Zhou-09.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Zhou has a sauce with evaporated milk, ketchup, mayonnaise, and cheap Gilbey’s London dry gin. This is also know as a “Bloody McRonald.” The camera person is disgusted, panning around like “Are you seeing this?” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/95e85d97-f35f-486f-981a-ecb1a07f6f99/Zhou-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Sideline reporter Ohta informs us that this was ruled a catch by replay officials. The crab got way more than two legs in bounds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/abe69bbd-141f-4de2-8037-2d1d966c43bd/Zhou-06.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out It’s Wok o’ Clock for Big Zhou. Hopefully, he learned from Little Zhou’s wok lobster three episodes ago. The judges were not trying to eat anything they had to extract from the shell. I expect similar fussiness today. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f54d3d85-9e87-446a-86fe-f8691e99ee40/Zhou-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Lil Zhou has a few threatening words for Iron Chef Michiba, “It is not he who cleaves first, it is he who cleaves loudest… Ciao to Big Zhou, Medium Zhou, Physically-big-but-not-important Zhou, Macau Zhou, and the whole Wow-Zhou Fam. Word is bond.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/483bd316-933e-467d-87e1-0b6c73feafee/Judge-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Actress Mitsuko Ishii (7 battles). Loves food more than life itself, which can be problematic. Judge Ishii had to be given a restraining order from attending the blowfish episode. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cdf23d4a-751c-4eaa-9587-18761d505432/Showdown.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Tomitoku Zhou vs Iron Chef Japanese Rokusabura Michiba! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/481d2c9e-40cd-42ff-9669-97cb321a815f/BRoll.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Profound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2bd86df2-dab3-430a-b171-de4ba0862f6f/Michiba-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba has crab and grated-yamaimo yuba wraps ready to roll and deep fry. This may be a play on crab rangoon, which itself is a play on crab yangon. Joking aside, the only things crab rangoon plays are diners expecting crab. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/74928328-a520-45dd-8fc0-800ba85a5f01/Michiba-D4.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out I was hoping either chef would have the hubris to serve a perfectly delicious unadorned boiled crab leg. The Iron Chef delivered. There is a hidden sauce made of crab tomalley and miso which I would eat like a soup. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/62dfbcf2-4e4c-4549-8dc8-72ed21ca3362/Michiba-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Welcome to Iron Chef Michiba’s cool technique corner. Today we’re making a sauce in a double-boiler / bain-marie with strained king crab tomalley and miso. The double boiler will both prevent the miso from boiling and the tomalley from curdling. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0642346f-0edd-4914-b6ce-4d0c090dc9d2/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Tomitoku Zhou vs Iron Chef Japanese Rokusabura Michiba! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5b8a95a3-7ec8-42b2-ae45-c1da5a519c20/Judge-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Rosanjin scholar Masaaki Hirano (42 battles). Don’t mind Judge Hirano. He is still upset that valet wouldn’t park his sedan chair. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/370b537e-7e55-4d07-82db-4f8c6075a58c/Michiba-D2.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Continuing the crab mushed into white-stuff theme, Iron Chef Michiba remixed a cold version of the last dish with grated daikon and uploaded it to yuzu. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/becdd527-2ab4-42dd-b08c-6093e5417b71/Zhou-10.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Zhou is done, apparently. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1f6b1167-746d-4714-85ad-2fb524be927b/007-Crab.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out A classic JRPG crab boss battle https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d2d669e4-dc33-45bf-8993-bf407fdea932/Michiba-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba’s tradition of writing out his menu in deft calligraphy. Today it reads “Double Triple Bossy Deluxe Krabby Patty, on a raft, four-by-four animal-style, extra shingles with a shimmy and a squeeze, light axle grease, make it cry, burn it, and let it swim.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d4f34896-3eae-479e-a4d1-514800ee8960/Zhou-D2.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Batter-fried king crab legs dipped in a concoction of evaporated milk, mayonnaise, ketchup, and gin. These drunken lobster McNuggets were then plated on a crispy nest of deep fried noodles. This was a surprise hit. Double-Oishi from judges Kiyohiko and Ishii. I hope it was at least Kewpie mayo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5264cfeb-7d4d-4ec8-9b7f-f7d725db2598/Zhou-12.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #8 - Crab Battle - Make it stand out Big Zhou disperses some fresh noodles into a deep fry. This is a crispy bird’s nest bedding for deep-fried crab dunked in the Bloody McRonald sauce. https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-7-daikon monthly 0.5 2024-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/84263101-5c18-4b7c-96f3-3b74503a1b02/Ishinabe-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe’s pork is looking tender as he drops it into a pot of tourne’d root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, and daikon). “Tourne” is a French technique in which a Chef delegates cutting vegetables into the shape of footballs to the subordinates they dislike the most (“L’imbécile”). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/88f8ef06-735c-4272-8f69-77430fd99566/Ishinabe-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Both Iron Chef Ishinabe and Challenger Muto are preparing cross-sections of the Aokubi daikon. Disappointingly, we do not get an attempt at katsuramuku, but a stuffy French “chamfer” from both chefs (see Knife Life for more on the chamfer battle within a battle). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/51d39d59-d6ca-4439-9da5-5a7a52b1c344/Muto-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Muto’s daikon flowers and daikon chamfers have been boiling under an otoshibuta (Japanese drop lid). The intent is to keep the contents of the pot stable and prevent erosion of the sculpted edges of the daikon as they boil. Unfortunately, this was not entirely successful. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ad8107a7-4c3b-4b95-b6a3-c9e784f07ce8/Muto-08.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Shrimp daikon wraps with sudachi will accompany the oyster wraps. No indication yet where all the simmering geometric daikons are going. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/89017b2a-76a9-434f-974a-866c8d84972f/Ishinabe-D1.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe’s unique last-minute salad serves as his starter. The Japanese influence is evidenced in the daikon noodles and marinate scallop skirts. The French influence is evidenced by the mustard-vinaigrette and bell pepper julienne. The food court influence is evidenced by the ring of tomato wedges. Judge Akimoto gives Ishinabe his only oishi of the day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/eba9105e-5a95-4dd5-8511-0126b172d034/Ishinabe-10.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out I miss Star Anise already. Don’t get me started on Bae Leaf. I’M FINE. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2424d5fe-2d9e-4c93-9dea-116e228e2d18/Reel-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Another nature forward dish. We can expect seasonality to be a theme in Chef Muto’s washoku cuisine. The challenger should excel with daikon radish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e9db4d20-3fec-452e-b1ae-a2a0fffd3727/Reel-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Truffles and alginate spherification. We may have our first modernist chef to grace Kitchen Stadium, well… since the Chairman’s “meat glue” experiment / disaster / criminal proceedings. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/efe5f20c-a82d-442c-a28a-9c7f43ae9931/KL-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Muto enters the chamfer championship with his nikiri. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1139b540-8493-4d03-9d5d-656ce027d818/Ishinabe-11.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe browns the chamfered and hidden-knifed daikon in half a stick of butter. Radish steaks incoming. The saucing and presentation is going to make this “steak” work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/eac0b7d2-f04e-47a7-9df7-0a57966b6ae4/Supreme.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f79db4bb-fa5a-4fcf-8b15-fcca2418389a/Challenger-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Chef Muto specializes in washoku kaiseke. One of the most structured and traditionalist cuisines in the world. He is considered the “bad boy” of washoku, once using Osakazuke Japanese maple leaves as a garnish instead of Beni Kawa Japanese maple leaves! You should have seen everyones’ faces. Chef Muto opened his own restaurant in Ginza at he age of 30, later opening up washoku kaiseki restaurants Meguro Muto at 39, and Akasaka Muto at 40. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d9c88fbf-d15c-4886-affc-9576e6a3aefc/Ishinabe-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe has a mustard vinaigrette reserved for a salad. The salad will probably come together in the final minutes. It doesn’t appear there is grated daikon in this dressing, which would be a missed opportunity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e9d86e60-cb6c-4267-97f1-f679f70a2cdc/Ishinabe-07.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out One, two, three, four… Only four more episodes, then the Chairman calls off the debt. I’ll see you soon, Grand-mère…. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ce6c6014-1ff1-42ff-9963-89b18c8c6bd1/Muto-06.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Muto decides to tourne daikons as well, throwing them into a pot with the chamfered daikons, and flower-shaped daikons. This Lucky Charms of daikon shapes are being drop-lid simmered in un dashi mystérieux. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bb20d376-814b-4d30-82cd-bbef1029049f/Muto-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Muto shucks some giant Japanese oysters. Pork and chicken from the Iron Chef. Shrimp and oysters from the challenger. Land vs Sea daikon battle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/379e17f3-98ad-4f52-81ef-2b434f1ac167/Judge-2.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Actress Yoko Asaji (3 battles). Replaced judge Emi Inoue, who mysteriously disappeared after Battle Lobster. Judge Asaji just happened to be in the neighborhood, on a jog, with contractor-size garbage bags and zip-ties. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4870fda5-5228-4a21-8b59-28d01528922a/Muto-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Muto opens his case of knives. He is prepared for everything. Everything. *Lifts glasses and winks for emphasis* https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/30dc7a17-3a0b-4e03-9d13-49318e2094db/Ishinabe-D.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2798e3cb-e3bf-4a7a-806d-3c98c6ab434b/Ishinabe-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe, not content with just pork, throws a whole chicken into the stock pot as well. While it looks like he’s building a nice stock, which he is, the goal is to plate a whole poached chicken with tourne’d vegetables on a platter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/78b1b262-5e8e-4064-9330-ea926649d4df/Muto-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Daikon oyster wraps is the first confirmed dish from the challenger. Those are going to be folded like the bivalves they came from and steamed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0664088d-06ad-4e11-a211-d2104eb38103/Muto-10.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Muto’s second dish is coming together as a kaiseke takiawase, in which multiple individually simmered ingredients are served together in a dashi. We’ll have a root vegetable (daikon, carrot, taro, and lotus root) and shiitake soup. Sadly, the daikon flowers did not make it to the bowl. Some pork riblets would go a long way here, but we haven’t seen the challenger reach for any land-based proteins yet. Depending on the dashi, this dish could be vegetarian. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b7a90570-cac0-4582-9b7d-a81706e8ebcd/Ishinabe-12.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out I wonder if the Chairman will allow me to keep this outfit. It is my only set of clothes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b1f389c0-0603-4351-9203-a1164880470b/Daikon-Broll.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Profound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bf19fc7b-89bb-4de5-88b7-272dca2ebc97/Muto-09.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Muto’s oyster and shrimp daikon wraps were steamed and then plated back in the giant oyster shell. Great presentation and looks like a good bite. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e21a4aa5-225c-4d81-9555-a39cec9d539a/KL-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe is slicnig some paper-thin planks of his own. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/dd378272-f21e-474a-ae4d-7748ab00f848/Judge-3.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Rosanjin scholar Masaaki Hirano (42 battles). Sleeps in Kitchen Stadium’s pantry. Not because of poverty, but because of a philosophical embrace of poverty (and all the vanilla extract he can drink). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fe30d48a-7cf7-4635-a7e4-b89ab41544fd/Ishinabe-09.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Listen here, pantry. Four more episodes. After that, I’m in Havana with a new name and new passport. I’ll miss you all. Especially you, jar of star anise. Keep it gutta. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f0174bf9-e49d-489c-a905-98d8f978e817/Ishinabe-D2.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out A chicken-based pot au feu. Iron Chef Ishinabe’s most time consuming dish between boiling a whole chicken and the vegetable tournes. The slab of pork belly will help the otherwise thin broth. This was a dish with one purpose: demonstrate superior stodgy French classical technique. The judges skip right past this, likely because the tablecloth looked more exciting than the plated dish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/99aa6dd6-c3f3-47ad-853e-bb0dc60d8fb2/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Masato Muto vs Iron Chef French Yutaka Ishinabe! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1a5e64ef-2ef1-47c2-ad1b-17cf5b4b1ff8/AllezCuisine.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman can barely suppress a giggle, for he shuffled in a turnip amongst all the radishes. The first chef to find it replaces the other Chris in Kriss Kross for the Australian leg of the “Dangerous” tour. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4040fd51-88fc-44b8-961d-e070d04b60ba/Reveal.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Daikon! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b6a5b97a-2095-4b5c-8448-87fd98cdc68b/Ishinabe-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe throws in a slab of prok belly to boil, ponders restraint, and then throws in a second slab of pork belly. Chef’s Kiss. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ceebc89f-a1af-4d39-bc02-e7df2ddf2cb7/Muto-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Muto is giving these spectacular live tiger prawns the spa treatment. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d7935920-6dce-4046-ac9e-3e638b2ba185/007-Daikon.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out The stuffiness dreams are made of. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/34a2b0a1-9bb7-4a5c-b268-651faa8a58e9/Fit.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Today the Chairman is working security for Michael Jackson’s 1993 “Dangerous” world tour. You can slip him ¥15,000 to get backstage, or ¥1,000,000 to replace half of Kriss Kross for the opening act. Either Chris, it doesn’t matter to Chairman Kaga. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/066b5256-fad1-4b29-8cca-466c7669851b/KL-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe is chamfering daikon cross-sections into perfect rounds with a paring knife. “Chamfer” is a French technique deriving from the word “Chamfrain” meaning “to hide one’s obsessive compulsive disorder behind piles of vegetable scraps.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fac1f418-c8e5-4a51-992e-397b547c2e77/Ishinabe-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe has thin planks of daikon and a very large quantity of salt. Pickled radish incoming. Challenger Muto is taking a similar approach with his circular daikon wraps. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9c4f8090-84af-435b-adbb-998cd69c353a/Ishinabe-14.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe plates a last-minute salad of pickled daikon “noodles,” marinated scallop skirts, and ring of regrettable tomato wedges. This will be doused in the mustard vinaigrette from earlier. The Iron Chef will have three dishes opposed to the challenger’s two dishes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/75c3c5fb-ad80-4391-ae8d-54491e3c66f0/Ishinabe-13.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe’s chamered daikon was browned in butter, and now is getting a porto-sake and chicken stock reduction. Porto-sake is made by adding brandy to rice wine, and just sounds fantastic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/37c8a8a2-c1de-408a-b6b6-1407724c7c66/Muto-D1.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Daikon-wrapped oyster and daikon-wrapped shrimp served in a giant oyster shell with a basil leaf. A light dashi was spooned over. Good sakizuke starter for this mini-kaiseke, Not much feedback from the judges, who were all partial to the challenger’s second dish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/74e0485e-06a6-4534-b623-954c7704138c/Muto-D.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/76c10a0d-b3cb-4b35-a0a6-b9df2a8f9733/Challenger-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out The Mad Scientist of washoku cuisine. Once Chef Muto made a sauce of 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons rice vinegar, and 1.25 teaspoons of mirin when the recipe said only 1 teaspoon mirin! It took months of self-flagellation to recover. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6c753482-d742-47da-a998-9d4ccc7857e6/Muto-D2.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out The takiawase course of the kaiseke, fukiyose offers upwards of 10 seasonal ingredients of various shapes, colors, and textures. All of the ingredients are individually simmered. High effort dish, but the daikon is going to get lost being 10% of the components. There’s no evidence of the daikon flowers nor chamfered daikon. All that technique didn’t make the plate. Regardless, we get a double-oishi from judges Akimoto and Asaji. Judge Hirano instead shares his theory on how the Gregorian calendar is a conspiracy to steal the very concept of time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ec288e66-27b5-42eb-80e0-d4e8ea96eb0d/Format-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out After dispensing with the unpleasantries (four of them, to be exact), the Chairman is pleased with his decision. The show is stronger for it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ba0a6f6d-83ec-412c-a6c0-49d64e39f2aa/Showdown.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Masata Muto vs Iron Chef French Yutaka Ishinabe! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/df8bf62d-a32a-4395-ab39-9ccb8b7fa924/KL-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Muto slices translucently-thin daikon wraps. I could watch this all day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c5f31cc5-b20b-4df3-acc8-bd0bcfb7440b/Booth.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5d0cf1ef-3dab-4e4e-8799-db6592069c95/Judge-1.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out J-Pop record producer Yasushi Akimoto (22 battles). Still refers to himself as the Don Juan of Daikon, even though the royalties dried up ages ago. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ed2900db-625b-4cff-b1b7-374d7b0f20b6/Ishinabe-08.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out The “hidden knife” technique in which the ingredient is sliced partially through to quicken cooking time but not hamper presentation. The hidden knife may not appear overtly French, but was heavily featured in Assassin’s Creed Unity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/12b3acf9-4dc1-467e-baa7-aff59ff0d287/Reel-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out This is very bright, busy, colorful, and topped with expensive accoutrements. It is an unexplainable spectacle. This is a Marvel film on a plate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/04a9bb53-c7cb-4481-be77-9f2834c02807/KL-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe allumettes the heck out of that daikon. Fantastic allumetting. Today I learned “allumette” is a French technique meaning “to cut something into matchsticks, but pretentiously.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a58c21ea-3209-4d49-8292-030707994b0a/Ishinabe-D3.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out The Iron Chef’s win or loss hinges on the success of this dish. The competition is pretty close, with a slight edge going to the Challenger for his fukiyose. If this eats anyything like a steak, I expect the judges to award the victory to the Iron Chef. On camera, the daikon steaks were scored, browned in butter, and cooked in a port-sake and chicken stock reduction. Off-camera, the sauce looks to have been mounted with cream. The judges are both confounded and delighted by the radish steaks. They seem impressed more by the conceptualization than the taste, as only judge Asaji went back for a second bite. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a7db693d-574d-4fcf-b63e-957c88080374/Muto-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Muto utilizes ring molds to punch out daikon flowers that will later be rendered into circular mush after an hour of boiling. He would have a difficult time getting the daikon to the desired tenderness while maintaining its delicate flower shape. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d5c4ad24-d918-4077-908f-c8cbfc315257/Format-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #7 - Daikon Radish Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman contemplates the sense of having a 5-minute runtime (hours real-time) play-in tournament to select a challenger to face an Iron Chef for the remainder of the episode. He knows what he must do: Dispatch four of this week’s challengers with his letter opener (cleaver). https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-5-lobster monthly 0.5 2024-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/68716e34-acb1-4b29-b6a7-121db62a8811/Judge-1.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Novelist and actor Tamio Kageyama (65 battles). Judge Kageyama once tried to rescue the tank lobsters at his local Cantonese seafood restaurant. This is going to be a traumatizing battle for him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/90de1536-7e56-462b-83fa-ae6398cc5f2a/Michiba-07.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Using his time wisely and sticking to his set menu, Iron Chef Michiba is finished with 10-minutes remaining. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c72dc05a-65aa-49b8-88db-7e9689d899be/PI-04b.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Judge Kageyama cleaned his plate like he doesn’t have to judge a cooking competition in an hour. It looks Chef Zhou is the favorite to win. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2f038348-1e77-4b56-9f79-c364122f8128/Zhou-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1aef041e-4058-4c39-bba9-561a3674e4dd/Michiba-06.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba brushes on his mind-blowing teriyaki sauce from earlier onto the broiled lobster. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6d8a71e8-7e07-4f6b-a20b-c1d2be5c5422/Michiba-D1a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba never misses an opportunity to serve a sushi or sashimi starter. The plating is nice, evoking nature, but the raw lobster antenna used as an inedible garnish is unappetizing. The dish slays Judge Kageyama. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/40730c20-12da-4d12-a8f7-07183b08e7f4/Showdown.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Tomiteru Zhou vs Iron Chef Rokusabura Michiba! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7e8dfc55-6858-479d-8c2a-137edcc51d55/Michiba-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba has extracted some lobster tail meat. This is guaranteed to be for sashimi. Iron Chef Michiba must always serve a raw dish. This strategy will not work so well in the final battle with the Zhou Clan (episode #11 - pork). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cc85e87b-32c1-462b-a492-bb3a795e3df6/KL-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Zhou, not to be outdone, cleaves up a spiny lobster himself. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/078eba9f-ec72-4f87-8090-673752d9b1b8/Zhou.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out The mentor of episode #1’s challenger Takeshi Maruyama, who minced his way through Cantonese cuisine by way of 3-ounces of salmon. Zhou is surely looking to avenge his apprentice. The Zhou Clan would be the Iron Chef’s main adversaries during the first season, showing up four times in eleven episodes, concluding with the boss Tomitoku Zhou (twice!). As a high ranking official in the Zhou Clan, Tomiteru Zhou is adept at wearing sunglasses indoors, commanding pit bulls via a chain-link leash, and speaking while maneuvering a toothpick. While his apprentice was master of the mince, Zhou is king of the cleaver. A human highlight reel of cleaver whacks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c0bf17fe-0466-4721-adfc-2349cce7acfe/PI-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Two harumakis from the challenger, one with significantly more effort than the other. The first contains slabs of pork belly, tianmian sweet bean sauce, and shiitake muhrooms. Large pieces. That’s a chonky spring roll. The other contains minced shrimp. Oishi from Judge Kageyama. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/182cc60c-9ef4-4fd1-b4ff-8d30dd98ea79/PI-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out The chef goes with a traditional Vietnamese rice paper goi cuon with rice vermicelli noodles, lettuce, and shrimp. This may be the healthiest play-in dish all season. Double Oishi from the judges, with East German Judge Kishi remaining the lone hold out. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bea6bd25-7111-463b-b641-096187e8fb82/PI-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Diced shrimp, bay scallops, ground pork, and aromatics wrapped in yuba sheets and deep-fried. The rolls were served alongside an cucumber lower-back tattoo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f1fc5a8d-3a3b-4104-b8e8-bfa9665b5a40/KL-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba mows through a half dozen spiny lobsters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c052dd65-ffbc-469d-993b-d67e6dc30da6/Zhou-D2.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Classic Cantonese cuisine done perfectly. Lobster is “passed through oil” (dredged and quickly deep fried) before being stir fried with chilli bean paste and simmered in stock with more sweet potato noodles. The challenger spent a significant portion of his cooking time on those tree-shaped carrots. This seems to be the more favorable of the two dishes to the judges, however we stand at zero Oishis. Furthermore, at no point were the judges shown eating any of Challenger Zhou’s food. Not one frame. They aren’t trying to get messy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ec268012-f053-447e-84b5-b550a9f97109/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Tomiteru Zhou vs Iron Chef Rokusabura Michiba! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/532143d3-53c3-4179-905b-8bb110805e05/Zhous-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Zhou is par-boiling spiny lobster heads and tails. Iron Chef Michiba is also planning something with heads split lengthwise. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a3cf0143-6174-4794-9ef7-c33c91efc41f/Michiba-D3.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out A soup with a split lobster head, lobster tomalley (liver), matsutake mushrooms, and mitsuba. A lot of work and even more tomalley went into this rich soup. Judge Inoue dispenses with the tableware and drinks straight from the bowl. Even Judge Kishi compliments Iron Chef Michiba on his coursing of the meal. She’s not easy to win over. Things are looking in favor of the Iron Chef. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/db4b13fd-6311-4817-8789-d5d3d0d15789/Michiba-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba has a soup going with matsutake mushrooms. His trademark Broth of Vigor was replaced by lobster stock with a ton of lobster tomalley in it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f76a0a01-4062-45a2-8948-5c2077bc637f/Zhou-07.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Zhou gives the deep-fried lobster a wok toss, as predicted. He then ladles in some lobster stock, chili sauce, and sweet potato starch noodles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f377e667-37a4-4e40-b96d-d74ed94b1507/KL-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Meanwhile, Challenger Zhou is still at it. Cleaving away. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ff390420-d89e-4e76-bc53-57311430aa51/PI-04a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Judge Inoue is having a moment. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/99109989-aef0-42ca-9c14-78889c59d96a/BRoll-Lobster.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Profound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c489ccf5-d95f-4ac3-8e0a-48dbe99c876c/Harumaki-BRoll.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3fb500a8-4f39-43c7-8587-0ef860052e22/Booth.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/44e79fc3-7476-4a73-a2da-8dcb943a17f0/PI-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Chef Cheng is the only play-in contestant to utilize chicken. The minced chicken is stir fried with a light curry and shiitake mushrooms. We’ve got a cucumber garnish battle going down in the play-in round. Cheng’s cucumber dragon beat Zhou’s cucumber wings. Unfortunately, the judges had little to say about the food. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b3ccc03e-a10e-4c0f-8169-3551ae5b8247/Zhou-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Zhou begins working on his garnishes halfway through the time limit. His garnish game was strong in the play-in tournament. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/01018221-5796-462b-ae45-db367633a1f0/Zhou-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Sure enough, Challenger Zhou deep fries the lobster nuggets. This confirms a second dish from the challenger alongside the steamed lobster head soup. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e5b30a83-295b-4ba4-ad7b-f2abfa3a43db/Zhou-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Zhou is making a soup with the par-boiled lobster heads, shark’s fin (yikes….), and shiitake mushrooms. Lobster stock and napa cabbage would be added and the whole bowl went into the steamer. Now, what to do while it steams? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/81af33db-f624-4fab-98b8-acf7cebad1ee/Michiba-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba has some shell-on lobster under the broiler. This is likely going to go with the teriyaki sauce from before. Counting the matsutake soup and sashimi, Michiba has a total of three dishes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/71f81204-a940-4d86-a5c0-997790e248a3/Fit.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Today the Chairman is an auctioneer of the finest Kobe steer. Going once, going twice, sold to ME. Again. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/37e6f21a-90c5-4853-a430-339bbcfe7a48/AllezCuisine.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman is more excited than the Chefs by a large margin. Notably, both Chefs decide to select only the Spiny Lobsters, leaving the horrified Maine Lobsters to spectate the impending massacre of their cousins. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f055c388-5949-44f6-ba80-7b4232ee9d3f/Michiba-D1.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ce15dd51-80c5-4100-afbb-2f137fd06f81/Michiba-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Even at 62-years old at the time of this episode, Iron Chef Michiba still surprises himself sometimes. That must be a good teriyaki sauce. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4bb4203d-c31c-453c-8718-9a9291fabe6f/005-Lobster.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out The First Annual Iron Chef Lobster Battle! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bcd770f6-a28c-4ca7-b213-88acd67a9856/Judge-3.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Food critic Asako Kishi (199 battles). The East German Judge makes her return. Despite her title, her critiques extend far past food. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/216bdca6-e439-473a-9259-7dfc89d0713d/Zhou-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Zhou has been piling up lobster parts in a spider. We’ll see that get a quick “pass through oil” (deep fry), then stir-fry. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9aedbf9b-2a6b-4536-8ecd-5c1976124604/Zhou-D1.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out A steamed soup of lobster heads, shiitake mushrooms, napa cabbage, sweet potato noodles, and shredded shark’s fin. The latter is a controversial delicacy. Perhaps attitude towards shark’s fin was different in 1993. Today, shark’s fin is somewhere between frowned-upon to downright illegal. The judges are reserved and unwilling to interact with the shell-on lobster with their hands in a hot soup. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/330bfa5e-e939-4abd-8e2f-82c855a7fbef/Michiba-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba continues his tradition of menu planning calligraphy. Today it simply says “Spiny lobster apocalypse.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e51ffa75-2f26-40e5-a5b8-f512df6ba362/PI-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out The high school student rolls up combination Singapore noodles into an egg roll wrapper. This is definitely an after school concoction. The other spring roll is a minced shrimp afterthought, much like Challenger #1’s approach. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6c2efd19-a510-46d7-ade4-fe8c68503072/Judge-2.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out “Cooking researcher” Emi Inoue (2 battles). Actually an undercover police officer on her last episode. Her cover was blown by sideline reporter Ohta, that rat. She knew investigating the Chairman would be dangerous, but she never thought she’d fall in love. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d4c76390-ac09-4062-a907-11733a46521c/Zhou-Dishes.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a92b707e-d5f8-4aa0-94b2-84111d75c1bb/Michiba-D2.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out The fanciest teriyaki you will ever see. The broiled lobster was brushed with the teriyaki sauce that Iron Chef Michiba delighted himself tasting earlier and then put back under the broiler to glaze. The asparagus with black sesame seeds is a good complement to the sweet lobster. This dish is another favorite of the judges. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e116bae9-1e98-4455-871f-c3bb1d1df0cd/KL-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba is not going to waste the heads. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2246018f-0134-45f7-9017-b90a6ce85000/Reveal.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Lobster! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/260d3a70-c5b7-47a9-8799-b6fa46371301/Supreme.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #5 - Lobster Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba with his second victory! https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-4-tofu monthly 0.5 2024-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/23bdb367-891f-4004-9c06-2553cdf12d3a/PI-02c.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out The judges like the food, but they love the translator. I hope Chef Garan wins just so we can see more of his translator’s shirt. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5743ff89-8786-4443-b09a-63aaeebc9bd3/Ishinabe-06.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe also utilizes the deep fryer by just dropping blocks of tofu into it. Of course he did. Do you not want to be here, Iron Chef? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2294405b-9810-4dbb-8ec4-9f67313f4cfa/Ishinabe-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe approach is not as exciting as the challenger. Rather than seafood stocks, he’s broiling some tofu for later. This is like watching a pot of water come to a boil. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/33205f5c-0db8-4878-a5c0-9a258d942971/Kudo-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out The largest Hat-to-Chef ratio of any challenger thus far. Challenger Kudo can retreat into his hat for safety if he senses a predator nearby. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4fb478cc-9b4f-440c-877a-4d90954e9a50/PI-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Pack it up, Chefs, it is over. Foie gras and gold leaf from the French chef. Pretty plate with lots of components. The judges love it. Challengers #4 and #5 can go home now. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d49164c1-0cf3-4b08-b630-68cec4438562/Ishinabe-D2.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Remember when Iron Chef Ishinabe dropped blocks of tofu into a deep fryer? It is served in the chicken broth which preoccupied most of his cooking time. The broth took longer to cook than the tofurtle. Boring dish overall, but it was a hit. This simple dish was a judges favorite, besides Judge Kageyama, who has already pledged his alliance to Challenger Kudo’s king crab buffet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7d170e2c-7bff-411e-ba6b-8492d0d6a587/Ishinabe-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Meanwhile on Chillin’ Island with Iron Chef Ishinabe. Yup, that’s tofu alright. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6d6d2ee8-0eae-4840-af20-5580c82ea16e/Kudo-D2.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Wow, again. Another amazing dish I want right now. The beignets are filled with shrimp, kani, and tofu. This is served atop a mushroom and onion balsamic reduction. This is shaping up to be one of those battles where the debatably tastier dishes are going to get knocked by lack of the theme ingredient. Judge Hirano gives a stern talk to Challenger Kudo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a53c38ea-5e7e-4d42-a2df-cf26001246d1/Ishinabe-D3.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out That broiled block of tofu topped with the broccoli, egg, shrimp, and cheese keto power-bowl sramble. Good cover up job with the sauce. Take a look at the same dish from earlier. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d7df69f5-bc79-4b7c-bb47-cb60c7ecc5eb/PI-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Chickpeas, potatoes, and onions went into this Indian chef’s korokke. The raw red onion garnish is nothing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4f9bb8db-2fc2-40c3-8364-075a5968a3b8/Kudo.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out The affable 35-year old chef at La Rochelle in Tokyo. He wears his heart on his sleeve and gold foil on his plate. Gives off "aww shucks" vibes as he stacks king crab legs into a Jenga tower, followed by a "sheesh!" when it comes crashing down. Wasting no time, he begins construction anew, this time with scallops to surround the crab scaffolding. When asked about how he intended to incorporate tofu into his project, he responded "Incorporate what, now?" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9a5a69d9-0302-47b0-b7b2-4a5e2f6bdcb2/Kudo-07.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out The last five minutes were frentic as the dishes came together. Challenger Kudo produced a chive-butter sauce out of nowhere. Iron Chef Ishinabe mainly just poured stuff on tofu. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7f8ac9ed-def7-4f01-9660-3b6453b79664/Kudo-D1.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Wow, this an appealing dish. If tofu were not involved in the decision, this could be the best dish of the day. Besides the sliver of tofu, the ravioli contains king crab, scallops, and mitsuba. The grill-marked daikon, chive-butter sauce, and ravioli are beautiful. Immediate Oishi from Judge Kageyama, who has loved everything vibrant green thus far this season. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/60a236bc-6405-42a5-bac0-d59fb132523a/PI-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Chef Adachi should be the favorite, being a chef at Taimeiken, the famous Yoshoku restaurant in Nihonbashi. He shouldn’t be allowed to name dishes. Ultimate Beef sounds like a limited time promotion by Arby’s. The judges think the dish is fine, while fondly harkening back to Challenger Kudo’s foie gras and gold foil. All this is just a formality. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e18a37bb-e1d4-493b-9276-ecdbc0c0530e/PI-02a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out The challenger used a military-grade mortar to crack a few black cardamom seeds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/330724d2-5e2e-4b2a-b8cf-0d9d5bdfe301/AllezCuisine.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Finger guns from the Chairman! That was scary! I can understand both chefs’ hesitancy to approach. Little known fact: The Chairman won a duel with Aaron Burr. By “Aaron Burr,” I mean Leslie Odom Jr., and by “won a duel” I mean saw him getting Boba Tea. He looked busy… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/10351b4d-42ce-41d7-a10c-27c9e08c9aaf/PI-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out The 17-year old challenger goes with a thin sliced beef “sukiyaki” in his filling and ends up with a fried Philly cheesesteak. This was not a hit, but Impressive nonetheless for a high school student. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/46d21bc8-78cf-422b-9e76-405831d3cba7/Kudo-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out The challenger uses a ring-mold for his shellfish ravioli. I’m not sure why we even have a camera on Iron Chef Ishinabe. He was boiling mushrooms a minute ago. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/05960b53-b6e9-442e-8c11-8616a0d81caf/Ishinabe-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out With 10-minutes to go, Iron Chef Ishinabe starts cooking something. A sautee of broccoli, eggs, and shrimp. A tofu scramble? A pre-kickball power bowl? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9db9c065-e769-483a-b2d2-5361aefe59a6/Kudo-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kudo has been busy assembling a kani, tofu, and shrimp roll. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c183d0a4-5c5e-4b62-9fff-a0865d09778d/Ishinabe-Dishes.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5642f54c-891e-45b2-840f-fb4b1c95b794/KnifeLife-02.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe shaving some broccoli like a wild west barber. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9495daa0-8d73-41bd-b8f1-d71e5daa0f28/Ishinabe-D1.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Tofu slabs topped with a soy sauce sofrito, garnished with garlic chips and parsley. It is definitely a unique hiyayokko. What makes it “ethnic”? The soy sauce or the sofrito? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9edaa596-500a-4daf-a75b-34618ccc990a/Kudo-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kudo immediately goes to work on King Crab legs. We’re one-minute into the competition and are already headed to a luxury ingredient (over)showcase. This show can’t help itself. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/609d1b74-e90b-4ba1-855c-9243b8cc3870/Judge-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out “Cooking researcher” Emi Inoue (2 battles). Undercover police officer investigating just how far the Chairman’s tentacles reach. She’s in too deep and needs a way out without blowing her cover. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/be5aca26-64b2-4429-910f-6e27a97ffedf/Reveal-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kudo withdrew into his hat and refused to come out until he was given a juice box and the tofu was taken away. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/59c3071a-2b4c-46ad-9339-b766788301c2/Showdown-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out 15-second handshake from the Chairman. Power move or stability when standing atop a box? #TeamBox https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d74d6393-5dd3-4004-a7de-6d7cc702604a/Supreme.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe with his second victory! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d678769c-b01a-4b8c-98c6-4ea443eb4e91/Fit.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out It takes decades of training with the Kobolds to deceive the most trained of eyes. For you are not looking at a stained glass window, but the Chairman remaining molecularly still. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/10883337-62aa-4d30-a438-897dbe7979f9/PI-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out I have no idea what these two croquettes are individually. One contains mentaiko (seasoned pollock roe) and the other contains fermented black beans, both aggressively salty ingredients. The sweet confectionary could balance that, but it seems the judges are as confused as I am. I love the Autumn plating, but am hesitant to eat anything on said plate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3442d503-c6e5-4fd2-af99-61062d3197f7/KnifeLife-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Even lengthwise tofu slices by the Challenger followed by widthwise slices by the Iron Chef. They make it look easy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/07227b11-ee39-4848-8301-7b53a727b818/Ishinabe-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe has been working, just working on TV-unfriendly mise en place. Aside from the beautiful mise, that’s soy sauce in his left hand. This is the first indication the Iron Chef may not be going classic French. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f45eb7c6-2c85-4325-8af6-ce3abbbb2691/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Toshiyuku Kudo vs Iron Chef Yutaka Ishinabe! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/107b4057-4aa8-4075-87b5-95431dac8fd7/Showdown.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Toshiyuku Kudo vs Iron Chef Yutaka Ishinabe! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f59c7bbd-90cc-454d-9676-3f9ad1f68bf8/Kudo-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Not to be out-done, Challenger Kudo uses wonton wrappers to make a tofu ravioli. A little Eastern influence on from both Chefs. This confirms two dishes from the Challenger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/37639af8-d089-4d37-a699-c1ebf3805ee6/Ishinabe-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Continuing his brand of idle television, Iron Chef Ishinabe strains a chicken stock. If we’re lucky we may see him peel some carrots later. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d86bb59e-3a25-400d-8033-008c39420ac2/PI-05a.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Adachi selects roast beef as his filling, which we all know is the Ultimate form of beef. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2160a5bc-f6f7-44c6-87d8-6be00a8cd1b8/Reveal.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Tofu! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4e7cb698-f976-45e2-bce5-3ebf5ac43ca5/Judge-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Novelist and actor Tamio Kageyama (65 battles). This magical bowtie spins clockwise when I’m hungry and counter-clockwise when it is nap time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1d67ebd6-08c9-404d-bd4d-e54e96b4de01/Kudo-Dishes.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1e8ff231-a7b1-49b3-b539-a354a0669054/Judge-03.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Rosanjin scholar Masaaki Hirano (42 battles). Judge Hirano plays a sonata on the stemware that reduces everyone to tears. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/da77e5ac-b997-4ff8-8bb6-8e395622457c/Booth.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4d1808ce-ad81-46cb-9b44-ced3a2a4ff04/Kudo-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kudo took the shrimp, kani, and tofu rolls from the beginning of the episode, battered them, and popped them into the deep fryer to make luxurious beignets! I would describe them more as shellfish beignets than tofu beignets, but there could be more to this dish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/11a0a11d-2089-450b-85db-369a92368d34/Kudo-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Kudo’s ravioli contains tofu, king crab meat, scallops, and mitsuba. Yum. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a76adaba-b73c-428e-8dc7-d6b39853ae8f/Ishinabe-07.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Yikes Iron Chef Ishinabe put together a much more tofu-forward menu than his challenger and is given a positive closing talk by Judge Hirano. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f7c36571-e27e-4837-8259-f8fff34413b8/Kudo-D2b.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out “Some people are soy beans meant to become firm tofu. Some people are rice grains meant to become sweet delicious mochi. You are corn. Get out of here, corny boy.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8d741c98-b499-4275-986e-6c015118d795/004-Tofu.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #4 - Tofu Battle - Make it stand out Franco-Japanese Soy Bean Curd Battle! Finally! https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-3-fugu monthly 0.5 2024-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d4781cd1-86ba-4894-aa5b-b7e65c5bb6e2/Kenichi-D1.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi may not win any points for presentation for either dish, but this was a solid attempt to rescue a steamed preparation with a stir-fried preparation of fugu. It alone may not be enough to beat the challenger, but if the Iron Chef’s second dish is serviceable, it should put him in the lead. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/73fe84a1-71af-4d8a-85fc-1bc0168c6f07/Kenichi-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out To Iron Chef Kenichi’s credit, he has dealt with the fugu (see Knife Life below), and is figuring out how to use his time while it steams. Hint: it involves a wok. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/53d367b1-b960-4c2c-a31b-ae19ffc253da/FuguBRoll.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2a33599b-8ada-489a-903d-fd25655959c2/Judge2.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Actress Mitsuko Ishii (7 battles). Judge Ishii microdoses tetrodotoxin to build up an immunity to fugu. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cfe56f72-3aad-4b27-a4a9-a336bab87ff6/Fit.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Today the Chairman is concierge at an upscale hotel for vampires. May I reccomend the steak tartar at Royal Farms on route 175? whispers It’s off menu. Winks for an uncomfortably long time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/17a3a5a1-dec3-45fe-8e7d-a2d64b7c3f35/PI02-Hitman.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out The heavy-handed hitman is a traditionalist. He flame roasts a tomato to remove the skin, going on to prepare a textbook spaghetti and tomato sauce. Rather than drizzling olive oil atop the dish, he deluges a parsley olive oil moat around spaghetti castle. Hopefully he isn’t this heavy-handed when conducting wet work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7c6a07a6-9095-4ce3-bf34-fbf5ee1f8d4c/AllezCuisine.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out The live fugu will be prepared by certified fugu professionals (CFP). The judges breathe a sigh of relief. The chefs will have the non-poisonous parts of the fugu at their disposal to prepare at least one dish in one hour. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d84c2c8b-8853-4875-862d-5e93c1081e3d/Indragoli-D1.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Indragoli’s crowning achievement after one hour. Sautéed fugu left to cool half an hour atop citrus cross sections, black olives, and a tomato, olive oil, citrus, and butter Mediterranean sauce. The dish looks great, but it will be hard to win with a single dish that was left out on the window sill. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0b4d3ad5-8d47-4117-afe1-da094da219a6/PI05-SpaghettiGranchio.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Indragoli hit the judges with the crab flambe! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e373ed06-03ca-4e3e-a6df-449cab068fa1/Oishi.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out We get another Triple Oishi! This battle is ova! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5432100d-a096-4abe-8b4e-5412b6f0e041/Indragoli.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out An Italian Chef in Shibuya who is an absolute delight. Happy go-lucky and enthusiastic. Previous challengers have been business-like and reserved. Indragoli embraces the chaos of Iron Chef without a command of the language, and is having fun doing it. At one point, Chef Indragoli misunderstands the time limit and finishes 30 minutes early. Not to be deterred he begins un-plating his dish with a smile on his face. Ain’t nothing gonna break his stride. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3bfd9af8-9f70-4068-98d6-114724120f96/003-Pufferfish.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/de97382d-6c9f-4296-b9a1-59add83320f8/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Paolo Indragoli vs Iron Chef Chen Kenichi https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/927689b2-d24e-4b95-9e96-aaf82cc392c0/PI02-Twirl.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Judge Ishii is unsurprisingly highly refined in the pasta arts. Judge goes with the no-look twirl. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bcafda00-b7d1-4017-a782-fb0542bbba29/Judge1.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Novelist and actor Tamio Kageyama (65 battles). Giggles at the word “blowfish.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a008abe9-a630-43cb-b627-7cc29506e288/Reveal.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Pufferfish aka Fugu! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/378f8d95-f2f4-44ba-9798-79a8e297b5d9/Indragoli-D1b.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Judge Hirano predictably swerves and goes on a high minded rant about Neptune’s bounty and how he found this suit and 16 acorns in a toolshed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/28c5dd55-6437-4b0c-b328-920cab65110f/Kenichi-D.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4e7b0a02-db87-4e39-a4e6-57483814c244/Kenichi-01.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Oh no, oh no, ohno…. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e8790af9-36f4-42e2-be30-aea01bfe327b/PI03-TokyoBay.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Narita goes with a tried and true Iron Chef tactic; dumping in all of Tokyo Bay onto the theme, in this case spaghetti. Maybe I’m becoming jaded, because they judges are not fooled. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/2479ec7b-273b-4441-843c-04a470e1b02a/Indragoli-04.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out I dunno man, a vampire told me to meet in this warehouse and bring my knives. How’s today going for you? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/43dbe0fc-403f-4196-bff6-5d82e522fbc0/Verdict.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi with his first victory! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/56130474-24fe-43d9-8020-27a981cd273f/Indragoli-03.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Okay, I’ll just un-cook this poisonous fish then…. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e60d787a-ab6c-450b-a7c1-89a7d00df2ef/Indragoli-05.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Indragoli starts singing! A kitchen stadium first. He’s building a report with the same assistant who left another challenger’s ACL hanging in episode 1. Very wise. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4d5e7485-c8d8-4da8-beb0-2f8b6a673b1a/PI01-Grill.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/12eae136-b138-44fd-b443-c97924eb7f98/PI04-HandPulled.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out All Chef has to do is add a… fermented black bean sauce? The Chef, perhaps making a statement about the origins of pasta, or perhaps intent on chaos, ended up with a plate of jjajangmyeon. While a preferable treat in its own right, jjajangmyeon is not spaghetti. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0f0332a1-fe27-4800-bef5-ff2e6f5e0bc9/Kenichi-06.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Last-minute white stir-fry from Iron Chef Kenichi. Fugu nuggets, ginger, mushrooms, and tomatoes. This will dress up the sad asparagus wraps. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ea69c90f-0c48-4358-b1db-3985752e7a96/Indragoli-08.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Indragoli punctuates the countdown by taking a martial arts stance towards Iron Chef Kenichi, who just claps politely. Never raise your hands towards an Iron Chef. Not in the Chairman’s house. Fortunately for Challenger Indragoli, this disrespect would be forgotten when Bobby Flay would later treat Kitchen Stadium like a FedEx Field restroom. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8e4c89eb-e252-412c-8c2e-c2b39a073ee4/PI03-Reaction.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/30325f70-aa78-47a3-8973-a3fadfa64f0f/PI05-Flambe.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out The Judges stare into the flames and discern visions not of a mustachioed Italian plumber crawling into pipes and rescuing princesses, but instead of a mustachioed Italian chef in Shibuya crawling into pipes and rescuing princesses. Perplexed, they must know more. The other competitors know they are beaten and return to the Mushroom Kingdom. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ea3b4566-36f0-49e5-92fa-90ff40ebe86b/KnifeLife.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi butterflies fugu with a Chinese chef’s knife. Disappointingly, the fugu is destined to fall off asparagus spears later in the episode. The Iron Chef is usually a wrap-star. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/291b6fec-962d-4702-8fb0-5eb5da0c6c78/Kenichi-04.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out It’s finally Wok o’ Clock for Iron Chef Kenichi. Cornstarch dusted fugu nuggets into a brown stock. Can’t be bad. He pulled this out pretty late in the game. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/32414a94-ca5b-4d5f-8560-861bf721f8ec/Kenichi-D2.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out This is Iron Chef Kenichi’s wheelhouse. Doubanjiang, stir-fries, brown stock. The rice vermicelli is a nice twist, using lighter noodles to pair with fish. This is the best dish served today, and the Iron Chef made it seem like an afterthought, completing most of it effortlessly in the latter third of the episode. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/decdf968-5666-40af-9e1d-7bffefad1a7a/PI01-SplatterSpaghetti.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out If you had squid ink spaghetti on your Yoshoku bingo card, you can sit back down because we all did. The guacamole on top is regrettable. I guess smooth texture is a priority when you are 27 years old but your grill is 67. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/499647ea-f2d1-48e2-97cf-fde4bde9b8d8/Indragoli-D1a.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Judge Ishii is amused, but not in a good way. She goes as far as to dissuade Judge Kageyama from consuming more. This is a poisonous fish, after all, and Judge Kageyama sure isn’t capable of taking care of himself. This is about as strong of a negative reaction as you will see on this show. Iron Chef Kenichi, go have another drink. You’ve won. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/98d773c3-cb5c-49e2-9a48-049e1eb25d03/Indragoli-01.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Indragoli’s fugu first makes an appearance 15 minutes in, and looks to be a light sautee to go with his Mediterranean citrus sauce. Looking good, but looking done already. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/33c7a70e-ac39-48e7-8442-47f5f528a1f6/Indragoli-07.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Indragoli re-plates his one dish at the correct time as the Iron Chef observes confidently. He’s got this in the bag. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/314884dc-7cfe-44b3-8ba1-74feaa91cb0c/Showdown.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Paolo Indragoli vs Iron Chef Chen Kenichi! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/75a15fd2-3e90-41ea-bbce-39dd3332c8db/Indragoli-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Perhaps a little too unflustered and enthusiastic, challenger Indragoli begins plating with 30 minutes remaining! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/af137e67-355a-45b0-8309-8a6c7faa9b0a/Fork.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/eecd6296-6af1-445b-a02b-715bd7d76c5a/PI02-Spaghetti.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/38d81cd0-29e0-4dec-9037-a19f9d977e93/Kenichi-05.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi’s steamed “fugu wrapped asparagus” turned out to be “fugu adjacent asparagus.” He may be able to fix this on the plate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c7f1842c-a86e-470b-8b79-b77d8f5e142a/PI04-ChineseSpaghetti.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Hand. Pulled. Noodles. Not traditional spaghetti, but impressive given the time limit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/38880614-a66b-434a-9037-e677daa1f572/Booth.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/96065b93-fd7c-4ffa-b02d-183820e57198/Kenichi-02.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Kenichi starting quickly with butterflied fugu wrapped around asparagus to be steamed. Challenger Indragoli hasn’t touched the fugu yet, and has instead been building a Mediterranean citrus sauce (tomatoes, orange, lemon, olive oil, butter). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b4826ed9-2b86-4ead-ac1d-d0e04678aa14/Indragoli-06.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out With five minutes left in the battle, Challenger Indragoli heads over to chop it up with Iron Chef Kenichi who is not in the mood. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/691a4dde-47bd-4471-a6b2-ef7b4234e12f/Judge3.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #3 - Pufferfish (Fugu) Battle - Make it stand out Rosanjin scholar Masaaki Hirano (42 battles). The winds teleth ALL fish are blowfish with enough pressure. https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-2-foie-gras monthly 0.5 2024-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f0f784b2-3070-42a1-a5f4-5445a7dd1020/PreItani.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Yikes! Itani plated the omurice in a Bundt pan, then filled the center with béchamel and bacon. A chef after our hearts. Literally. Don’t worry about how you should eat this thing. Worry about if you should eat this thing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8be5ffe6-7c6e-44d9-be8a-d130458b0742/Verdict.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba with his first victory! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/45ddbcba-bc81-4058-bd2c-b9162c886aa2/Showdown.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Yosei Kobayakawa vs Iron Chef Rokusaburo Michiba! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/db28c727-5b3e-4422-860a-2b31fcdab694/MichibaTai.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba also plans a Tilefish and foie gras dish. If anyone can pull off two fish dishes with goose/duck liver, it Roksaburo the Rebel. Sadly, this is impossible. Interesting technique skinning the fish prior to filleting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/478e6033-ecb4-4daa-b15e-d790cc0bcceb/PreAbe3.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Nope. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/03f84c5e-8b3b-4b67-8d6e-3940d678e106/Reveal.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Foie Gras! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f2625c17-99e4-4370-919b-17a7f4bc17a8/PreAbe.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Take a Western fusion dish, make it twice as western, and serve it for breakfast at Best Western. Ingredients include frozen diced veggies, diced ham, and chopped hot dogs. Gold foil sighting! Look at that proud cherry tomato in gilded livery towering over it’s population of frozen diced serfs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c393e054-c9ff-4a12-b264-a3ae9b957d38/KobayakawaAsparagus.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Meanwhile, big decisions are being made in Kobayakawa-corner. Maybe the challenger should’ve wrote a menu. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/37c3ace0-1178-4a9e-8bf6-9e2b2ea6defd/KobayakawaTomatoRose.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out After plating asparagus with a protractor, Challenger Kobayakawa spends half-an-hour making buffet table garnishes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1ad335f7-283a-471d-9e75-07b2758ffc46/PreTaniguchi2.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Just how many “forest mushrooms” did you eat before conceiving this? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/75a22df1-37fc-4352-9346-8367309fc5d0/MichibaMenu.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out In what would become an Iron Chef Michiba tradition, the chef writes out his menu with deft calligraphy before starting to cook. Today it says “Foie Gras + Seafood = ??” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4c84c2be-7aeb-4c13-a396-5d0ed7eb691b/PreTaniguchi.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Taniguchi, I think you missed your off-ramp about six exits back on yoshoku highway. I’m afraid this is the end of the road. An attempt at an inverse tamago roll and hayashi rice gone awry. The thin crepe did not have the structure to support a runny brown fried rice plated around a runny brown stew. The result is a runny brown dwarf star, the least appetizing of our celestial bodies. Taniguchi has the creativity of a painter. He also cooks like he replaced his knives with paintbrushes . The forest of raw broccoli florets exists solely to support the omurice rolls and dam up the man-made gravy lake Don’t eat those. Don’t eat any of this. Buy a rice cooker, crack an egg in it, and thank me later. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/285ebaf7-0079-4a41-9326-638be3eef48d/MichibaDish2.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba just could not help himself. He must plate a raw dish. It is part of his covenant with Poseidon. Foie gras cannot be served raw, but do you know what can be? Hirame. Therefore, I made for you foie gras with a hirame blanket. It’s on the back of the menu in Comic Sans. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/8ad08855-390d-47aa-9013-b44ec52e5cca/PreAbe2.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Abe, you are on academic probation. Take a semester to eat an omurice. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1aa892da-c00f-48b5-8aa1-65a8abf6983f/ChairmansFit.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out The Chairman remains undercover as a party magician, waiting for the day he can reveal his true identity as a wizard. A wizard on a quest to party. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/6f0178c7-fd76-4902-aa4a-2c298574bff1/PreKobayakawa.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out The magic is that it is not an omurice. This is just an omelet atop steak tartar looking fried rice. If you are worried that the color of the rice came from obscene amounts of ketchup, don’t be. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/003bb3fe-ac6f-4d02-b20d-9280da6296ff/Kishi.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Food critic Asako Kishi (199 battles). The first appearance of the famed East German judge! She will be filing the role of “the mean judge” on this reality competition, and doing so with aplomb. Even an Iron Chef needs to hear their best effort could have been a little better. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7ebb7a50-7ea6-4567-9685-61f5a19c7685/MichibaKatsuobushi.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out In another Iron Chef Michiba tradition, he makes a katsuobushi dashi called “the Broth of Vigor” using a contractor trash bag full of katsuobushi flakes. His assistants cannot hide their concern. Don’t worry, guys. He does this all the time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7ec4c16f-7452-4996-9f1f-d3c840f86a1a/Akimoto.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out J-Pop record producer Yasushi Akimoto (22 battles). Akimoto ate far too many forest mushrooms during the play-in round. He is unsure if the plant monster behind him is real or not. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bb93d987-c3b3-4c73-83b6-77ae3725cfad/KobayakawaProfile.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Yosei Kobayakawa is a French cuisine chef, Italian cuisine chef, certified professional accountant, French cuisine chef. He has been working in the restaurant industry for 22-years, 16 of which was spent wondering whether he wanted to work in the restaurant industry or do something cool, you know… like surfing or being a fighter pilot. It is precisely Kobayakawa’s indecisiveness that he credits to giving him the advantage in this competition. After his 12-spice “Magic Omurice” secured his play-in victory, he remarked “Why use one spice when you can use them all?” while staring blankly at the pantry. When away from work, Kobayakawa scrolls past titles on Netflix for hours on end. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4b5d9b3c-ecb0-49a7-b268-9138b3dc79b4/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Yosei Kobayakawa vs Iron Chef Rokusaburo Michiba https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a7bc20b2-9a2b-49f0-b1fd-40d9b59ea61e/AllezCuisine.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Reminder that this is the first episode with a one-hour time limit, but still no minimum number of dishes. Maybe this explains the difference in the energy being brought by the Chairman as opposed to the unenthused competitors. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0e2747f4-6adf-4679-a088-3db96fb50f5d/MichibaCaviar.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out I expected both chefs to use caviar, because this is Iron Chef. Instead it is just Iron Chef Michiba back at it again. I’m not 100% sure he knows he has to use the foie gras. This is his first episode, after all. We are on course for a great seafood dinner, though. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1bfe9070-6db5-4beb-a999-8f1a94bcd8a4/MichibaTable.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/505a495d-6473-48d6-8cda-a98fe3373ed5/MichibaDish1.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba remembered the foie gras after all! The foie gras was sautéed, cut into batons and wrapped in Tilefish filets with matsutake mushrooms. The whole bundle was steamed in aluminum foil pouches and then plated on the Broth of Vigor and garnished with a daikon julienne. And caviar, because why not. This is the better Foie Gras and Matsutake symphony. Iron Chef Michiba just went ahead and remixed that for Challenger Kobayakawa. The second dish may not even matter, which is good because… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/a2b01ad8-c405-4016-adf4-8c5adcd24890/002-FoieGras.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/c829860a-8c7f-4339-9b9d-eac70af224f8/MichibaHirame.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Michiba intends to have a hirame (olive flounder) and foie gras dish. He's actually going to do it. Fish and foie gras. The mad man! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/12352182-4259-462d-9c08-425b774cc78e/PreOshima.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Fried rice wrapped in a crepe made with red-food coloring, wrapped in another crepe without food coloring. Drown that fried rice matryoshka doll in sauteed garlic. In Tamba everyone has fancy red undies under their less stylish undies. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/55472a25-ffc3-44bd-8c49-1b6db360a6fe/PreKobayakawa2.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out No, not ketchup. The color of the dish was derived when Kobayakawa accidentally dropped his entire spice cabinet into the rice and it got embarrassed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f67ab7d5-af44-4706-a087-b909e96af1fc/KobayakawaDish1.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Continuing his “plate-everything, leave no ingredient behind” philosophy on editing, Kobayakawa brings a lot of instruments to play in this symphony: Pan-seared foie gras - Brass section Breaded and fried matsutake mushrooms - Another brass section Boiled asparagus - Woodwinds Sautéed matsukake mushrooms cut into stars - Triangle Poached salad shrimp - Kazoo Tomato-peel rose on a lemon peel - The sound made when two balloons are rubbed together. That being said, this dish get the rare “triple-oishi” from the panel of judges. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cd0e0e32-4131-46fc-854a-4161be6abe10/Ishii.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #2 - Foie Gras Battle - Make it stand out Actress Mitsuko Ishii (7 battles). Judge Ishii can determine the quality grade of foie gras while it is still in the goose. It is an uncomfortable process for all parties involved. https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/iron-chef-1-salmon monthly 0.5 2024-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/89b40598-1a45-4d00-a6fe-b87b3b175d72/MomentOfInspiration.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Yes, perhaps an MC Escher-esque colosseum, where two chefs enter, and one chef is contractually not allowed to leave because we have to film three episodes a day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4cda3a4f-6776-4550-a13e-65e7aa88756f/MaruyamaLettuceCups.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1f5ac435-b907-46a1-9654-6674b7045ace/StepInTheDoor.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/51f1097e-b3d1-47d3-8135-631ba279b62c/ChairmansFit.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Today the Chairman is a wizard. A wizard masquerading as a birthday party magician that must occasionally fail handkerchief tricks to keep his cover. It's killing him inside until one day... fireballs. everywhere. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9ec85b4c-3aee-46dc-aa0e-d8846d7c2200/IshiiLettuceWrap.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out It's never good when one looks at their food as if it bit back. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4c0f7131-7772-4d79-8ac0-195a8c77971d/IshinabeKillTime.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Ishinabe: Salmon takes 7 minutes to cook. That gives me 1 hour and 53 minutes.... Where's the wine? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7de41127-e917-48e6-b6a0-021888d0f908/MaruyamaTeacup.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Maruyama slips while: 1) Polishing tea cups that will not be used for service. 2) His assistant stands by not working on anything in particular, but not coming to Maruyama's aid either. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/73c3e492-e0bf-436a-be1d-ec1aa29a381a/PreStudent.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out We have our only soup dumpling from the youngest competitor of the play-in tournament. I usually encounter these gelatin-filled dumplings in the xiaolongbao round pouch format (Hershey kiss shaped) rather than the folded round gyoza as depicted. Solid effort. Serving a soup dumpling in soup defeats the purpose and novelty of a soup dumpling. It’s like serving arancini in a risotto. Nevertheless, this is a laudable effort for a student. He’s just happy to be here. This is already a win for him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/56aed964-5a82-44ec-b09d-57d31e721d4d/DoubleTake.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/21a5465c-c5c8-4ef6-bcb4-0712c81ff867/PreJVPray.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/04851923-f410-427a-9981-50012dde7e59/MaruyamaFoodWaste.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Maruyama’s unused Salmon. If you put it back together, it would probably be able to swim away. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/43de51c3-5113-4e06-9bef-4eae7196513f/BellPepper.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Nailed it…. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/0583aaf6-2c01-45a8-a0dd-537d717e01ea/IshinabeKnifeSkills.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe understands that Knife Life is not about the biggest piece of salmon you can hack and not use. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/508b0cfb-907a-4e67-a658-b8bab8609052/KitchenStadium.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Good luck getting out of this non-Euclidean trap, Ishinabe! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/426070b7-1b34-48dd-a444-2c98b4faef06/PreYamadaPanda.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out You are expelled from Kitchen Academy, Yamada. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cd5d733f-d0b2-4783-a537-ca2a5c6fa9ef/MaruyamaShowdown.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Takeshi Maruyama selects Iron Chef French Yutaka Ishinabe! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/f7697bb7-4939-44bb-b280-f90ef6799b60/SalmonReveal.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Salmon! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/bf071ee0-f376-4c3d-ba2d-f2353f5cf324/001-Salmon.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Tardigrades and Chimeras Challenger Takeshi Maruyama vs Iron Chef French Yutaka Ishinabe Iron Chef 1993 Episode 1 - Overall episode #001 - October 10th, 1993 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/21772422-36e8-414c-8c79-7880304ce3f3/JudgeKageyama.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Novelist Tamio Kageyama (65 battles). Judge Kageyama is actually three Little Rascals in a tuxedo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/fa1ed210-a742-412b-bac8-fb8253a25f77/MaruyamaHammer.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Maruyama hammers a salmon filet beyond recognition. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/5d54052d-26e6-42c9-8409-6e592d7a8cac/IshinabeSalmonLobsterSauce.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/9ecb4db5-3366-4f7d-b800-df83502e065c/JudgeHirano.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Rosanjin scholar Masaaki Hirano (42 battles). Wise sage. Dispenses forest wisdom, healing salves, and judgements as meandering as the stream he surely resides on the banks of. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/454a4ada-47b7-46fb-8349-bcae26a8809a/IshinabeSalmonLobsterSauce.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out The Unholy Chimera from your nightmares https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b724ce96-3ab5-4346-b674-df43847cf754/JudgeIshii.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Actress Mitsuko Ishii (7 battles). Every morning Judge Ishii takes a swim upstream and every night swag surfs downstream. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3ab265fc-c1d3-41e5-9902-8a5dc93aa172/PreYamadaEC.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Is… is that a tardigrade? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/ac0a8046-87e3-4b66-a83d-91c3a61b416d/PreMaruyama.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Maruyama went to work on this dim sum minced-filling classic. Business-like, no-nonsense, “I got break in 15 minutes” attitude from the challenger. Confidence bordering on boredom. He didn't bother offering a sauce. He knows it's good. He knows it is perfectly browned and crispy. He's waiting for you to know it's good too. Catch up. The judges agree. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/87a93fb6-4652-46fc-b4ff-6e3684a29977/MaruyamaProfile.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Challenger Takeshi Maruyama is a Cantonese Chef and disciple of Zhou Tomitoku, the leader of the Zhou clan who we will see in the premiere of season 2. Maruyama is young, upbeat, and has never met an ingredient he couldn’t mince. We know he’s been mincing the tangible world since age 5, but did you know he actually minced his first words (reportedly, “Mother, I know you are always saying how healthy fish and especially salmon is, and look, I totally agree with that viewpoint. But…. did you know pigs are considered the salmon of the land?”)? When asked if there’s anything Maruyama refuses to mince, he replied coldly “nothing or no one…” while casually sharpening a rusty cleaver. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/81134758-b368-489f-b784-2e8015a031d9/IshinabeSword.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe portions a salmon filet with his sword. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/72eeb2c0-ebe0-4ea0-ab41-dd2f1c67dd13/IshiiChimera.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Does he feel pain? … I’m sorry, does “Sal-Man” feel pain? … well, okay. For science. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/22de7e39-c988-4a6b-9e68-7adc84aa7b1b/LobsterCream.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b1f64bf7-f5e4-44db-b2cf-77f56095a4fd/PreJV.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out The scale of this Nepalese momo is deceptive. The plate is the diameter of a car tire. This is a large dumpling. The Dumpling Police have been alerted, but the Empanada Bureau has jurisdiction in these parts. It’s not a good sign when you have more sauces than dumplings nor plate an upside-down smiley-face. Pray for JV. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/3a06d6cc-cd6b-4432-adc4-b928f052d431/PreKonno.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Shrimp dumplings with pandan frosted tips. Judge Kageyama loves the look of it, predictably. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/7bdf70f1-2fcd-41b1-bff8-1bafb4bd0fbc/AllezCuisine.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out …and we’re off to the races. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/55d230e0-8744-4b2f-9c56-ba801597fc5f/FukuiHattori.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out In the booth we have our longstanding duo of play-by-play commentary from Kenji Fukui (right) and color from Dr. Yukio Hattori (left), food scholar, and all around delight. The Pat Summerall and John Madden, respectively, of Food Competition commentary. There will be about 23 more episodes before English dubs are available. By then, the chemistry is great and they often have a third celebrity member in the booth. I'm curious if they hit the ground running, or if it took some time to develop their rapport. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/4d1fb0e3-8b9a-4018-adf8-3ef00a71fe60/IshinabeFoodPro.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Ishinabe severely underestimates the power of 1993 consumer electronics. That food processor was filled with lobster shells. It probably still is to this day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e9c9e319-1026-456d-b7d4-90bfb56187fe/MaruyamaKnifeSkills.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Not to be deterred, Challenger Maruyama brings a Chinese cleaver to a swordfight. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/e983643e-bae4-4953-b739-ce1cb53bea64/TitleCard.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/1a6638a7-a834-44a3-81a7-f9e8fefcd281/IshinabeSalmonChawanmushi.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/d36f4fcb-577b-4f42-88f5-b5d748bfe824/PreYamada.png SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Yamada kept the shrimp whole and pleated the gyoza around it, leaving the tail sticking out. The dumplings are boiled and then tossed in a dobanjiang based sauce. Cool technique. Crisp pleats. Looks delicious. Looking good, Yamada. You only have to make one dish. Quit while you're ahead. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/cd074892-a04c-4335-a130-0065ee36e55c/IshinabeWinner.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out Iron Chef Yutaka Ishinabe! Chef looks directly into the camera to punctuate the victory. Classic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6264413e46a1845bd64e40d1/b0fdf0e7-eab3-4939-9a88-a9f2c4df8e01/KagaPort.gif SujoyHere - Iron Chef #1 - Salmon Battle - Make it stand out 14-minutes into the 25-minute episode, the battle begins! https://www.sujoyhere.com/home/tag/Iron+Chef monthly 0.5