Sakai vs. Kandagawa
Originally aired 11/17/95
Iron Chef, the Official Book episode# 107
Iron Chef Collection episode# 344
There are times when Iron Chef reaches the level of sophisticated humor that one usually associates with TV wrestling. The ongoing personal feud between chef Toshira Kandagawa and Kitchen Stadium’s champions is one example.
This episode presents the Stadium’s 100th challenger.
“And who will do justice to this ceremonial occasion?” ponders Chairman Kaga. “I have chosen a challenger whom I remember most vividly. This man’s face, and voice, kept popping up in my mind.”
“Kaga-san,” Kandagawa says, “I’m so grateful to you for choosing me as a hundredth challenger. I’ll give it everything. Everything I’ve got! You’ve got my word on that!”
This is not Kandagawa’s first appearance in Kitchen Stadium; he battled Chen in the Flounder battle. This time around, he takes on Sakai, which surprises the IC French. The viewer is whipped into a salivating frenzy as the two chefs trade comments that become hotter and spicier than the previous.
Kandagawa enters the Stadium with a full retinue of stooges. After a grimly cordial greeting, Kaga gestures downward. “And may I ask why you’re wearing yellow shoes?”
“Yeah, well, I’ll tell ya somethin’, fella. You won’t be laughin’ at my shoes, after I win!”
“Hai!” snaps Kaga.
After Sakai is formally chosen, the ingredient is revealed: Lotus root.
Commenting on this milestone battle are Rakugo Performer Katsura Sanshi, Announcer Kenji Fukui, and as-always a pleasure, Dr. Yukio Hattori.
Despite Sakai’s complaint that he’d never used this ingredient, Dr. Hattori explains that lotus roots are used in France, though it is not that popular.
Kandagawa flourishes his “favorite knife–a Western knife!” and commences to thinly slice lotus root with amazing speed. “A Japanese knife!” Sakai counters, holding up his own.
“I’m doing my best today,” says Kandagawa, slicing an eggplant and twirling his knife on finishing. He holds up filets of tilefish and shouts to “Michiba” that this is how it is done. “I’m not Michiba!” Sakai shouts back. “Hey,” says Kandagawa, “Michiba? Sakai? Come on, what’s the difference?”
“And I’m expected, as a comedian, to rate his jokes?” Sanshi asks in dismay. “Just the food will do, thank you,” Fukui-san assures him.
Kandagawa slices a root “snake basket” style–in one continuous layer. “Hey, Sakai-san,” he says, taking the long, one-slice root over to the IC French (and showing he can remember whom he’s battling) “you want to wear this belt?” Sakai tells him to shut up and stay in his corner. Kandagawa retreats, chiding Sakai, “Can’t you take a joke?”
“I think irritating Sakai-san is part of the plan,” says Sanshi.
Kandagawa slices konnyaku, arrogantly holding the results up to the camera. He chops yuba bean curd sheets, mixing it with grated root, tilefish filet, grated yam potatoes, and egg yolks. He astonishes the commentators by using truffles and abalone, and impresses them with a rolling / slicing cutting technique he uses on burdock (shown in slow-mo replay). An assistant falls on the wet floor, onto his back, but appears uninjured; both assistants cut their fingers. Whale tongue is cut into chunks and added to a pot. Into hollowed persimmons, he places a mixture of lotus root, konowata, and ground yam potatoes. “Konowata?” Fukui-san asks. “What is that?” Hattori answers, “I guess–the best description is–cured innards of a sea cucumber.” Not betraying any emotion, Fukui responds dryly, “Well, that’s got to be one for the gourmets.”
Sakai shreds lotus root with a cheese grater, and cuts daikon into rings with two circle molds. He puts roots into the pressure cooker, and starts the ice cream machine with a blended mix of bananas, vodka, and lotus root juice. “I’ve never had–or even heard of–anything like this,” Hattori says. Sakai sautes maitake mushrooms. He coarsely chops lotus root in the food processor, then deep-fries the results. The grated root is combined with corn starch, milk, consomme and the maitake; this is deep-fried. Truffles are chopped by an assistant, and foie gras is fried with a lotus root batter. Sakai slices up duck meat. He pipes spirals of chocolate onto translucent plates; the sorbet is spooned onto this, next to other goodies.
How does Kandagawa rate his dishes? “In a word,” he tells Ohta, “perfect.”
“I was fired up from the beginning,” Sakai says. “Perfect. Oh yes, just perfect.”
Challenger Kandagawa, non-stop cooking and talking, offers a Stadium record-tying seven dishes:
— Lotus Root & Potato Salad
— Lotus Root Stew (using the whale tongue meat)
— Lotus Root & Yuba Dumpling
— Fried Lotus Root & Lobster
— Marinated Lotus Root in Persimmon (with the konowata)
— Lotus Root Tempura (to be dipped in green tea powder)
— Lotus Root Rice (with abalone)
The Iron Chef submits four dishes:
— Foie Gras in Lotus Root Crepe (fig sauce, balsamic vinegar)
— Lotus Root Dumpling in Soup
— Duck in a Lotus Root Basket
— Lotus Root Sorbet
On the judging panel are Novelist Tamio Kageyama, Actress Julie Dreyfus, Katsura Sanshi, and Culinary Critic Asako Kishi.
“The whale tongue is just a bit tough to chew,” says Sanshi of the stew. Dreyfus is unable to eat it. Kishi, however, appreciates the ingredient. “The broth is so perfect,” Kageyama says of the soup, “not arrogant–just doing its job, drawing out the flavors of the lotus roots.” Comments on the konowata are not given.
“The lotus root crepe,” Kishi-san tells Sakai, “is chewy and sweet, just a bit; the sweetness matches well with the foie gras.” Kageyama thinks the lotus root is overpowered by the daikon. Dreyfus likes the combining of truffles with lotus root and duck. Sanshi asks for (and receives) seconds on the dessert. Kaga asks Dreyfus for her thoughts, since she’s eaten several items for the first time, and she gives Sakai high praise.
“Getting to the root of it–the verdict! Who’s got fewer holes in their game?”
Mignardise: I’m a long-time (since the early 60s!) comics reader. One of my favorite recent titles is a Japanese series about food: Oishinbo A la Cart, written by Tetsu Kariya and illustrated by Akira Hanasaki. To date, three volumes have been translated into English and published by Viz Signature: Japanese Cuisine; Sake; Ramen & Gyoza. My highest recommendation! (ADDED by ICC: Apparently, the 4th volume, Fish, Sushi, and Shashimi, is now out.)
Rodney Schroeter
http://www.linkedin.com/in/rodneyschroeter
May 2009