<\/p>\n
Sakai vs. Kandagawa<\/span><\/p>\n Originally aired 11\/17\/95<\/span><\/p>\n Iron Chef, the Official Book episode# 107<\/span><\/p>\n Iron Chef Collection episode# <\/span>344<\/a><\/p>\n <\/span>There are times when Iron Chef reaches the level of sophisticated humor that one usually associates with TV wrestling. <\/span>The ongoing personal feud between chef Toshira Kandagawa and Kitchen Stadium\u2019s champions is one example.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>This episode presents the Stadium\u2019s 100th challenger.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>\u201cAnd who will do justice to this ceremonial occasion?\u201d\u00a0ponders Chairman Kaga. <\/span>\u201cI have chosen a challenger whom I remember most vividly. <\/span>This man\u2019s face, and voice, kept popping up in my mind.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>\u201cKaga-san,\u201d Kandagawa says, \u201cI\u2019m so grateful to you for choosing me as a hundredth challenger. <\/span>I\u2019ll give it everything. <\/span>Everything I\u2019ve got! <\/span>You\u2019ve got my word on that!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>This is not Kandagawa\u2019s first appearance in Kitchen Stadium; he battled Chen in the Flounder battle. <\/span>This time around, he takes on Sakai, which surprises the IC French. <\/span>The viewer is whipped into a salivating frenzy as the two chefs trade comments that become hotter and spicier than the previous.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>Kandagawa enters the Stadium with a full retinue of stooges. <\/span>After a grimly cordial greeting, Kaga gestures downward. <\/span>\u201cAnd may I ask why you\u2019re wearing yellow shoes?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>\u201cYeah, well, I\u2019ll tell ya somethin\u2019, fella. <\/span>You won\u2019t be laughin\u2019 at my shoes, after I win!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>\u201cHai!\u201d snaps Kaga.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>After Sakai is formally chosen, the ingredient is revealed: <\/span>Lotus root.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>Commenting on this milestone battle are Rakugo Performer Katsura Sanshi, Announcer Kenji Fukui, and as-always a pleasure, Dr. Yukio Hattori.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>Despite Sakai\u2019s complaint that he\u2019d never used this ingredient, Dr. Hattori explains that lotus roots are used in France, though it is not that popular.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>Kandagawa flourishes his \u201cfavorite knife–a Western knife!\u201d and commences to thinly slice lotus root with amazing speed. <\/span>\u201cA Japanese knife!\u201d Sakai counters, holding up his own. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>\u201cI\u2019m doing my best today,\u201d says Kandagawa, slicing an eggplant and twirling his knife on finishing. <\/span>He holds up filets of tilefish and shouts to \u201cMichiba\u201d that this is how it is done. <\/span>\u201cI\u2019m not Michiba!\u201d Sakai shouts back. <\/span>\u201cHey,\u201d says Kandagawa, \u201cMichiba? <\/span>Sakai? <\/span>Come on, what\u2019s the difference?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>\u201cAnd I\u2019m expected, as a comedian, to rate his jokes?\u201d Sanshi asks in dismay. <\/span>\u201cJust the food will do, thank you,\u201d Fukui-san assures him.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>Kandagawa slices a root \u201csnake basket\u201d style–in one continuous layer. <\/span>\u201cHey, Sakai-san,\u201d he says, taking the long, one-slice root over to the IC French (and showing he can remember whom he\u2019s battling) \u201cyou want to wear this belt?\u201d <\/span>Sakai tells him to shut up and stay in his corner. <\/span>Kandagawa retreats, chiding Sakai, \u201cCan\u2019t you take a joke?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>\u201cI think irritating Sakai-san is part of the plan,\u201d says Sanshi.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>Kandagawa slices konnyaku, arrogantly holding the results up to the camera. <\/span>He chops yuba bean curd sheets, mixing it with grated root, tilefish filet, grated yam potatoes, and egg yolks. <\/span>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). <\/span>An assistant falls on the wet floor, onto his back, but appears uninjured; both assistants cut their fingers. <\/span>Whale tongue is cut into chunks and added to a pot. <\/span>Into hollowed persimmons, he places a mixture of lotus root, konowata, and ground yam potatoes. <\/span>\u201cKonowata?\u201d Fukui-san asks. <\/span>\u201cWhat is that?\u201d Hattori answers, \u201cI guess–the best description is–cured innards of a sea cucumber.\u201d <\/span>Not betraying any emotion, Fukui responds dryly, \u201cWell, that\u2019s got to be one for the gourmets.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>Sakai shreds lotus root with a cheese grater, and cuts daikon into rings with two circle molds. <\/span>He puts roots into the pressure cooker, and starts the ice cream machine with a blended mix of bananas, vodka, and lotus root juice. <\/span>\u201cI\u2019ve never had–or even heard of–anything like this,\u201d Hattori says. <\/span>Sakai sautes maitake mushrooms. <\/span>He coarsely chops lotus root in the food processor, then deep-fries the results. <\/span>The grated root is combined with corn starch, milk, consomme and the maitake; this is deep-fried. <\/span>Truffles are chopped by an assistant, and foie gras is fried with a lotus root batter. <\/span>Sakai slices up duck meat. <\/span>He pipes spirals of chocolate onto translucent plates; the sorbet is spooned onto this, next to other goodies.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>How does Kandagawa rate his dishes? <\/span>\u201cIn a word,\u201d he tells Ohta, \u201cperfect.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>\u201cI was fired up from the beginning,\u201d Sakai says. <\/span>\u201cPerfect. <\/span>Oh yes, just perfect.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>Challenger Kandagawa, non-stop cooking and talking, offers a Stadium record-tying seven dishes:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>— Lotus Root & Potato Salad<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>— Lotus Root Stew (using the whale tongue meat)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>— Lotus Root & Yuba Dumpling<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>— Fried Lotus Root & Lobster<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>— Marinated Lotus Root in Persimmon (with the konowata)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>— Lotus Root Tempura (to be dipped in green tea powder)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>— Lotus Root Rice (with abalone)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>The Iron Chef submits four dishes:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>— Foie Gras in Lotus Root Crepe (fig sauce, balsamic vinegar)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>— Lotus Root Dumpling in Soup<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>— Duck in a Lotus Root Basket<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>— Lotus Root Sorbet<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>On the judging panel are Novelist Tamio Kageyama, Actress Julie Dreyfus, Katsura Sanshi, and Culinary Critic Asako Kishi.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>\u201cThe whale tongue is just a bit tough to chew,\u201d says Sanshi of the stew. <\/span>Dreyfus is unable to eat it. <\/span>Kishi, however, appreciates the ingredient. <\/span>\u201cThe broth is so perfect,\u201d Kageyama says of the soup, \u201cnot arrogant–just doing its job, drawing out the flavors of the lotus roots.\u201d <\/span>Comments on the konowata are not given.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>\u201cThe lotus root crepe,\u201d Kishi-san tells Sakai, \u201cis chewy and sweet, just a bit; the sweetness matches well with the foie gras.\u201d <\/span>Kageyama thinks the lotus root is overpowered by the daikon. <\/span>Dreyfus likes the combining of truffles with lotus root and duck. <\/span>Sanshi asks for (and receives) seconds on the dessert. <\/span>Kaga asks Dreyfus for her thoughts, since she\u2019s eaten several items for the first time, and she gives Sakai high praise.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>\u201cGetting to the root of it–the verdict! <\/span>Who\u2019s got fewer holes in their game?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Mignardise: <\/span>I\u2019m a long-time (since the early 60s!) comics reader. <\/span>One of my favorite recent titles is a Japanese series about food: <\/span>Oishinbo A la Cart<\/a>, written by Tetsu Kariya and illustrated by Akira Hanasaki. <\/span>To date, three volumes have been translated into English and published by Viz Signature: <\/span>Japanese Cuisine<\/a>; <\/span>Sake<\/a>; <\/span>Ramen & Gyoza<\/a>. <\/span>My highest recommendation! (ADDED by ICC: Apparently, the 4th volume, <\/span>Fish, Sushi, and Shashimi<\/a>, is now out.)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Rodney Schroeter<\/span><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/rodneyschroeter<\/span><\/p>\n May 2009<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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\u2019s champions is one example. This episode presents […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ironcheffans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/678"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ironcheffans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ironcheffans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ironcheffans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ironcheffans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=678"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/ironcheffans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/678\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":679,"href":"http:\/\/ironcheffans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/678\/revisions\/679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ironcheffans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ironcheffans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ironcheffans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}