{"id":86,"date":"2008-08-22T07:07:45","date_gmt":"2008-08-22T13:07:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ironcheffans.info\/wordpress\/?p=86"},"modified":"2008-08-22T07:11:19","modified_gmt":"2008-08-22T13:11:19","slug":"kitchen-stadium-episode-review-chen-vs-ikegawa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ironcheffans.com\/?p=86","title":{"rendered":"Kitchen Stadium Episode Review: Chen vs. Ikegawa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chen vs. Ikegawa<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Originally aired 11\/10\/95<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Iron Chef, the Official Book episode# 106<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Iron Chef Collection episode# 343<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Challenger Kiyotaka Ikegawa, Head Chef of Ononishiki in Osaka, was formerly a Sumo wrestler. His restaurant is named after his father, who was also a Sumo wrestler, and who had previously owned the restaurant.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaster Chen,\u201d he shouts politely, pointing, \u201cplease accept my challenge!\u201d Chen does accept, and the ingredient is revealed as horsehair crab<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

On the commentators\u2019 panel are Sumo Stable Master Wakamatsu, actress Mayuko (\u201cpint-size by comparison\u201d) Takata, Dr. Yukio Hattori, and Kenji Fukui. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

While Challenger Ikegawa has trimmed down since his Sumo days (offering encouragement to any viewers wishing to lose weight), Wakamatsu is built like a Sumo wrestler. When asked if he\u2019ll be OK with regular-sized portions, he assures Fukui-san, \u201cNo problem.\u201d He\u2019s on the lookout for a special stew eaten by Sumo wrestlers, called Chanko<\/a>, but he and the rest of the commentators agree with anticipation, that much more than just stew will be set before them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Ohta informs us that neither chef is exactly thrilled with this type of crab. \u201cTaking the meat out is so tedious,\u201d says Wakamatsu, as Chen laboriously verifies that comment. \u201cI love crab, but I don\u2019t like to order them frequently because of that.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The challenger hollows out several yuzu fruit<\/a> and creates crabmeat dumplings. He adds big crab pieces, with the shell, to his rice cooker. Chen blends up a puree of crab meat, crab liver, and crab soup. While Chen has set aside a small bowlful of crab liver, Ikegawa breaks out a plastic container of ready-made crab liver. The Challenger mixes caviar, onions, and crabmeat in a bowl. From rice flour, Chen makes a thin gyoza skin, which he shapes painstakingly into a flowery dumpling, to be steamed. Dr. Hattori comments on the use of ginger by both chefs.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Fifteen minutes from the battle\u2019s end, Ikegawa learns that his rice cooker was never turned on. So it\u2019s cranked up to high, and the crab rice is removed as the one minute mark is announced.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Ohta reports that Ikegawa is not making Chanko, \u201cBecause it simply can\u2019t be done with crab meat.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Ohta asks the usual questions at battle\u2019s end. \u201cWell, ah,\u201d Ikegawa reflects, \u201cI\u2019ve never really used this ingredient before, so I think I did pretty well, considering that.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHorsehair crab,\u201d says Chen. \u201cI pretended they were normal crabs. I\u2019ve had this crab myself, so I know what it\u2019s like. But cooking it is a different story.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Challenger Ikegawa offers six dishes:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

— Crab & Radish Salad (in a hollowed-out yuzu skin)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

— Crab Meatball Soup<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

— Marinated Crab & Caviar<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

— Grilled Crab Omelet<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

— Steamed Crab-in-Yuba (with a piece of gold foil hidden away)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

— Crab Rice<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Iron Chef Chen submits five dishes:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

— Crab Salad (in a hollow lemon half)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

— \u201cFlower Petal\u201d Crab Meat Gyoza (with ginger dipping sauce)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

— Crab Chawanmushi (served in a crab shell)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

— Braised Crab with Honey Glaze<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

— Hot & Spicy Crab Stir-Fry<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

On the judging panel are film director Nagisa Oshima<\/a>, Wakamatsu, Mayuko Takata, and Chua Lam<\/a> (a gourmet from Hong Kong whose acerbic comments make him a kind of Jeffrey Steingarten prototype).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Wakamatsu does make some highly perceptive comments on the dishes, but he starts with: \u201cI… think I remember his face when he was still active. He didn\u2019t make it in the Sumo world, but in this field of cooking, I think he\u2019s going to make it big. That\u2019s what I can see in his dishes, I\u2019m sure.\u201d (All this, as Ikegawa laughs with good-natured embarrassment.)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI really believe you did a splendid job today,\u201d Oshima tells Ikegawa.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou could have given us one more of this,\u201d Wakamatsu says of Chen\u2019s flower dumpling. \u201cYou mean you like it?\u201d asks the Chairman. Wakamatsu does qualify his praise by commenting that the size of the gyoza\u2019s petals overpowers the taste of its contents. Lam compliments the dumpling: \u201cNot too many chefs do it like this in Chinese cooking these days–I mean, in everyday Chinese cooking. This is very pretty. Ordinary chefs don\u2019t have the skill to do this, anymore, especially in a limited time-frame like that.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cVisually,\u201d Takata says of the crab with honey glaze, \u201cthis is a bit… grotesque.\u201d \u201cOh!\u201d Chen responds, smiling.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPush now coming to shove. The verdict: We\u2019ll see which chef remains on his feet.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mignardise: I can sympathize with Wakamatsu about how tedious it is to eat crab. I once ordered curried crab legs at a Thai restaurant. I think I managed to inject curry sauce into my bloodstream several times, by poking myself on those sharp crab leg barbs. \u201cI love crab, but I don\u2019t like to order them frequently because of that.\u201d He has that right.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rodney Schroeter<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

June 2008<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chen vs. Ikegawa Originally aired 11\/10\/95 Iron Chef, the Official Book episode# 106 Iron Chef Collection episode# 343 Challenger Kiyotaka Ikegawa, Head Chef of Ononishiki in Osaka, was formerly a Sumo wrestler. His restaurant is named after his father, who was also a Sumo wrestler, and who had previously owned the restaurant. \u201cMaster Chen,\u201d he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"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\/86"}],"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\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ironcheffans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=86"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/ironcheffans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98,"href":"http:\/\/ironcheffans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86\/revisions\/98"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ironcheffans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=86"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ironcheffans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=86"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ironcheffans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=86"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}