Dining with the Chef!

Hello and welcome to Dining with the Chef.

I'm Rika Yukimasa.

Today, I'm going to show you how to give a Japanese twist to everyday ingredients.

For the main dish, beef "katsu," a deep-fried beef cutlet made with tempura batter and "panko."

It's crispy on the outside but juicy and tender on the inside.

And for dessert, I'm going to make a sauce of bitter "matcha" and sweet chocolate

to pour over vanilla ice cream in the style of the Italian dessert affogato.

I hope you'll give them a try.

Tokyo, an Asian city with the largest metropolitan population in the world,

the boundaries between old Japan and futuristic Japan are blurred in this metropolis.

The food here is a fusion of cuisine, not just from around Asia, but around the globe.

Our host for this program is culinary expert, Rika Yukimasa.

And our co-host is Patrick Harlan, a-k-a Pakkun.

Rika's Tokyo Cuisine.

Today's special is Beef "Katsu," a deep-fried breaded cutlet.

- So Rika, it's really exciting to walk around the city.
- Yes.

We see lots of international tourists returning to Tokyo.

I'm so happy to see everyone. Thank you.

- Yeah. Thanks! You should come, too!
- Yes.

And those who do come of course, they share their experiences and all the amazing food they eat on social media.

Yes. And the beef cutlet we are making today is becoming really popular.

That's right. Beef "Katsu."

- It looks good and it tastes great.
- Yes.

It's tender and juicy "wagyu" has become really famous worldwide.

We don't fry beef a lot in America.

It's kind of unusual, but once you try it, you'll never go back.

Do we need to use "wagyu" or can we use foreign beef as well?

Well, you can actually use US beef, Australian beef or any kinds of beef.

Great. What are we using today?

Today? The US beef.

Excellent!

So, here are the ingredients for beef "katsu."

For the beef, choose a cut with a good balance of red meat and fat, such as sirloin.

Cucumbers make for a good side-dish, as does cabbage.

- So let's start off making the beef "katsu."
- Yes.

What do we do first?

You need to really tenderize beef.

Okay. Should we start with a tender cut?

- Yes. Sirloin or shoulder.
- Okay.

That would be really perfect because it has a balance of meat and fat.

Red meat and fat, right? Okay.

How do I tenderize it? In addition to getting a tender cut.

Um, you need to pound with something like... if you have a equipment like this one, it's perfect.

But if you don't have one, you can use the wine bottle or a rolling pin or the back of the knife.

Okay.

- The reason I'm doing this is that the American beef is leaner.
- Right.

- And in order to make it softer, you need to pound the beef.
- Okay.

Let's start from the middle.

Okay.

And approach towards the edges.

All right.

Do I want to hit it hard or soft or medium?

Medium.

Interesting. Okay.

- You flip it over to the other side, too?
- Mm-hmm.

Okay. It should do.

Now we need to cut this beef at an angle.

At an angle, why?

Using this one, so that you cut the fiber, which will tenderize the beef.

Okay, so we've already tenderized it,

and we started off with a tender cut of beef at the very beginning,

and now we're cutting it an angle to make it even more tender.

Yes.

Interesting.

Starting from the edge and the finish seam to the tip.

Right. In Japan, we try and cut with one pulling motion, one slice.

Okay.

Okay.

Now we sprinkle with salt and pepper.

What kind of salt would you recommend?

- This one is sea salt.
- Ooh.

Anything I cook. I usually use sea salt.

- Because it takes out all the minerals.
- Right.

And minerals have the umami flavor.

So just like a pinch on each piece.

We have lots of, like, local salt in Japan.

There are places hand made salt, for example, by the traditional, you know, thousand year old recipe.

- Yes.
- It's really cool.

So if you have a chance to come over to Japan, one of the souvenirs I recommend you to buy is sea salt.

Right.

- We'll flip it over.
- Yes.

Okay, so the preparation is done.

And now for the breading.

How do we bread?

I like to keep things simple.

So we're going to mix this tempura flour with water.

Okay. Tell us about tempura flour.

- This mixed mixture contains cake flour and starch, baking powder and some other ingredients.
- Okay.

To make everything crispy.

So it's going to be very simple.

- You just add this, an equal amount of water.
- Okay.

- Rika Sensei?
- Yes.

What if we don't have tempura flour?

Good question.

Tempura flour, you can make from scratch.

If you don't have tempura flour on hand, you can make a batter yourself with beaten egg, water, and flour, mix together.

So you say we mix equal portions.

Portions, and then just mix.

We want to mix well or do we want to leave lumps?

Mix well.

All right.

Oh that's so easy.

Alright. So we have the batter ready.

Then using tongs, do this.

Nice stick batter.

And then gently fold it, gently.

Okay, so you're actually pushing down on it a little to attach to breadcrumbs.

Also, there are different sizes of flakes in breadcrumbs.

Some are very small, and some are very big.

What are we using today?

We're using the big ones.

- Big breadcrumbs!
- Yes, I like big ones.

It just gives this crispier flavor.

When in doubt.

- Size matters.
- Yes.

If you don't have any "panko," you can make similar breadcrumbs with white bread.

Use a food processor to pulse the bread into crumbs, the size you prefer.

This is fun.

This is the kind of thing that I like to do while talking to someone, drink a little wine.

Maybe watching a sports game on TV.

Cooking food together itself is a great entertainment.

I agree.

It's a communal activity.

Really builds a bond between you and your friends.

All right.

Okay, the preparation is done.

Looks good.

Let's give it fried!

How hot is the oil today?

- Should be 200 degrees Celsius.
- All right.

And how long do we fry each cutlet?

Ideally one minute.

Okay, just one.

If you want to see if it's 200 degrees Celsius,

when you put the chopsticks, then you see the bubbles coming out right away.

This means the oil is heated.

Okay.

Now I am going to start frying.

Just one minute each.

I guess we did pound them pretty thin.

So it doesn't take that long to cook through.

And the important thing is, you don't want to overcook the meat.

So once it goes, turn golden brown, I'm going to just take out and have the meat cooked through residual heat.

Interesting.

So it's not even necessarily a minute.

It may be a little shorter.

Yes.

See? It's already turned brown.

Wow. That was fast.

And cook through with residual heat.

If you cook too much the red meat, because American meat is leaner, it gets harder.

Right.

So you don't want that to happen.

Looks so good.

And from here, this is the important thing, is you scoop up these breadcrumbs.

Okay.

I'm doing this because if you leave it inside, it gets burnt and it gives that burnt smell.

And flavor, yeah.

Let's give it a shot.

This one looks fall apart.

Maybe three?

Three to start off.

It's already turning the golden brown right away.

Wow. They... they really do come fast!

Definitely ready to go.

- So it's much faster than you can imagine.
- Right.

You got to be on your toes when you're cooking tempura.

Nice, it's gorgeous.

It's gonna be amazing.

Yes.

Quick and easy, and fun too.

Allow the meat to cook through with residual heat.

In the meantime, prepare the sauces.

Sauce gives a distinctive flavor of Japanese.

Right.

Have you seen this kind of a sauce plate?

Yes. We sort of take it for granted.

We just assume they will have one.

Yes.

And this means we're going to have to have three different sauces.

Okay. So here are the ingredients that we're using.

We have salt, "sansho" pepper, soy sauce, wasabi, worcestershire sauce, tomato ketchup and sugar.

- And we can make three sauces by combining these ingredients.
- Yes.

First, it's really easy.

I'm using this salt and "sansho" paper.

Just mix half and half.

I love "sansho."

"Sansho," but if you don't have "sansho" pepper, you can substitute with regular pepper.

Okay.

Just one to one.

That's so easy.

So easy.

Let me try it.

Try this, too.

Mm.

- Oh, it's a little salty, but also tangy.
- Yeah.

And it brings up the sweetness of the salt, too.

Oh it's so good.

Next one is soy sauce and wasabi.

All right.

This is also my favorite.

And you don't need to buy fresh wasabi sauce.

You can use the one in tube.

You can find it.

Wasabi.

- You don't want to mix this 1 to 1, though, right?
- No.

It's definitely more soy sauce than wasabi.

If you are really mad at your husband or boyfriend...

Right.

Perfect.

Finally, we are gonna mix this worcestershire sauce, tomato ketchup, and a bit of sugar.

Okay.

You know, in Japan, everywhere would have this "tonkatsu" sauce.

Right.

But the secret is you just mix worcestershire sauce which is sold everywhere in the world, coming from England, perhaps.

But we add a little bit of ketchup and also sugar.

Interesting.

But this sweetness, somehow gives really wonderful flavor to this any kind of cutlet.

It's easy to just make it at home.

Let me try.

Very nice.

Oh, so good.

I love worcestershire sauce.

Let me try this soy sauce and wasabi mixture here.

Mm.

Oh, salty with a kick.

Yes.

It's hot. But the wonderful thing about wasabi is the heat faints away.

So now all of the sauces are ready.

The "katsu" is ready.

Let's plate our dish.

Today I'm going to introduce you the cucumber.

Interesting.

This one, I think you use just a peeler.

Oh, so we don't have to cut it. We can peel it.

And if you are cooking with the American cucumbers, or thick and big one, you can cut in half.

Get rid of seeds inside.

Right.

And do this.

Japanese cucumbers are much smaller in circumference.

Put in the water.

And the reason I am placing it in the water is it refreshes and then makes it crispier.

This is okay for me.

I get nervous of peeling my thumb off.

I would turn this around like this.

Kind of round shape.

Oh, so we're going to make the base out of cucumber.

Nice. That's beautiful.

It goes really well with that red plate.

Red plate goes well with the red meat.

Use your chopsticks vertically.

Then you would have more mountain.

Got it.

Yes, it's very important.

- How am I doing?
- Great.

- Is that okay, sensei?
- Yes.

All right.

Okay.

And then from here, you place the cutlet.

You do layer that one.

Interesting.

Okay.

How do we do?

Great.

Voila!

Beef cutlet! Yes.

Beef cutlets fried to perfection.

The tempura batter and breadcrumbs gives it a crispy crust.

But inside...

It's tender and juicy.

It looks as good as it tastes.

Dip it into a Japanese-style sauce, and you can enjoy the flavor and texture of Japan all in one bite.

"Sansho" and salt.

"Itadakimasu."

Oh...

Amazing!

Even though we pounded it, and fried it, the meat is still so juicy.

Not just tender, but rich, full of juice, immediate goodness.

- Good!
- And some part of fat is so sweet.

- Right. And can you hear the crunchy?
- Mm-hmm.

Crunchy, flaky, fried flavor.

So good.

A little cucumber.

I loving having to bite a cucumber in between.

- You get to be refreshed.
- Right.

Now I'm going to try the final mixture,

the official "tonkatsu sauce," which is just worcestershire, ketchup, and sugar.

"Itadakimasu."

It's got a sweetness, it's got umami,

it's got the tomato flavor and the worcestershire flavor,

which all mix so well, red meat and the fried outside.

How can we use our "katsu" besides just eating it with cucumber?

We can just put in between the sandwiches.

- Oh the sandwiches are nice.
- Yeah.

That would be really good.

We can also have a bowl of rice, you would have a wonderful cutlet "domburi."

We should just try it on our own, right?

Exactly.

So give it a try.

Wow, the magical ingredient.

Yes.

This is "matcha."

Do you prepare "matcha" at home?

"Matcha?"

No.

"Matcha" is a little different from regular tea that it's made from powder.

It's thick, rich and sweet, and especially because it's the tea of the tea ceremony.

So any time I get it, whether I'm at a temple or another venue or someone's home,

I love it, but I never make it myself.

Oh, what a pity.

Do you?

Yes, I do because it's so easy to make.

And then a lot of people think that you need special utensils to make "matcha," but actually it's not.

"Matcha" is deeply rooted in Japanese food culture.

It's all part of "Sado," the way of tea, or Tea Ceremony.

Special utensils and bowls are used in the tea ceremony.

Each is a work of art, crafted by skilled artisans.

"Matcha" is prepared and presented in a ritualistic way.

It's made by stone-grinding steamed and dried select green tea leaves cultivated in the shade.

This powder is whisked with hot water to drink, so you get all the nutrients in the tea leaves.

They're rich in dietary fiber and vitamin A.

"Matcha" is sweet and fragrant with very little bitterness.

It is a staple in Japanese sweets, adding an elegant flavor to desserts.

Making use of "matcha" is a quick and easy way to add a Japanese twist to your cooking.

Today, a Japanese take on the Italian dessert affogato, with "matcha" and chocolate sauce instead of espresso.

By the way, you can buy "matcha" online.

So how do we make this miracle Japanese dessert?

Let's first microwave that chocolate.

Okay.

So now we'll have a chocolate sauce.

Right. We add chocolate and a little water to a bowl.

All the chocolate goes in there.

- Should I do the microwave?
- Yes, please.

- At 500 watts for... 40 seconds, maybe.
- Yes.

All right.

- In the meantime, let's make "matcha."
- Okay.

We put this "matcha" powder.

And then put some hot water.

Thank you.

All right.

And then whisk.

So you don't need the official Japanese bamboo whisk.

- You can do it with a regular metal whisk.
- Yes.

That's good to hear.

Is there a secret to this?

No, just mix it really well.

You can use that automatic one with the battery.

Really?

Are we trying to get air inside or no?

Yes.

What we think it's beautiful is all the bubbles.

See, you see the bubbles?

Like this, and then to make small bubbles, you only touch the surface.

Interesting.

Should we scoop our ice cream?

Yes.

Okay.

And that was perfect 40 seconds.

Oh, looks like we need another 20 seconds or so.

What do you think?

- It should be good.
- Really?

Okay.

What we want to do is we want to melt it like this.

- Interesting.
- Yes.

It's beautiful.

Melted chocolate sauce, and you place on top.

And then, this "matcha" sauce.

- Wow, that's gorgeous.
- Yeah.

Do I want to make a line across it?

Yeah, that would be nice.

Or top.

Mm.

- That's going to be delicious.
- Yes.

It's a foolproof dessert.

Absolutely. Everything in it is delicious.

How much do I add?

Any.

- Yeah. Beautiful.
- And look at the contrast.

The green and brown on the beautiful white canvas.

- That's a work of art.
- Yes.

Japanese dessert. So easy to make.

"Matcha" and chocolate affogato.

Hot chocolate and "matcha" sauce drizzled over vanilla ice cream.

A perfect harmony of hot, cold, bitter and sweet, that melts in your mouth.

Let's make some right now!

Perfect.

Oh, I love it.

"Matcha" has a little bit of bitterness, but the bitterness just accentuates the creamy sweetness of the ice cream and the chocolate.

Oh, it's so good.

The sweetness and bitterness of "matcha" goes so well with vanilla ice cream.

If you have very simple ingredients, you can make really a wonderful, elegant dessert.

You should give it a try.

Hope you enjoyed today's episode on how to add a Japanese twist to everyday ingredients.

The beef "katsu" made with tempura batter and "panko" is crisp on the outside but tender and juicy inside.

And it goes so well with wasabi and soy sauce.

It's a quick and easy dish to cook if you're not in the mood for steak.

A little sprinkle of "matcha" on ice cream and you have a Japanese-style dessert in no time.

It's a handy item to have on hand when you need to entertain unexpected guests.

I hope you'll try making today's dishes at home whenever you feel like having something Japanese.

Let's review today's recipes, starting with the Beef "Katsu."

Pound and tenderize the beef, then cut at an angle to sever the grain.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Dip in tempura batter and coat with "panko."

Heat oil to 200 degrees Celsius and fry the "katsu" for a minute.

Remove and cook through with residual heat.

Serve the juicy beef "katsu" with a refreshing side of cucumber ribbons.

For dessert, vanilla ice cream with "matcha" and chocolate sauce.

Whisk the "matcha" and hot water until frothy.

Drizzle hot chocolate over the ice cream.

Add the "matcha," and you have a Japanese-style affogato.

"Va Bene."

Why not turn your house into an elegant Japanese restaurant... tonight!