Directory:Iron Chef/Episode 77 - Milk Battle
- 77 Milk Battle
Originally Aired: 6/24/1994
Iron Chef Chen Kenichi vs Challenger Miyamoto Mashiko
I feel sorry for Iron Chef Chen Kenichi sometimes. He was probably the 2nd most talented Iron Chef on the show. But it seemed sometimes like Chen got all the weirdo ingredients. There's a classic battle out there, where he gets assigned yogurt as a theme. YOGURT and Chinese cooking. Yeah. That's like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.. only if Reese's weren't made with delicious chocolate and peanut butter, but more like motor oil and peanut butter.
I can just see the production meetings where they really have a hate on for Chen..
Production Assistant #1: Ok, so we need a theme ingredient for Chen-san's battle against Miyamoto Masahiko.
Production Assistant #2: Well, we need something cheap. Kaga's outfits have gone up 20% in price over the last three months.
Production Assistant #1: That much?
Production Assistant #2: Trust me, you don't want to know how much it costs for those sequins and extra ruffles.
Production Assistant #3: Damn. There goes my idea for a veal battle.
Production Assistant #1: Nah. Too easy for him any way.. We really need to stretch him out. I have 10 bucks on the fact that I can make him faint with a secret ingredient some time this year.
(Production Assistant #3's cell phone rings)
('Production Asstitant #3 starts talking on his phone)
Production Assistant #2: What about mushrooms? Chinese cooking doesn't use mushrooms, does it?
Production Assistant #1: Nah.. we did that a couple months ago.
Production Assitant #3 (on cell phone) no, I won't forget the milk this time. Good bye.
(hangs up to see the other two PA's look at him)
Production Assistant #3: What? Why are you looking at me like that!
Production Assistant #2: You are a genius!
Production Assistant #1: Oh man, I can't wait to see Chen's face. Milk as a theme ingredient!
Production Assistant #3: Um.. glad to have helped?
But that's yet to come. Apparently , out of the 200,000 resturaunts in France, there's only 5 3-star (the highest rating) chefs in all of France, and today's challenger. Today's challenger has studied under two of them. His name is Masahiko Miyamoto, the head chef of Club NYX in Tokyo.
He got the bug for French cooking early, and traveled to France to try to apprentice himself without any references or connections in the French restaurant business. Needless to say, the going was hard, and only after a year's fruitless search was he able to find employment at Ferme de Mougins, a one star resturaunt, where he began to learn his trade. He continued to search, and moved up the lines, first to a two star restaurant, and then finally, was accepted as an apprentice under three star chef Michel Guerard, and then with the recommendation of Guerard, trained for several months under ANOTHER 3-star chef, Georges Blanc. He became the head sauce chef, where he flourished.
He has since returned to Japan, and became head chef of Club NYX, a high class restaurant on Tokyo's waterfront. How high class? Miyamoto imports all his meat from France, and only purchases fish from Tsukiji market, one of the highest quality fish markets in Japan. With his high class pedigree, will he live up to the reputation he's earned?
The eloquent Chairman Kaga comes out, and chomps into his pepper, and all the sous chefs appear, it must be time to battle!
Well, before the challenger comes out, they introduce the one and only guest commentator, actress Mayuko Takata, who nearly rivals Kaga in the excessive ruffles department, as she has three levels of ruffles on her dress. It's time to bring out the challenger!
The challenger's fiancee is here, and Chairman Kaga introduces her before asking who Miyamoto will challenge.. and it's Chen Kenichi! The fiery Chinese chef steps down, ready for battle, ready to bring new levels to his fiery Schezuan cuisine.. If he only knew what's waiting for him..
Chairman Kaga says he tried to squeeze his brain for a suitable ingredient.. and he kept squeezing, and squeezing, but the thought of Squeezing got him the idea for today's ingredient, and he unveils the secret ingredient... Milk! (this is the first ever liquid theme ingredient in the history of Iron Chef)
Chen's face when he views the secret ingredient, is indeed priceless.. as he turns away, muttering what seems to be the Japanese version of "You HAVE to be kidding me".
But there's no time to be spent bemoaning fate, (or in this case a production team with a sense of humor), in fact there's one hour of time to....
ALLEZ CUISINE!
The hour time limit works against both chefs, but Chen epsecially, as he has to ditch one dish at the last moment when the milk does not come together with the lobster he had mixed in, but both sides come up with some innovative dishes, including a homemade cheese by Chen (created from milk and vinegar during the one hour battle.
The dishes:
Challenger Miyamoto has four dishes:
Sauteed Lobster in Potato Crust, Orange Flavor: The milk is combined with orange juice to help form the sauce for this battle. It comes with bacon wrapped asparagus.
Soup Royale with Sea Urchin and Truffles. Started with a puree of Sea Urchin and Milk, and finished with a konsume with seafood and mushrooms
Cresson Chowder: Another dish with seafood and milk, along with rice, stewed in milk
The final dish is a Vanilla Flavored Kudzu Jelly, topped with an almond powder and brown sugar mixture. Inspired by a Japanese confection.
The Iron Chef also has four dishes (Not including the one ditched at the last moment)
Stir-Fried Lobster & Scallops, Milk Flavor: The white sauce and green shanghai cabbage give this dish color and texture.
Fried Milk Cheese with Fruit Sauce: Completely made during this battle, this cheese was then fried to give texture and served with a fruit sauce with a hint of a kick from Tobasco sauce.
Milk Stew With Five Vegetables: The milk based soup has absorbed the flavor of the various vegetables, and has a good body from the stewing.
Coconut Milk Dessert: Combineing coconut milk with reguar milk, adding pieces of watermelon and chilled, this dish is very high class.
And now, it's time for judging.
At this time in Iron Chef's history, there was only three judges. They are:
Director Kazuyoshi Okuyama, Actress Mayuko Takata, and Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano.
You ask what a Rosanjin Scholar is? Well, Rosanjin refers to Kitaoji Rosanjin, who was one of Japan's most unique figures. Not only was he a top chef who set the grounds for Japanese cuisine throughout his life (he was known to emphasize the flavor of the food over presenation, saying, "Cookery is a splendid art because people can be greatly moved by the flavors of food. therefore, it is most important for a chef to understand flavors well. Anyone can become good at preparing sashimi or cooking tempura if they practice for many years, but understanding flavors is a talent one must be born with, it cannot be learned with time.". He was not famous solely as a chef, he was also one of Japan's most beloved ceramists. He even had his own exhibition of his pottery shown in New York in 1954!) Enough of the history lesson, time to get to eating.
Judged first as always, are the dishes of the challenger.
Up first, is Sauteed Lobster in Potato Crust, Orange Flavor. Hirano loves the food, and the other judges seem to enjoy the mixture.
Up next is the Soup Royale with Sea Urchin and Truffles. The dish also gets praised, esepcially for its mixture of textures, from the mushrooms, to the konsume.
The Chowder is next. The milk is judged to be powerful, two judges say it reminds them of their childhood (I have NO idea what they mean by that, but let's leave it where it lies there!)
Finally is the Vanilla Flavored Kudzu Jelly, and the almond/ginger powder is judged to interfere with the dish, and is the only dish not universally liked.
Up next is the Iron Chef's dishes.
The judges like the Stir-fried Lobster & Scallops, and Hirano humorously complains that Takata keeps saying what he wants to say before he can say it. The milk brings the dish all together.
The judges are mixed on the hand made cheese. there's thoughts that it could have used a bit more firmness, and it was too subtle.
The judges love the Milk Stew with the vegetables. Well put together.
Hirano says that the desert should be a regular dish, due to the regular ingredients, combined into a new level.
Enough with the dinner chat, it's time to reveal who wins.
Kaga admits that the theme ingredient was designed to make the lives difficult. He says this was the toughest decision in the history of the panel so far. But a decision has been reached. So, who takes it? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
IRON CHEF CHEN KINICHI wins.
But from all indications this was a great battle for both sides. The look of disappointment on the face of Miyamoto's fiancee is palpable. But Chen seems relieved at having won over such a difficult ingredient. Little does he know what awaits him in the future.
(No scores, the results of the voting was not publicly announced during the three judge era)
