Ryuji and Hiromitsu Kitayama Revive the "Steak Bowl Nobody Watched" from 8 Years Ago

At the start, Ryuji explains that this is not a sponsored job but a personal collaboration between the two. They share the same hair and makeup artist. Kitayama mentioned to that artist that he watches Ryuji's Buzz Recipe, and that is how they came to know each other. When Ryuji said he wanted to meet, he heard that Kitayama was at his usual spot that day, so Ryuji went to him. Ryuji has already made an upgraded version of his "Supreme Karaage" on Kitayama's channel, and it was apparently devoured in no time, staff included.

This recipe was chosen based on Kitayama's idea. While talking with director Odango D, Kitayama raised the question of what kind of recipe Ryuji is confident in even though it didn't get many views. Hearing that, Ryuji went through his past videos starting from the least viewed and found the steak bowl, which had only 100,000 views. Ryuji figured that making it again after 8 years would turn out delicious, and since Kitayama likes brown food, he guessed Kitayama would like steak too. Kitayama answered, "I love it."

Before introducing the ingredients, the two talk over drinks. Kitayama was on his third glass at this point. Kitayama has made mizutaki on his own channel, and he says the reason is that A-ko said it was really delicious in one of Ryuji's videos. Ryuji laughs that when they go out drinking together, viewers are often more impressed by A-ko than by him. He is amused that even Kitayama trusted A-ko's word enough to make it.

According to their conversation while cooking, Kitayama only started cooking very recently. He had done some stir-fries, but mizutaki was the first thing he tried to make properly. He eats out a lot, and getting to eat at home twice a week is considered good. When he is busy, he sometimes makes shabu-shabu in the kitchen and eats it right there to keep things quick. That day, too, Kitayama came after finishing a drama shoot and an on-location shoot at Tokyo Tower, and Ryuji was surprised, saying, "After shooting a drama, I wouldn't want to do anything."

They prepared two steaks: one was 20% off at about 600 yen, and the other was 477 yen. Ryuji says imported beef like this is totally fine. Kitayama said he buys discounted items too, and Ryuji seemed to warm to him, calling him "surprisingly down-to-earth." The other ingredients were eggs for the topping, butter for cooking, yogurt and mayonnaise for the sauce, kaiware radish sprouts as a garnish, and rice. Ryuji thought the steps were simple enough for Kitayama to handle, so in this episode Kitayama did the hands-on work while Ryuji gave directions.

Each steak is about 150 to 200 g. First, sprinkle on two pinches of salt and leave it as is.

Ryuji explained that he makes this steak bowl with a "double sauce," and stressed that the yogurt sauce is especially important. For two servings, it is 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 4 tablespoons of yogurt, grated garlic, two pinches of salt, and 4 shakes of umami seasoning. Adding umami seasoning makes the flavor mellower, he says. Ryuji's explanation is that, just as yogurt sauce is used on kebabs, this sauce lets you enjoy the meat with a refreshing lightness. When Kitayama asked whether any yogurt would do, Ryuji recommended an unsweetened one, because sweet yogurt would make it cloyingly sweet. Kitayama grated the garlic with a grater he was using for the first time and was impressed, saying, "This grates easily."

The other sauce combines soy sauce, mirin, and sake, 2 tablespoons each, in a 1:1:1 ratio. Add about 2/3 teaspoon of sugar for sweetness and 6 shakes of umami seasoning. Ryuji said, "Since it's an old recipe, it uses quite a lot of umami seasoning."

Also, since Kitayama seemed like a garlic lover, Ryuji asked him to slice two cloves of garlic. Ryuji revealed that part of his aim was that if Kitayama made it, Kitayama's fans might make the same thing. Kitayama said, "Slicing is hard," as he cut the slices on the thick side.

Between tasks, Ryuji talked about his impression of Kitayama. When they had drinks together before, Kitayama was different from the "sparkly" image Ryuji had expected, and struck him as someone with no pretense. What left the biggest impression on Ryuji was that Kitayama said, "I want to meet once before the collaboration." With busy people, collaborations usually mean meeting for the first time on the day of the shoot. They are close in age, and when Kitayama talked about yankii delinquent culture, Ryuji responded that he had been the jock type himself. In the course of that exchange, Ryuji ended up calling him "Kitayama-kun."

By the time the kaiware were cut, moisture had come out on the surface of the salted meat. According to Ryuji, this is drawn out by osmosis and causes off-odors, so it is better to wipe it off. Ryuji shared, as something he heard from "a meat fanatic," that salting a steak about 10 minutes before cooking is apparently best. Once it is seasoned, all that's left is to cook it in a frying pan and put it on rice. Kitayama was surprised: "It's that simple?"

Ryuji explains that imported beef, as opposed to wagyu, tastes better cooked in butter or oil. About 5 g of butter per steak is plenty, he says. Kitayama noticed that the two steaks were different thicknesses and remarked that the cooking times might differ too. Ryuji agreed and instructed him to start with the thicker steak, which takes longer.

Here there was a small mix-up in the steps. Ryuji started to say to put the meat in first, but the garlic was actually supposed to go first. Add a little vegetable oil and fry the garlic in butter until crisp to make garlic oil. At this point Ryuji joked that he was drunk and nervous on top of it. Once the oil is made, take the garlic out, add butter for two servings, and put in the thicker steak first over medium-high heat.

When Kitayama tried to move the meat, Ryuji stopped him, telling him to leave it for a while to get a sear. The thinner steak was flipped first, then the thicker one, and Kitayama looked satisfied: "This is how it should be." Partway through they realized they had forgotten to cut the sinew before cooking, but Ryuji judged it wasn't a problem. The cooked meat is moved to a cutting board and covered with aluminum foil to rest. This keeps the heat in so the inside cooks just right, he says.

While making the garlic oil, Ryuji talked about the one drama he has appeared in. It was a special drama on Fuji TV, and he played a corpse that sits up and explains the trick behind his own murder. The monologue was very long, but Ryuji took it lightly, read the script on the day, and couldn't memorize it all. People around him said, "Since it's a monologue, maybe cue cards are fine," and as a special exception he performed using cue cards. Since then, he says, he watches dramas thinking about how much the actors have to memorize.

Kitayama says people with good memories retain everything after seeing it once, as if they took a photo. Actors who can go out drinking even during a shoot are people who memorize really fast, and he is not that type, Kitayama says. Kitayama has no choice but to memorize through effort, and during a shoot he shuts himself in at home and looks at the script the whole time.

Pour all of the soy sauce mixture into the frying pan used for the meat and reduce it. Meanwhile, cut the meat. According to Ryuji, cutting a large steak in half first and then slicing it at an angle gives you a shape suited to a rice bowl. The thick part was cooked to about medium. Kitayama said that when he slices on the bias at home, it starts out angled but ends up straight partway through, but he managed to slice it well. The cross-section was properly cooked through, too.

For plating, put the thinner pieces on the bottom and the neatly cut pieces on top. Ryuji called this "a recipe from when I was just starting out," and explained once again that the combination of soy sauce and yogurt sauces is the key. While scattering the garlic chips, Ryuji also remarked, "It doesn't feel old-fashioned." He meant that he had imagined something with much more garlic, but it wasn't like that.

Finally, top it with an egg yolk. Ryuji cracked the egg for his own bowl and messed it up. Kitayama first poured on the yogurt sauce, scattered the garlic chips, and drizzled on the soy sauce. While separating the yolk from the white, he broke the yolk once, laughing, "I'll make tamagoyaki with it," and succeeded on the second try. The two applauded when he got the yolk right in the middle. Ryuji admitted that Kitayama's plating looked more delicious and said he would use Kitayama's bowl for the thumbnail.

Tasting it, Kitayama said, "So good." The garlic really comes through, and he didn't taste much of the yogurt's tartness. He said the impression was close to a roast beef bowl. Ryuji explained that the recipe was designed around the contrast between the yogurt sauce and the soy sauce, and was happy to see Kitayama enjoying it. Odango D also tasted it and let out a surprised exclamation. Kitayama couldn't stop eating, and Ryuji laughed that he had eaten five pieces of karaage last time too.

To wrap up, Ryuji urged both Buzz Recipe viewers and Kitayama's channel viewers to try making this steak bowl. This collaboration took the form of Ryuji making an upgraded karaage on Kitayama's channel and reviving an 8-year-old recipe on Ryuji's channel. The two ended by saying they want to do another food project together.

Finally, Ryuji gave Kitayama the "Supreme Knife" that he sells. This was because Kitayama had said he still hadn't found a proper knife. When Kitayama asked how to care for it, Ryuji said using a whetstone is difficult for beginners and gave him an entry-level sharpener as well. Kitayama said he is still a beginner who has only just started, but that he would do his best, and asked Ryuji to invite him again.