At a New Cooking Class in Gifu, Ryuji Teaches a "Classic Curry" Made with Store-Bought Roux

Ryuji has appeared in JPC Sports Class videos many times before, and came to Gifu this time after being asked to come see the studio because the company was starting a cooking class. According to the operators, the building was originally the first JPC Sports Class location. After the class moved to a larger space, the building sat empty, and while they were thinking about what to use it for, working with Ryuji gave them the idea of a cooking class, so they renovated it. JPC started here and now has 120 locations, and the operators say they want to expand the cooking class nationwide in the same way.

On the class name "Buzz Cooking Studio," Ryuji reacted that it was "pretty much me," and the operators explained that they chose the name with Ryuji's permission. The studio has three cooking-counter islands and holds up to about 15 people. Monitors are installed so students can see the instructor's hands, and there is a handwashing station near the entrance as well as equipment such as a toaster oven. The operators had never cooked in the studio before, so they asked Ryuji to handle the memorable first cooking session.

Ryuji said they had once looked into what various cooking classes make, and found that some classes taught dishes that made them think, "Who's going to make this at home?" With that in mind, Ryuji told the operators they hoped this would be a place that teaches practical cooking, so that students truly become able to cook in the future.

Ryuji believes the menu matters in cooking, but that having too many dishes is not a good thing. So for this session, Ryuji explained, they had prepared two dishes that are easy to make and provide good nutrition.

For the first dish, the curry, Ryuji prefaced it by saying their cooking "tends to go pretty unorthodox," then declared that this time they would go the classic route and make "the definitive home curry." The most-made of Ryuji's curries is the kind that uses a lot of onions, but this time they also wanted the nutrition from potatoes and carrots, so they went with the standard ingredients: carrots, potatoes, onions and pork. They used pork belly this time, but said thinly sliced pork scraps would also be fine.

However, curry alone makes for unbalanced nutrition, so a raw bok choy salad would be made as a side. When Ryuji asked the staff whether they knew bok choy could be eaten raw, the answer was "I didn't know," and Ryuji said it is really delicious raw and that this is the kind of thing they want to spread.

The moment that most clearly showed the thinking behind this session was when Ryuji explained the reason for using curry roux. Ryuji argued that cooking classes usually don't teach curry made with roux and instead teach curry made from flour, but even if you learn that, you end up not using it and stop making it.

As an example, Ryuji brought up the miso soup from school cooking lessons. Asked whether they had been made to cook miso soup at school and whether they had made the stock from dried sardines, the staff said they had indeed made it from dried sardines. Ryuji said it was the same for them, and asked, "So who's making miso soup with stock from dried sardines now?" Ryuji's position is that people don't want to know the principles of cooking; they should learn things that are practical, and since Japan has so many convenient products, a cooking class that says "let's use them" is definitely better. It's fine to take on difficult dishes once in a while, Ryuji said, but basically what everyone wants are recipes that use roux, are easy to make and are outstandingly delicious, and they would make a curry that children can still cook when they grow up.

Ryuji usually drinks alcohol while cooking, but noted before starting that they wouldn't drink in front of children at a cooking class, so it would be water this time.

The recipe uses two onions, about 240 g total, with one small onion weighing roughly 120 g. One is for sautéed onions that melt into the roux, and the other is to be eaten as a chunky ingredient, so they are cut differently.

The onion for sautéing is cut perpendicular to the fibers and sliced as thinly as possible, which Ryuji said shortens the sautéing time. Ryuji explained that cutting against the fibers makes it easier for moisture to evaporate when sautéing later. The onion for the chunky ingredient is cut into irregular pieces while rotating it. Ryuji's view is that onions are delicious melted into the curry, but also delicious as hearty chunks. If one large onion weighs around 240 g, Ryuji said, you can slice half thinly and cut the other half into irregular chunks.

The carrot (about 130 g by Ryuji's estimate) is not peeled. Many cooking classes tell you to peel it, but that is wasteful, and this is what practical cooking looks like, Ryuji said. The inedible outer skin of carrots has already been removed before they're shipped, and the thin skin that remains isn't noticeable once simmered. You can peel it if it bothers you, but Ryuji said they hoped this would become the first cooking class to say, "It's okay to leave the skin on."

For potatoes, Ryuji used new potatoes and just scrubbed them with a brush. New potatoes have such thin skin that a light rub reveals the flesh, so they are cut into irregular pieces as is. If you dislike the earthy aroma you can peel them, and with regular potatoes it might be fine to peel them, but new potatoes don't get peeled. Ryuji also cautioned that the sprouts should be removed, and that if the skin has turned green, toxins have formed, so you absolutely should not use it. Ryuji confirmed that the new potatoes this time had not turned green and were fine, and added that with the skin on you get the earthy aroma and the potato flavor, which makes it tastier.

About 5 g of garlic is grated and added later rather than sautéed. Ryuji said that, having made all sorts of curries, adding grated garlic later turns out very delicious. Pork belly is fatty, tender and tasty, but scraps or loin are also fine, and since using roux makes anything delicious, you don't need to worry that much, Ryuji said. The pork is cut into pieces about 3 cm long so they fit in one bite.

The studio has induction (IH) cooktops, so the cooking is done in a frying pan on the IH. Ryuji added 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and started sautéing the thinly sliced onion over fairly high medium heat. The aim, Ryuji explained, is to sauté the onions well, create some browning, and add the toasty aroma from the Maillard reaction. Adding a pinch of salt makes them cook faster through osmosis. The IH was set to 7, which the staff took as "pretty strong."

Ryuji said this isn't that different from a typical curry aside from a few key points, but also emphasized that there is no single right answer in cooking. Everyone tends to look for "the correct way," but there are many ways to make a dish, and Ryuji asked viewers to think of this as just one of them.

Normally the onions would be sautéed slowly at a lower temperature, but this time was about saving time. Ryuji said that charred spots here and there give a nice Maillard aroma, and that is enough. Doing it seriously takes about 30 minutes, but if you have 30 minutes you're better off doing other things like the dishes or the laundry, Ryuji said, prefacing it as something a cooking researcher wouldn't normally say. People used to say you had to sauté onions until they were a nice brown caramel color, but that isn't necessary, and it's enough for the whole thing to look a bit burnt, Ryuji said.

Partway through, when the staff remarked that it was hard to picture Ryuji with children, Ryuji laughed that children don't like them, but replied that they actually like children and are kind to children and animals.

Once the onions look a bit burnt, the pork belly goes in, and the fat is rendered out thoroughly. The prepared amount of pork was about 250 g, which was a lot, but Ryuji said more meat makes it tastier. It may look burnt at first glance, but this deepens the richness, Ryuji said. Next, the onion for the chunky ingredient, the potatoes and the carrot all go in and are coated in the fat rendered from the pork. Once the vegetables turn glossy, 400 cc of water is added. Ryuji reflected that there were a lot of ingredients this time.

From here, secret ingredients are added as a "ranking of things that taste great in curry."

• Kombu dashi: said to deepen the flavor considerably
• 1 teaspoon sugar: something Ryuji wants you to always add, for sweetness and depth
• Soy sauce: adds a nice aroma, and its high glutamic acid content boosts the flavor
• 1 teaspoon ketchup: adds the umami of tomato glutamic acid and sweetness
• Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce: adds a lot of depth

When it came time to add the sauce, the staff introduced a sauce used in Gifu, and they tasted it on the spot. It was sweet, and everyone got excited about how well it would go with fried shrimp; Ryuji agreed it was delicious, but used Worcestershire sauce here.

While adding the seasonings, Ryuji accidentally tossed in a whole garlic clove as well. But since a whole clove doesn't do much, Ryuji said it would be fine to just add 5 g of grated garlic again. People tend to think they've messed up at moments like this, but it isn't a mistake, Ryuji said; you can just eat the garlic as an ingredient. The grated garlic turns into depth later on, Ryuji said. The pan is covered and simmered over medium heat for 15 minutes, which Ryuji explained is the time needed to make the vegetables tender.

The salad is made while the curry simmers. According to Ryuji, bok choy is only used in Chinese cooking, but it is an excellent vegetable. The reasons Ryuji gave were that its price is stable and doesn't suddenly spike, and that it can be eaten raw. To eat it raw, wash it thoroughly. Since curry alone doesn't give you raw vegetables, something like a salad makes a good side, Ryuji said.

The stem part is the firmest and has the most crunch, so it is julienned, while the leaves can be chopped finely or cut roughly. Bok choy's great quality is that it is sweet with no bitterness, and Ryuji said they wanted to convey that to everyone.

The dressing is 2 tablespoons olive oil, about 2 teaspoons vinegar, about 3 cm of prepared karashi mustard, and one to two pinches of salt. Mixing it emulsifies it right away into a mustard dressing. For those who want more umami, add just a tiny pinch of chicken bouillon powder. Some children may not like karashi, in which case the yellow mustard used on hot dogs and hamburgers keeps the heat down and tastes good, Ryuji said.

As for why it isn't spicy despite using karashi, Ryuji explained that karashi's heat is volatile and comes out on contact with air, but coating it in oil removes almost all of the heat. Wasabi is the same, Ryuji said. So Ryuji's take is that even children can probably eat it, and if it's iffy, use yellow mustard. Ryuji emphasized that there's no need to buy dressing either, since you can make it this easily with seasonings you have at home.

After 15 minutes of simmering, half a box of roux, about 90 g, goes in. Ryuji used Hakuraitei curry roux, a personal favorite, and said if you use another roux, just match it at 90 g. Java Curry and others are good too, but Ryuji said they realized in the end that Hakuraitei is the most delicious, so one kind of roux is enough. Mixing roux can sometimes be tasty, but using one kind is easier, Ryuji said. Ryuji also said that once you use Hakuraitei, "you won't be able to eat anything else."

Making it in a frying pan, moisture tends to evaporate depending on the heat, and since a lot of moisture had boiled off this time too, about 50 cc of water was added. The guide is the curry's thickness, and Ryuji suggested adjusting by looking at the amount of sauce relative to the ingredients. Adding 10 g of butter at the end deepens the richness and aroma, Ryuji said.

The bok choy salad is served on a small plate with one or two drizzles of dressing. While plating rice and ladling on the curry, Ryuji said they love curry with this many ingredients in it, and advised that showing the brightly colored carrots when plating boosts appetite, because red is an appetizing color. The finished curry was named the "Classic King Curry" made at Buzz Cooking Studio.

The staff who tasted the curry called it "super rich" and "super delicious." Ryuji praised how the new potatoes held plenty of moisture, and the staff pointed out that the various seasonings gave it depth and that the garlic came through at the end. The staff asked to use the recipe in their classes, and Ryuji readily agreed. Some staff members said it was their first time trying Hakuraitei roux.

Asked whether they had ever eaten bok choy raw, the staff said they had only had it in Chinese food. On trying it, they found it had no off-flavors or quirks, saying, "It's totally delicious; we just never have the chance to eat it." The staff also said they wanted to get rid of the image that children dislike vegetables. As for the mustard dressing, the staff said there was no heat at all, just the flavor, and Ryuji said they had been recommending raw bok choy for a long time but it hadn't caught on much, so they hoped people would give it a try.

Ryuji explained that curry alone mainly provides carbohydrates and meat, but adding bok choy brings the nutritional balance much closer to where it should be. The staff saw it as also playing the role of pickles. The cooking time was about 30 minutes, and the conversation also touched on how all the ingredients had become meltingly tender after just 15 minutes of simmering, how tasty the pork fat was, and how the heat level was mild enough for children to eat.

While eating, Ryuji once again shared their thinking on menus. Ryuji imagined that cooking classes usually make about three dishes, but thinks two or so is enough. If you have a main dish to eat with rice plus one more thing like a salad, you can show people that "this is plenty for today's menu," Ryuji said.

The operators said they want children to be able to cook in place of their fathers or mothers even in busy households, and said this studio came about thanks to meeting Ryuji. When Ryuji remarked that they "moved fast," the operators explained that rather than spending a long time planning, they decided to try it first and improve afterward. They plan to start recruiting students in March. Ryuji said they hoped Buzz Cooking Studio would spread this kind of genuinely useful cooking across the country, and that they would spare no effort to help.

At the end of the video is a comment from Takagi, the head of Buzz Cooking Studio. According to Takagi, the class is attended by a wide range of people, from first-grade elementary school children to adults in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. It was originally created as a way for people to get started with cooking, but in practice, people who already cook also attend as a way of "checking their answers."

Echoing Ryuji, Takagi pointed out that home economics classes in schools today teach the fundamentals of cooking, which often can't be reproduced at home. Basics like cooking meat, cutting vegetables and making stock from raw ingredients are important, but people rarely feel inclined to make those things at home on their own initiative. That is why the class places the greatest emphasis on reproducibility at home, and Takagi said they want to create a flow where students cook a recipe they learned in class for their family at home that weekend. There is currently only one location, in Hashima City, Gifu Prefecture, but Takagi concluded that they created this class hoping that a wide range of people, from children to experienced cooks, will come, including as it expands nationwide.