Chicken Breast and Napa Cabbage Paitan Hot Pot Made with Shisui, the Knife Ryuji Spent Two Years On

Ryuji previously released a cutting board, which they say is still selling. Yet nearly every video on the channel drew comments asking, "You have a cutting board, so why no knife?" The knife is finally finished and already on sale.

Development took more than two years. Ryuji explains that this is because they are the type of person who doesn't want to sell something until they've used it for months and are satisfied with it. With so many subscribers, even a mediocre knife would probably sell, but Ryuji wanted to deliver something truly good, so they kept using it in their videos. The product name, Shisui, stands for "shikō no jisui," or "the ultimate home cooking," and they settled on it after a lot of deliberation.

The set includes three items: a santoku knife, a petty knife and a sharpener, priced at 19,800 yen including tax. Each item is also sold separately. The price came up as Ryuji checked it with the staff, and Ryuji remarked, "Isn't that cheap?" That's because Ryuji insisted they wouldn't do it unless it was affordable, explaining that they are "not really interested in making money." Other influencers release theirs at much higher prices, but because a knife is something you use every day, Ryuji wanted to offer a good knife at a price that makes it easy to get.

The santoku is all stainless steel and comfortable to hold. Ryuji explains that the blade is relatively sturdy, so it rarely chips even when cutting hard foods. This design comes from personal experience. Ryuji was once given an expensive, extremely sharp knife made by another influencer, and its blade chipped when cutting something hard. From that, Ryuji concluded that a knife that is too sharp chips easily. To make sure people can use it for a long time, they made a knife with some heft that is easy to handle.

As for the petty knife, Ryuji says the santoku alone is enough, but recommends having one because it makes tasks like coring tomatoes easier. Ryuji also mentions that petty knives are the norm in Italian homes, and says that with both a santoku and a petty knife, you'll have no problems at all.

The sharpener is the kind you fill with water, with two stages: you sharpen at "1" and finish at "2." Using a whetstone is also an option. But Ryuji's view is that in home cooking you're not cutting several kilograms a day, so a quick sharpening before cooking keeps the knife plenty sharp, and recommends a sharpener for home use.

The blade has a coating that resists grime. Tsujimoto, the staff member in charge, demonstrated with a coated blade and an uncoated blade side by side. Both were smeared with grease and sprayed with water from a spray bottle. The ordinary uncoated stainless steel repelled the water, and the grease wouldn't come off even when rubbed. On the coated blade, the grime came off with just the water.

Ryuji said it was their first time seeing this experiment as well. Having used the knife regularly, Ryuji says it barely gets the water spots knives tend to get. Ryuji also tried writing on it with a permanent marker, and it all came off with just a wipe of a sponge. Because it's something you use every day, Ryuji counts being able to cut without worrying about grime as one of its strengths.

From here, the episode moves on to cooking. The ingredient Ryuji chose to test the knife's sharpness was chicken breast, which they would slice thinly, something you can't do with a dull knife, to make a hot pot. Before that, as a side dish, they made a tomato carpaccio, which Ryuji calls one of their specialties.

When Ryuji slices the tomato thinly, it cuts with clean edges. Ryuji explains that a dull knife would crush the tomato and couldn't cut it like this. Arrange the sliced tomato, sprinkle with salt and garlic powder, drizzle with good olive oil, and it's done. While tasting it, Ryuji says that with a sharp knife you can cut tomatoes both lengthwise and crosswise, which broadens what you can cook.

Ryuji also touched on stock. The first batch is 3,000 sets, but a staff member added that only about 1,000 sets can be shipped this year, and Ryuji urged viewers that it's first come, first served.

The hot pot combines chicken and napa cabbage. According to Ryuji, chicken and cabbage hot pots were popular a while back, but they hadn't yet made one with chicken and napa cabbage.

Cut the napa cabbage by sliding the knife at an angle in a diagonal cut. Ryuji says this creates more cut surface, so the cabbage releases its moisture more easily. The cut cabbage goes straight into the pot.

Chicken breast alone won't make a paitan, so to turn the broth cloudy white, add 1½ tablespoons of uncooked rice. Ryuji explains that the starch from the rice gives the broth a light thickness and adds richness. For seasoning, they use chicken bouillon and kombu dashi, 2 teaspoons each, to make a "double broth," a combination Ryuji says they've been using a lot lately. Add 800 cc of water, cover and put it on the heat.

When a staff member asked whether garlic could go in, Ryuji answered that adding it would make it like samgyetang. Still, they left it out this time. Ryuji uses too much garlic, they say, so a garlic-free hot pot is nice once in a while. Garlic lovers can add it grated or put in about five whole cloves, which gives it a Korean style that's also delicious.

Partway through cooking, Ryuji asked the staff, "What's the most important thing about weight-loss meals?" A staff member answered, "No oil," but Ryuji said that while avoiding oil is of course important, the correct answer is something else. After all, there are many kinds of oil, such as using just a little olive oil.

When the staff member realized, "If it isn't easy, you won't stick with it," Ryuji agreed: "You won't stick with it." Ryuji even said that people who post complicated weight-loss recipes probably have no intention of losing weight. When the staff member added that, personally, being able to customize the dish is better, Ryuji replied that this paitan hot pot allows exactly that.

While the broth heats up, cut the chicken breast. Doing both at the same time saves time. Ryuji says it cuts without any force, and adds that a synthetic rubber cutting board makes cutting easier, so the cutting board matters too.

Slice the chicken breast as thinly as possible, thin enough to be see-through. Ryuji explains that thin slices become extremely tender, while thick ones feel tough when you eat them. This thinness is impossible without a sharp knife, and if you can do it, you can even make chicken shabu-shabu at home, Ryuji says. Showing how the parts with skin cut cleanly without catching, Ryuji said, "A knife isn't about price, it's about practicality." Since the aim was the most useful knife for home cooks, not one for professional chefs, Ryuji says people who want to become chefs don't need this knife. Ryuji's view is that for home use, cutting this well is a perfect 100 out of 100.

The topic of cutting boards came up too. When a staff member said that white cutting boards get stained when you cut tomatoes, Ryuji replied that black cutting boards don't pick up color as easily. The staining isn't dirt, just transferred color, but cutting tomatoes or kimchi turns the board red. With a black board, it's not noticeable, and as long as you maintain it regularly, it's fine, Ryuji says.

Coat the sliced chicken with 2 pinches of salt, 1½ tablespoons of sake and 1½ tablespoons of potato starch. At one point a staff member showed a lidded container for shaking ingredients together, and the two agreed, "That might be kind of nice." According to Ryuji, massaging the potato starch in forms a film over everything, making the chicken tender. The sake removes odors and adds moisture. This way, chicken breast, which is said to be unsuitable for hot pots, takes on a silky texture, Ryuji says.

While it simmered, Ryuji said vegetables other than napa cabbage work too. Spinach or cabbage are fine, and anything turns out delicious, they say.

Ryuji then offered a personal theory. Asking whether anyone had ever eaten a chicken breast hot pot, Ryuji said no restaurant serves one. The reason is that made the usual way, it tastes bad. This hot pot is delicious because the chicken is thinly sliced and coated in potato starch, and that effort is too much trouble for a restaurant, Ryuji says. So Ryuji urges viewers to try it as a hot pot you can only eat at home.

As the rice cooks, the broth grows cloudy and white. A staff member seemed unconvinced that it was white enough yet to call paitan, and Ryuji admitted the rice needed to cook more. As a guide, simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Once the broth turns white, add the chicken to the pot one slice at a time. Ryuji explains that the starch makes the broth even whiter.

A question also came up about overcooking. Ryuji answered that overcooking makes the chicken a little tougher, but thanks to the potato starch it's much less likely to get tough. Simmering it for a long time isn't good, however. Even so, a hot pot isn't a simmered dish, and you eat it right away, so it's not a problem, Ryuji says. Once the chicken is cooked through, it's done, and Ryuji laughed, "It's just that the knife explanation was long. It's ready in no time."

The broth had thickened, which surprised the staff member. You can also add any ingredients you like, such as mushrooms. Tasting it as is first, the two said the chicken was bouncy and tender and the flavor gentle. Ryuji explained again that the tenderness comes from the thin diagonal slicing and the potato starch coating. The staff member said they don't usually put much chicken in hot pot, but this was very delicious.

Because the flavor is simple, customizing it as you eat really shines. Ryuji recommends three ways to change it up:

• Salt and pepper. The pepper is one sold in Ryuji's own shop, and Ryuji says it changes the flavor quite a bit.
• Ponzu. Not Ajipon, but a citrus ponzu Ryuji has been into lately. The added acidity changes the flavor considerably, letting you eat to the end without getting bored, Ryuji says.
• Yuzu kosho. Dissolve it in and it's guaranteed to go well, Ryuji says.

The staff member said weight-loss meals tend to be one-note and get boring, so being able to change the flavor like this is great. Switching up the vegetables means you'll never get bored, they added. Ryuji stressed that napa cabbage is cheap this time of year, chicken is cheap too, and the only other ingredient is a little rice. The rice is only there to give the broth just the right thickness. The staff member said they expected it to taste as predicted, but the tenderness of the chicken breast was completely unexpected. The base is lightly salted, so those who like mild flavors can eat it as is, and those who want more can adjust it with the add-ins, they say.

To finish, you can make either udon or zosui rice porridge. This time, after eating the ingredients, they added thawed frozen udon to the pot with a little broth left in it. When a staff member asked whether it was no good to add it still frozen, Ryuji said frozen is fine too. With so little broth left, Ryuji just thought thawing it would look nicer.

Lately Ryuji has been into adding egg. Crack in an egg and break it up, and it becomes like an egg-drop dish, and because the broth is thick, the egg clings well, Ryuji explains. Since the broth has chicken flavor, a light sprinkle of salt is all you need. It's reborn as something between udon and zosui, Ryuji says. The two agreed that the egg coats everything in the broth and makes it delicious, that the slightly set egg white has a nice texture, and that you can drink every last drop of the broth. Ryuji added that it's very low in fat, so it's healthy.

Finally, Ryuji said the key to this hot pot is, after all, using the knife to slice the chicken thinly. A staff member played along and ended up taking a knife home, lightening the mood. In closing, Ryuji reminded viewers that Shisui is 19,800 yen for the set, and that the santoku, petty knife and sharpener are also sold separately. Quantities are limited, and judging by past releases, they sell out fast, Ryuji says. Ryuji then encouraged viewers to give this chicken breast hot pot a try.