Ryuji Cooks Yamasa's Official "Kore! Uma!! Tsuyu" Recipes Brought by a Yamasa Employee: Root Vegetable Pot-au-Feu, Peel Soffritto Pilaf, and Canned Mackerel with Green Peppers

At the start, Arashi-kun explains the product. "Kore! Uma!! Tsuyu" combines the best qualities of shiro dashi and mentsuyu, and has a strong dashi flavor. This single bottle takes care of both the dashi and the seasoning, producing a well-balanced taste. Its defining feature is that it works for both Japanese and Western dishes, and Arashi-kun explained that the recipes for this episode were chosen to demonstrate that.

The previous video featured a chicken steak made with chicken thigh, and this time it is pot-au-feu. Ryuji reacted to the idea of making pot-au-feu with a mentsuyu-type seasoning by saying, "I never would have thought of that," and took it as a fitting dish for the cold season.

The ingredients are lotus root, carrot, potato, onion, block bacon, butter, Kore! Uma!! Tsuyu, and water. Arashi-kun says root vegetables are in season right now. Block bacon is used so it has a real presence as an ingredient, and butter is added because it "goes well." Ryuji recalled that in the previous video's bacon-wrapped nagaimo, the combination of butter and this tsuyu was also delicious.

The first thing that gave Ryuji pause was the peeling. Arashi-kun's instructions were to peel the potato, carrot, and lotus root and cut them into bite-sized irregular chunks. Since Ryuji rarely peels vegetables in their own videos, they asked why. Arashi-kun answered that peeling helps the tsuyu flavor soak all the way in, and that the peels can be used later in another dish. Ryuji acknowledged that peeled vegetables certainly absorb flavor more easily. Even so, Ryuji said that videos showing peeling are rare, and viewers would inevitably ask, "Why peel them?" As for the lotus root, Ryuji agreed that while the skin is edible, it is fibrous, so peeling it is better.

The pieces are cut quite large. Half a carrot is used, the lotus root is cut into large irregular chunks, the potato is also cut into irregular chunks, the onion is cut into wedges, and the bacon is sliced thick. According to Arashi-kun, chunky ingredients make the dish more filling, and cutting them large means less work. Ryuji took this to mean it would be a satisfying one-dish meal. This "chunkiness" would later lead to a problem of insufficient simmering.

Cooking begins by searing the hard-to-cook root vegetables in butter. Arashi-kun skipped the instruction to add the bacon, and there was a moment when Ryuji read aloud from the recipe card in hand to confirm: "Sear the bacon in butter along with the root vegetables." Arashi-kun replied that even if the order gets a little mixed up, it will turn out delicious in the end. Once the vegetables are lightly browned, the onion goes in. The onion is added later so the hard-to-cook root vegetables can be seared first. The onion is simmered rather than sautéed.

Next, 500 ml of water and 3 tablespoons of tsuyu are added. Since everything simmers right in the frying pan it was seared in, Ryuji called it a one-pan dish. It is brought to a boil over high heat, then turned down to low, covered, and simmered for about 30 minutes. During the simmering, Arashi-kun was introduced as the salesperson who sells the most "Kore! Uma!! Tsuyu." Arashi-kun replied, "That's actually true, sort of."

While the pot-au-feu simmers, the peels are put to use. The carrot, lotus root, and potato peels are finely chopped. Arashi-kun says the potato peels haven't turned green, so they should be fine to eat. Ryuji laughed that it was a hassle while chopping, and estimated the amount at about 60 g.

These are sautéed in 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. When Arashi-kun got stuck explaining, saying "that thing for rice and fried rice," Ryuji stepped in, suggesting it would be better to call it "soffritto," and Arashi-kun rephrased accordingly. As Ryuji explained, soffritto is an aromatic vegetable base used for things like meat sauce, and it can also serve as a flavor base.

About 1 tablespoon of tsuyu is added to the sautéed peels and cooked until the liquid evaporates. Rice is then added and stir-fried together, and butter is added to make it pilaf-style. The proportions are about 10 g of butter for 200 g of rice. Arashi-kun said that because the peels are finely chopped, they should coat the rice nicely and turn out well. When Ryuji replied, "That's a guess, right?", Arashi-kun admitted to never having eaten it yet.

Looking at the finished dish, Ryuji said it resembled takikomi gohan or mixed rice. After tasting, Ryuji judged it a little bland because there was a lot of rice, and added about 1 more teaspoon of tsuyu. Since the dish hadn't been given a name, Arashi-kun named it "Soffritto Pilaf" on the spot.

Arashi-kun says the third recipe takes into account that many people keep canned mackerel at home as an emergency food supply. The ingredients are 1 can of water-packed mackerel, 8 green peppers, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, and 3 tablespoons of tsuyu. According to Ryuji, 8 green peppers is about 2 packs' worth, making this a dish that lets you eat a large quantity of peppers.

The liquid from the canned mackerel is drained. Arashi-kun added that the liquid can be reused in things like miso soup. Ryuji also mentioned using it as the stock for peperoncino. The stems and seeds are removed from the peppers. Ryuji usually also shows methods that don't remove the seeds, but this time followed the official recipe and removed them. Ryuji added for viewers that the seeds are also tasty stir-fried with bonito flakes or made into a furikake-style topping. The peppers are cut lengthwise into thin strips 5 to 6 mm wide.

While cutting, Ryuji asked about the product. When asked which tsuyu recipe is made most often, Arashi-kun answered nikujaga, and said there is a recipe for it using the tsuyu. There are also Chinese-style recipes, with kanitama and tenshindon being popular.

The garlic is crushed, then coarsely chopped, and heated in 1 tablespoon of sesame oil until fragrant. Ryuji frankly voiced a doubt that if you're using sesame oil, something like chicken bone broth might be a better match. Still, Ryuji said they sometimes use this tsuyu with sesame oil too, and found the combination interesting.

The peppers go in, and once they start to cook but still retain a bit of texture, the mackerel is added and broken up. Arashi-kun's instruction was to flake it into small pieces so it coats everything. Finally, 3 tablespoons of tsuyu are added. The amount is on the larger side because of the many peppers. The dish is finished by cooking off the liquid and letting the vegetables absorb it. Ryuji said they had thought it was too many peppers, but combined with the canned mackerel, it was just right. Just as it was finished, the pot-au-feu's 30 minutes of simmering also ended, and Ryuji told Arashi-kun that the timing was perfect. Black pepper is added to taste. Arashi-kun also pointed out the benefit that it increases the number of times you chew, so you feel full.

Ryuji ate the pilaf first, said "It's good," and remarked that trusting the recipe was the right call. The verdict was that the crisp bite of the peels added to the texture of the rice made it fun to eat.

Ryuji also thought of a way to adapt the recipe. If you make the peels into soffritto and store it in the fridge, you can just add it and stir-fry whenever you make pilaf, so you'll never have leftover vegetable peels. Arashi-kun admitted to not having thought that far ahead. As for proportions, Ryuji concluded that about 4 teaspoons of tsuyu (1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon) for 200 g of rice tastes best. The recipe listed in the description box uses these amounts as well.

Ryuji prefaced the tasting by saying they're not very fond of green peppers. Even so, Ryuji said "This is seriously good," praising how the peppers' sweetness stood out. Ryuji also said the canned mackerel makes the dish easier to eat.

Ryuji also touched on how it fits into a meal. Since the only protein in the pot-au-feu is the bacon, pairing it with the mackerel stir-fry works well. As Ryuji kept eating, they said this dish should really be called "Infinite Green Peppers."

Finally, they ate the pot-au-feu. Ryuji said that since they usually make pot-au-feu with consommé, they had been skeptical about how a tsuyu-based pot-au-feu would turn out. On actually eating it, 30 minutes of simmering wasn't enough, and the centers of the ingredients were still hard. Arashi-kun apologized for making it too chunky. Ryuji said the lotus root might have been better cut a bit thinner, judged that at 30 minutes it needed another 15 to 20 minutes, and simmered it for another 15 minutes.

Ryuji called this "a common mistake." How quickly things cook depends on the variety and firmness of the lotus root and how it is cut. Since the lotus root is the hardest, Ryuji recommended viewers judge doneness by biting into a piece of lotus root and, if it's still crunchy, simmering a little longer. Joking that they had "trusted Arashi-kun a little too completely," Ryuji summed it up as a learning experience.

Of the pot-au-feu, simmered for a total of 45 minutes, Ryuji said it was delicious and the flavor had soaked in well. The butter gives it a Western character, and there is nothing at all off about it as a pot-au-feu. Ryuji said it would probably also be delicious with a block of pork instead of bacon, and recommended simmering it for 40 to 50 minutes. The longer it simmers, the more the tsuyu flavor gets into the ingredients. Ryuji added that it seems like it would go well with wine, as well as with rice as an ordinary dinner side dish.

Here Arashi-kun added that the product also contains mushroom dashi. Ryuji checked the label on the back of the package and speculated that since mushrooms are a strongly umami-rich variety of fungi, they may be what gives the tsuyu its depth when used as dashi. Ryuji also wondered aloud whether, if it comes from dried mushrooms, that would be guanylic acid.

To wrap up, Ryuji said that although it wasn't their own seasoning style, it was extremely delicious, and it was good to learn about official recipes that are built simply around making the most of the ingredients. Ryuji also touched on their circumstances as a cooking researcher. Relying on this tsuyu alone invites comments like "Isn't it just that the tsuyu tastes good?", so they usually combine it with other seasonings. This time, Ryuji said, they were reminded that the tsuyu itself has plenty of flavor to begin with. Ryuji ended the video by noting that they use this tsuyu in their regular, non-sponsored videos as well.