Three Cooks Eat Their Way Through "Unglamorous" Online-Shopping Ingredients: A Yahoo! Shopping Product Review by Ryuji, Tetsuya Onishi and Momoko Futamatsu

Ingredients are hard to appreciate when eaten on their own. So this time, the cooks Tetsuya Onishi and Momoko Futamatsu were invited, and the three of them evaluated the products while making dishes with them on the spot. The items featured were dashi soy sauce, Inaniwa udon, toasted crumbled nori, fish sauce, gyu torikawa, Parmesan powder, mozzarella cheese, seasoned Genghis Khan lamb, aosa seaweed, frozen grated yam, and pork loin.

The first product was Kamada Soy Sauce's "Kamada Dashi Shoyu," available as a two-bottle set. It is described as a soy sauce blended with a first-extraction dashi of mackerel flakes and kombu. It had apparently never been featured on Ryuji's channel before.

Ryuji began by noting that some people might think of mentsuyu when they hear "dashi soy sauce," and said they are not a big fan of mentsuyu. The reason is that it is sweet. This dashi soy sauce has no sweetness at all and is characterized by a crisp dashi flavor. During the tasting, a comparison came up: mentsuyu is dark and the sweetness hits first, whereas with this one the saltiness of the soy sauce comes first. Some also praised its light, clean color and the fact that it is not too sharp.

The series normally introduces one item at a time, but Ryuji felt that would end with people "just taking a lick," so they decided to combine it with another recommended product. The idea is that an ingredient does not come across unless buyers can see how to use it.

The product it was paired with was trimmed ends of "Inaniwa Kinume Udon." Ryuji declared that, of the more than 30 items tried this time, this was the "top recommendation." The package contains 510g, and you boil 100g in a generous 2L of water. Boiling takes about 4 minutes; once the noodles turn translucent, lift them out and always chill them in ice water. Because the noodles are thin, this step is what gives them their smooth texture going down.

It was served cold, topped with egg, chopped green onion and crumbled nori, with two or three swirls of dashi soy sauce. You crack the egg, mix and eat. During the tasting, comments followed one after another: "so slurpy," "it goes down incredibly smoothly," "the chewiness is amazing." It was also pointed out that it does not get salty even when you pour on a good amount.

According to Ryuji, this udon is genuine Inaniwa udon that has been made in Inaniwa, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture, for more than 50 years, and because every step is done by hand, only a limited amount can be produced each day. The price is 1,180 yen, which Ryuji calculated at around 200 yen per serving. The reaction was that this is cheap for something handmade.

Evaluating the dashi soy sauce on its own, Ryuji said that among the many dashi soy sauces out there, this one is the original. It was born out of Kagawa's udon culture, and while there are now all sorts of products such as oyster soy sauce, Ryuji's reason for recommending it is that you have to taste the original first. Ryuji also said that many viewers of Buzz Recipe have probably never tried it and should experience it at least once.

Futamatsu said that if every household had a bottle, everything would taste good just by pouring it on, so it suits lazy people too. As a way to use it, Futamatsu suggested mixing it with olive oil to make a dressing.

Evaluating the udon on its own, Onishi said its flavor doesn't assert itself too much and it is all about the smooth texture, so it is highly versatile depending on the seasoning. As a way to take it toward another country's cuisine, Onishi suggested dipping it in green curry, like the "num banh chok" they had eaten in Cambodia. When others objected that this was too difficult, they settled on substituting store-bought green curry. Ryuji recommended buying early since production is limited. The two guests' ratings appeared to match.

Suzuki Nori's Ariake-produced toasted crumbled nori costs 1,100 yen for two bags. Ryuji mentioned how badly nori prices have risen and said this price for this quantity is good. During the tasting, people commented on its strong aroma of the sea.

Futamatsu praised the fact that you can snack on it and use it however you like by sprinkling on soy sauce or salt. Futamatsu said that the ingredient is simply delicious and good value, which "made me happy as a housewife too," prompting Ryuji to quip, "Since when are you a housewife?"

Onishi classified it, explaining that nori comes in two types, "firm" and "melty," and this one is the firm type. It releases flavor as you chew and has a strong aroma, making it excellent as nori for snacking rather than as sushi nori. Onishi said that, personally, they would make nori tsukudani that just about holds its shape and put it on rice. The explanation was that you just dissolve it in hot water, add dashi and simmer it down a little.

Meanwhile, Ryuji joked several times at their own expense that this had become a "geeky episode." Ryuji also said jokingly that Yahoo! Shopping was wary of it too.

Next was the fish sauce "Tiparos." It is a brand Ryuji has been using recently, first encountered at a Thai restaurant. Separately from the sauce served with the khao man gai, Ryuji poured on some fish sauce, found it so delicious that they asked the chef what brand it was, and was shown a huge container the size of a drum. Ryuji said buying that size changed their life. It is not sold in supermarkets, so it has to be bought online or elsewhere.

Futamatsu confessed to disliking the funkiness of fish sauce. According to Ryuji, Tiparos is characterized by its mild smell and rounded flavor. Ryuji explained that this is because it contains sugar, and by comparison, types made only from sardines and salt have a clean flavor close to anchovies. Some people may find it lacking, but in Ryuji's view it is "the fish sauce best suited to Japanese people." It was also judged well suited to pouring on directly.

The way Ryuji chose to eat it was tamago kake gohan, egg over rice. The method is Ryuji's own, followed for years, and goes as follows.

1. Mix only the egg white into 200g of rice first
2. Add two shakes of Hi-Me
3. Add 1.5 teaspoons of fish sauce (it is saltier than soy sauce, so don't add too much)
4. Place the yolk on top and eat it about half broken up rather than fully mixed in

Mixing only halfway is for enjoying the contrast between the mixed part and the yolk. As a flavor change, a little pepper makes the fish sauce aroma even less noticeable. Hi-Me is optional, but it tastes better with it.

After tasting it, Futamatsu was surprised: "I really used to hate this." Onishi let slip "I'm annoyed" and "feels like I lost," and repeated that the salt balance was "just right." Someone even said Ryuji should publish a fish sauce book.

The ratings were high. Futamatsu said that until now, dishes using fish sauce had only been acceptable if the sauce was cooked. Being able to eat it raw was a big deal. Onishi likes Thai food, had known Tiparos for a while, and usually uses a different brand. However, Onishi felt that this one leaves more room for creativity, as with Ryuji's approach of adding Hi-Me to its light flavor. Onishi said that if you are using fish sauce in Japanese home cooking, building on this one broadens your range, and said they planned to buy it too.

Ryuji said they use fish sauce as a "lump of umami," adding it in place of dashi. Ryuji stated that they plan to release this recipe in the future. Ryuji also added that for anyone still bothered by the smell, cooking it just a little softens it considerably. The price is 898 yen with free shipping, and Ryuji urged viewers to buy this, since a small bottle at the supermarket costs 300 to 400 yen.

The only prepared dish this time was Umamido's "Hakata Yatai-Style Gyu Torikawa" (beef and chicken skin). None of them had ever heard of the dish, and Ryuji introduced it as an item so punchy that they couldn't figure out how anyone came up with the idea. It is apparently made in Miyazaki.

The texture is jiggly, with a charcoal-grilled aroma. The seasoning is a sweet-savory flavor with plenty of garlic. It isn't as salty as it looks, and everyone said in unison, "I want rice." The beef is reportedly 100% wagyu, and someone commented that when put on rice, the fat coats the grains and makes it delicious.

Although it calls itself Hakata yatai-style, even a cast member who has made the rounds of Hakata's food stalls had never seen it. They ended up asking people from Hakata to leave a comment. The price is 1,200 yen for three, or 400 yen each. Onishi said they would eat it even at 800 yen if an izakaya served it.

Onishi gave it an S. Ryuji was surprised, saying, "Onishi doesn't hand out S's easily." Onishi said the very idea of stewing beef and chicken together is amazing. Onishi also speculated that the product must rely on Miyazaki's jidori grilling expertise. Onishi was also surprised that it has no retort-pouch feel at all, and offered the theory that since retort products are heated under high pressure at 120°C, the makers may have worked backward so that the dish is completed by that process. Onishi also said they'd like to go visit the maker. Futamatsu said it is good value in that you can enjoy it once for 400 yen and it is a dish you couldn't make yourself.

Land of Harvest's Parmesan powder costs 3,580 yen. According to Ryuji, the grated cheese with the green cap at supermarkets now costs around 500 yen for 80g, so this works out 30 to 40% cheaper. The ingredient is Chilean natural cheese.

Its defining feature is the fineness of its particles; Ryuji explained that unlike ordinary grated cheese, no grains are left behind and it all melts. It can be stored frozen and apparently keeps for about six months. Since it is a powder, you can sprinkle it on while still frozen. It also feels different to the touch from store-bought products, and Onishi speculated that the store-bought kind is probably heat-dried.

Two dishes were made with it. The first was a slice of bread cut into quarters, topped with gyu torikawa, Parmesan powder and crumbled nori, then toasted. You can pile on plenty of cheese, about double. Onishi said they had long served something like a teriyaki pizza at drinking parties and that this was close to it. Someone commented that the oil from the Parmesan and the sauce from the gyu torikawa soak into the bread.

The second was a grilled cheese made by melting the Parmesan powder and nori in a frying pan. Cooked over low heat, it becomes crispy, and you can add shichimi to taste. The reaction was that grilling makes the cheese flavor feel richer and lets you appreciate how good the cheese itself is.

Futamatsu's rating was the equivalent of an A+, citing that it is easy to use in cooking, comes in a large quantity and can be frozen. Onishi pointed out that as you keep cooking, you'll want grated cheese for dishes like carbonara, but it is expensive and hard to find a good one. Onishi said people should try this one first, and that it was the fluffiest grated cheese they had ever eaten.

Hanabatake Farm's "imperfect" mozzarella cheese costs 3,980 yen for 1kg. It is sliced into medallions and the pieces are separate, so you can take out only as much as you want to use. Left at room temperature, it thaws quickly.

Eaten as is, it was described as soft and refined, with a fruitiness and a faint smoky aroma. The dishes started with spreading a thin layer of miso on it and searing it. Those tasting it said, "This is totally a sake snack" and "It becomes a pairing of fermented foods."

Next, Futamatsu proposed a dish to go with white wine or sparkling wine. Combine apple and mozzarella, then drizzle with salt and good olive oil. Any fruit works, such as strawberries, kiwi, pineapple or mango. Futamatsu explained that the key points are using the oil to add body and using the salt to bring out sweetness rather than to tighten the flavor. Marinating it in garlic oil also came up, but Ryuji especially pushed the miso-seared version.

The rating was A+. Futamatsu said it has lower moisture and is denser than typical mozzarella, so it is easy to use as a snack with drinks. Futamatsu added that smaller pieces can be used in dressed salads too. Onishi pointed out that mozzarella is fairly pricey, making it an ingredient that takes some nerve to buy. Onishi recommended buying 1kg and experimenting, suggesting that by the time you've used it all, you'd be a "mozzarella master."

Kita no Delicious's "Lamb Dabesa" comes in soy sauce and salt flavors. Ryuji said the soy sauce one is good too, but they overwhelmingly prefer the salt one. Onishi, who lived in Hokkaido for more than 30 years, said they may never have seen a salt-flavored seasoned Genghis Khan.

First they grilled the soy sauce version. It has a bold, rich seasoning, and Onishi, speaking as someone who has seen plenty of Hokkaido's seasoned Genghis Khan, said that having this much meat in it is a very good deal. According to Onishi, in Hokkaido Genghis Khan is becoming synonymous with barbecue, and even at cherry blossom viewings, people gather around Genghis Khan rather than tiered bento boxes.

Onishi explained that Genghis Khan marinated in sauce is characterized by tender meat that doesn't get tough even if overcooked. Onishi then offered their own theory that Genghis Khan is actually a type of hot pot dish. Fresh lamb would be yakiniku, but the sauced kind is a dish where the sauce makes the vegetables delicious.

The salt version has no color, and people commented that when grilled, its distinctive aroma is hard to notice. Someone also said "you can eat it like beef tongue." It pairs well with a squeeze of lemon, and it was suggested that people in Tokyo might find this one easier to get into. The meat thickness can be chosen from 5mm or 10mm.

Onishi demonstrated the Hokkaido way of cooking it. On top of the meat in the pan, you pile vegetables such as carrot rounds, onion, bean sprouts and green peppers. Onishi was particular that carrots in Genghis Khan must be cut into rounds. The moisture released from the vegetables and meat turns into steam and cooks everything, and once it is moderately cooked, you mix it to finish. It is a completely different cooking method from yakiniku.

After tasting it, Onishi said this brings the salt concentration to about exactly 1%, describing it as "the taste you get when you go back to your family home." Onishi wants people to eat it as an everyday meal rather than a feast. Onishi's passion was such that Ryuji laughed, "Do we really have to dig this deep?"

The rating was A+. Futamatsu said it is delicious as is, the salt and lemon was especially good, and the Hokkaido way of eating it was educational. Onishi said they feel Hokkaido home-style Genghis Khan is still not well known and needs to be spread more widely. Since it comes out perfectly seasoned with this cooking method, Onishi praised the product as being made with a "Hokkaido mindset." Onishi also cited the higher ratio of meat to sauce as showing consideration for customers.

Ryuji introduced Suzuki Nori's aosa nori as an ingredient they "super love." Their favorite way to use it is in zoni. Chiba has a zoni made with habanori, and Ryuji said they think it is the most delicious zoni in the world. The idea is that using aosa in place of the habanori lets you make it in an instant.

Along the way, it was also shared that aonori, aosa and aosa nori are all different plants. The ingredient label lists hitoegusa, and the point is that it is aosa nori, not plain aosa, that is delicious.

The method is simple. Put one handful of aosa nori into 400cc of water. Even dried, it rehydrates well, so you don't need too much. Add 1 teaspoon of Hondashi and 2 teaspoons of soy sauce and the broth is done. Add grilled mochi and top with a pinch of bonito powder for flavor.

During the tasting, the talk centered on how there was so much aosa you could scoop it up, and how good it smelled. The expression "seaside zoni" also came up. The impression was that even though Hondashi was used, the aosa and bonito flakes provided plenty of flavor. They also discussed that it could probably be used in peperoncino or nori cream pasta. It was also noted that its long shelf life makes it easy to keep on hand, and adding just a little brings out a seaside flavor. It is 80g in two 40g bags, for 1,450 yen with free shipping.

Both Futamatsu and Onishi rated it S, the first time the two ratings matched. Futamatsu said that since it is an ingredient that adds umami to other foods, they think it makes anything delicious. Onishi revealed that in making Okinawa soba as a culinary researcher, the one thing they could never reproduce was the aasa soba eaten in Okinawa. This might fill in that missing piece, and Onishi said, "I can't stop getting excited." Ryuji was delighted: "I'm glad I included this."

Nadai Kamasho's frozen tororo is a commercial-size product of 70g portions totaling 1.4kg. It thaws quickly under running water. The only ingredients are domestic nagaimo and yamatoimo, and it reportedly contains no preservatives. Ryuji explained that grating mountain yam is a hassle and makes your hands itch, so this form is convenient.

Ryuji's recommendation is yamakake rice, simply topped with dashi soy sauce. Onishi tasted it and, because the umami was so strong, asked whether it contained Hi-Me, but it was only dashi soy sauce. They agreed that frozen mountain yam of this kind tends to be thin and watery or have an off smell, but this has none of that at all.

Onishi said that at home they had been taught that yamatoimo must be added when making ganmodoki. Ordinary nagaimo won't do, but Onishi said this would work. Adding a small amount to okonomiyaki to make it fluffy was also mentioned, and the convenience of the single-use size was praised.

Here the ratings diverged. Futamatsu was impressed by the taste but was bothered by the price of 200 yen per bag. Since yamatoimo can sometimes be bought for around 600 yen, Futamatsu gave a lower rating, though partly convinced after tasting it. Onishi, on the other hand, rated it highly, saying that precisely because they know the value of mountain yam and good yamatoimo, 200 yen is cheap for something you can use whenever you like. Onishi suggested that people who find the quantity too large could split it with friends, and also said they had thought of handing it out to make yamakake when doing tuna-carving shows for work. Ryuji added that with yamakake you finish it off quickly, so it is surprisingly easy to use up.

Finally, they grilled and tasted pork loin from Niku no Okubo. It is pork from Fukushima, and the shoulder loin is said to have a beautiful color and release no drip. They ate it with just salt and pepper, and someone commented that it would probably be delicious as shabu-shabu too.

Looking back, the product Futamatsu named as most memorable was the gyu torikawa. Futamatsu recommended it, saying that whether or not you know about it changes your happiness in life by a few percent, and that since they probably don't make much of it, you should buy it as soon as you see it. Onishi said everything was delicious, and that many items were made even better by Ryuji's preparations. What surprised Onishi most was the fish sauce, with the discovery that mixing egg white and Hi-Me into rice makes fish sauce taste like this. Onishi added that the aosa nori was delicious too.

Regarding the Inaniwa udon, there was a remark that the speaker had previously not found Inaniwa udon all that delicious. After eating this, they felt, "So Inaniwa udon can be this good," and became interested in Inaniwa udon itself.

Ryuji summed up the episode as a "deep-dive episode." Ryuji reflected that it was an episode that couldn't have happened without these members, one where everyone cooked. Ryuji said they would happily do episodes like this endlessly, and closed by saying that while their Yahoo! Shopping picks might keep heading in an obscure direction, they want to do more episodes like this one.