A Washoku Head Chef Tries the Ultimate Tonjiru Made the "Unthinkable" Way: Ryuji's Philosophy of Home Cooking

At the start, Ryuji says the navy curry from last time was so delicious that it moved them, and explains that after struggling over what to make, they settled on their most popular recipe. With the caveat, "I'm going to make it in an unthinkable way, so please don't get too angry," Ryuji asks the head chef to watch while drinking a cold beer and to speak up if anything catches their attention.

The ingredients are naganegi (Japanese long onion), daikon, carrot, konnyaku, burdock root, pork belly, and garlic and ginger. Ryuji acknowledges that using garlic and ginger in tonjiru is unusual, and explains that this is a tonjiru eaten in a "miso ramen–like soup." The video for this recipe is apparently still watched often today.

First comes the prep for the carrot and daikon. The carrot is cut into half-moons, but not peeled. The daikon is also cut with the skin on. The head chef replies that they also use the skin at home, and the conversation turns to how the skin is highly nutritious.

Ryuji admits that with the skin left on, it can linger in the mouth if it isn't simmered long enough. The reason Ryuji still doesn't peel it is the belief that since home cooking happens every day, less effort is better. A professional chef would think that when serving customers, you can't charge money without doing at least this much prep. But for Ryuji, this is home cooking, so "less effort is justice," and that is the difference from a professional chef, Ryuji explained. The head chef responded, "I think that's good."

Ryuji also noted that even though they had studied Italian cuisine, their most popular recipe ended up being tonjiru, a Japanese dish.

On the konnyaku, Ryuji checks with the head chef: "You parboil it, right?" The head chef says yes. Ryuji doesn't parboil it, instead washing it under lukewarm water from the faucet to remove the odor. The reason is that if you have to bother boiling water, everyone stops making it at that point.

Here Ryuji shared a personal theory: "I think you like cooking, Chef, but 90% of humanity hates cooking." Ryuji came to feel this way from experience: when younger, Ryuji loved cooking, served food to people, and explained the details they had obsessed over, but no one was listening at all. Ryuji laughingly said they had once made a full-course meal for an acquaintance who was present, who surely doesn't remember any of it.

The konnyaku is torn by scraping it with a spoon. Tearing it by hand gets the black bits stuck under your nails, and at that point you start hating cooking. You can cut it with a knife, but Ryuji says irregular shapes make the texture more interesting.

Pre-washed burdock root is used, but it's given a light wash just in case. Washing it too much diminishes the aroma, so you stop when a little brown still remains. Rather than shaving it sasagaki-style, it's cut in half lengthwise and then into thin diagonal slices. According to Ryuji, many people don't know how to do sasagaki, and shaving all 150g (about one pack) used this time would tire out your hands so much that "tonjiru would be the last thing on your mind." After trying various methods, Ryuji settled on this cut. The head chef was impressed too, saying, "That's fast."

On the speed of their knife work, Ryuji says their knife skills get better when they've been drinking. Sober, Ryuji is slow, and the reason is a fear of knives; Ryuji speculates that getting drunk takes away the fear. The head chef described it as being able to "relax just the right amount." The naganegi is split in half lengthwise, washed, and cut diagonally. The head chef called Ryuji's way of cooking "dynamic."

In this flow of conversation, Ryuji mentioned having originally been a shut-in. Ryuji attended only about half of junior high, quickly quit the place they went on to, and then stayed shut in. Ryuji says they aren't the type to take initiative, and doesn't really understand how things turned out this way.

Put 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a frying pan and add the pork belly. It was supposed to have been cut in advance, but Ryuji forgot to cut it, so they tore it by hand and added it. Ryuji says tearing it doesn't really change the flavor. When Ryuji eyeballed the remaining amount as "about 50g more," the head chef asked whether Ryuji could tell the grams right away. Ryuji answered that they can tell roughly, and even if they can't, they're the type for whom it doesn't really change the flavor.

The two have similar instincts about measuring, agreeing that when cooking for themselves they don't measure with tablespoons and the like, but adjust using basic ratios and their palate. However, Ryuji explains that since it's a home-cooking channel, they always write down the quantities. Writing "1 carrot" could mean one that's 100g or one that's 200g, so Ryuji lists amounts in grams.

Once the meat has taken on the aroma of sesame oil, add the burdock root to draw out its aroma. Ryuji emphasized that the burdock aroma is the key to this tonjiru, so it should be sautéed thoroughly at this stage. Then add the remaining vegetables and konnyaku, and sauté over medium heat until the vegetables are coated in oil and have softened slightly.

While sautéing, Ryuji talked about the background of how this recipe came about. Having no experience in washoku and never having been taught by anyone, Ryuji went on the offensive with their own self-taught style at first. In the early days, Ryuji was a young nobody that no one knew. Ryuji figured that if such a cooking researcher and a washoku chef with their own restaurant each put out a tonjiru recipe, 100% of people would want to make the one by the chef with a track record. So Ryuji deliberately made a tonjiru that a washoku chef would never make. And it was accepted as "unorthodox but delicious."

The head chef responded, "I think the tastier one wins." Ryuji feels the same way, and reflects that even after making all sorts of dishes, they can still confidently say their tonjiru is delicious, so the approach back then was true to themselves and turned out well. Ryuji also said that they later made an "orthodox tonjiru" without garlic, using dashi and kombu, which was also delicious, so in the end both are good. Nowadays Ryuji has come to learn cooking from various people, and said it was a lot of fun to experience flavors from the head chef that they couldn't have created themselves and to draw inspiration from them.

Ryuji also mentioned that the channel is in about its seventh year, and since cooking videos, even old ones, get made over and over, there's always a steady supply of material. As for the navy curry from last time, Ryuji said that if they were to put their own spin on it, they'd probably do it something like that, and reiterated how much they liked it.

After sautéing, pour in 1 liter of water. Ryuji used to use shiro dashi, but this time adds 4 tablespoons of "Kore! Uma!! Tsuyu." Ryuji added that shiro dashi is also delicious. Since the original recipe assumed the sweetness of shiro dashi, 1 tablespoon of mirin is added. Then 2 tablespoons of sake for aroma, and your preferred Yamabuki miso, all of it added at this stage, before bringing it to a boil.

In washoku, the basic rule is to dissolve the miso in at the end, but Ryuji adds it at this point and simmers it. The reason is to get the umami of the miso into the ingredients. Ryuji admits this is where it departs most from the fundamentals. While acknowledging that using dashi products like shiro dashi is probably unorthodox too, Ryuji said that making dashi from scratch is quite difficult in today's households, and the head chef replied, "I've never seen anyone who does." Ryuji's family home was apparently one that relied entirely on Hondashi granules.

This is simmered for about 20 minutes. When the recipe was released, the comments section said, "This guy doesn't know anything about cooking." The point being made was that it's common sense to add miso after it comes to a boil, but Ryuji recalls stubbornly insisting that simmering it tastes better, and it ended up becoming the most popular recipe.

When it comes to a boil, scum rises from the meat and kombu, but Ryuji urges viewers never to skim it. Ryuji considers the scum part of the umami. This comes from the Indian cooking mindset, Ryuji explained, where you never skim the scum from curry. Having studied all sorts of cuisines from other countries, Ryuji says that while their Japanese fundamentals are lacking, they end up cooking with the philosophy that as long as the result tastes good, it's fine.

When the head chef asked how Ryuji came up with this dish, Ryuji answered that tonjiru is often thought of as a side player, but with lots of ingredients and meat in it, they consider it almost a complete meal. So Ryuji set out to make a tonjiru everyone would see as the star, in other words, a tonjiru where this and rice alone are enough. It's a tonjiru that works as a main dish, as the centerpiece. The head chef expressed anticipation, saying, "I'm really looking forward to it."

While waiting for it to simmer, the talk turned to Kure. The head chef said that on a previous trip to Kure, they called Edelweiss wanting to eat the cream pie, but it was sold out, and since everyone in Kure kept talking about Ryuji having eaten the cream pie, it was frustrating. The fry cake Ryuji ate instead was cheap and delicious, and Ryuji was surprised since they're not that fond of anko. Ryuji also said they love sweets but try not to eat them much because they're fattening, and that the "Mamiya Ice Cream" they had at the hotel was also delicious, promising to go on a food-hopping tour in Kure again. The head chef said that the people of Kure were also surprised, wondering why Ryuji was there, but that they want to share more of Kure's appeal.

After simmering for 20 minutes, the vegetables are soft and a little fat has risen to the surface. Only now are the garlic and ginger added. Simmering weakens the punch of the garlic, so it goes in at this point. Ryuji says the aroma of the garlic when it's brought back to a boil is really delicious. The head chef was surprised, saying it was their first time having tonjiru with garlic in it. The ginger is used with the skin on, as the skin also gives off aroma. The amount is about the same as the garlic, and once it comes to a boil the aroma mellows out.

Since it has already been simmered at a rolling boil, Ryuji explained that the idea is less about bringing out the miso aroma and more about letting the flavors meld. Finally, add one whole naganegi, generously, and it's done. It goes well with both rice and alcohol, it's a method that means you don't have to make side dishes, and with the addition of rice as a carbohydrate it becomes a complete meal, Ryuji explains.

After one sip, the head chef said, "Beautiful," and remarked, "Anyone would find this delicious." They also said, "It really nails it," pointing specifically to how the saltiness is spot on. In response to the comment that it goes well with rice, Ryuji replied that they designed it so that at home you could eat just this and rice. The head chef also praised the aroma of the burdock root and garlic. As for the skin-on root vegetables that Ryuji had been worried about, the head chef replied, "The skin is delicious," saying it served as a perfect accent. Ryuji, eating it for the first time in five years, said, "It's really delicious," and recommended shichimi.

The head chef said that tasting this flavor made them feel they understood Ryuji as a person. When Ryuji laughed, "It's a little edgy," the head chef replied that what's good about it is that while it has edgy parts, everything comes together in the end. Ryuji said that it's rare to have a professional chef taste their cooking, so they were happy to have the head chef try it, and wrapped up with, "I gave it everything I had."