Ryuji's "Devilish Cabbage Rice" and a Wasabi Dressing Made with Tsuyu

At the start, Ryuji explains that the client was originally supposed to be present for the shoot, but Ryuji caught a cold that day, so the filming was redone on a different day. The subjects are "Kore! Uma!! Tsuyu," for which Ryuji serves as an ambassador, and cabbage rice, which lets you eat plenty of cabbage.

As for why cabbage was chosen, Ryuji says it is well known as a highly nutritious vegetable, and by Ryuji's own reckoning ranks in the top three among the foods sold at supermarkets. That day there was a large cabbage on hand, and the starting point was wanting to eat it with rice.

However, cabbage, meat, and rice alone would feel lacking, so Ryuji consults with the staff about what to make as a side dish. Soup came up as a candidate, but the staff wanted "something light and refreshing," and on hearing that this tsuyu can also be used for salads, they decided to make a lettuce salad.

The lettuce being used was starting to wilt. Ryuji introduces the "50-degree wash," in which soaking limp lettuce in 50°C water is said to revive it. The hot water at Ryuji's home comes out at 43°C, but since that is still effective enough, the lettuce was soaked in hot water from the tap. Damaged parts should be removed, and it only needs to sit for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Ideally a salad spinner would be used to drain the water, but the one at home is cracked and water leaks out of it. Laughing about having forgotten to replace it, Ryuji ends up using this broken spinner later to drain the lettuce. The reason for draining thoroughly, Ryuji explains, is so that leftover water doesn't dilute the flavor of the dressing.

When the lettuce comes out of the hot water, the staff remarks that it's "a little crisper than before," and Ryuji responds, "It firms up, right?"

The only ingredients for the dressing are Kore! Uma!! Tsuyu, oil, wasabi, and vinegar. Ryuji describes this tsuyu as "the best of both mentsuyu and shiro dashi," and says it has been two to three years since becoming its ambassador.

Since the goal is a Japanese-style finish, rice bran oil is used, though olive oil is fine too. Mixing the tsuyu and oil 1:1 is just right, and wasabi is added to that. About 8 centimeters from the tube went in, which is quite a lot. When the staff says, "You don't see wasabi dressing very often," Ryuji answers that it's extremely delicious.

Ryuji first tastes it without vinegar, then adds acidity, saying, "It's better with vinegar." The final rough ratio is about 2:2:1 of oil, tsuyu, and vinegar. Ryuji repeatedly emphasized how simple it is—just pour it over raw vegetables and it's plenty delicious.

Ryuji says the easiest way to make cabbage rice is in a skillet or a small frying pan. Olive oil goes in, and the cabbage is roughly chopped, using 120 g.

The shoot took place in late January, and regular cabbage was used. When the staff asks whether spring cabbage would be okay, Ryuji answers that it's totally fine. Ryuji also reveals that because sponsored videos have to be delivered early, they can't be filmed at the last minute, so they end up being shot one to two months ahead of the season.

The recipe is portioned for one serving because that makes it easier to cook. For two servings, Ryuji's view is that you should just use two frying pans and double the amounts.

While cutting the cabbage, Ryuji changes the subject. Because Ryuji does a lot of corporate sponsorships, people sometimes call Ryuji "money-hungry," and Ryuji admits to doing overwhelmingly more of them than other cooking researchers. Ryuji also says many people in the same field probably think that way too.

In response, Ryuji argues that this way of thinking is really not good, and that people who work hard should be supported. Ryuji says they used to be one of those people who thought that way, but realized it doesn't do anyone any good. Ryuji continued: if they were making money by deceiving people, it would be fine to bash them, and fine to make sure they could never appear on broadcast TV or other media again—but they aren't deceiving anyone; all they're doing is cooking.

80 g of pork belly is roughly cut and put into the skillet. Ryuji says, "You don't need to be careful to make something tasty," and when the staff replies, "It's a lazy recipe, then," Ryuji laughs that they're all lazy recipes. It's stir-fried with salt and pepper, and people who want to eat lots of meat can put in 100 g or even 200 g. Ryuji also cited fewer dishes to wash as an advantage of cooking in a skillet.

Asked about the heat level, Ryuji's answer is "whatever." Iron conducts heat well so it burns quickly, but Ryuji says it's tasty even when burnt. On the other hand, as a caution, Ryuji warns that using a skillet on an induction cooktop makes it quite easy to burn. In fact, a strong burnt smell and smoke came off during the shoot.

Ryuji calls the combination of cabbage and pork "a classic" that is absolutely delicious, and says at the stir-fried stage that "this alone is delicious." Once it's cooked, the heat is turned off for now, since it can be reheated later.

While the heat is off, the sauce is made. Chicken bouillon powder is added to 2 teaspoons of Kore! Uma!! Tsuyu. Ryuji says they've recently been hooked on combining two different dashi, pairing the bonito umami of the tsuyu with chicken stock. To this, 1 tablespoon of sake and half a teaspoon of potato starch for thickening are mixed in. The reason is that it's tastier when it's thickened.

When the staff asks whether the pork could be swapped for chicken, Ryuji answers that it would be delicious, and says bacon or anything else would work too.

200 g of warm rice is placed on top of the ingredients. For this, Ryuji uses the round mold familiar from Ryuji's fried rice videos. Packing the rice into the mold makes it perfectly round and makes it look much better. The staff reacts, "It looks like a plate meal."

As the skillet sizzles, 10 g of butter is placed on the rice and the thickened salt sauce from earlier is drizzled over it. It's finished with a scattering of chopped green onion and a sprinkle of black pepper.

When eating, Ryuji says it's best to mash and mix everything up as you go. Calling it ridiculously easy, Ryuji named the dish "Devilish Cabbage Rice."

During the shoot, there was also a moment when the camera position was changed at the direction of the director overseeing framing and how things look on screen. Ryuji says the producer and director are doing their jobs properly.

Alongside the cabbage rice, the lettuce is drained in the broken salad spinner and the salad is finished. With the staff's approval, imitation crab is added on top, and the wasabi dressing is poured over. Feeling something was missing, Ryuji says nori is absolutely perfect with a wasabi salad, and tears up toasted nori to add.

Here Ryuji says that since they are a cooking researcher and not a chef, a sloppy salad like this is fine—everyday meals should be like this, and in fact they have to be. Ryuji also says this kind of sloppy salad is the most delicious in the world.

Ryuji also let slip a candid thought: this tsuyu really can be used for all sorts of things, but using it too much makes things look like an ad, so they want to try other seasonings as well.

You can crack an egg in if you like. Ryuji says, "There's no way egg wouldn't go with this." Because the iron is hot, mixing it in makes it soft-set, and that's the part to eat. Ryuji added that it's good to add a little extra salt and pepper once the egg goes in.

A crispy, scorched layer forms on the bottom, and Ryuji wants you to eat that too. Ryuji explains that where the cabbage has charred and turned sweet, the umami of the chicken stock comes through strongly.

The staff member who tasted it was surprised, saying, "It's five times better than I imagined," and also said a little bit of char is just right. Ryuji believes cabbage is tastier when cooked thoroughly, since that brings out its sweetness. Another advantage is that cooking reduces its volume, so you can eat plenty of it.

The staff had already eaten a lot during that day's shoot, but said they could finish this. In response to the comment that they had expected it to be heavy because of all the pork fat and butter but it was surprisingly light, Ryuji explains that it's because there's more vegetable than anything else. Ryuji then said that this is exactly the kind of meal they want—simple, and also a way to use up leftover half-heads of cabbage.

As for the salad, the staff praised how well the nori and wasabi went together, and was surprised to hear the only ingredients in the dressing were tsuyu, rice bran oil, and wasabi. The lettuce also tasted fresh to them. A staff member who hadn't seen the 50-degree wash said they wouldn't have noticed it was revived lettuce if no one had told them.

Ryuji says they don't really understand people who buy store-bought dressing. Ryuji doesn't keep any dressing at home, because even when they buy it, they can't use it all up. Since you just mix it and can make only as much as you want each time, Ryuji thinks making it fresh every time is definitely better.

Of this wasabi dressing, Ryuji sees it as the easiest to make among their recent recipes, and expects it to be well received. Ryuji also mentions that the tsuyu was apparently recently reformulated and its flavor has changed slightly. The collaboration is in about its third year, and Ryuji has put out many recipes using this tsuyu in the past, so Ryuji encouraged viewers to check those out too.

Finally, showing the crispy bits on the bottom, Ryuji emphasizes that this scorched texture can't be achieved without a skillet. With a Teflon-coated frying pan, food doesn't stick and char, so it's harder to get that toastiness and smokiness. Ryuji explains that it can be made in a frying pan, but using an iron skillet makes it even more fragrant, and says cookware affects flavor too.

When the staff asks whether skillets are expensive, Ryuji answers that they're sold for around 1,000-something yen at places like Nitori, and strongly recommends buying one. For care, after scrubbing it with something like steel wool, always put it over heat to dry, because it will rust if water is left on it. Ryuji adds that even if it rusts, you can bring it back by scrubbing the rust off with steel wool.

To wrap up, alongside the cabbage rice with its signature char, Ryuji personally rates the wasabi dressing as delicious enough to be a "recipe for life," and urges viewers to give it a try.