Donabe Rice Cooked with Just Yellowtail and Ginger: Ryuji's First Clay-Pot Rice on the Channel and "Sunrise Spinach"

This episode is filmed in a format where Ryuji cooks and a staff member eats. It is a format usually handled by a staff member called "A-ko-san," and Ryuji says it has been well received. As for why, Ryuji speculates that perhaps it works because he is being himself rather than being commercial. This time Takao is also handling the camera, and there was some banter that any feedback on the camerawork should be directed to Takao.

The yellowtail is wild-caught. Ryuji explains that because it is wild, it doesn't have that much fat, but it is a very good yellowtail. Many viewers have said they want to learn fish dishes, and among the many ways to eat yellowtail, he says he chose takikomi gohan this time.

The pot is a small single-serving donabe that he once bought at a 100-yen shop for about 300 yen. It is about the size that fits snugly in Ryuji's hand and can cook up to 1.5 gō of rice.

This time the rice is 1.5 gō, which Ryuji gives as a guideline for two servings. One gō is 150 g, so 1.5 gō is 225 g. Ryuji adds that 150 g is the weight of the rice before cooking, and says it's fine to measure with a 1-gō measuring cup if you have one.

The rice only needs a quick rinse; drain it and put it in the donabe. For 225 g of rice, use 280 cc of water. Add 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of sake, about 20 cc, to remove odors, bringing the total to 300 cc. When Takao asks about the guideline for water per gō, Ryuji answers that it's roughly 200 cc including the sake. The water goes in first so the rice can absorb it. He says letting it soak makes the rice cook up fluffy. Since it's winter and the room is cold, it's fine to leave it at room temperature during this time rather than putting it in the fridge.

The base seasoning is also added at this stage. Ryuji says that ideally, it's best to cook it with something like Hidaka kombu, but many people don't have it and kombu is expensive, so he uses 1 teaspoon of granulated kombu dashi (Hondashi kombu dashi). As for salt, he says he seasons it strongly because he's a drinker, and recommends that anyone concerned about sodium start with about half a teaspoon.

Ginger removes the fishy smell, so he says it tastes better with it in. The skin is not peeled. Ryuji explains that this is because the skin has a strong aroma. When Takao says that depending on the dish, the aroma can sometimes be too strong, Ryuji answers that some of the aroma dissipates during cooking, so it's fine to add plenty. The ginger is sliced and then cut into thin julienne strips. Asked whether fresh is better than tube ginger, he answers that since you're going to the trouble of cooking it in a donabe, fresh is better.

It can also be made in a rice cooker. Ryuji explained that in a rice cooker, if you fill the water to the 1.5-gō line, you can cook it with the same steps. Even so, the reason he's using a donabe this time is "because I want to."

The yellowtail is seared before being cooked with the rice. Ryuji says that unless the yellowtail is fresh, cooking it without searing will produce a fishy smell. Since salt has already been added to the rice, the yellowtail only needs a light sprinkle of salt. He uses a little rice bran oil, but says vegetable oil is fine too.

Sear it skin side first, over medium heat. According to Ryuji, there's a part between the skin and the flesh that smells fishy, so you sear that well. When Takao asks where the dark meat (chiai) is on yellowtail, since it's easy to spot on tuna, Ryuji points to the part that's slightly different in color and explains that fishy odor tends to collect there. Ryuji calls this way of removing the odor "yakishimo."

What Ryuji emphasized is that there's no need to cook it through at this stage. The goal is to create a sear for a toasty aroma and to drive off the fishy smell, so it's enough to get color on both sides and all over. He says it tastes better when lightly seared than when cooked raw. Also, when he normally handles fillets, he sometimes cures them in salt, or salt and sugar, before cooking, but he skips that step this time since the fish will be cooked into the rice. Ryuji's view is that because this isn't a dish where you eat the fish on its own, a good sear is enough.

The seared yellowtail is placed on top of the rice in the donabe. It just barely fits in the pot, and Ryuji photographed it with his smartphone (Galaxy) for the thumbnail.

Put on the lid and first bring it to a boil. When Takao brings up the old saying "hajime choro-choro, naka pappa" (start gently, then high in the middle), Ryuji answers that you don't need to worry about it that much—just do as he says.

Once it boils, turn the heat down to the very lowest, put on the lid, and cook for 15 minutes. Ryuji says that as long as you measure the quantities, the process is easy. On the other hand, he also says that if seeing these steps makes people appreciate how easy a rice cooker is, that's fine too. With a rice cooker, you just put in the rice, add water to the line, add all the ingredients, and cook. Still, he says he wants to do things like this every once in a while.

Partway through cooking, steam came forcefully out of the lid. Ryuji explained that this means it's cooking well, and repeated that if you remember 15 minutes for 1.5 gō and 200 cc of water per gō, it will generally turn out.

In conversation while waiting, Ryuji said that maybe it's about time he did cooking without chemical seasonings. He says he's good at cooking without Ajinomoto. He explains that the reason he doesn't usually do that kind of cooking much is something that, in the subtitles, comes across as "the fights get higher" ("kenka ga takaku naru"). A squid dish he made before was well received, so he says it made him feel it would be fine to do that kind of thing once in a while.

As something he wants to do now, Ryuji named game meat (gibier). He mentioned another person's videos making game dishes and said that although he wouldn't go quite that wild, he'd like to try it.

As for the rice being cooked, Ryuji recommended this year's new-crop rice. It's a brand that sounds like "Tako rice" in the subtitles, and Ryuji says he serves as an ambassador for this rice. The variety is Koshihikari, and Ryuji praises it, saying the flavor of the rice spreads the moment you bite into it, with well-defined grains and a solid flavor. He says it goes especially well with takikomi gohan. As for "Fukkurinko," which he praised in a previous video, he said it's delicious eaten as plain white rice, expressing the idea of choosing between them depending on the use.

Takikomi gohan alone doesn't provide enough vegetables, so he makes ohitashi during the 15-minute wait. He had a large amount of spinach left over from recipe development the day before and used some that was starting to wilt. Takao says they like it so much that they always order ohitashi when going to an izakaya.

Ryuji doesn't cut off the root ends; he cuts a cross into them and washes out the sand. To Takao, who says they usually cut off the root ends, Ryuji said that part is delicious and highly nutritious, so they absolutely should eat it. The amount is one bag, about 220 g. He says spinach doesn't always fit within 200 g depending on the bunch, but it's fine to remember one bag as roughly 200 g.

When boiling, use it whole without cutting. Add about 1% salt to the water—so much you might wonder if it's too much, enough for it to be about as salty as soup. First add the stems, which take longer to cook, and boil for just under a minute, then submerge the leaves. The leaves only need a moment. Ryuji says this is a more careful method than putting everything in at once. Once it's all in, it's about a minute; overcooking makes it limp and not tasty, so take it out early. Ryuji says he prefers it to keep a crisp texture.

The boiled spinach is soaked in water to cool. Ryuji explained that soaking it in water removes oxalic acid. The conversation turned to how consuming too much oxalic acid causes stones to form in the body, and Takao, a former pharmacist, responded that kidney stones are close to their area of expertise. Takao mentioned someone who is careful about their diet because it was so incredibly painful they never want to have it again.

Any remaining water will dilute the flavor, so squeeze it out firmly. Ryuji says that tying the stems with a rubber band before boiling makes it look neater, but you don't need to go that far. When cut into even lengths, the 200 g became quite small. He says it looks better when you hold it from the stem end to plate it, and that there's also a way of plating it shaped vertically. Ryuji said appearance matters too.

For seasoning: three shakes of Ajinomoto, a generous amount of Ryuji's katsuo powder, and an egg yolk on top. Ryuji calls this "Sunrise Spinach" and explained that he often makes it with garlic chives, but it's also very delicious with spinach. He drank the leftover egg white on the spot so it wouldn't go to waste. Finish by pouring soy sauce over it.

Just as the ohitashi was done, 15 minutes had passed. After opening the lid, heat it over medium-high heat for a few minutes to create okoge (the crispy browned rice at the bottom). When you hear a crackling sound, it's a sign the water is gone and the rice is starting to brown, so turn off the heat. Put the lid back on and let it steam. For the steaming time, he says something that comes across in the subtitles as "4 to 5 minutes" and "3 to 4 minutes"—a few minutes or so. Ryuji said this is the most careful way to make donabe rice, and that he can do proper Japanese cooking too.

When he opened the lid after steaming, beautiful okoge had formed. Flake the yellowtail, mix it in, and serve it in rice bowls. The fish can be flaked coarsely or finely. Finish by scattering green onions and adding yuzu kosho on the side for a change of flavor.

Before eating, when Ryuji said "veggies first," Takao replied that apparently it doesn't really have much effect. Ryuji was surprised, since he had been faithfully following it.

Of the ohitashi, Ryuji said that adding the egg yolk makes it taste like something from a restaurant, and both of them raved about the combination of katsuo powder and soy sauce. Takao says it's their first time eating ohitashi topped with egg.

With the yellowtail rice, the rice was praised first. They said the grains stood up well, and because the rice itself was firm, it wasn't clumped together. The yellowtail was a lean cut, but Ryuji said that may have actually been a good thing because it was refreshing, comparing it to slightly upscale salmon flakes. When they got to the okoge, the reaction was that it was toasty and a welcome treat. Ryuji says okoge forms when cooking in a donabe and can't be made in a rice cooker. Takao said they had expected a simple flavor since there were only two ingredients, but the ginger and yellowtail flavors kept it from getting boring at all, and said that even though they'd had a late lunch, they could eat it all.

Finally, they turned the rest into chazuke. Sprinkle in Hondashi katsuo dashi, pour hot water over it, and dissolve a little yuzu kosho into it. Ryuji explained that since the rice was originally cooked with kombu dashi, adding katsuo makes it an awase dashi (blended dashi). Takao thought the yuzu kosho might get in the way, but rated it as a perfect match.

Ryuji says it's reached the quality of the donabe rice served at a small Japanese restaurant. At those kinds of places, a smallish donabe rice costs about 500 yen, but he says if you can enjoy the taste of ryōtei-style Japanese food for 500 yen, it's totally worth it. They both finished everything.

To wrap up, Ryuji urged viewers to try making it, saying that yellowtail rice cooked with kombu dashi and the flavor of the fish is really delicious. Takao, who handled the camera, said that since they don't usually do the filming, they figure their inexperience shows, and ended the video by saying they would take any criticism sincerely.