"Popeye Udon" Loaded with Frozen Spinach and Shiso-Grilled Nagaimo: Ryuji and A-ko Cook Two Dishes and Chat

According to A-ko, Popeye udon was something they had tasted and loved when Ryuji casually tested it some time ago. When A-ko asked why it had never been made into a video, the answer was that it was too simple and would be over too quickly, so it was never released. Ryuji calls it a "legendary recipe" and laughs that A-ko remembered such a plain dish so well. Since simple recipes are exactly what suits the makanai videos, they decided to feature it this time.

At its core, Popeye udon is udon with pork and frozen spinach. Ryuji explains that chicken works instead of pork, and fresh spinach is fine too. With fresh spinach, boiling it once is good because it removes the oxalic acid; you can simmer it in the pot along with everything else, but chopping it and soaking it in water also draws out the harsh taste of oxalic acid. He added that too much oxalic acid can lead to stones forming in the body. A-ko says they love spinach to begin with.

Ryuji says that when making two dishes, he makes the one that still tastes good cold first, so he began with the shiso-grilled nagaimo. He uses 300g of nagaimo. Nagaimo sold in stores is usually around 300g; 200g would also work, but you'd be left with an awkward leftover piece, so the idea is to use it all up. When actually weighed, it came to about 320g.

The nagaimo is washed as if removing the little hairs. A-ko asks whether he usually burns the hairs off, but Ryuji replies that this kitchen uses IH and that doing that was a hassle.

Partway through cooking, the conversation turns to the fact that A-ko can't touch raw nagaimo. Their hands swell up and the itching won't stop. Ryuji says his body is tough so nothing makes him itch, and that yamaimo makes you itchier than nagaimo. A-ko replies that they've never compared — it's too scary.

A-ko says they saw that washing your hands with vinegar after they start itching helps, tried it, and found it had no effect at all. They called on viewers to share any method that keeps hands from itching. They also said that if there's bare nagaimo among the dishes being washed and they touch it, it feels like "it's over" — it's truly hellish and painful.

Later, at the stage of cooking the batter, Ryuji shows a way to handle it without touching it by hand, and A-ko is delighted: "This is handy," "Perfect timing." The details are hard to make out from the subtitles, but the process is to use the bag the nagaimo was pounded in to squeeze the batter into the frying pan, then throw the used bag away as is. Ryuji remarked that a lot of people probably want to know techniques like this.

Put the nagaimo in a plastic bag and add 10 shiso leaves. There's no point leaving shiso leftover, so use them all. Roll them up and slice crosswise to get something like a coarse mince. You can also tear them with your fingers, or cut them with scissors so you don't even need a knife.

Add about 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of potato starch, and season with 1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder. Close the bag and pound it with a bottle. If you have a rolling pin, that's fine; Ryuji has one himself but it was a hassle to take out, so he used a bottle that was lying around. He also quipped, "If there's one thing we have plenty of here, it's bottles." It's best to do this on a cutting board so the bag doesn't tear.

When A-ko asks why he doesn't grate it, Ryuji answers that pounding gives it a crunchy texture. If you pound the skin along with it, the skin breaks down too and you won't notice it against your teeth. He says it's fine to crush it quite a lot.

Lightly oil a frying pan, set it over medium heat, and drop in the batter to cook. Ryuji explains that the potato starch binds it so it holds its shape, though he also says it may have been slightly loose this time. A pan with a good nonstick coating makes it easier, and a rubber spatula or similar helps you lift it off. The center of the pan has the strongest heat, so flip the pieces as they finish. Nagaimo can be eaten raw, so you just need to get some browning on it.

To finish, Ryuji drops in a pat of butter (about 10g) and lets it melt. You could eat it with lemon for something refreshing, but he says he's a butter person. Ryuji says shiso and butter go well together. Since the only seasoning in the batter is chicken bouillon, after plating he sprinkles on a little Ajishio and some black pepper, and it's done.

Ryuji recommends the dish as something that works as a snack with drinks or as a side dish, and since it holds together, it can go in bento boxes too. A-ko says kids would probably like it, and Ryuji agrees that it's fun to make with kids, pounding away, and that even people who aren't good at cooking can make it.

On the other hand, Ryuji says dishes like this are too plain to make into videos very often, though he used to make videos of things like this in the past. He had been thinking it might work on his side-dish channel these days, and when A-ko says, "This video might end up going there too," he laughs and says he thinks it will.

The udon is for two. Pour 600cc of water straight into the frying pan used for the nagaimo. Since butter goes in at the end anyway, he says it's fine that there's butter left in the pan. Cut the pork belly with scissors as you add it, and put it straight into the water without stir-frying. He says about 80g per person, then adds more, ending up with roughly 120–140g. You can add as much as you like, and chicken works too.

The seasoning is similar to the nagaimo grill: 2 teaspoons of chicken bouillon powder and 2 teaspoons of kombu dashi powder. Ryuji explains that combining chicken and kombu makes a very tasty salt-based soup. A-ko likes salty flavors and prefers things light.

Next, 6 shakes of table pepper and 12 shakes of garlic powder (6 shakes per serving). Then 10g of butter. Since there's the "memory" of using butter in the nagaimo grill earlier, Ryuji says about 10g for two should be enough. People who like this kind of flavor can add about double, and you can always add more later. Ryuji jokes that they're old now, and A-ko responds that they can't handle a lot of fat.

Then add 200g of frozen spinach. Ryuji says frozen is very convenient because you just toss it in. The trick is to add plenty of spinach, no matter what — he stressed that's what makes it taste best.

Here Ryuji says that when animal fat is involved, it "tastes like the spinach in iekei ramen." It's like back fat, and this udon has pork belly in it, he says. A-ko replied that they sort of get it.

After that, just bring it to a boil, and once it's bubbling vigorously, add frozen udon and simmer. Ryuji says that, at a stretch, it can be ready in 5 minutes.

While it simmers, Ryuji describes his channel as "ultra-practical." If you want to learn cooking for everyday life, you should watch this channel; it does nothing unnecessary and takes nutrition into account, and people who want to cook as a hobby can go to other channels, he said half-jokingly.

Ryuji also says that even among licensed cooks, a surprising number can't manage it if told to "make two dishes in 15 minutes." His view is that the difference comes down to how much they cook at home. Ryuji himself cooks at home every day, saying that cooking is his hobby, but also that he has to make his own meals to eat.

On spinach, A-ko gets excited, saying it's packed with nutrients, including iron and vitamins, and might be their favorite vegetable. When Ryuji says, "You don't eat vegetables," and "I only picture you eating cheap, broke-person food," A-ko pushes back that they only eat cheap food because it's less hassle, and that they love vegetables. Ryuji's own stance was that he eats vegetables not so much because he likes them but because he has to.

For plating, he says it's quickest to first divide the noodles into two portions and then pour the soup over. Finish with a light sprinkle of black pepper and it's done. Ryuji names it "Popeye udon in 5 minutes" and says it's so good he'd like Marugame Seimen to put it on the menu.

Trying the shiso-grilled nagaimo first, A-ko describes it as "crisp" and "crispy-gooey," and enjoys the aroma of the shiso. Ryuji says butter was the right call, that it's better with a bit of richness, that you could eat any number of them, and that it's a great snack with drinks.

As for the Popeye udon, Ryuji says the saltiness is just right, and A-ko says it's their favorite of all the udon recipes. They say they're happy it's packed with spinach, and that it tastes like a stir-fried "spinach butter sauté." When Ryuji replies, "That's because it's spinach and butter," A-ko laughs that yes, that's true, but that's what makes it good.

After finishing, A-ko says everything was amazing. Ryuji checks that the udon was seasoned so that any saltier would feel wrong, and that even together with the buttery nagaimo, it didn't feel heavy.

A-ko says the makanai videos are free and great. They aren't trying to go viral, and A-ko can film them without overthinking things. Regular videos are done as a team, so they end up overthinking and tend to go quiet. Ryuji points out that, even so, this format gets more views, and A-ko mentions that a recent video using green onions and shiso got around 600,000 views, which made them very happy.

A-ko has started getting recognized when out and about, and on a recent business trip to Hiroshima, about three people approached them. A-ko was happy to be told that people like their tsukkomi (comic retorts), but said that they're not good at talking to people and barely talk with clients who come to the studio beyond a greeting, so they apologized if that comes across as rude.

The topic moves to that event in Hiroshima. Ryuji wasn't there himself, but A-ko and a camera operator went, and the YouTube shoot and a live broadcast shoot by Hiroshima Television ended up overlapping at the same location. Both sides had obtained filming permission.

According to what Ryuji heard, an older staff member on the TV side pushed them out of the way as if to say "move," and told them, "Please don't come any further." A-ko says that even though they don't normally talk back, they did this time, since they were filming too. A-ko is the type who can't talk back even when a strange person accosts them on the street, but this time blurted out, "We're filming too, you know." Rather than both sides giving way to each other, it felt like they were being looked down on, and it left them feeling really bad, A-ko said.

Ryuji expressed the view that in Japan, TV tends to look down on YouTubers and YouTube. Even if their own influence were greater, that wouldn't make them more important; it's not about who's above whom, and he wants them to talk on equal footing — that is his argument. The other side probably thinks YouTubers are ordinary people, but he said he thinks celebrities are ordinary people too.

As a concrete request, Ryuji cites coordinating in advance. The TV crew had been waiting for dozens of minutes beforehand, so he wishes they had said something at that point like, "Oh, you're filming for YouTube. We'll be shooting here, so we won't get in your frame." If they had done that, he'd think the TV people were considerate and feel good about it, and his side would also want to stay out of their way. Work clashing with work can't be helped, but if TV people are watching, Ryuji said, isn't mutual give-and-take important — he wants them to see each other as equals. He also said that if someone acts high-handed with him, he'll tell them directly that they got permission and run their cooking channel with conviction, so please let them film properly.

Meanwhile, thanks were expressed to the camera operator who went along. They have strong camera skills and gave all sorts of direction, which made the shoot go smoothly. Ryuji said that when people say the picture quality in recent review videos has changed, it's because that camera operator is shooting carefully, and that if viewers think the footage is good, being aware of that would be encouraging.

A-ko shares comments on the makanai videos such as "perfect for listening to before bed" and "they always have so much to talk about." A-ko reads every comment and goes around liking them from an account separate from their own.

In response, Ryuji reveals that he used to have a secret account too, where he'd vent things like "such-and-such TV station was unpleasant." He quit because someone on the inside created an account like "The Truth About Buzz Recipes" and posted exposé-style content there. Ryuji says he identified the account, and the person deleted all their accounts.

According to Ryuji, deliberately making public something that hasn't been made public lowers the other person's reputation and could even become grounds for a lawsuit. Spreading that a famous so-and-so said this or that can constitute defamation if it damages their reputation, even if it's true, he explains. Many people think there's no accountability for what they say online, but in reality there is, and slander can be pursued going back years. Ryuji stressed that it's like handing your weakness to someone you dislike, so you should stop for your own sake. He understands the stress, so it's better to write in a diary or talk with real-life friends; writing insults or criticism where an unspecified number of people can see it is risky, he said.

However, Ryuji also added that he himself speaks out with full awareness of the risks. He sometimes mentions specific TV stations or incidents like being blocked, but his stance is that, as a basic premise, he hasn't done much wrong.

Finally, when A-ko says they really want people to try this one and hope the video takes off, Ryuji laughs it off, saying it won't take off since the conversation takes up about half of it and the udon is done in 5 minutes. He then asks viewers to give it a thumbs-up if they liked the vibe, and the video ends.