Mizutaki in Clear "Chintan" Broth: Ryuji Recreates a Bowl from Hakata for the Home Kitchen

Ryuji begins by explaining the difference between paitan and chintan to the staff. Paitan is a rich, white broth like tonkotsu, cooked over high heat. Chintan is a clear chicken broth simmered slowly over low heat to draw out only the umami, so it doesn't turn cloudy. Ryuji says "both are seriously good," and finds it fascinating that the flavor changes completely depending on whether you cook it over high or low heat.

Ryuji explains why the broth turns white. When you simmer chicken, the cooking liquid sets into a jiggly aspic by the next day because gelatin has come out of the bones. If you boil it hard over high heat, that gelatin and fat mix with the water like a dressing, emulsifying and turning the broth cloudy. Even a whole chicken will turn the broth white over high heat and stay clear over low heat, Ryuji says.

The lid is handled differently too. For paitan, you leave the lid off. The steam churns, the broth reduces, emulsification progresses, and the broth thickens. None of that is needed for this chintan, so you cover the pot and let it simmer gently over low heat.

The ingredients are mostly chicken, plus only garlic, ginger and cabbage.

• Chicken drumettes (or wing tips) 300–400g: the bones yield good stock
• 1 chicken thigh (about 350g): simmered whole, not chopped
• About 300g ground chicken thigh: for tsukune meatballs
• About 10g each of garlic and ginger
• Cabbage

The tsukune are so delicious, Ryuji says, that you could double the ground meat and cut back on the thigh. Ground thigh is recommended over breast, since breast makes them firmer and drier. If you can't find ground meat, two chicken thighs are fine, but Ryuji stresses that you want the broth that comes from the bones, so be sure to get either drumettes or wing tips.

As for the quality of the chicken, Ryuji's policy is to use only ingredients sold at supermarkets, so they use ordinary young chicken. Even young chicken produces a very tasty broth, Ryuji says. Serious restaurants sometimes use jidori, but jidori meat is firm, and quite a few people find it not very tasty.

Simmering takes 45 minutes to an hour, so the broth goes on the heat first. Ryuji says mizutaki is fundamentally a simple dish of just cooking things in water; it only takes time, and it's mostly hands-off.

The garlic goes into the pot whole, not sliced. About 10g of ginger is thinly sliced with the skin on. It's there to remove any gamey smell, though Ryuji adds that young chicken doesn't have much of one.

The chicken isn't cut either. Restaurants chop it into pieces, but once simmered the chicken becomes so tender that it can be cut later with scissors or a rice paddle, and Ryuji doesn't want to do unnecessary work.

Then go in 1L of water, 50cc of sake (a little over 3 tablespoons), and salt. Ryuji recommends adding a sheet of kombu or umami seasoning if possible. Kombu works, but it can make the broth taste of kombu, so Ajinomoto is best. Just four shakes; don't overdo it. The chicken gives off a very delicious flavor, and adding just a little glutamate takes the broth up a notch, Ryuji says. Those who want to check the difference can leave it out at first and compare, since adding it later doesn't change the flavor.

Bring it to a boil over high heat and the broth starts to look whitish. When the staff says "it's getting cloudy," Ryuji explains that it isn't clouding but scum. Components like the chicken's blood and fat first appear as cloudiness, and as they heat up, white matter floats to the top. Remove it and the broth turns clear.

In the paitan episode Ryuji didn't skim, but for chintan mizutaki Ryuji emphasizes that you must remove all of the scum. Leaving it in creates harshness and off-flavors, and this time the goal is a carefully made, clear broth. Ryuji also notes, however, that skimming isn't always the right thing to do. Scum gathers and is easier to remove when the pot is boiling, so fairly high heat is fine while skimming. The broth won't turn white at this stage, so there's no need to worry or be fussy about it.

Once you've finished skimming, lower the heat to medium-low and cover with the lid. Since there's no need to simmer over high heat, it also saves on gas, Ryuji says.

The guideline is 45 minutes to an hour, but around 30 minutes is plenty to make it edible. If you want meat that falls apart, go for at least 45 minutes; if you like springy meat, 30 minutes is fine. It comes down to preference.

According to Ryuji, restaurants in Hakata do it both ways. Some serve fall-apart meat first and then add more thigh later so diners can enjoy the difference in texture. At home, you can also add thigh or breast later. Drumettes and wing tips, however, should go in at the start, since the flavor comes from the bones. Ryuji's preference is that bone-in meat is definitely better fall-apart tender than firm.

While it simmers, prepare the cabbage, tsukune and dipping sauce. Cut as much cabbage as you like, remove the core, and roughly chop it. Ryuji cautions that dirt can get between the leaves, so wash it all after cutting. Cabbage cooks quickly, so it's fine to add more as you eat, and you can prepare plenty.

Ryuji says cabbage is what goes with chicken, and napa cabbage isn't right for this dish. The sweetness that cabbage adds is what makes it so good. That's all the cutting there is, and Ryuji remarks that it's a surprisingly rough-and-ready dish.

Many people add egg, green onion or ginger to their tsukune, but Ryuji says you don't need to add anything. Just mix in a pinch of salt per 100g of ground meat, so three pinches for 300g. This is the best, Ryuji says; you'll be a little surprised when you eat it and realize you didn't need anything extra. Ryuji recalls adding egg, green onion and all sorts of things in the past. At the same time, Ryuji offers a caveat: it might be because the ground thigh at the neighborhood supermarket is good quality.

Kneading ground thigh with just salt makes springy, meaty tsukune. If using ground breast, reduce the amount to 200g and knead with one egg and the same amount of salt for a fluffy, tasty result. Thigh is soft to begin with, so it doesn't need egg.

In Hakata it's common to make vinegared soy sauce, but Ryuji thinks citrus works well with mizutaki, so this time uses ponzu. The amounts are as follows.

• Soy sauce, 3 tbsp
• Ponzu, 3 tbsp (citrus ponzu, not Ajipon)
• Water, 1 tbsp (since it's a little strong otherwise)
• Ajinomoto, 5 shakes

Ryuji says the sauce also needs umami to bring out the chicken's umami, so it's better to add a little umami seasoning. It also works as a shabu-shabu sauce.

According to Ryuji, there used to be no products like Ajipon, and ponzu for hot pots was made by mixing soy sauce and ponzu. At some point it was simplified and ponzu itself started being sold. Ryuji says their grandmother used to make it this way. If you don't have ponzu, vinegar is fine; Ryuji thinks rice vinegar is softer and tastier, but rates citrus ponzu as especially powerful.

When you open the lid after 30 minutes, the broth is in great shape. A skewer slides right into the chicken, and Ryuji confirms that 30 minutes gets it to this point.

Now add the tsukune. Scoop with a spoon, shape into balls, and drop them into the pot. Size is up to you, and if that's a hassle you can shape them by hand. Ryuji again emphasizes how good salt-only tsukune are, to the point of wondering why they used to knead in all kinds of ingredients. The ground meat also gives off good stock and cooks quickly, so there's no need to simmer it long.

The chicken cuts more neatly with scissors, but a rice paddle or ladle also works. The broth is clear, with chicken fat floating on top, giving it a golden color. Because it was cooked over fairly low heat, the broth has barely reduced. Restaurants often serve the broth alone first without any ingredients, but Ryuji thinks it's fine to include them from the start.

As for the cabbage, the Hakata way is to eat the chicken alone first, then add the cabbage and taste how the broth changes with its sweetness. With that, the "ultimate mizutaki" is complete.

First, drink the broth as is. You can sprinkle in salt, but Ryuji recommends drinking it first without adding anything. The staff exclaims, "The chicken umami is amazing." The fall-apart thigh is dipped in ponzu soy sauce, and Ryuji says that even though the year has only just begun, this may be the best thing of the year. Ryuji also repeats that it's easy to make at home.

The tsukune are eaten in a small bowl with a little broth poured over and just a sprinkle of salt. The staff calls it "the champion," and Ryuji agrees that salt is plenty and nothing else is needed. Someone also suggests making a lot, since the tsukune disappear fast.

They also try "dashi-wari," shochu cut with the broth, and Ryuji and the staff rave that people should do this as a set. One staff member says, "I wish I'd known about this five years earlier." When asked for their thoughts on the chintan, a staff member who prefers paitan answers, "It's incredibly delicious."

After tasting the meat alone, the cabbage goes in. Ponzu soy sauce goes well with the broth now infused with the cabbage's sweetness, and of course it's also delicious with salt, Ryuji says.

Comparing the broth after the cabbage has cooked, the staff reacts, "Totally different. There's sweetness." Ryuji says it shows how much sweetness cabbage has, and lets you really feel that the flavor of a hot pot is a combination of vegetables and meat. Some people think vegetables don't affect the flavor, but in reality the difference is huge. Because the broth is clear this time, the difference is easy to notice. Ryuji calls this "vegetable dashi."

Next, eating a drumette and soft, wilted cabbage with vinegared soy sauce, Ryuji declares, "Nothing beats it. No other hot pot can beat it."

Asked what other ingredients to add, Ryuji says mushrooms are fine once you've enjoyed the chicken, but what really brings out the chicken is cabbage, or perhaps green onion. Spring cabbage, coming into season, is good too and makes it even tastier. All the ingredients can be bought at the supermarket, no oil or special seasonings are used, and the chicken is ordinary broiler chicken. Ryuji emphasizes that mizutaki is a hot pot people rarely make at home, but it's actually easy and has a low barrier to entry. If making the sauce is a hassle, store-bought ponzu is plenty tasty.

The meal finishes with ramen. Ryuji uses Marutai stick ramen, which they regularly buy in bulk, but says ordinary thin noodles are fine too. The amount is 120g, enough for about two people.

Marutai noodles taste great after boiling for about two minutes. This time they're cooked for a minute and a half for a staff member who likes them firm. Nothing is added to the broth except 2–3 pinches of salt, adjusted to taste. Ryuji points out that the floating chicken fat clings nicely to the noodles. It's also good to simmer a little while tasting, and finish with a sprinkle of black pepper.

The staff is surprised at how rich the broth has become, and Ryuji repeats, "This is a little too good" and "Why is this so good?" Ryuji calls it the best finishing ramen in months and even wonders whether anything this year can top it. Ryuji also praises how well Marutai noodles go with this broth.

Finally, Ryuji urges viewers to go all the way through to the finishing ramen, and closes the video by saying this mizutaki has surpassed their own earlier "supreme" version.