Ryuji Remakes the "Ultimate Tomato Cream Meat Sauce" at Clayton Bay Hotel: What Went Wrong and What Changed

This video is sponsored by Kagome. Kagome runs an initiative called "Hiroshima Pasta," which involves creating pasta dishes based around red, Hiroshima's signature color. Ryuji previously took part in the initiative by producing a food stall in Hiroshima. When asked to make a video about it, Ryuji felt that filming in their own kitchen wouldn't capture the feel of Hiroshima, and so came all the way to Clayton Bay Hotel. The project is in two parts: in the first, Ryuji makes an all-out Hiroshima Pasta, and in the second, the hotel's head chef makes one.

The remake was prompted by an earlier occasion when Ryuji and the head chef each made pasta at this hotel. When a staff member who was present was asked which was better, the answer was that, personally, the head chef's was, and Ryuji admitted, "I thought so too." On top of that, the Hiroshima Pasta made at the time was going to be served on the hotel's first floor. If it was going to be served at a restaurant, Ryuji wanted it to be of higher quality. That is the reason for the remake. The staff member said the previous dish was also "delicious," but confessed that since it was a Kagome sponsorship, they couldn't say on the spot that the head chef's was better. Ryuji said the staff member's expression when eating was completely different, which was hard to accept, adding, "At this point, it's a matter of pride for me."

Ryuji said they knew exactly why the previous attempt fell short, and listed several causes.

The first was how the tomatoes were handled. The original recipe used whole canned tomatoes, but it was decided at the last minute to use tomato juice instead, which meant the flavor needed adjusting. You can make a perfectly delicious dish with tomato juice, but it could have used a bit more of a reduced quality. The second was that there was a bit too much water, so the pasta didn't come out al dente. The third was that the room was cold, so it took a long time to come to a boil. Looking back, Ryuji said it should have been cooked on high heat. The fourth was that the chicken stock was added by eye, and there wasn't enough.

The reason for measuring by eye was that there were no tablespoons or teaspoons on site. Without measuring spoons, even Ryuji's results would vary, and Ryuji said it reaffirmed that they cook better in their own space. However, Ryuji also added that this is "a complete excuse" and "it's my fault."

Ryuji explained that it isn't that whole tomatoes taste better, but that tomato juice calls for its own way of compensating. Since tomato juice tends to make the tomato flavor and meatiness weaker, it helps to add texture, for example by increasing the amount of meat.

About the previous flavor, the staff member said it was "creamy but didn't have much punch" and "tasted like someone else's recipe," and Ryuji agreed: "It's not like me." While acknowledging that some people would probably like that kind of flavor, Ryuji declared that this time the quantities would be properly adjusted. To make it a pasta fit for a restaurant, it should be a little saltier, and Ryuji also decided to add melting cheese. Since cheese has been expensive lately, shredded pizza cheese is used instead of grated Parmesan.

Hiroshima Pasta also carries the idea of using ingredients from Hiroshima Prefecture, so this time Hiroshima-grown komatsuna is used. Ryuji aimed to make the most of the komatsuna's freshness.

The komatsuna was sent by Clayton Bay Hotel and is larger than usual. Ryuji had assumed it was ordinary komatsuna, but the hotel explained that it was grown at Clayton Farm. The hotel also uses vegetables from this farm in its own dishes. Tasting it raw with just salt, both Ryuji and the staff member were surprised—"It's so good"—and remarked that it had no bitterness, had umami, and was incomparably juicy. Impressed that growing it themselves could make it this good, Ryuji urged viewers, since it's probably hard to get, to use komatsuna that's as fresh as possible.

For prep, cutting off the base before washing helps remove dirt. The base is edible too, so be sure to include it. Since a generous amount tasted good, Ryuji weighed it out at 100 g, or 50 g per serving. The ground pork is 80 g per serving, so 160 g for two, which is quite a lot. This time, the focus is on measuring properly rather than relying on eyeballing. Ryuji mentioned that the head chef measured everything in grams, and said it reaffirmed the importance of measuring. The pasta used is 1.8 mm.

Sugar, which Ryuji debated adding last time but ultimately left out, is added this time. Ryuji's view is that leaving it out is why the dish lacked depth, saying, "This is really how you make delicious pasta, so trust this version."

Cooking begins by frying garlic and ground pork in 2 teaspoons of olive oil. The key is to place the garlic next to the meat and cook it without stirring. According to Ryuji, garlic won't brown if mixed with the meat. Since charring brings out more aroma, the two are cooked separately, and mixed with the meat once the garlic is well browned. They can go into the pan at the same time.

The pork is seasoned with salt and pepper and browned over fairly high heat without flipping. Since the previous dish had a mild flavor overall, Ryuji wants to char the garlic to give it punch. The staff member pointed out that last time the ingredients were simply added together, and was surprised by the difference. Once the garlic starts to brown, it's mixed with the meat. Ryuji explained that mixing it with the juices from the meat softens the char.

Next, 200 ml of Kagome tomato juice is added and reduced as if making a meat sauce. The juice used is the unsalted variety. Because it's juice, it will be thin unless it's reduced.

While reducing, 1 tablespoon of ketchup, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of chicken stock are added. To make a single serving, halve everything except the water. The amount of chicken stock is a major difference from last time, and Ryuji stressed that seasoning firmly with salt is important. Ryuji also said you can tell from the faces of the people eating, and that this kind of calculation is necessary for a cook. Reduced well, tomato juice becomes more like tomato sauce. The reducing step itself went fine last time, but there wasn't enough chicken stock flavor.

The water is 640 cc. The original recipe used 400 cc per serving, and this is 1.6 times that. The komatsuna goes in at the end. Adding it now would make it limp, lose its texture, and taste worse. Its crispness is a very important point.

After adding the water, bring it to a full boil. Ryuji calls this very important, and once it's boiling, adds 200 g of 1.8 mm pasta. The pasta absorbs all the liquid in about 8 minutes.

This is one-pan pasta made in a single frying pan, and the head chef apparently didn't know about it last time and was surprised that no pot was used. The head chef worried that cooking the noodles in a thick liquid would prevent them from softening. Ryuji responded "as expected of you," but explained that it's precisely because they don't fully soften that they come out al dente, giving pasta with a good bite. The heat is medium-high, a 4 on the stove's dial. Cooking it this way thickens the sauce, and the chicken stock and the umami of the meat soak into the pasta itself.

When the staff member asked whether pasta that sounds like "De Cecco" in the subtitles is unsuitable for one-pan cooking, Ryuji said it isn't suitable. Use a Japanese brand or a smooth one like Barilla instead. As time runs out, the liquid decreases rapidly. Pasta that was just submerged starts to get coated in sauce, but the noodles are still firm at this stage.

The soy milk is 260 cc. It goes in after the pasta has absorbed all the tomato juice. Ryuji gives two reasons. One is that adding it lowers the temperature. The other is that soy milk makes the noodles harder to soften, so adding it too early makes them firm. Here Ryuji remarked that explaining while cooking really is easier on home turf.

After 7 minutes, add the soy milk and turn up the heat, since you want the temperature to rise quickly. Next comes 20 g of butter and about 10 shakes of oregano. Oregano wasn't used last time. It's good without it, but adding it gives a "restaurant flavor." Soy milk becomes creamy when reduced, so it's reduced as is. Salt is 2 pinches. As it reduces, a pizza-like aroma rises, and Ryuji explained that pizza sauce always uses oregano.

The pizza cheese is 40 g. Too much would turn it into a cheese pasta, so it's kept to this amount. Using this much grated Parmesan would be quite expensive, so pizza cheese is cheaper and better, Ryuji says.

The komatsuna goes in 1 minute before the finish. Just stirring it in cooks it, so it really can go in at the very end. One-pan pasta is very hot, so residual heat is almost enough. Add another 2 pinches of salt, for a total of 4. Once it's thick and silky, it's done; plate it and sprinkle with black pepper. Since plenty of komatsuna tastes better, Ryuji plates a generous amount, noting that the finishing pepper tightens up the flavor. Ryuji named it the "Ultimate Tomato Cream Meat Sauce."

The staff member who tasted it was first surprised at how completely different it looked, and on eating it said, "Saying it's totally different sounds bad, but it's delicious." They cited the firm noodles, the good texture of the komatsuna, and the effect of the oregano, saying that last time it felt like a tasty homemade pasta, but this time it's a pasta that could hold its own at a restaurant. Ryuji responded that this was what they wanted to do, and that they wanted the head chef to taste it too.

The staff member said last time it was merely creamy, but this time the sauce came together completely differently, and Ryuji explained that the cheese was probably holding it all together. There was also the comment that it had both creaminess and punch, and that it was hard to believe it was made with soy milk. Ryuji also said the komatsuna is actually the star.

Ryuji looked back on the experience as "a good lesson." If the head chef hadn't served pasta of that level, Ryuji might have been satisfied with the previous result. Experiencing other people's cooking and taking cooking seriously are very important, Ryuji said. Ryuji also noted that the ingredients were barely changed—just oregano and cheese added—yet it changed this much. The staff member added that it's nutritious too, with both meat and komatsuna.

To change up the flavor, they used "Remosco," bought in Hiroshima. It's like a lemon-based Tabasco, and Ryuji says it should pair well since it adds heat and acidity. After trying it, both agreed it went well.

The video also looks back at the staff member's reaction to the previous dish. Ryuji points out that although they said "it's good" at the time, they clearly weren't excited. The staff member also admitted that wasn't how they react when something is truly delicious, and that when something is truly delicious, they react the way they did today. Ryuji said they trust the staff member's palate.

Finally, Ryuji said they were glad not to have compromised, and stressed the importance of never letting your guard down, every single time. This was prefaced by saying it wasn't that they hadn't taken it seriously last time. At the same time, Ryuji said that ideally you have to nail it in one go on the spot, and that if you're feeding customers, that's what cooking is. Ryuji closed the first part by encouraging viewers to make Hiroshima Pasta using this version.