Ryuji's Two-Serving "Negi-Shio Pork Belly Fried Rice" Made with 4 Eggs and a Whole Leek

When a staff member asks, "You make fried rice a lot for your experiments, but are you putting this one out as a recipe?", Ryuji replies, "When I put out a fried rice recipe, it's because it's insanely good." Another staff member (Ebi-chan) had gone out to buy the leeks, and they waited for them to arrive before starting.

The recipe serves two and uses an entire Japanese leek. The meat is 160g of pork belly. Ryuji gives two reasons for choosing pork belly: it pairs really well with negi-shio (leek and salt), and since fried rice tastes better the junkier it is, meat with some fat is better.

The first tip Ryuji gives for making fried rice is to prepare all the ingredients in advance. He uses 4 small cloves of garlic, grated rather than minced. Grating brings out a stronger aroma, and he says mincing changes the flavor. Ryuji stressed this as "a really big point." When a staff member asks whether it's an old-school kind of recipe, he answers that it isn't very typical of him lately, but it's like a ridiculously good homemade fried rice. He also said that, like pasta, fried rice comes in many varieties, such as natto fried rice and kimchi fried rice, so you can make endless recipes.

First make lengthwise slits in the leek, then chop it from the end. That way it falls apart on its own afterward. Ryuji says you don't need to worry much about the details; if you keep cutting to the end, the pieces even out.

Cut the pork as thinly as possible. He wants every bite to have some meat in it when eaten with the rice. If you can, he says, turn it sideways and cut it again so it's close to a coarse mince. Season the pork with about 2 pinches of salt. Looking at the finished prep, Ryuji said, "This is all you need to prepare. Super easy, right?"

While cutting the leek, staff member Ebisu said they had recently been researching "home fried rice." Store-bought chashu is like sweet ham, and fried rice made with diced bacon is better. They had noticed that combining bacon with pepper makes it taste like chashu. Ryuji agreed, "That might be true," but when Ebisu asked whether they could make it into a published recipe, he laughingly pointed out that although Ebisu had said they were moving away from Chinese food, all of Ebisu's recipe developments are fried rice and ramen.

On the subject of rice, a story came up about a time a staff member bought some mystery packaged rice that wasn't Sato no Gohan, and Ryuji got angry. The staff member recalled that the mood on set soured instantly. Ryuji explained that he takes his work seriously, so he ends up saying things; he would use something else if it tasted good, but that packaged rice didn't, so they couldn't use it for a bento shoot. He added that he wasn't saying this because people from Sato Foods were there, but because he truly believes it, and that it's a difference anyone with a discerning palate will definitely notice, so he wants people to try comparing them.

The rice used this time is frozen rice cooked in advance. Remove the plastic wrap from the frozen rice beforehand. That lets the steam escape and dries out the rice, which he says is another tip.

He uses 2 eggs per serving, 4 in total. Ryuji likes lots of egg, so he says it becomes a "luxury fried rice." The eggs aren't beaten; they're cooked like fried eggs. For two servings, cracking them into the pan one at a time leads to uneven cooking. So, Ryuji explained, it's important to crack them all into a bowl beforehand, without beating them.

Keep all the seasonings at hand too. You'll need Ajinomoto, Chuka-aji, black pepper, and sesame oil. He insisted, "Definitely add" the black pepper. He also stressed that you must use sesame oil, because without it the flavor of the leek won't come through.

Before turning on the heat, the conversation turned to tossing the pan. Ryuji says tossing fried rice gets his adrenaline going and is fun. When a staff member replies, "Some people say tossing is pointless," Ryuji answers, "It might be pointless, but it's fun," and adds that it sets the mood.

He uses a slightly large 26cm frying pan. Add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil (1 tablespoon per serving) to the heated pan and stir-fry the pork belly over high heat. It doesn't need to get crispy. If you use leaner meat such as pork offcuts, increase the oil to about 1.5 tablespoons per serving. Pork belly releases its own fat, so this amount is enough, he says.

According to Ryuji, making fried rice for one and for two is a bit different, and two servings is harder. If you want to make 3–4 servings, it's better to make two servings twice. With a large amount, the moisture doesn't evaporate properly, it's harder to get the rice fluffy and separate, and the flavor really changes, he says. He even says he would never make three servings at once himself, because it doesn't taste good.

Push the fried meat to the back of the pan and drop the eggs into the open space. It looks like something a staff member laughingly compares to "making breakfast." The reason for not mixing is to cook the whites until they're fragrant and browned. Once the whites have crisped up, add the rice and stir-fry it so it coats with the egg. Ryuji let slip that two servings are heavy and hard to handle.

At this point, add the grated garlic and 8 shakes of garlic powder. Ryuji called this "double garlic." When he went to add the Chuka-aji next, the container ran low, and there was a small mishap as he refilled it from another container. Ajinomoto is 10 shakes, and Chuka-aji is 2 teaspoons (1 teaspoon per serving).

Once the rice turns golden, add the leek. Ryuji says the amount is about four times that of ordinary fried rice. If you force a toss, it'll spill, so it's better to stir-fry while breaking it up with a spatula. Even if you toss it eventually, use the spatula until then.

Salt is 4 pinches. For black pepper, he says using the coarsely ground black pepper sold at Ryuji's shop makes it super tasty. If you don't have it, regular coarsely ground black pepper is fine. Add "three times what you'd think," because the aroma of pepper is very important. He also explains that once the leek is in, its moisture means you no longer need to worry about burning.

Next, add 2 tablespoons of sake. The purpose is to make it moist. Ryuji says fried rice that ends up moist is the best, and that "fluffy and separate yet moist" is the ideal. To finish, drizzle in 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, give it another hefty shake of pepper for aroma, and it's done. Ryuji declared, "This fried rice is the best in the world."

For plating, rather than molding it into a dome with a bowl, he heaps it on. It looks like a competitive eater's plate, and the staff were surprised that it didn't seem like just two servings. Served with red pickled ginger, it's complete: in Ryuji's words, "leek fried rice for hungry rascals."

A staff member who tried it reacted, "It's delicious the moment it hits your mouth." Ryuji again stressed that you can't get this flavor without grated garlic, explaining that it's the combination of garlic, sesame oil, and Ajinomoto. The staff said the dish could work as a snack with drinks, and Ryuji responded that he wishes izakayas would serve this. He says restaurant fried rice tends to be refined and polished, so you rarely see something like this.

Partway through, they squeezed lemon on it to change up the flavor. Ryuji said lemon "absolutely" goes with it, explaining that bold flavors pair well with acidity like lemon. That led to the idea that simply making it "negi-shio lemon fried rice" might also be delicious. Some staff had worried that with so much leek it might taste grassy, but in fact it wasn't noticeable, and their impression was that it was refreshing.

While eating, Ryuji reflected that he hadn't done this kind of bold-flavored dish lately, so some viewers had probably drifted away. He says his recent flavors have changed compared to the old days, and that he needs dishes like this too. On the other hand, he also said you'd get tired of it every day. Ryuji's view is that having a dish like this about once a week makes it taste better. He closed the video by recommending it, saying he thinks making this when you're a little tipsy will go over well.