Carbonara Even Though It's Cold: Ryuji's "Chilled Carbonara Somen" and Nameko Consommé Soup

For the somen, Ryuji uses "Ibo no Ito," a brand Ryuji favors. The eggs are an unusual kind, different from the usual, bought because "I thought it might be fun," though Ryuji says they can't tell any difference in taste. The bacon is a block, about 80g for two servings. Because A-ko likes thick-cut pieces with some texture, it's cut into chunky batons. Boiled mushrooms also go well with carbonara, but they're left out this time because viewers tend to prefer simpler recipes.

Since somen on its own isn't nutritionally balanced, a soup is served alongside it. Carbonara is Western-style, so the soup is a Western-style nameko consommé as well. Ryuji "really loves" this soup, but explains that it's being introduced as a side dish this time because it's unclear whether it could carry a whole video on its own.

When frying the bacon, don't add oil; cook it in the fat that renders out of the bacon until crispy. According to Ryuji, this is the only step that takes any effort, and everything else is very easy. While it cooks, move it around occasionally so it browns all over. The only time a knife is used is to cut the bacon.

Only the egg yolks go into the sauce. Egg whites turn gloopy and unappetizing when chilled, so they're set aside and used in the soup. Ryuji calls this "efficient."

The base of the sauce is mayonnaise, about 30g for two servings. Ryuji specifies Ajinomoto's "Pure Select Mayonnaise." Here Ryuji talks about Kewpie. When Ryuji once said "I don't like Kewpie," people responded that it was "because you're getting sponsorship deals from Ajinomoto." But Ryuji actually thinks Kewpie mayonnaise tastes good. It's quite tangy, which makes it suited to putting directly on vegetables, but in carbonara it makes things sour and the dish stops tasting like carbonara. That's why Pure Select is used here.

Ryuji says the reason for saying "I don't like Kewpie" wasn't the taste but how things went on the business side. Some time ago, Kewpie approached Ryuji about a job, and after talks had progressed, Ryuji was told, "We're dropping this because you work with Ajinomoto." Ryuji took this as a competitor-exclusivity requirement. For a recipe developer, such exclusivity narrows the range of seasonings that can be used, and with it the scope of one's work, so it's not welcome at all. For that reason, Ryuji says they won't partner with companies that impose such exclusivity. However, Ryuji also added that if this isn't accurate, Kewpie should get in touch. With the caveat that the agency acting as intermediary may have said it on its own, Ryuji repeated that they have never criticized the taste of Kewpie. Later, while waiting for the somen to boil, Ryuji remarked, "I hope Kewpie gets in touch."

To the yolks and mayonnaise, add 2/3 teaspoon of salt for two servings. According to Ryuji, it's a fair amount. Next, 12 shakes of Ajinomoto. Umami seasoning goes well with eggs and mayonnaise, and it stands in for dashi. Since somen tastes better when you can sense dashi-like umami, Ryuji stressed, "Definitely put this in."

Then add coarsely ground black pepper. More goes on at the end, but add plenty here too. For cheese, grated Parmesan-style cheese is best when eating the dish cold, 1 tablespoon per person, so 2 tablespoons this time. Finally, add the crispy fried bacon and mix, and you get a rich sauce that Ryuji says looks "like carbonara right before it's made." Chill this in the fridge until it's ice-cold.

This sauce is never heated. Ryuji recalls thinking "I'm a genius" upon developing it. It's a way of getting around the premise that cold carbonara is impossible, using an uncooked mayonnaise-based sauce.

For the soup, bring 600cc of water to a boil in a pot. Use two packs of nameko mushrooms. A-ko is surprised, saying "you rarely use two whole bags," but according to Ryuji they're cheap, about 100 yen a pack, so it's fine to put in two. A-ko agreed that the price of nameko hasn't changed much over the years. Nameko make the soup thick, so they go in later. The ingredients are nameko and egg whites, but you can add anything you like.

Initially, about 2 teaspoons of consommé. Ryuji recommends trying it, saying nameko and consommé actually go well together, though this may not be widely known.

Egg whites are smooth and hold together, so first break them up by "cutting" them. When A-ko mentioned also cutting the eggs when making dashimaki tamago, Ryuji explained that even egg whites that seem to be one mass become easier to disperse when cut, and turn into a proper ingredient. Stir the pot to create a current, then pour in the egg whites little by little, and they become fluffy. Then add the nameko. Ryuji says nameko are highly nutritious, so people should eat plenty of them.

For seasoning, add olive oil for flavor and 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, which goes well with nameko. Soy sauce and olive oil also pair well, according to Ryuji. Since A-ko would be eating it, the consommé was increased to 2 and a half teaspoons, on the grounds that a bit more would be good. Black pepper goes in because the soup tastes better with a good kick of pepper. With ground pepper, about 7 shakes is a guide. Then, to make it more Western-style, 8 shakes of garlic powder add a toasty garlic aroma. After tasting, Ryuji called it "insanely" good. It could also be paired with bread for breakfast.

Ryuji explains the intent behind this menu: in summer you want to eat cold things, but eating nothing but cold food tires your stomach, so pairing it with a hot soup is a good thing.

While the water comes to a boil, do the washing up. That way there's no washing to do later. Ryuji said there's a "rumor" that people who learn to cook from Ryuji's videos stop doing the dishes, so it's worth showing it being done properly. Since this dish involves a chilling step, the waiting time also makes it easy to wash up.

Somen doesn't taste good unless it's chilled ice-cold in ice water, so fill a large bowl with plenty of water and ice. Ryuji emphasized, "At least do this part properly."

On the heat source for boiling water, Ryuji says, "For boiling water, IH is overwhelmingly faster." Ryuji used to think IH could never beat gas, but now feels that when it comes to boiling water, IH wins hands down.

Asked for tips on boiling, Ryuji named bringing the water to a proper boil. Adding the somen before the water is fully boiling makes it taste worse, so Ryuji repeatedly says to wait until it's bubbling vigorously. Being impatient, Ryuji sometimes does this too, but the noodles clearly lose their firmness. A-ko said they used to do this as well, and that the noodles sink to the bottom. Since people perceive the degree of boiling differently, A-ko pointed out that "some people think this counts as boiling."

The somen used was from the previous year, with a best-before date in 2027. According to Ryuji, somen is said to get better the longer it's kept, and this is called "hine." Ryuji says even somen past its best-before date is pretty good.

Ryuji's method is to boil the somen for just 45 seconds and plunge it into ice water while the core is still firm. Immediately rub and rinse it in cold water to remove the sliminess. Then leave it in the ice water for 1 minute so the water soaks into the rock-hard, firmed-up noodles. A-ko, tasting it, described the texture as "gori-gori" crunchy.

The next important step is squeezing out the water: press the noodles hard against the colander to drain them. Any remaining water dilutes the flavor. When actually squeezed, quite a lot of water still came out.

Treating the drained somen as "the same as thin pasta," toss it vigorously with the chilled sauce. Ryuji explains that what makes it so good is the rich carbonara character transferring to the somen, and says mayonnaise is the key to this recipe. Ryuji says they were trembling when this recipe came together. It was created last year, and Ryuji reveals it had been held back all this time and could finally be released.

To plate, lift the somen with tongs and twist it like pasta to give it height. Top with the reserved bacon, add more grated cheese to taste, and finish with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper.

A-ko found it strange to eat this with chopsticks, but Ryuji replied, "It's somen, after all." A-ko was surprised, saying "I didn't think it would be this good," and described it as having "knockout power from the very first bite." Ryuji says you might think a cold dish would taste muted, but it doesn't, because it's seasoned boldly.

It also pairs well with the soup, and A-ko said it makes you want to alternate between the two. Ryuji explains that this somen draws more moisture from your mouth than regular somen, so it's good eaten with the soup. Egg whites were used in the soup this time, but one whole egg works too, according to Ryuji. A-ko, however, asked for it to be made with egg whites, remarking on being amazed that the gloopy texture of egg whites they'd disliked could become so delicious. As for the bacon, the two said you can make this with thin slices, but it's completely different from using a block. A-ko rated it possibly near the top among somen recipes, also noting that the steps are simple and it looks like it could be made in 10 to 15 minutes.

While eating, they discussed the "yes-man" criticism that comes up in the comments. A-ko says they only ever say what they honestly think. Ryuji says the other members aren't yes-men either. As Ryuji explains it, they look like yes-men because they're not very interested in food and don't have strong preferences, so everything tastes good to them. They like chain restaurants because they're easy to walk into and hassle-free. In Ryuji's view, they aren't trying to read Ryuji's mood; they're simply not that interested. Ryuji added, however, that they've recently started becoming much more interested, and Taya in particular has been going to all sorts of restaurants.

A-ko also says that being able to enjoy anything is a happy thing and enviable. A-ko also suggested that, from the cook's point of view, it might be better to have people say everything is delicious. Ryuji agreed that's true in private life, but said that for a food channel it's better to have one or two people who voice their opinions, and revealed telling the members to push back even if they have to fake it. A-ko says they vary the strength of their reactions between things they really want to recommend and things that are just ordinarily good, so that those who can tell will notice.

Ryuji noted that, as a premise, only dishes Ryuji personally thinks are good get released, so there shouldn't be any misses, and then laid out each member's tendencies. Taka likes light flavors. Taya often eats the kind of junk food kids like, so Taya's assessments in that area can be trusted. A-ko likes clear, easy-to-understand flavors with a sharp, pronounced saltiness.

Ryuji acknowledged that this somen also has a pronounced saltiness, and some people may find it too strong. If it tastes too strong, only the salt needs to be reduced: Ryuji recommends cutting the 2/3 teaspoon to about 1/2 teaspoon. There's no need to reduce any of the other ingredients. Ryuji personally "really loves" this level of salt and thinks this much salt is fine in summer since you sweat. It was also mentioned that the seasoning is like what you'd get at a restaurant. The episode closed with an encouragement to experiment and find the flavor you like best.