Which Side Dish Goes Best with Tako Rice? Ryuji Taste-Tests the 10 Finalists of the "Tako Rice Side Dish Championship"

At the start, Mayor Hirayama explains the project. According to the mayor, Tako rice stays delicious even when it cools and is exceptionally sweet. Wanting Ryuji to help raise its profile further, the town made a special request this time. The side dish recipes were solicited from the public and judged over several days, narrowing the field down to 10 dishes. Ryuji's role is to eat them, comment, and spread the appeal of Tako rice nationwide.

Ryuji prefaces things by saying it is "more of an eating video than judging." First tasting the Tako rice on its own, Ryuji declares, "This year's Tako rice is delicious," noting that the grains are distinct and sweet. A shochu made from 100% Tako rice was also provided. With no ice on hand, Ryuji drinks it straight at first, switching to on the rocks partway through, and remarks that it tastes better chilled.

The first dish is a keema curry made with yamato-imo, a yam that is a Tako specialty, and unsweetened peanut cream. The entry comment explained that the texture of the yamato-imo and the richness of the peanut cream pair well with sweet Tako rice. The peanut cream is reportedly also sold at Tako Town Shoten.

Ryuji's verdict: "Seriously good." Ryuji points out the strong umami and the fluffy texture of the yamato-imo, and confirms that it is a stir-fried dish made with 20 g of curry roux, closer to a dry curry. The core of the assessment was that the strong umami matches the sweet Tako rice well.

The second dish is impossible to identify by sight: a sweet-and-sour pork that brings together pork scraps and tomato with fermented seasonings such as soy sauce koji, rice vinegar, honey, and miso. Ryuji remarks on how easy it is: "The recipe is done in three lines."

Ryuji describes the taste as enveloping, combining the gentle acidity of fresh tomato with the umami of the fermented seasonings. Saying that "deeply nourishing" is the best way to put it, Ryuji praises how well everything comes together, adding that it genuinely tastes like sweet-and-sour pork.

The third dish is tsukune made from ground chicken breast mixed with grated yamato-imo, then grilled. It was entered as a "stamina-packed tsukune" whose sweet sauce and garlic chive aroma make you unable to stop eating Tako rice. Here, Ryuji also notices that yamato-imo is being used a great deal.

The texture is unique: less meaty and more "comforting," Ryuji says. Declaring that "if it goes with rice, it goes with drinks," Ryuji recommends it as a snack with shochu, commenting, "You can see the potential of yams," and suggesting it would also be good in a bento.

The fourth dish is a meat miso made with Tako yamato-imo and ground pork, plus bamboo shoots and peanuts from Chiba Prefecture. The entrant gathered ingredients from Tako and Chiba Prefecture to express love for the local area. A note said it is also delicious without the green chili for children.

Even before eating, Ryuji said, "This kind of thing is strong every year." On tasting, Ryuji finds it strongly sweet, with a fun, pleasant peanut texture. "It's a flavor I'd never make," Ryuji says, but "I really like it." Ryuji also notes that many entrants in the public call are skilled cooks, making it a fierce competition every year.

The fifth dish is one Ryuji initially reacted to with "I kind of don't get what this is saying." Minced onion is microwaved at 600 W for 20 seconds, wrapped in a paper towel, and squeezed dry. It is then simply mixed with mixed nuts, garlic powder, black pepper, dried herbs, miso, and rice bran oil to make a "rice companion."

Ryuji's immediate reaction: "Delicious. What is this?" Ryuji even says, "Whoever made this is probably a genius," and that it should also be great tossed with pasta. "It's a recipe I didn't know," Ryuji admits. While noting it may lean more toward a drinking snack, Ryuji praises how the nuts make the rice go down and how extremely simple it is to make.

The sixth dish is "edible chili sauce," or "Tabechiri" for short. The entry comment said it was created to delight the entrant's mother, who used to pour leftover chili sauce over white rice after eating shrimp in chili sauce. It has many ingredients, including ginger, onion, garlic, dried shrimp, red chili peppers, ground meat, and peanuts. Ryuji sums it up as "a chili sauce version of edible chili oil."

The verdict: "Absurdly good." It tastes exactly like shrimp in chili sauce, but because the ingredients are thoroughly stir-fried, it makes the rice go down, Ryuji says. Ryuji explains that it is not too spicy, just slightly hot, and seasoned more salty than sweet. Ryuji guesses the crunchy texture comes from peanuts and says it works well. Ryuji goes so far as to say, "I'd want to make a big batch and keep it on hand," and "I could drink with this forever."

The seventh dish consists of bell pepper, potato, and a cheese stick wrapped in thinly sliced pork loin, coated in sesame seeds, and fried. The entrant reportedly entered dreaming of having it become the main dish of a Tako rice set meal at Tako's roadside station. Ryuji also mentions that top-placing entries do get that kind of opportunity.

Ryuji had expected the large amount of sesame to overpower the flavor, but the coating itself is sesame, and its crunchy texture was delicious. The more you chew, the more flavor comes out, Ryuji says, suggesting it would also be good with a sprinkle of salt or a squeeze of lemon.

The eighth dish was made by the food club of a local high school. At the introduction, Ryuji reacts: "This high school is strong." The entry comment said that using yamato-imo for the batter gives a fluffy, light texture that flour or potato starch alone cannot achieve, and that using store-bought sauce makes it even easier. It also included the message, "Ryuji-san, we always support you. We love you," to which Ryuji jokes, "That's the winner," before adding that the judging will be done properly.

On tasting, Ryuji is surprised: "No way. Yamato-imo and shrimp go together," and describes the high schoolers as "frighteningly promising." The chili sauce tastes good, and the light batter makes you keep eating, Ryuji says. Here Ryuji also reveals something from the past: Ryuji used to submit recipes anonymously, made it to the finals every time, and lost to this high school several times. Ryuji did not enter this year. "That stings," Ryuji says, while expressing admiration that students come up with such delicious recipes.

The ninth dish is a garlic-packed stamina rice bowl with the tagline "Eat it and you'll be blown away." The entrant's family grows yamato-imo in Tako, and the comment expressed a wish for people to learn the appeal of yamato-imo, whose texture changes depending on how it is cooked.

Ryuji analyzes it as a recipe that values the garlic pork steak and the fluffy texture of the yamato-imo. Ryuji says it shows that yams can also be used as a side for meat dishes, and praises the seasoning for bringing out the ingredients.

The final dish is a croquette of sweet potato, onion, and ground pork, paired with a sauce made from miso, oyster sauce, mayonnaise, sugar, and Ajinomoto. Ryuji reacts to the Ajinomoto in the sauce.

Ryuji had worried it might be too sweet, but the seasoning was good and the sweetness was not bothersome. Ryuji calls the miso sauce in particular "superb," explaining that the generous amount of oyster sauce is why it goes so well with rice.

After finishing every dish, Ryuji says, "I think this every time, but the Tako Rice Side Dish Championship is high-level," prefacing the ranking by saying any of them could win. Ryuji then decides on a personal ranking based on "which goes better with Tako rice." Incidentally, between tastings, the "Yuyake Koyake" chime played across the town, prompting a chat with the staff about whether it plays at 4 or 5 o'clock locally.

Third place goes to No. 10, Sweet Potato Croquettes with Miso Sauce. As Ryuji has said many times in videos, Ryuji does not like sweet potatoes, but the combination of the umami-rich miso sauce, moist sweet potato, and ground meat went very well with rice.

Second place goes to No. 1, Yamato Peanut Keema Curry. Ryuji praises how it makes use of the fluffy texture of yamato-imo and is seasoned with umami rather than sweetness to suit the sweet Tako rice. The richness of the peanuts was also good, and Ryuji calls it "a dish that showed us the possibilities."

First place, "by a landslide," goes to No. 8, the shrimp in chili sauce with yamato-imo batter. What particularly impressed Ryuji is that the batter is made only from yamato-imo and egg, with no flour. Beaten egg is gradually added to grated yamato-imo, making enough batter for 12 shrimp without any water. Ryuji goes so far as to say, "If you do something like this, culinary researchers lose face," lavishly praising it as an extremely delicious recipe that makes good use of Tako's yamato-imo. Ryuji also encourages viewers to try it, since yamato-imo is available at supermarkets.

Next, the official results from more than 100 judges were announced.

• 1st place: Tabechiri (edible chili sauce)
• 2nd place: Yamato Peanut Keema Curry
• 3rd place: We Tried Using Yamato-Imo for the Batter of Shrimp in Chili Sauce
• 4th place: Sweet Potato Croquettes with Miso Sauce

All three of Ryuji's picks placed near the top, but the official winner was Tabechiri, which Ryuji had left out of the top three. Acknowledging that Tabechiri was also very delicious, Ryuji explains that it was a case of "chili overlap." Ryuji felt there was no need to put two chili sauce dishes in the top three, and chose the shrimp in chili sauce as the one of the two.

Ryuji reflects that this year had many highly creative entries. Ryuji takes part every year, and the level rises year after year, to the point of a fierce competition that is "experiencing inflation." The mayor responds that this year's Tako rice turned out exceptionally well, and that with side dishes this delicious, people will eat plenty of rice.

Ryuji says this year's Tako rice is so good that it may be the best Ryuji has tasted in all the years of eating it. Ryuji then shares the view that since rice is something we eat every day, improving the quality of rice improves the quality of life. Ryuji closes the video by noting that the championship recipes will be posted in the description, encouraging viewers to make them at home and pair them with Tako rice, and adding that Tako rice on its own is plenty delicious too.