Ryuji Makes Karaage, Carpaccio, and Ajipon Rice with "Ajipon Spice"

Explaining why so many recipes are needed when introducing a new seasoning, Ryuji says, "Because people don't know how to use it in the first place." Since powdered ponzu is an unfamiliar seasoning, Ryuji believes it's necessary to show many concrete ways to use it. Of the dishes made last time, the fried egg and the karaage were particular favorites, so this time Ryuji starts with the karaage.

While cooking, Ryuji explains what's in the spice. According to the speaker, it contains soy sauce, powdered vinegar, citrus powder, sesame, and also garlic. Overall it has a Japanese flavor, but there's also a spicy kick like shichimi or chili pepper. Ryuji's guess is that since ponzu is originally a seasoning paired with Japanese ingredients, the spice was designed to suit them as well.

Ryuji repeatedly cites the fact that it's a powder rather than a liquid as an advantage. Liquid seasonings take time to soak into meat, but powder gets the flavor in easily, so no marinating is needed. In the video, Ryuji mentions usually calling it "powdered Ajipon."

The karaage uses chicken breast. Ryuji prefaces this by saying "both thigh and breast are delicious," adding that chicken breast karaage has become a recent favorite. Since the staff also seemed eager to eat, Ryuji made two pieces' worth this time: one breast and one thigh.

The breast is cut in half and then into thick bite-sized pieces. Ryuji says it's better not to cut the breast too large, since big pieces don't cook through well. Thigh meat, on the other hand, is fine cut larger. In the video, the thigh was cut into about 10 pieces.

The meat goes into a bowl, and garlic is grated and added. Regarding grating the garlic on the same cutting board used for the meat, Ryuji explained that it's fine because it will be cooked afterward. However, Ryuji added that if you're using something raw, you shouldn't handle it where you cut meat. The view is that at home you don't need to be that fussy; simply "not handling foods meant to be eaten raw where you cut raw meat" is enough. The garlic can be left out, since Ajipon Spice itself has a spicy aroma; adding it is just personal preference.

Next, about 1½ teaspoons of Ajipon Spice and just a little soy sauce are added and massaged in well. This time the spice is used both for seasoning beforehand and for finishing. Ryuji says the flavor is completely different depending on whether you sprinkle it on or massage it in. Cooking drives off the spice's aroma, but the flavor remains. Ryuji also suggests that for those who find this much effort a hassle, simply sprinkling it as a finish on store-bought karaage is plenty delicious.

Marinating time is zero. Just add about 3½ tablespoons of potato starch and massage it in, and the coating is ready. Ryuji declared, "Honestly, you don't need to buy karaage flour anymore," then immediately checked whether Mizkan sells karaage flour, getting a laugh. Ryuji also mentioned putting out a hot pot base with another company, and joked about being considerate between sponsors.

Ryuji explains the advantages of massaging the coating on inside the bowl. Dredging in a tray wastes potato starch and leaves excess powder on the meat. Doing it all in the bowl keeps the starch to a minimum, cuts calories, and reduces dishwashing. The speaker's argument is that this method makes frying something you can do more casually.

Rice bran oil is used for frying. Vegetable oil is fine too, but rice bran oil makes for lighter eating. The oil is about 1 cm deep from the bottom of the pan; using a lot gets expensive, so this is enough at home. Ryuji added that if you're only frying one piece of chicken, a smaller pan is easier.

When frying both kinds together, the thigh goes in first, because thigh is easier to fry. Breast becomes tough if overfried, so the frying time needs to be shorter, making it trickier to handle. Once the oil starts bubbling, turn the heat to medium; stretching out the skin of the thigh pieces as they go in makes them crispier. The speaker figures that since breast and thigh can be told apart by appearance, frying them together is no problem.

Here Ryuji offers several tips. Adding lots of meat raises the level of the oil, so you can fry with little oil. By flipping the meat while it's about half submerged and frying it while exposed to air, it turns out crispy without double frying. If you push pieces that are nearly done to the edge of the pan and add new meat in the open space, you can make any number of servings. Smaller pieces cook faster, so take them out starting with the small ones.

Ryuji explains that thigh meat has a lot of gelatin, so it's tastier cooked thoroughly, while breast is tastier when not overcooked. This time, though, the breast was cut small, so it finishes first. Doneness is checked by pressing the meat. If it's squishy, it isn't cooked through yet. Ryuji admits, however, that sometimes it's simply tender, so you just have to judge by experience. The finished karaage is placed on paper towels to drain.

To finish, Ajipon Spice is sprinkled lightly over everything. Ryuji stresses that this is "super important." The reasoning: since lemon goes with karaage, vinegar's acidity does too, and with this sprinkled on, you don't need lemon. You can add more to taste, and with that, the "Endless Ajipon Karaage" is complete.

The second dish is a carpaccio that's "super easy." It uses inexpensive trout salmon, sliced thin at an angle like sashimi and arranged on a plate. Ryuji thinks salmon is the best match, but says white fish such as sea bream is delicious too.

Sashimi would normally be eaten with soy sauce, but here Ajipon Spice is sprinkled on generously, as much as you like. Mild olive oil is drizzled over it, and baby leaves are added if you want some visual flair. Ryuji remarks that just sprinkling spice on sashimi makes it this stylish a dish.

Ryuji introduced the last dish as the one they're "most confident about." The ingredients are rice, pork, and canned corn. The rice was frozen and is reheated in the microwave; two portions at once thaw in about 5½ minutes.

About 2 teaspoons of oil go into the pan, the pork is spread out, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, and cooked. Using Ajipon Spice as a pre-seasoning here is also tasty, but either way is fine. Pork loin was used this time, but pork offcuts or belly are fine too, and chicken is also delicious. The amount is a little over 200 g for two servings, so about half that for one. Ryuji cautions that with beef you don't need to be so careful, but pork must be cooked thoroughly.

The canned corn is drained, and since this is two servings, the whole can is used. The sweetness of the corn goes well with Ajipon Spice. However, the corn goes in only after the meat is cooked to some extent. Ryuji says that spices like this become necessary when you want to vary flavors while keeping things easy, because the same seasoning every day gets boring.

For plating, the rice is packed into a bowl to form a dome and turned out onto the pan. Corn is scattered around it, and about 1½ tablespoons of Ajipon Spice are sprinkled on. Since this is the only seasoning, it takes more than you'd think. Chopped green onions are scattered on top, a pat of butter is added, and Ryuji called it a "grown-up kids' meal." Then you just break it apart, mix, and eat. Despite naming it "grown-up," Ryuji added that kids love the flavor too.

The tasting was done together with the staff. For the karaage, people exclaimed at how tender it was for chicken breast. Ryuji praised the good balance of acidity and umami, and the spicy aroma that wafts up like at a karaage shop. Ryuji reiterated that the only seasonings were soy sauce and Ajipon Spice, and that it's delicious even without garlic. The point being that there probably aren't many homes in Japan without soy sauce, so anyone can make it. The staff commented that the sweetness of the Ajipon Spice was nice.

Ryuji emphasizes that although the spice is also used for pre-seasoning, the "extra spice" sprinkled at the end is what really matters. Those who drink can sprinkle on plenty.

On the carpaccio, Ryuji says they can't eat carpaccio without acidity and always squeeze lemon on it. Since Ajipon Spice contains vinegar, it works well. According to the speaker, carpaccio is originally a dish where spices mask the fishiness, which is why lemon and olive oil are used. Ajipon Spice has a refreshing aroma from the citrus powder and strong umami, and its overall flavor balance pairs well with fish. Adding olive oil increases the richness. Ryuji praises how, even though trout salmon isn't a particularly fatty variety, it can still be this delicious.

Ryuji goes on to say that most sashimi becomes delicious with this, especially white fish like sea bream. It also suits meunière: sprinkle it evenly on yellowtail and pan-fry it in butter, and that alone means you don't need lemon.

Here Ryuji states that spices with acidity are actually almost never sold commercially, and calls this product "revolutionary." In Ryuji's assessment, there's no other seasoning that goes with both popcorn and sashimi.

The Ajipon rice got the biggest reaction at the tasting. Ryuji said it goes really well with butter, and ate it with extra spice sprinkled on at the end. A staff member said it was "shockingly good," and Ryuji also remarked that it might be the recipe that made the best use of Ajipon Spice. Ryuji recommended it for how simply stir-frying pork and mixing it with rice produces this flavor, and for adding extra spice after mixing, and said the corn should definitely be included. There was also talk that you could stir-fry everything together and make it into an "Ajipon rice bento."

Ryuji wondered aloud why, even though liquid Ajipon doesn't really give the impression of going with rice, it goes so well with rice as a spice. Ryuji doesn't offer an answer to this.

Finally, Ryuji reflected that all three dishes turned out well this time, explaining that because this was the second video following the first, know-how about using the product had accumulated and the quality of the recipes had improved. Ryuji closed the video by saying this flavor would be extremely difficult to reproduce without Ajipon Spice.