Sukiyaki Tomato Pasta by a Japanese Cuisine Head Chef: Combining Warishita with Tomato Sauce

According to Ryuji, Kagome runs an initiative called "Hiroshima Pasta" to promote Hiroshima, and Ryuji was brought on for the tie-up. However, making it at home wouldn't capture the feel of Hiroshima, so Ryuji decided to come all the way to the Clayton Bay Hotel in Kure and get the head chef involved. Ryuji said, "I barged in," and explained that the project is about pushing a head chef who rarely makes pasta into making one.

Hiroshima Pasta was described as a red pasta, using red, Hiroshima's signature color, and made with Hiroshima ingredients. That's why this dish is also finished red with tomato sauce.

The head chef began by saying that, being originally a Japanese cuisine chef, they never make pasta. With that said, the head chef explained that the classics of Japanese cuisine include sushi and tempura, and also sukiyaki, and that they wanted to build on sukiyaki. They decided to pair it with tomato sauce.

In keeping with sukiyaki, the ingredients center on three items: beef, firm tofu, and white leeks, with celery and cherry tomatoes also used. The pasta is 1.8 mm with an 11-minute cooking time. According to the head chef, the salt in the cooking water is about 1%. Since cutting the ingredients takes time, they started boiling the pasta first.

The white leeks are cut diagonally, using two for two servings, or one per serving. Ryuji was surprised at the amount. According to the head chef, ingredients with strong umami are intentionally kept to a minimum in this dish. That's why plenty of leek goes in.

What the head chef most wants to bring out in this pasta are the sukiyaki warishita and the flavor of the tomato sauce. Not wanting to drown out these two, the head chef kept the dish simple without adding anything extra. The celery is added for aroma. The head chef said that it doesn't have to be celery; any aromatic vegetable will work.

The warishita is made with a ratio of 2 parts mirin to 1 part soy sauce, simply brought to a boil once. No sugar is added. Ryuji tasted it and said, "Delicious."

As the reason for leaving out sugar, the head chef described having failed many times with this sukiyaki pasta. Sugar was included in the trial versions, but its sweetness just didn't go with pasta. When Ryuji said, "The sweet-savory flavor," the head chef agreed. Rather than carrying over sukiyaki's typical sweet-savory flavor as is, the head chef used only mirin and soy sauce as a result of these failures.

For the oil, the head chef said that, as a Japanese cuisine chef, they'd use sesame oil today. The beef is lightly stir-fried in sesame oil. Sliced beef belly is perfectly fine, and when Ryuji asked whether small beef scraps would work, the head chef answered that they'd be totally fine.

After lightly stir-frying the meat, add the tofu and halved cherry tomatoes. Next, add the warishita, tomato sauce, and pasta cooking water. Ryuji said they couldn't imagine the combination of warishita and tomato sauce, and was also surprised by the amount of cooking water. The head chef explained that 90 cc was added since it's two servings. Simmer briefly, and once it comes to a boil, add the pasta. The pasta was pulled out earlier than the package time.

To tighten up the flavor, sriracha sauce is added, about two swirls around the pan. Ryuji described it as something like a chili sauce with garlic and said it also has umami. Finally, add plenty of white leek and celery, toss roughly, and once the vegetables are briefly cooked, it's done. The head chef said the cooking itself is very easy.

When plated, it looked somewhat brothy, but Ryuji said it was just right and that the noodles had soaked up more of the liquid than expected. The head chef wants people to enjoy this broth along with it. For the finish, sansho pepper ground in a mill is used. First eat it as is, then partway through, add sansho to change the flavor.

Incidentally, since this was a Kagome sponsorship, Ryuji drank a Red Eye during the cooking, explaining that since the head chef was on the job, Ryuji would be the one drinking.

After one bite, Ryuji said, "This is so freaking good, what is this," and went on, "It's a dish I didn't know about." Ryuji said it got even better with sansho and repeated, "It's insanely good" and "I don't understand how that made it this good." The staff also tasted it and said it was their first time having such a Japanese-style pasta and a flavor they'd never experienced.

As for the flavor itself, Ryuji praised how well the tomato's acidity worked and said tomato and warishita pair very well. After adding sansho, Ryuji also said, "It's perfect."

Ryuji said that someone who does Italian cooking would never arrive at this dish. The head chef responded that they almost never make pasta. Ryuji called this originality a chef's way of thinking and said their own home-cooking approach would never get there.

Even so, both agreed that it can be made at home. The ingredients are all things sold in supermarkets, and Ryuji said sriracha sauce is now always available at supermarkets too. When Ryuji teased that the head chef, who had seemed unsure at first, had made something amazing, the head chef humbly said it was because they went after Ryuji.

To wrap up, Ryuji introduced this dish as Head Chef Takabayashi's superb arrangement that can be made at home and encouraged viewers to make it. Ryuji also announced that the pasta made by the head chef will be sold as a "Hiroshima Pasta" on the first floor of the Clayton Bay Hotel. Ryuji said that those who want to taste the head chef's version should try it when visiting the hotel.