01x03 - Episode 3

[bunniefuu]

THIS IS FICTION WITH NO INTENTIONAL RESEMBLANCE
TO ANY PERSONS, ORGANIZATIONS, OR OCCURRENCES.

OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE SOURCE MATERIAL, THERE MAY BE
SCENES CONSIDERED OFFENSIVE TO MODERN SENSIBILITIES.

Gobancho's Chinese Restaurant in Ginza!

Once again, the kitchen is
a flurry of frenzied activity!

Akiyama! I'm gonna need you on the wok
making qingjiao niurou si!

This order issued by Yaichi

was a shock to every cook in the kitchen!

N-Now hold up, Head Chef!

He's still a trainee!

Come on, guys.
It's not that surprising, is it?

All it means...

is that I'm a damn better cook
than the rest of you!

Less chatter and more cooking, Akiyama.

You're making fifty servings of
qingjiao niurou si for a party!

Got that?

Okay.

I can't believe he's already on the wok...

U-Uh, Akiyama-kun?
Are you sure you can handle this?

Easily. Just gotta make ten times
the amount I'd make for five people.

Ten times a serving for five...

Qingjiao niurou si,
or shredded beef and pepper stir-fry.

You take a heated wok
and add onions, ginger,

fried bamboo shoots, finely
sliced meat, and tri-color peppers.

When you're serving five, you wanna
add a tablespoon of soy sauce,

along with a tablespoon of oyster sauce.

Then comes sugar, sake, and two
tablespoons of chicken broth.

So I'm doing that... multiplied by ten!

And the finish! Chopped dried fermented
soy beans, for sublime flavor and aroma.

- DOUCHI: DRIED FERMENTED SOY BEANS

- Douchi!

- A type of Chinese seasoning similar
to hamanatto and daitokuji natto.

Now to taste test...

Akiyama-kun?

N-No, it's just a little off...

Akiyama! Is it ready yet?

Then bring it out already!
We don't have all day, boy.

R-Right...

Hey.

What the hell is this?

You fool!

We can't feed this thoughtless
nonsense to our guests!

Is that tongue of yours just for show?!

W-Wait, so it's bad?

Akiyama's cooking didn't turn out right?

Kiriko, we need a replacement!
On the double!

R-Right!

Idiot. You can't just multiply it by ten.

Akiyama-kun...?

Make it fast!

Yes, sir!

Good work, people!

Can't move...

I'm bushed!

Hey, Okonogi. Do you know
where Akiyama went?

Uh, well, actually...

He's outside crying.

For real?!

Crying? Him?

That's hilarious!

He's been a little too full of himself
since the day he showed up.

Maybe that'll get him off his high horse.

Oh, I get it! He must've only
ever cooked with his grandpa!

So he's never cooked
for a big group before!

I screwed up...

I screwed up! Me!

An Akiyama... messed up in the kitchen!

sh*t!

sh*t, sh*t, sh*t, sh*t!

Uh, hey...

Akiyama-kun?

Everyone's gone now.

Akiyama-kun, don't let it get to you.

I mess up all the time, y'know?

I'm not like you.

I-I'm an Akiyama, man.

Th-There's a lot I don't know
about cooking yet,

and I'm not sure this'll make you
feel any better, but...

S-So, in America, this guy goes to buy
a pair of sandals, and he asks the clerk,

"How much for these?"
And so the clerk says...

"One pair of sun dials."

Get it? It's a pun!

What do you think?

Unbelievable...

The other day at the drugstore,

I was asking about what cold
medicine to buy...

And they told me to get the room
temperature stuff instead! Get it?

Unbelievable.

What do you think? I can keep going!

You're a decent guy, y'know that?

Why don't we go clean up the kitchen?

It'll be done in no time
if we tackle it together.

Yeah.

I really am impressed,
though, Akiyama-kun.

You moved up to the big wok
in a restaurant like this!

I still get chewed out for the
stir-fried veggies I make for lunch.

Everyone says they're watery and inedible.

Watery? Sounds like your heat wasn't—

Water...?

You can't just multiply it by ten.

They're watery and inedible.

Water!

What about it?

That's it! I've got it now!

A-Akiyama-kun?

What the heck's gotten into you?!

The trick to making food for a party...

is the water!

When you fry a ton of vegetables,
the wok doesn't heat up like normal,

making it harder
for moisture to evaporate.

So instead of using ten times
the amount of chicken broth,

you have to cut back and adjust
the seasoning accordingly.

That's it!

You gotta keep the cooking process
in mind when scaling up recipes!

QINGJAIO NIUROU SI:
SHREDDED BEEF AND PEPPER STIR-FRY

Th-That's delicious!

This is really good, Akiyama-kun!

The dried beans bring out the aroma.

Don't they, though?
I told you, man! Go on, eat up!

- There's plenty left, after all!

- Tch... What's with him?

- Hell, I can whip more up, if you want!

- He managed to figure it out on his own.

- Oh, I could eat as much
of this as you can make!

I bet!

How much did you make, anyway?

Enough for fifty!

I dunno if we can put that away!

It's Akiyama cooking! Of course we can!

KIRIKO'S METHOD FOR COOKING FOR A PARTY

- This might seem kinda sudden,
but can I call you Jan?

- Yeah?

It's their day off!

Okonogi has joined Jan for a camping trip
and is beginning to regret it!

We... We really came a long way...

How about a little break, Jan?

All right, let's go.

What? Wh-Where?

Gotta get our food.

I brought some instant curry and
red bean rice just in case, but...

We're here to cook, man.

B-But, y'know...

Come on.

Go catch something. Fish, fowl, whatever.

Japanese quail!

A bird in the pheasant family,
measuring about 20 centimeters.

It's said to be most flavorful

prior to laying eggs,
having grown nice and fatty.

- IN MODERN JAPAN, HUNTING THEM IS FORBIDDEN
TO PREVENT POPULATION DECLINE.

- Jan chooses not to drain the blood

- in order to preserve
the vigor of the meat,

- a method often used in French
à l'étouffée dishes.

That oughta do.

Next, we just need some vegetables...

I wonder if Okonogi caught anything.

Ow, ow, ow!

- You stupid bird! Settle down!

- What the hell are you doing, man?

Wh-What do you think? Check it out, Jan!

Look at this huge rooster!
It was walking down the river!

It probably escaped
from a farm and went wild!

This has gotta be enough
food for us today, right?

Sorry, Okonogi,

but we can't eat him.

This fella here is too old.

You could probably make
nice stock with him,

but his meat'll be stringy and tough.

Let him go.

A-Aw, really?

Yeah, really...

Wait. Hang on to the bird.

Nice going, Okonogi!

I just remembered the perfect
game bird dish for this situation!

We're gonna need mountain
veggies sauced in doubanjiang,

a side of mustard greens,
instant red bean rice, and ham.

Plus the plucked quail I caught
with the innards removed.

Wh-What're you gonna make?

- Muzi ju anchun,
or salt-baked quail stuffed in chicken.

- MUZI JU ANCHUN:
SALT-BAKED QUAIL STUFFED IN CHICKEN

- Chinese cuisine has beggar's chicken,
where it cooks coated in clay.

- BEGGAR'S CHICKEN

- The French bake chicken in a salt crust.

- BEGGAR'S CHICKEN
SALT-CRUST BAKED CHICKEN

And the Akiyama-style salt-baked

quail stuffed in chicken
is a variation on those techniques.

First, we grill the quail,
make sure the surface is cooked,

and coat it with soy sauce.

Then we stuff them with the
doubanjiang veggies and tie them.

For the chicken, we coat it with coarse
salt before stuffing with red bean rice,

and then we cram
the quail in that sucker!

Muzi ju anchun is cooking birds
by stuffing them in another bird!

What do you think, Okonogi?!

Wow!

It's gonna be hours before it's done.

But it's gonna taste awesome.

Just imagine the quail bathing
in all of that aged chicken umami!

Is this right? The chicken's burned black.

Doesn't matter.

It smells fantastic!

And look at the color!

It's not just the color.
Wait till you have a bite.

I-It's delicious!

This is amazing!

The meat juices have soaked
into the red bean rice...

The quail is cooked perfectly!
The veggies give it a refreshing aroma!

And you can eat the whole thing?!

This rules!

I know, right? I told you!

Whatever I make always tastes the best!

Delicious! Amazing! You're a genius!

There's more left! Eat up!

You're brilliant, Jan!

S-So, hey, Jan...

What's up?

I've been meaning to ask...

Why did you decide to become a chef?

I didn't decide anything.

One day... I just realized I was one.

- ONE YEAR AGO

- You call this edible?!

Is this your idea of cooking?!

Have you heard a single
word I've said, you dunce?

I'm sorry. I'll remake it right away.

Who taught you to cook
like a supplicant?!

If it's just "good,"
it's not Akiyama cooking!

Dunce! Dunce!

Dunce! Dunce!

You dunce!

Enough. Clean this up.

And then come to the kitchen.

I'll make you real Akiyama cooking.
Some hong shao liu jin.

HONG SHAO LU JIN: BRAISED DEER TENDON

Hong shao lu jin, or braised deer tendon!

You take dried venison
Achilles tendon and boil it.

Given the amount of effort involved,
only a few chefs make this dish!

How would you cook this, Jan?

On the first day, I'd add
the tendon to boiling water,

then cut the heat and let it sit.

On the second day, I'd rinse the tendon,
switch out the water,

and add sake, onions, and ginger...

Then after boiling for 30 minutes,

remove the onions
and ginger and let it sit.

Repeat this on the third,
fourth, and fifth days.

Once it's softened, pull out the
harder parts, starting at the joint—

Enough!

That approach would make a
"good" dish, not an Akiyama dish!

I could make something
like that in an hour.

G-Grandpa, that's waste oil!

We were going to throw it out!

Listen to me, Jan.
The act of cooking is not unlike magic.

And when it comes to Akiyama cooking,

it needs to be sorcery
of the highest order!

Akiyama-style braised deer tendon.

starts with soaking the deer
tendons in waste oil for ten days.

And then...

Y-You're going to fry it?!

But it'll be cooked to a crisp!

Now here we go!

Did you see that?!
These are Akiyama you pao: oil bubbles!

YOU PAO: OIL BUBBLES

O-Oil bubbles?

Just look! Add some water to the hot oil,

and that water turns into steam instantly,
permeating the Achilles tendons,

causing them to swell up like sponges!

And once all the bubbles are gone,
add more water!

You repeat this process and
the tendons get bigger and bigger!

I'll say it again. Cooking is magic.

Mystique is the key, Jan.

You need to be a chef with
more mystique than any other!

There's nothing to be gained from
common sense. It doesn't move anyone.

The goal is to crush
the very notion of it.

And once you've developed personal
mystique of the highest level,

that will be...

the day you become the ultimate chef.

I'll go ahead and try it, then.

Well? Good, isn't it?

No...

It... isn't.

What's wrong with you, boy?!

Who do you think you're talking to?!

Do you realize who I am?!

- You little sh*t!

- I'm sorry! But the amount of salt—

- More lies?! Haven't you had enough?!

We're done! Go to bed! Off with you!

Y-Yes, sir.

Salt, he says...
Blathering like he has any idea.

Does he think I don't know
what tastes good?

I can't taste the salt at all...

Well, I'll be damned...

How could this happen?!

It was my sense of taste
that really went south!

Jan, I want you to head into town
and get my medicine.

Ask for the usual and
they'll know what to give you.

My insurance and some money are in here.

I'm heading out.

Oh, my.

We just refilled Akiyama-san's
prescription the other day. He needs more?

What? But my grandfather sent me...

And this isn't his insurance.
It's a lot of money.

Money?

And a letter?

This is Gobancho's Chinese.

Hey, Mutsuju. It's been a while.

You recognize my voice?

K-Kaiichiro?! Is that you, Kaiichiro?!

None other.

Where are you?!

Why haven't you gotten in touch—

Listen to me, Mutsuju.

I'm sending someone to take you down.

His name is...

Akiyama Jan!

Mutsuju, if you've become a feeble
old man, you'd better go ahead and run.

But...

But, Gobancho Mutsuju...

If you still have the spark
of competition in you, then hire Jan!

And do battle with him!

Kaiichiro?!

Kai—

TO JAN,

DIE.

TO JAN,
SEEK OUT GOBANCHO'S CHINESE RESTAURANT.

A CHEF WITH A FAILED TONGUE CAN ONLY DIE.
GOBANCHO'S IS IN 6-CHOME IN GINZA, TOKYO.

What is this, Grandpa?

You're Akiyama-san's grandson, yes?

There are some medicines we're required
to give to the patient directly,

especially something like
morphine for cancer pain.

Mutsuju, we'll pick up on our rivalry...

when you come and join me.

G-Grandpa!

"To Jan...

Seek out Gobancho's Chinese Restaurant.

A chef with a failed tongue...

can only die.

Mutsuju! I'll be waiting
on the other side!

Jan! Did your grandpa
make it out? Where is he?!

He's not inside of that, is he?!

Become a chef who can defeat all comers!

You won't move anyone
with this half-hearted cooking!

Why don't you understand?!

Cooking is magic!
Abandon all common sense!

You...

You sore loser!

And thus, Akiyama Kaiichiro immolated
himself, leaving not even bone!

Jan?

Did you hear me, Jan?

What's wrong? You went
quiet all of a sudden.

It's nothing.

I have to best Gobancho's owner,
Gobancho Mutsuju,

and rise to the top
with Akiyama-style cooking.

That's the obsession...
that me and the old man share.

EPISODE 3: A LOSER'S CRY OF VICTORY