Iron Chef #11 - Pork Battle

Challenger Tomitoku Zhou vs Iron Chef Japanese Rokusaburo Michiba
Iron Chef 1994 Episode 1 - Overall episode #011 - January 9th, 1993

Today’s battle features a re-match between challenger Tomitoku Zhou (aka Big Zhou) and Iron Chef Michiba. The Iron Chef previously won the crab battle against challenger Zhou three episodes ago. Two of challenger Zhou’s protégés have also been defeated recently in kitchen stadium. This will be the last chance for the Zhou crew to achieve victory in Kitchen Stadium.

It’s a new year, an old challenger, and a little of both from KAGA-3000, the Chairman’s latest clone.

In battle crab, Big Zhou completed his main dish 15-minutes into the episode and made a sauce combining ketchup, mayonnaise, evaporated milk, and gin. He lost and was banished into the lowest rung of Kitchen-Diyu by the Chairman.
He’s had 3 TV weeks to think about it (probably shot in the same day in real-time).

Enjoy Big Zhou’s revenge and absolution in 1994’s porcine premiere!

Meet the Challenger:

Tomitoku Zhou

We already know Big Zhou, the boss of the 1993 Cantonese ladder match. To summarize from episode 8, “Big Zhou is a henchmen-flanked, cleaver-wielding sentinel thwarting progress to passage ways, treasure chests, walk-in freezers, and princesses.”
Big Zhou began working in a Chinese restaurant at age 18. He moved on to a restaurant in the Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku at age 28. At 37, he established himself at the oldest Chinese restaurant in Japan, Haichinro in Yokohama. At age 38, Big Zhou became the biggest Zhou. Period.

Challenger Zhou’s Portfolio:

Seafood platter. A lively posed sea bream that could swim away at any second if it weren’t paralyzed by the embarrassment of being used as a vase.

Crab leg stir fry completed 15-minutes into the crab battle.

Fried crab with the evaporated milk and gin sauce that secured his loss in the crab battle, but secured his C-Suite position at Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Kitchen..

Shark’s fin soup. This controversial dish is not likely to make a re-appearance in a pork episode. Thank goodness. The Zhao’s had previously served shark’s fin soup in two of their past three appearances. Both dishes were well received, however It was not the ultimate judge-bait they imagined.

Challenger Zhou’s Cut-Scenes:

Turning an angry crab into an angry curling stone.

Showdown:

Big Zhou rolls deep, bringing henchmen Lil’ Zhou (in red) and baseball star Bomber Zhou (in bomber).

Unprecedented! Challenger Zhou cuts off the Chairman and demands a re-match with Iron Chef Michiba. The last time Chairman Kaga heard the words "don't bother" was when he tried to turn himself into the Tokyo PD over the cattle exsanguination incidents.

You have broken the format of the show, Big Zhou. It’s all Calvinball now.

Iron Chef Michiba predicts a rematch and six more weeks of winter.

Tale of the Tape:

Challenger Tomitoku Zhou vs Iron Chef Japanese Rokusabura Michiba!

The Chairman’s Fit:

Speaking of the Chairman's fit, I'm glad you asked

Today the Chairman is a Kobe cattle baron looking for love, but also looking for blood.

The Reveal:

The Chairman unveils a whole lot of pork. There is a whole suckling pig, plus additional pork belly, ribs, loin, shoulder, and offal. Despite the selection, the chefs will utilize only the pork belly, loin, and shoulder. That suckling pig is already in the Chairman’s Subaru.

Both chefs are expressionless. Challenger Zhou has the initial advantage given the expertise of Cantonese chefs regarding this theme ingredient. Iron Chef Michiba is always full of surprises, but pork will test his seafood-oriented approach. How the Iron Chef incorporates pork into his lighter psedo-kaiseke cuisine will be enthralling to watch. Has Iron Chef Michiba ever tasted a land-based omnivore? Will there be a sushi or sashimi course? Does Japan have trichinosis? These are questions that will be answered today.

Allez! Cuisine!:

Challenger Zhou begins the match by walking in the wrong direction to pick up the theme ingredient. He did the exact same thing last appearance.
This may not be indicative of failing to learn from past mistakes. Big Zhou may not like Iron Chef Michiba, and would rather take the wrong way around the stadium than to share a lane with him.

In the Booth:

Doc: Dogs look up you you, cats look down on you, but pigs look you right in the eyes as an equal.
Fuji: …
Fukui: Right you are, Doc.

The Battle:

Challenger Zhou goes straight for the slab pork belly. Great instincts. The challenger is going to have to work quicker than he did last appearance in order to get this cooked in time.

Iron Chef Michiba begins by coursing-out his menu in calligraphy. Today it reads “Pork Tonkatsu with yuzu, tonkatsu with sudachi, tonkatsu with wasabi, tonkatsu with bulldog sauce…”

It is Wok-’o-Clock in record time as chef Zhou gives the cubed pork belly a quick stiry fry, hits it with some alcohol, and then pours in stock for a braise. The challenger is already demonstrating more urgency than he did at any point in the last battle.

Meanwhile, back in Iron Chef Michiba’s rectory…

Relegated to the sidelines, Lil’ Zhou and Bomber Zhou reenact paintings.

Chef Zhou double-cleavers a hillock of ginger.

Iron Chef Michiba decides to use a portion of his writing time to chamfer some daikons. He has yet to touch any pork.

Big Zhou is working on a chawanmushi using pork stock instead of a dashi. That is a fantastic Cantonese spin on chawanmushi, a dish which is always a hit with the judges.

Reporter Ohta: Did you get he nickname “bomber” for all the home runs you hit?
Zhihong “Bomber” Zhou: No, the jacket came first, then the nickname. Only then, the home runs. Baseball is a game of patience, you see.

Reporter Ohta: What does it take to be a Zhou? Can I be a Zhou?
Tomiteru “Lil” Zhou: To be a Zhou it takes hard work, dedication, and a tangential relation to the longest reigning dynasty in Chinese history. You can be recognized as an honorary Zhou if you contribute to the advancement of the porcine arts or, if that’s not your thing, survive the Running of the Hogs quadrennial.

Iron Chef Michiba’s pork napa cabbage rolls. Presumably it is pork. There has been no sight of the protein on his side, but his sous chefs may be handling that duty. These chonks will be double-wrapped, steamed, and served in a soup as the first course.

Fellow wrap-star Big Zhou has pork rolled around enoki mushrooms and asparagus. This bundle of fun will be mysteriously sealed, deep fried, sauced, and served on steamed bok choy as the third course.
Big Zhou is winning this wrap battle.

Lil’ Zhou encourages Big Zhou to not finish second again or he’s in for a clobbering.

Pork alert! Iron Chef Michiba makes some thin slices of pork shoulder. Hmmm… this won’t be a wrap. We already have a deep-fry (tonkatsu). Chef Michiba does not stir-fry.
Oh no… oh no… this can only mean one thing. Dr. Michiba’s raw food diet dictates that the prognosis is trichinosis.

ALERT: Iron Chef Michiba has removed his watch. We’ve seen him drowning in fish scales and all manner of effluence, but pork is the line that must not be crossed.

Chef Zhou, true to form, is going to deep fry something. Today it is going to be a pork, enoki, and asparagus roll-up. Tomorrow, a pair of crocs.

Also on the deep-fry tip, Iron Chef Michiba the Rebel is laboriously stuffing pork with cheese. Pork and cheese katsu. To make beautiful cross-sections, you must first get dirty. Watch-off cuisine at its finest.

Challenger Zhou’s chawanmushi is topped with a pork meatball, shrimp, and scallops before returning to the steamer. It may not seem pork-forward, but the chawanmushi is made with pork stock.

Iron Chef Michiba halves his dredged pork slices. This is going to be his wildard dish. The good news is that he won’t serve raw pork because he won’t serve raw flour. There will be some heat applied to this dish.

Wildcard, indeed. Iron Chef Michiba very briefly blanches the starch-dredged pork slices. They’ll cook quickly, but this is still rare pork. On his menu-scroll, Michiba wrote “#3 - Oink Oink Pork Surprise.”

Shockingly it took 11 episodes for rice to appear on Iron Chef. Not appear as a theme ingredient, but in *general* (episode 2 play-in tournament omurice aside).
Thank you, Chef Zhou. You are already a winner no matter the outcome of today’s battle.

Iron Chef Michiba’s rare pork surprise is going in a ginger-soy-mirin marinade. Normally we’ be looking at a stir-fry, but that is not in the Iron Chef’s arsenal. I think he’s done with this dish.

Challenger Zhou has all the makings for a fortified chahan (fried rice). We’ll see a wok-star in is element. His herculean wok-arm will one-hand toss all those ingredients.

Iron Chef Michiba’s rare pork surprise begins to take form. That form is semi-cooked pork shoulder plopped into a bell pepper in order to attain a view of the lost broccoli floret that wandered onto the wrong plate. This is the Iron Chef’s surrogate for a sushi or sashimi dish. Credit should be given to the Iron Chef for taking big swings. He could’ve been picking his nose while pressure cooking pork belly and opening cans of truffle juice like another Iron Chef who I shall not name (Ishinabe knows who I’m talking about).

Chef Zhou’s pork belly cubes and daikons are done pressure cooking in a dark braising liquid (likely soy sauce, dark soy, cooking wine, sugar, and water). This is shaping up to be a buta no kakuni, which along with the chawanmushi should be appealing to the Japanese judges. This will be excellent.

Iron Cheb Michiba has a light pork broth gently simmering and small soup bowls set aside. This will be the accompanyment to the cabbage rolls. The Iron Chef has three wins and zero losses when making his trademark katsuobushi-dashi (“Broth of Vigor”), which he has eschewed in favor of this broth of lethargy today.

It is Wok-o-Clock again, as Chef Zhou returns to get his 20-ingredient chahan started. Every day is left arm day.

Iron Chef Michiba’s broth of lethargy gets ladled over the cabbage rolls. This confirms three dishes from the Iron Chef (katsu, oink-oink surprise, and this starter). The katsu is going to have to do some heavy lifting to win the favor of the judges over the challenger’s five courses.

Chef Zhou’s pork chahan is looking lovely.
This will be one of a bountiful five dishes from the challenger (chawanmushi, rolls, buta no kakuni, secret lettuce cups, and this fried rice). Don’t bother scrolling-up or rewinding to find the secret lettuce cups. I suspect the challenger had Lil’ Zhou sneak the lettuce cups in through the side door prior to judge’s table. Using the first battle to case-the-joint is a pro move.

Iron Chef Michiba’s pork-and-cheese katsu is done frying and looks like a dream.
I googled and determined that I’m 2.2 miles from the nearest pork-and-cheese katsu. Dreams can become reality. I’ll be right back.

Bomber Zhou after being informed that he will not get to try the food.

That Knife Life:

A classic double-cleaver ginger mince from Big Zhou.

Big Zhou slaps garlic into garlic paste.

The Judges’ Table(s):

Lower House member, writer Shinichiro Kurimoto (109 battles).
His first of 109 battles, Judge Kurimoto forgot where he parked. Every night he haunts level-B2, key-fob raised in the air, shrilling the word “Un. Be. Lievable.” over and over again.

Actress Mariko Fuji (1 battle).
Judge Fuji bought a timeshare in Orlando just to score tickets to this battle. She's having some regrets on both counts.

Food historian Masaaki Hirano (42 battles).
The forlorn huffing-and-puffing Judge, who wanted 50% more pork, but was unable to overcome the masonry fortifications of the third Wilbur.

Dishes:

Challenger Zhou completes five dishes.

Challenger Zhou’s first dish:
Pork and Shrimp Chawanmushi

The first of an astounding five dishes today is a steamed egg custard made with pork broth and topped with more pork and shrimp. Great use of pork stock by the challenger. Even better homework. Judges *always* love chawanmushi.

Oishi from Judge Fuji.
Good start by Chef Zhou in this re-match. He is demonstrating better time management and understanding of the judges’ tastes than he did in his first battle.

Challenger Zhou’s second dish:
Stir-Fried Minced Pork with Bamboo Shoots

Surprise dish! There was no footage of this being prepared, but I can summarize it anyways: Bucket labeled scraps + long beans + oyster sauce + wok = Two-minute dish. This lettuce cups for scraps approach used by Challenger Maruyama the Mincer in the very first episode of Iron Chef (he lost). To be fair, it was Maruyama's only dish and today Chef Zhou has four other bangers.

Lil’ Zhou definitely not sneaking in these lettuce cups from his van. If he unzips his jacket, a liter of mapo tofu will pour out.

Challenger Zhou’s third dish:
Pork, Asparagus, and Enoki Rolls

This dish was a master class of technique. Sliced pork rolled around enokis and asparagus, mysteriously secured, lightly dusted, deep fried, sauced, stir fried, and plated on steamed bok choy. High effort dish. The feat is all the more impressive considering he finished 3.5 other dishes (the lettuce wraps only half count).

Challenger Zhou’s Fourth Dish:
Braised Pork Belly and Daikon

Hefty. Large cubes of skin-on pork belly and daikon radish pressure cooked in a soy-based braising liquid, thickened, and served atop blanched spinach.
The challenger is smartly not trying to beat the Iron Chef at his own game. He's willing to cede some presentation in exchange for messy delights. Despite what Iron Chef Michiba thinks, this is the real Take-Off-Your-Watch cuisine.

Judge Hirano is here for it. He is absolutely delighted this dumb pig built his house with sticks.

Challenger Zhou’s fifth dish:
Pork Chahan (Fried Rice) with Zha Cai (Pickled Mustard Greens)

Hats off to Chef Zhou for holding fried rice in such esteem as to serve it last. What a beautiful fried rice it is. Flipped expertly in a wok the size of a satelite dish, this is the chahan of champions. This dish earned praise from both Judges Fuji and Hirano.
A near flawless performance, scrap wraps aside. It would take one amazing tonkatsu to defeat him.

Iron Chef Michiba completes three dishes:

Iron Chef Michiba’s first dish:
Napa Cabbage Roll with Pork

There are two large cabbage rolls in this bowl of pork soup. The judges just ate five dishes and there is a katsu coming soon. This may be an uncharacteristic misfire, which is unfortunate because the next dish is a total unknown.

Iron Chef Michiba’s Second Dish:
Pork with Ponzu

Iron Chef Michiba demonstrates his disdain for the theme ingredient by lightly warming it and plopping it in a bell pepper. The message was received loud and clear. I am Michiba. I took my watch off for this. Call me when it is seafood. I have a tee time to get to.
This dish all but secures the victory for the challenger.

Judge Hirano: "When approaching the fork in the road, never serve pork in the cold."

Iron Chef Michiba’s third dish:
Pork and Cheese Katsu

A standard tonkatsu would have been the least surprising dish today, however Iron Chef Michiba the Rebel made a pork and cheese katsu. Perfect execution of a many-stepped dish requiring both significant time but also temperature management. The heavy roll is topped with a bright salad of pickled vegetables and caviar. Does topping the katsu with caviar make katsu more yoshoku or less yoshoku?
This will compete with the challenger's chahan for the best dish of the day, but it likely will not be enough to overtake the challenger in the overall competition.
Judge Hirano spoke positively about the katsu, but his praise was more effusive for Challenger Zhou. Judges Kurimoto and Fuji also appear to be leaning towards the challenger.

Whose cuisine reigns supreme?!

Challenger Zhou!
Second time is a charm for Challenger Zhou!

This is the Zhou Chow we've been leading up to for four episodes now. Challenger Zhou learned a lot from his team's and his own previous forays into kitchen stadium. The challenger had a sense of urgency and elite time management, likely templating out a few adaptable dishes prior to the secret ingredient reveal. For example, no matter what the ingredient was, challenger Zhou was going to make a fried-rice, and it would be excellent. He finished with a strong four dishes and one afterthought as opposed to the Iron Chef's two dishes and one trip to urgent care on-a-plate.

Two statements sum up where this battle went wrong for the Iron Chef:
1. Iron Chef Michiba dislikes pork.
2. Iron Chef producers love pork (14 battles).

The normally calm, cool, and collected Michiba took off his watch today. The challenger didn’t bring a watch or brushes, just two cleavers and a wok. A humble but experienced approach to the theme ingredient secured the victory for challenger Zhou.

Episode notes:

My favorite dish was Iron Chef Michiba's pork and cheese katsu. The challenger's chahan was a close second. I'd rather order the former at a restaurant and cook the latter at home. Fried rice will leave a thousand small dishes to wash, but at least I'm not trying to fry a chimichanga-sized log of pork under a 5-watt kitchen exhaust fan.
This is the first of four generic pork battles, not including specific battles for Bacon (1), Black Pig (2), Ham (1), Jinhua Pork (1), Pork Belly (1), Spare Rib (2), Suckling Pig (1), and TokyoX breed Pig (1).
The Doctor Hattori “quote” is taken from Lesser Beasts: A Snout-to-Tail History of the Humble Pig by Mark Essig.
The next episode is the second of 1994, and 12th overall - Battle Squid.