Eating Japan's Most PRIZED Fish!!! Fukushima's RARE Countryside Foods!!

[Music] you're gonna do this one two three go [Music] today our cross country Japan food tour continues as we move from Sendai to Fukushima I came here to see if life has returned back to normal after the tragic tsunami and nuclear disaster that occurred eight years ago there was a huge earthquake which caused tsunami to come and then the tsunami affected their nuclear reactor how did you pan recover from that while we're at it we're stepping back into Japanese traditions that have withstood the test of time if you trust me I want to see how tight of a pattern we can get three two one including unique foods you wouldn't expect to see in Japan ending with the fish you do know from Japan but never expected to see on a dinner plate before we get into the cooking I do want to ask more seriously like what is coy in Japanese let's get started as we set foot in Fukushima Prefecture everything seems normal quiet countryside ambiance the smell of vegetation but deep inside these fields lies a unique creature that'll become part of an almost unheard of Japanese dish here we are we are in a field in I'm told we're gonna catch grasshoppers today yeah you seem like a pro cuz you're wearing gloves I mean look how I'm dressed obviously I'm not ready this is Masamichi Ogawa he knows everything about countryside living including what to do with these grasshoppers people in Japan used to eat them more commonly a long time ago but the tradition still continues today I came here about a year ago I posted a lot of videos about Japan Japanese food and there's comments here and there while people being freaked out about radiation in food because of what happened here how did you pan recover got the famous email I only had tons of volunteers who came out and actually helped clean up rebuild it was a huge effort it took years he says that now there's actually no danger anymore they actually eat the local vegetables like raw they actually do screenings and tests for the rice so it is become safe at this point although the food coming from this region has been thoroughly checked and vetted there's still a lot of work to be done and winning back the trust of other regions and other parts of the world when I know for sure is these grasshoppers are good to go busy I like that you're pushing yourself to do new things I try catching grasshoppers is pretty easy right now we're literally walking past thousands of them spot your prey Oh move swiftly here we go one two but above all else there's literally right here it's a gift from God you must commit yes [Music] thank you do you think I'm brave a little bit I've tried delicious food from all over the world yeah food that other people come ain't gone but there's nothing like the sense of satisfaction that comes from getting out there and touching your own me I'll try another one I'm trying there's a grasshopper on this leaf it almost wants to be caught soil said it looks so depressed it's kind of over this whole living thing what it wants is to be caught and join his friends in the bottle but what it needs is for you to take some actions swoop it up okay like the hand of God look you got a huge one where you feel that adrenaline rush do you feel amazing like it'll call for something I am a hunter yeah yeah we've got today's secret ingredient masa Michi brings us to a local home where all the cooking action is about to go down including Japan's riskiest food baking procedure [Music] as far as I understand there's two people with hammers and then there's one unlucky person who has to stick their hand in there and that size our friend right here how you doing you should be joining our lunch today mochi a sticky gooey classic symbolizing Japan's timeless ability to innovate with everything around them it starts by soaking rice in water overnight the next day it's drained through a cheesecloth and steamed for one hour before it's pounded in a wooden mortar man if you trust me I want to see how tight of a pattern we can get here we go yeah this is the product right here it's crazy sticky it won't even come off his head oh my goodness this is more than I can chew let's try it up it's so weird it's like the unrefined version that's so sticky and clumpy Fira mochi freshly pounded rice cake with no flavoring honey you're gonna get this part on your arm mochi is a carby amorphis base and there's so much you can do with it add vegetable broth to make a mochi soup top it with red bean paste coated in soybean flour creating a yellow vibrant dessert and if you want something more wild top it with natto Japan's infamous sticky fermented soy bean hi what's your name my name is you know you had that oh you speak English no joining our meal mister yuujiro and his wife Asami I think we should jump into it so Shizuka Oh No have you ever had a bum never this is what we came here for the grasshopper is boiled in hot water to remove any dirt then it's stir-fried in a blend of sugar soy sauce and sake a blend that creates homemade teriyaki sauce I want you to grab a few should I help you I get to shoe up some that's the last thing you should do is look at them she got one okay I will do it together listen look at this I got two right here let's do this you know I could drop it in your mouth oh I'm gonna try those oh that's really good it was sweet and salty it's like teriyaki grasshoppers grasshoppers baby chefs yeah just crunchy papery there's no gooeyness it's a pretty good sell right here this is what you with natto natto natto oh do people here is it just smell good it was pretty normal smell for them it doesn't smell bad but to me it's obviously fermented uh-huh yes it's stream' it's so unique it just mixes it up like that the more you mix it the healthier yes [Music] well that's a chewy mouthful yeah I took too much couldn't open your mouth I know the smell is more intense than the flavor the flavor itself is a bit more mild definitely slimy it's like slime on slime crime over here it's all just a texture sensation foreign people think it's such a strange food but if you can't eat it like every morning right here it's our dessert let's try it up [Music] same sticky texture little bit sweet and then a little bit what do you call that like nutty earthy nutty might be the best way to describe it to me this seems like traditional Japanese dessert it's not like a king with frosting it's just got some subtle sweetness to it talking about the event eight years ago what kind of impact did that have on your lives here if any what that's though it's not it was actually working in Tokyo at a company and then after the earthquake and the disaster happened that made him want to come back home and support in his hometown that's incredible like yuujirou and his wife many others returned to Fukushima helping to rebuild it into what it is today [Music] before leaving Fukushima I've got a unique opportunity to try out a rare freshwater fish native to this part of Japan a species you may know as crayfish sir how do you say it this place is the perfect retreat from the city restaurant hotel and hot spring in one open 146 years ago and specializing in traditional foods that reflect Japanese culinary history on your large menu you've got one dish that stood out to me but before we get into that I want to ask what is koi in Japanese Koi is a carp fish it's about this big and they get it from local rivers in either this fish is most famous for its bright vibrant colors in japan koi fish symbolized persistence determination wealth success and good fortune I've seen them in picturesque ponds but never on a dinner table can I tell you something funny I came here because I thought we're gonna eat one of those like koi goldfish it's gonna be like colorful and white and orange and then people are gonna be like no don't do it anyways um but I don't think it's that kind of fish what kind of koi fish do you have here what do you want the funny you do know what mutton is you may have thought that you'll be eating this beautiful colorful koi fish that are usually found in Japanese gardens and ponds but actually those are not fish that are meant for eating and we have separate breed of koi fish that are actually designed for eating are they still cute when you grab one can you try to find like just the cutest one of the ones that you have okay okay [Music] these fish well they'll meet the business end of a fillet knife and join their friends in a dish called koi umaña big pieces of fish simmered with soy sauce sugar and homemade sake for nine hours when the fish becomes tender and the broth becomes thick it's ready to be served [Music] [Applause] [Music] character hey guys welcome back to the food show so right here this is a koi fish this is also a coefficient tada we're in like this restaurant suite a private room which has a little bit of everything beautiful background over here is that a hot place and there's a tea station over here they have a 7 inch TV can you explain this place to me I kind of don't go this is a room you can sleep in so you eat here and then you put your futons out let me sleep sleep or pass out probably both cuz I mean oh here that's a nice kind of caramelized glaze on the outside it would seem and I think I'm going to start in the middle do you think that's oh no idea maybe it's a grasshopper no anything but grass all right let's try it off cheers shear meters it's kind of like crumbly on the inside but it's all kind of held together with this thick soy-based glaze a little sweet well Saltine it tasted like an actual chicken egg like there you it's been cut let's bust into this meat right here it comes up real nice I don't think carp have scales thank you I'm cutting myself oh that's very nice I would say oh she is so soft it's become tenderize from all the boiling but a powerful flavor I never expected that Carper's gonna be that's it it doesn't have any strange aftertaste and very tender it's delicious Fukushima a region acutely plagued with disaster after disaster is now a symbol of Japanese resilience and persistence a feat only made possible through the incredible fighting spirit of the Japanese people if you're traveling to Japan let me recommend booking and experience through buy food calm now offering over 250 experiences throughout the country you can find food tours cooking classes tastings and more and for each booking made by phu kham contributes funds to children in need through their food for happiness project kebabs and iran fund me in vietnam a lot of food and sausage in the u.s. i live a lot there's one thing that connects us all it brings out the best in us showing that despite our differences you want to testify at the end of the day we're all people sometimes very hungry people to the part of life that unifies us all from researching and shooting to editing and mastering our 10-person best ever food review show team works hard to roll out the highest quality travel food entertainment twice a week if you like what we do here please consider supporting our patreon patreon allows fans of the show to contribute a monthly sum and receive a load of extras like early video releases private q and a's and beyond to learn more about our patreon check out the link in the description box down below and if you can't give or don't even feel like it that's okay too we're just happy you're here guys that is it for this one thank you so much for watching I will see you next time Abby [Music] [Music] [Music]

Channel: Best Ever Food Review Show

Views: 3,104,329

Rating: 4.8884435 out of 5

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Id: EoljJHF6woM

Length: 16min 6sec (966 seconds)

Published: Thu Nov 21 2019