Dining with the Chef - Season 15 / Year 2025

Join Chef Saito as he prepares tender Yuan-yaki salmon, bursting with fresh, seasonal flavors. Paired with a comforting ochazuke, it's autumn and winter on a kaiseki plate!

Chef Saito cooks a traditional simmered dish in a kaiseki style: Jibuni, simmered duck and awafu. It's a great way to warm up during the cold winter months.

In a kaiseki cooking class, Chef Saito introduces a steamed dish featuring kinmedai fish, and turnips—which are in season during winter. It's a dish that will warm you up in the cold winter months.

Chef Saito's Kaiseki-style rice dish takes on a delicate pink hue from the octopus, resembling cherry blossoms. Its elegant appearance evokes the arrival of spring.

Rika's Signature Okonomiyaki – A perfect combination of crispy and fluffy textures. Made with flour and grated potato for an irresistible chewiness, and a rich, savory flavor.

Kaisendon is a colorful Japanese dish featuring fresh sashimi over rice. Master the art of zuke, as Chef Rika shows us how to marinate lean tuna in her signature soy sauce.

Fukui, a place of rich tradition, natural beauty and pure water, is renowned for its crafts, sake and dinosaur fossils. It's connected to Tokyo by shinkansen, and is a hidden gem worth exploring.

Toyama is famed for its sushi. It has a unique tradition based on the union of fresh seafood and premium rice. The award-winning Chef Kuwakino and our host Yu Hayami unveil flavors crafted by time.

Learn how to cook tempura at home. Chef Saito demonstrates the techniques needed to make crispy tempura using mountain vegetables of spring.

Learn how to cook kabayaki, a savory grilled dish. Chef Saito introduces a recipe with mackerel, helping us to enjoy kabayaki and rice at home.

Chef Saito was born and raised in Osaka. He guides us around its restaurants, cookware stores, and kombu kelp specialty stores, in an introduction to the prefecture's traditional food culture.

In a country renowned for its food, Osaka is particularly noted for its culinary offerings. Join chef Saito Tatsuo as he explores flavors that originated in his hometown.

Learn how to prepare wagyu beef steak, Japanese style! Chef Rika teaches us which cuts are best, and how to cook them. She also shares recipes for two sauces with Japanese flavors.

Cook miso soup with Chef Saito! Follow his instructions to master three styles of miso soup, featuring three different kinds of miso: inaka miso, red miso and white miso.

Make takoyaki at home! Osaka-born Chef Saito shares his recipe for these golden bites—crispy outside, creamy inside, and full of flavor. Our featured recipe is takoyaki with two different toppings.

Chef Rika makes oyakodon, a Japanese dish of chicken and eggs simmered in a sweet and savory sauce, served over rice. She demonstrates a clever technique for making the eggs soft and golden.

Cool down with a perfect summer rice bowl: chilled tuna ochazuke infused with cold, fragrant green tea, topped with refreshing herbs and condiments. Enjoy traditional Japanese cuisine with Chef Saito.

In a Japanese home cooking class, Chef Saito makes pan-fried eggplant with a savory miso and sesame glaze. Paired with fine white somen noodles, this tasty summer dish is sure to whet your appetite!

Soft bread, fluffy eggs, and a touch of Japanese flavor.  Chef Rika demonstrates how to make Japanese egg sandwiches. Complete the experience with a comforting egg drop soup, perfect with any meal.

Wasabi isn't just for sushi! Add its spicy kick and fresh aroma to everyday dishes. Chef Rika introduces two recipes: salad with wasabi dressing, and pasta with wasabi butter soy sauce.

In the city of Akashi, octopus shapes tradition. Chef Hayashi meets local guardians, and unveils a rice dish with an inventive combination of flavors: octopus and umeboshi—the soul of Japan.

We travel to Rebun, a remote Hokkaido island renowned for its kombu—the seaweed vital for Japanese dashi. We meet a passionate harvester, whose kombu is utilized by Chef Kuwakino in superb cuisine.

Salmon can be enjoyed raw for sushi, grilled, or even stewed. Chef Rika introduces a colorful, nutritious Salmon and Rice plate, beautifully paired with a light, refreshing ginger and celery soup.

Enjoy cute, bite-sized hosomaki: sushi rolls with a nori covering and colorful fillings, like cucumber, crab sticks and natto. They're perfect for a bento. Chef Saito shows us the key to sushi rice.

Tofu with a twist! Try Chef Rika's recipes: crispy Agedashi Tofu bathed in hot dashi broth and a fresh salad with tofu dressing, while discovering the delicate charm of Japanese tofu.

Ebi-fry—deep-fried breaded shrimp with panko—is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Chef Saito serves it as part of a classic Japanese teishoku set meal.

Chef Rika's Beef Tataki is inspired by Kochi's beloved Katsuo no Tataki, seared bonito with vegetables. She recreates it with wagyu beef and chilled udon in a refreshing Japanese herb sauce.

Learn Chef Rika's Japanese-style croquette, Korokke, a family recipe from her mother. She shares quick cooking tips and a simple dessert, coffee jelly with Kokuto, Japanese muscovado sugar.