Inside America's Only Michelin Star Tempura Restaurant

Bon Appétit

Bon Appétit spends a day on the line with Chef Koichi Endo, Executive Chef at Tempura Matsui–America’s only Michelin-starred tempura restaurant. Tempura Matsui is the first authentic tempura restaurant in New York City and follows the techniques of its grand chef, Mr. Masao Matsui.

Transcript

00:00Tempura Matsui is the only Michelin-star Tempura restaurant in the US.

00:07I am an executive chef.

00:09I'm making sauces, sourcing ingredients.

00:12My biggest responsibility is to make the butter.

00:15So each chef has their own recipe.

00:19Every day, even though I try to do the same amount,

00:22water, same amount, flour,

00:24because of the weather, humidity,

00:27I have to adjust.

00:29It's very fun making tempura.

00:31It's always changing.

00:33I'm using all of my senses.

00:36I'm looking, hearing, smelling, touching,

00:39and of course I'm tasting.

00:52Hello, welcome to Tempura Matsui.

00:54My name is Koichi Endo, executive chef.

00:57Let's get inside.

00:59So this is the main dining room.

01:08This is my position, just serving the tempura to the customer here.

01:12We do have two seating.

01:145.30 and 8 o'clock.

01:16And right now, 11 o'clock.

01:18So I have a lot of prep, so get inside.

01:27We got a lobster, avaroni, and uni.

01:31We do have a couple appetizers.

01:33After that, starting a tempura, 12 to 13 pieces.

01:37So this is from the main lobster.

01:42This is for the tempura.

01:43Let's say hello.

01:46This is uni sea urchin from Hokkaido.

01:49But we make tempura for the uni.

01:52Just two days.

01:53The shipping from the Toyosu to directly JFK.

01:57We do have so many choices of the uni.

02:00For me, I like a bafun uni, which is good for the tempura.

02:04It's getting more sweeter.

02:06So that's why I'm using.

02:07The texture is also changing.

02:09People know having a buni from the sushi.

02:12This is raw.

02:13But tempura, they can experience totally different tastes.

02:18Usually, I'm going to taste one piece and it's very sweet.

02:24This is from the Hokkaido avaroni clam.

02:27This is from Japan.

02:28I'm going to just clean and take this out of this clam.

02:32This is from the Tawashi, which is Japanese traditional brush.

02:37This is like a hay.

02:40Like 200 years ago, I just started those tempura.

02:44Originally coming from the Portuguese.

02:47So after I came to Japan, we're making just their own tempura style.

02:52Front of the customers, like omakase tempura.

02:55So I'm going to take this off from the shell.

02:58Also, we're using a river too.

03:01Actually, this part is a river.

03:03I'm going to take this out, boil, then make it tempura.

03:07So I think this one is going to be more clear.

03:10So those two different colors, that depends on the avaroni, eat different things.

03:16Also, the cross to the sun or more inside of the places.

03:21It's going to be color change.

03:22This is 3% hot water.

03:27So this is cold sea salt.

03:29That's close to the sea water.

03:32I'm going to take this off the mouth.

03:34This is the mouth.

03:35So keep it cold.

03:37Also, they kill the bacteria too.

03:39So those shells also we're going to using for tempura.

03:42So I'm going to sanitize for the shell.

03:45Put it into the hot water.

03:47This is going to be finished.

03:48So meantime, I'm going to make tempura sauce.

03:55So I'm going to make tempura sauce and tendon sauce.

03:58Before that, this is very important.

04:00Our restaurant got dashi, seaweed.

04:03Yesterday, we put on the ice water with kelp.

04:07Keep in the refrigerator.

04:08Then today, heat it up.

04:10Little by little, getting warmer.

04:12That's going to be the very tasty kelp.

04:14Then after that, I'm going to put on the...

04:17This is the bonito.

04:18This is dry fish shredded.

04:20It's 200 grams.

04:22So those things combine umami is coming.

04:26So this is the base of all of my sauces.

04:29So many different way to getting dashi.

04:31So maybe some people don't do this,

04:33but I just doing little boiling and to taste more thick taste I need.

04:39It depends on the food.

04:41More clear, more sensitive soup.

04:44It cannot do like this.

04:46After the put on the bonito, finish.

04:49But for tempura sauce, those tendon sauce,

04:53I need a more little thick, strong flavor.

04:56We can make this second dashi with boiling different ways.

05:01So dashi is ready.

05:05I'm going to make a tempura sauce.

05:07When we eat a tempura, we do have a two ways.

05:10With salt, with tempura sauce.

05:12So this is very important.

05:14We're going to make a dashi semi-inguine.

05:17Different ratio.

05:19Right now I'm making double sauce.

05:21Then this is mirin.

05:23Mirin is a sweet sake soy sauce.

05:27I'm using a Yamasa brand,

05:30which is name is Honkaiseki.

05:32This sauce I'm using like about 10 years,

05:35more than 10 years.

05:36This is a little sweet,

05:38but it's not too strong.

05:40So I'm just burned after the alcohol a little bit.

05:43Also soy sauce, little make it temperature high.

05:47It's getting more mild then.

05:49Also using again bonito too.

05:56I'm going to make next one tendon sauce.

05:59Tendon which is over rice with tempura.

06:02This tendon sauce is a little sweet.

06:05Same ingredient, different ratio.

06:08Dashi 1000.

06:10We do have a soy sauce.

06:12That's why we don't need anything special.

06:15Soy sauce complement the food.

06:17Soy sauce created more than 300 years ago.

06:20That's why we don't make other sauces.

06:23Using always soy sauce,

06:25then make with something together.

06:28360.

06:29It's a long time ago.

06:31I just want to be the musician.

06:33Jazz musician.

06:34More than 3 years ago,

06:36I used to play the saxophone.

06:38I didn't have any talent.

06:40That's why always I'm working for the restaurant.

06:42So it's linked my being a musician,

06:44creating music and creating the food.

06:47That's also show to tempura.

06:50That's why I never regret my life.

06:54That's the sake.

06:56360.

06:57Sake has a deep flavor.

07:00Then I put on the sugar,

07:0250.

07:03That's the johaku sugar.

07:04More mild sweetness.

07:06Then this one.

07:08This is very simple.

07:09That's it.

07:10Just after the sugar is melted,

07:12that's it.

07:13I'm gonna mix the oil

07:15because the service is coming.

07:24This is tai haku goma abura,

07:25which is non-roasted sesame seed oil.

07:28This is cotton seed oil.

07:30In Japanese,

07:31menjitsu oil.

07:32I mix with those two different oil together.

07:36This is coming from Japan.

07:37I just tried to find some of the oil,

07:40this cotton seed from here,

07:42but it's totally different.

07:43Purely it's different.

07:44We do have a 5-30 seeding.

07:46Then change.

07:478 o'clock seeding change.

07:49Every time.

07:50Fresh.

07:51So tempura oil is always lighter.

07:55Grocery store,

07:56Japanese grocery store,

07:57they,

07:58you can find the

07:59roasted sesame oil.

08:00This one has a soul flavor.

08:02It's a little strong.

08:03So that's why

08:04this is non-roasted.

08:05It's good for the tempura

08:07because I don't want flavor

08:09into the ingredients.

08:11This is also good for the high temperature.

08:13Cotton seed oil also the same character,

08:16almost.

08:17But also this one make it more crunchy.

08:21Cotton seed make less greasy.

08:23That's why I'm using.

08:24So this is my recipe.

08:26Each chef has their own recipe.

08:29People think oil,

08:30it's not good for the health.

08:32That's why I'm using the very fresh oil.

08:36Always looking for the more new or better one.

08:40So now I just started to heat it up.

08:42In the meantime,

08:43I'm just started to make a butter.

08:46This is a freezer,

08:49which is negative 52 degrees.

08:52I'm keeping the flour inside

08:54before the night.

08:55Less chewing,

08:56and then crispy.

09:00This is a very fine white wheat flour.

09:03Really fine one makes the lighter.

09:05That's why I'm using this super biol.

09:09This is a cold water.

09:11Everything I make cold

09:12because it's less chewy and crispy.

09:15Also stuffed gluten.

09:16This is an organic cage-free egg.

09:18I used to use only egg yolk.

09:21Now I change the whole egg.

09:24It makes more airy.

09:25Then use for the flour.

09:27Same cup water, same cup flour.

09:30I'm measuring, but it depends on the weather,

09:34depends on the temperature.

09:36Even though using flour from Japan,

09:39each bag has a little bit of difference.

09:42That's why it's not thin.

09:44So I have to check this.

09:46So always looking for the best way.

09:48The move changes the tempura.

09:49So that's why I always be the best condition.

09:53But it's human beings,

09:55so sometimes it's so sad.

09:57I'm going to the spa or sauna.

10:00When I was young,

10:02it's go to drinking, hanging out.

10:05But now I think I got to change my life

10:08to devote it to the tempura.

10:11Now I'm just waiting for the oil is ready

10:14and the people coming in to serve the tempura.

10:19Welcome to Tempura Matsui.

10:22Let's start the tempura.

10:24To check the oil is hot enough,

10:26I put on the butter into the hot oil.

10:29If it's crisp up, it's then ready.

10:31I don't use any thermometer.

10:33I'm just using my chopsticks,

10:35checking the sounds,

10:36also the bubbles.

10:38So I don't use the thermometer

10:40because I trust to the temperature.

10:43I don't use the thermometer

10:45because I trust to the temperature.

10:48I trust to the ingredients.

10:50So each ingredient has a different temperature.

10:53I'm going to adjust the oil.

10:55So this is the kuruma shrimp coming from Japan.

10:58Bring to the plates.

10:59Then sprinkle the salt.

11:03We have 13 to 14 courses tempura.

11:07I started from the shrimp.

11:09The shrimp, I think that's the king of the tempura.

11:11So I'm just telling the story,

11:13starting from the shrimp.

11:15Kuruma shrimp.

11:16Same salt with lemon.

11:19I serve the peak of the ingredient.

11:22So it's very important to eat immediately.

11:29So when I just serve this from the oil,

11:31shake it, it's very important.

11:33It's gonna be greasy.

11:35So oil temperature is fluctuating.

11:37I have to follow the ups and downs.

11:40I'm gonna control sometimes turn off,

11:43sometimes on.

11:44So this is the same shrimp.

11:46And now with the tempura sauce.

11:51This is a special paper for the clean oil.

11:54Keep cleaning the oil is because

11:56to protect the damaging oil.

11:59If keeping the same temperature all the time,

12:03it's gonna be oil, it's gonna be dye.

12:05It's gonna be, it doesn't have no power.

12:07So at the end, it doesn't work.

12:09So uni love with the sisalins.

12:12It's very fun to making tempura.

12:14It's always changing.

12:16Chasing the oil.

12:17I'm using all of my senses.

12:19Always talking to people.

12:21I'm using all of my senses.

12:24I'm using all of my senses.

12:26Always talking to oil, communicating to the oil.

12:31This is maitake mushroom.

12:33I don't put salt or anything on the protein.

12:36It's gonna be focused on the own ingredient to shine.

12:41So I adjust the powder with the flour,

12:44ballistic the ingredient.

12:47So next one, have a roll.

12:49So I like Omakase service because always I can show to the customer.

12:59One second can change the whole dish.

13:02That's why tempura is, it's very difficult.

13:06So first service is now over.

13:08Thank you for coming today.

13:10Sorry you have to go, bye.

13:12Bye.

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