Anime and manga fans, ever find yourself drooling over the incredible dishes that pop up in your favorite series? Many of these fictional feasts look so good, they make you want to whip them up in real life!
Recently, Japanese YouTuber "Zubora no Manga Meshi Saigen Ryori" (roughly "Zubora's Manga Meal Recreation Cuisine") shared their epic attempt at recreating the legendary "Red Dragon Fish" from the classic cooking manga, "Iron Wok Jan!" The cooking process was both bold and captivating, sparking a hilarious wave of comments from fans wondering if the YouTuber had, in true manga fashion, broken an arm before tackling the dish.
"Iron Wok Jan!" (鉄鍋のジャン!) is a cooking manga created by Shinji Saijo, serialized in "Weekly Shonen Champion" from 1995 to 2000. The story centers on the belief that "cooking is a battle." After his grandfather, the "Chinese Cuisine Overlord" Kaichiro Akiyama, passes away, protagonist Jan Akiyama follows his last wish to apprentice at the Gobancho Hotel, aiming to challenge Mutsuju Gobancho, known as the "Chinese Emperor."
But here's the kicker: the "Red Dragon Fish" dish actually comes about after Jan Akiyama gets his arm broken by Dan Hikime, a senior chef returning from China. Jan then enlists his only friend at the restaurant, Takao Okonogi, to step in and face off against Dan. Okonogi, originally a terrible intern, surprisingly wins the match with Jan's guidance, creating this iconic dish.
The dish's signature move? Deep-frying an entire tilefish (amadai) with its scales still on, until it's so crispy you can eat the scales! So, the YouTuber "Zubora no Manga Meshi Saigen Ryori" followed the manga's lead, prepping the fish and then, holding it with one hand, slowly drizzling hot oil over it in the pan.
However, trying to hold the fish and pour hot oil like Okonogi in the manga proved way too difficult, so the YouTuber wisely moved it to an iron plate for the hot oil bath.
While the final presentation might need a little polish, the taste was surprisingly good! You really could eat the scales, and paired with the spicy sauce inspired by the manga, it was a perfect and delicious match.
▼ Check out the full cooking video below!
What's hilarious is that fans flooded the comments with jokes: "Did you break your arm according to the original story before making it?" and "Are you going to start by training your muscles to recreate it?" Another even quipped, "You'd need to practice all night with a bag of hammers until your arm gets hard to truly recreate it!"
The YouTuber "Zubora no Manga Meshi Saigen Ryori" admitted that they started making this dish at 4 AM, and it took nearly two hours! A bit much for breakfast, they joked.
Their channel is packed with even more anime and manga food recreations, so if you're curious, definitely go check it out!