Dining With the Chef

The theme this episode is soaking. Chef Saito makes spinach ohitashi, a very popular home-cooked standard, served with a unique twist: adding Japan's best known edible flower, chrysanthemums, for a beautiful finishing touch. They also make kara-age fried chicken, flavored by soaking the chicken first in a soy sauce-based marinade, with their secret ingredient, Chinese chili oil, rounding out the flavor with just a hint of heat.