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!