Celebrities' Chef.
-Celebrities' Chef. -Yes, sir?
-You've survived. -Thank you!
He's survived.
Thank you!
Good!
You gave me the freedom of choice to close my eyes and enjoy
instead of telling me what I'm supposed to taste.
Thanks to that, I was able to imagine
-everything that you intended. -Right.
Now I want to taste it.
Me too.
I could feel that you tried to handle these vegetables
as deliciously and respectfully as possible.
Thank you, Chef!
CELEBRITIES' CHEF SURVIVES
-Congratulations! -Wow.
I'm moving up.
Are you going to challenge me now?
I don't know yet.
Do it, if you get the chance.
I will, Chef.
I told him to wait
until I go up there to get him.
Shawn, go! Let's do this!
Shawn!
Go!
There's someone very special among the contestants today.
Shawn!
Shawn! The Spark!
Chef Spark!
He's "Chef Spark."
CHEF SPARK CHEF-OWNER OF "BISTRO SPARK"
I run an Italian bistro called Bistro Spark in Apgujeong.
That's where my title "Chef Spark" comes from.
Fabri and I worked together in Italy.
I was his sous-chef for a year.
I look up to him a lot.
He's good with Italian cuisine, especially pasta,
-because I was the one who taught him. -You did.
My dish for today is fresh pasta with seafood.
I make the pasta myself.
He's so awesome.
He's rolling the dough with a wine bottle!
That's awesome.
Look at his technique.
-That's a technique? -Yes.
-I see. -It goes like this.
He made seafood pasta in the exact same way
we used to make it in Al Porticciolo 84.
I was so proud of him.
-Finished, Shawn? -Yes, I am.
Chef.
Look, Chef. He's tasting the seafood pasta.
The dish I made today is seafood pasta.
I made fresh pasta myself using squid ink and used four kinds of seafood.
I used octopus, sweet shrimp,
short-neck clams, and Pacific herring.
-He made pasta with herring? -Yes.
How bold.
It has a lot of bones.
Yes, a lot of small ones.
It's not an easy ingredient to handle.
Instead of mixing it all together,
I recommend eating the pasta first and then each of the seafood.
I'll try this first.
Is he enjoying it?
Chef Spark…
Go, Shawn.
Shawn.
I'm deferring my decision.
CHEF SPARK DEFERRED
Deferred.
It's difficult to cook with a herring because it needs a lot of work.
You miss one bone and it pricks the inside of your mouth.
I had that one bone in my mouth.
I ate something else after but kept feeling that bone.
The pasta itself was excellent.
I thought to myself, "This is freaking amazing."
"It's an easy decision."
But I kept feeling bothered by the bone.
All right.
THE OTHER JUDGE TASTES THE DEFERRED DISHES TO REACH A FINAL DECISION
It does prick.
-Are there some bones? -You know…
You're very bold.
The herring is quite delicious, but it hasn't been deboned properly.
It would've been better without the herring.
-Yes, I agree. -Of course.
As more and more people advanced, my chance of survival was getting lower.
That made me nervous.
IF THERE AREN'T ENOUGH SURVIVORS BY THE TIME ALL DISHES HAVE BEEN TASTED,"
SURVIVORS WILL BE CHOSEN FROM THE DEFERRED CONTESTANTS
Who's the one person you think will survive?
-Seung-woo's Dad. -Right.
SEUNG-WOO'S DAD COOKING YOUTUBER WITH 1.4M SUBSCRIBERS
The famous YouTuber, Seung-woo's Dad.
Seung-woo's Dad.
He's a very famous YouTuber, and from what I know,
he had a long culinary career.
He makes a lot of videos detailed enough
that they're even helpful for professional chefs.
He's famous in the industry,
so I wondered why he was with the Black Spoons.
My vote is on that good-looking man.
-That good-looking young man over there? -Yes.
CHEF OF ALL TRADES
Chef of All Trades.
There's Austin Kang.
He's already famous, isn't he?
He's good at cooking a variety of foods
and even runs his own restaurant.
I don't know why he's a Black Spoon.
"Chef of All Trades."
-So you cook, and do something else? -Sometimes.
-I used to do a bit of modeling. -I see.
But you're focusing on cooking now.
Yes, that's my passion. That's what I want to do.
You're trying to let everyone know
-that you're serious about this, right? -That's right.
So his main job is a chef.
I guess that could get clouded because he's on TV a lot.
I want to show who I am and what I love, which is cooking.
That's all that matters.
You can do it.
Thank you.
How's the salad? How's Seung-woo's Dad doing?
He's trying very hard.
What are you making there?
The ingredient I'm using today
is totally out of season.
It's January right now, so it was tough to get this.
-Wait, is that a watermelon? -What is it?
It doesn't taste the best.
I'm making a winter watermelon salad.
-You're using watermelons? -Yes, sir.
-In this winter? -Yes, sir.
-It's a bit risky. -It is.
-You know that it's risky? -Yes, sir.
Why did he choose to use a watermelon?
Call me a weirdo if you want.
I really enjoy eating watermelon salads.
Because the first mission was making a signature dish,
I had to make mine.
I wanted to make one in my style.
-What's he going to make? -Californian galbi.
-Californian galbi? -Yes.
Yes, it smells like…
This is a dish to show myself
since I was born and raised in LA, California.
My mixed-up soul food? I don't know.
I braise the short rib in a Mexican-style sauce
for around 50 minutes.
Then I prepare a gochujang aioli.
AIOLI: A SAUCE MADE WITH GARLIC, OLIVE OIL, AND EGG YOLK
And also a pesto made with perilla leaves.
Then I braise the meat in port wine sauce…
PORT WINE: PORTUGUESE FORTIFIED WINE
…and make salsa fresca as the topping.
A little bit of Mexican,
Korean, and European.
A little bit of everything mixed up.
It's just…
Me. I guess this dish is me.
That's what
this dish means to me.
I'd like to know what you think.
Chef Anh is also from California,
so I wondered if he'd like it.
Mexican, Korean, and American.
They're all in here.
-Yes. -I can taste it.
You cooked it very nicely too.
It's a dish a lot of people would enjoy.
Chef Anh likes it, so he'll advance.
I'm curious about Seong-woo's Dad.
-I want to see Seung-woo's Dad. -Let's go.
I know I can cook the best when using what I like most,
which are chicken breast and watermelon.
So I made two dishes out of those.
On the left is a dish with chicken breast cooked sous vide,
and on the right is a watermelon dish.
I'm sure he had his doubts since watermelons are best in the summer.
That's when they're in season.
But I'm using one in January.
I wondered if he was confident or mistaken.
Most people would use ingredients that are in season.
But a watermelon?
It's risky to use a watermelon in the winter
since it's less sweet.
It's a dish a lot of people would enjoy.
But I think simply mixing up different ingredients
doesn't give a dish an identity.
-Okay. -That should happen naturally
if you've cooked for a while and if you're good at your job.
Both the Mexican and Korean influence should come naturally.
If you force yourself to do something,
some bullshit comes out, you know?
-Okay. -That's what happens.
Right now, it feels like you're forcing your concept,
and this is nothing but a mixture of flavors.
Chef of All Trades, you're eliminated.
-Thank you. -Thank you, sir.
He's not even deferred?
Cheer up.
I need to spend more time in my kitchen and try to find my identity.
It's not summer, so the watermelon isn't very sweet,
and it lacks aroma too.
How did you make this?
Winter watermelons can't be this sweet.
I made it sweet.
It's not that difficult.
If you mix in some vanilla extract and sugarcane syrup
and put it in a vacuum sealer,
that quickly seeps into the watermelon and it becomes sweet throughout.
Using this technique, you can make the watermelon juicy.
I make the dressing by mixing watermelon
with cilantro and cucumber.
I flash freeze that in liquid nitrogen
to make it harder into an ice cream-like texture.
I used an ingredient that's not in season
but made it so that it becomes one in season.
I didn't know winter watermelons could be this good.
This is really good.
Thank you, sir.
You've survived.
-Wow. -It's a success.
Great idea.
He has techniques, and his idea was also great.
But the flavor itself was what moved him up.
It's different from just sprinkling sugar.
Sugar doesn't make everything better.
SEUNG-WOO'S DAD SURVIVES
-That was tough. -Congratulations.
-Congratulations.
Congratulations!
I wanted Chef Anh to be my judge.
It was Chef Anh or no one.
NAPOLI MATFIA CHEF-OWNER OF "VIA TOLEDO PASTA BAR"
I have experience working in Michelin-star restaurants,
and what I do now is also in the style of fine dining,
which is why I wanted Chef Anh to be my judge.
I kept thinking that one of those seats was bound to be mine.
Fresh pasta has always been my specialty.
This isn't your ordinary pasta.
It's my personal creation.
It's a dumpling-like pasta.
I'm making pasta that I invented which tells the story of Naples.
Is he making fresh pasta?
Wow.
That's awesome.
I'm really looking forward to it.
I think he's making Italian food the authentic way.
Oh really?
It looks like it'll have a deep flavor.
He's even making the broth from scratch.
I can tell it's going to be good.
I think I'm in my prime right now.
I'm the flavor genius from Naples.
NAPOLI MATFIA
Hello, sir.
That plating.
Mamma mia!
There's a lot here.
Think of this as a dish with both the glamorous side
and the rough side of Naples in one plate.
The glamorous side is full of color,
like the different-colored potato purée, and various Mediterranean seafood.
Then I reinterpreted the rough times that Naples had
by making pasta in the shape of black trash bags.
It's a dish that represents the many sides of Naples.
FRESH PASTA REPRESENTING NAPLES WITH POTATO PURÉE
Tell me two things I should eat and I'll have them with the sauce.
-First, the red shrimp with the bisque. -All right.
-And this is a pasta dish, so… -Right.
I was confident with my dish.
I knew he'd recognize the story captured in the dish
and my ideas as a chef.
I know it's difficult
-to try to take on a dish like this. -Right.
I tasted each of the sauces just now,
and they're all seasoned perfectly.
But one thing that's not entirely perfect
is the usage of an ingredient.
There's one that doesn't quite fit in.
It's the flavorless flowers.
I don't know why you chose to put flowers
on top of such gorgeous pasta with elegant ingredients.
But I don't think you should get eliminated for that.
The flavors are there,
but there's also an unnecessary ingredient.
Napoli Matfia…
I'm deferring my decision.
NAPOLI MATFIA DEFERRED
After receiving that comment,
I looked up all the menus from Chef Anh's restaurant
to see if any of them had flowers.
Turns out, none of them did.
Now I know I shouldn't have used flowers.
I hate putting useless stuff on dishes just to make them look prettier.
Many chefs might disagree with me, but that's just my opinion.
What he did was add something that had no flavor and use.
It was purely for the sake of adding something extra.
But still, it was delicious.
I could tell he was very talented.
He had the basics, so I wanted to give him another chance
by getting the other judge's opinion.
-Bet you've never seen this before. -I haven't.
-In Naples-- -Looks like art.
-These are black trash bags. -Trash bags?
They represent the rough times that Naples has been through,
and I wanted to incorporate that into my dish.
This is the trash bag, right?
It was delicious.
It was the best pasta I had in a while.
And the dish looked prettier because it tasted good.
I'm assuming he designed his dish so glamorously and colorfully
because he was already confident about his cooking.
I think Mr. Paik would enjoy the dish more,
so I have high hopes.
I'm Yakitori King.
YAKITORI KING CHEF-OWNER OF "YAKITORI MOOK"
I made yakitori with Korean chicken.
KOREAN CHICKEN YAKITORI USING VARIOUS CUTS
I knew the flavors wouldn't lie.
You cooked it well.
I have to move you up.
Thank you, sir.
Savory pasta, I see.
The Boy Who Returned, I'm deferring my decision.
THE BOY WHO RETURNED DEFERRED
I made ratatouille with a sauce that's slightly charred.
RATATOUILLE
It's too greasy.
I'm sorry, but you're eliminated.
Happy Birthday, you're eliminated.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELIMINATED
It turned into a funeral.
I'm deferring my decision.
You're eliminated.
Chef Anh is making a lot of enemies.
Seasoning is important when it comes to making pasta…
KITCHEN BOSS CHEF-OWNER OF "NAWOO"
…and I think I did well.
BRAISED OCTOPUS AND LEMON CHEESE PASTA
I don't say this often for dishes like these,
but you put in great homemade flavors.
-Thank you. -You've survived.
KITCHEN BOSS SURVIVES
Thank you.
The Black Spoon Elimination Round is now complete.
There are only four seats left.
Only four.
4 SURVIVOR SEATS REMAIN
What happens to the deferred ones?
You'd think it's easy to judge dishes on the spot, but it's not.
Picking out 20 people out of 80 is extremely difficult.
Thinking about dishes I'd like to eat again
is the fairest way to decide.
Now, it's time to announce the additional survivors.
The first chef out of the four to survive is…
Napoli Matfia.
Congratulations.
I figured they'd call my name.
I saw it coming.
The second additional survivor is
Cooking Maniac.
I f****** made it.
Chef Spark.
I was ecstatic.
Do I not look like it?
I don't know why.
But I really was happy.
The final additional survivor is…
Master of School Meals.
-Congratulations. -Congratulations.
I made it in, but I'm not sure if I'd do well.
I'll try to boost my confidence.
The 20 finalists have been selected
from the Black Spoon Elimination Round.
I just want to go against the White Spoons now.
I don't care if I win or lose. I'll fight tooth and nail.
This is the underdogs' revolution.
THE 20 BLACK SPOON SURVIVORS OF ROUND 1: BLACK SPOON ELIMINATION ROUND
If anyone wants to challenge me, bring it on.
I know I can beat anyone.
THE 20 WHITE SPOONS
-What? -What's this?
What is this?
What is it?
What's going on?
What?
-What is this place? -This is like Squid Game.
Are those refrigerators?
-Fridges? -That's a twist.
Why are there refrigerators here?
This is mental.
-Wow, this is insane. -It really is.
What's inside them?
Ingredients?
This must be our next mission.
-Inside them? -I think our next mission will be inside.
There's something inside those fridges.
GENIUS RESTAURATEUR
Congratulations to the 20 Black Spoons
who made it through the Black Spoon Elimination Round.
Starting this round,
it's Black Spoon versus White Spoon and White Spoon versus Black Spoon.
You will now begin the culinary class wars.
-Class wars? -Culinary classes.
Before we officially begin,
here is the number of survivors for this round.
The number of survivors for this round is…
twenty.
More eliminations.
-That's half of us. -Right.
This round
is a one-on-one Black Spoon versus White Spoon Face-off.
Let's do this!
I saw this coming.
It was bound to happen.
-That's crazy. -It's a death match.
It came earlier than I expected.
KITCHEN BOSS
I feel like I can beat anyone now that I've made it…
CELEBRITIES' CHEF
…into the 20 out of the 80.
I think the Black Spoons who made it through the elimination round…
NAPOLI MATFIA
…have an advantage.
AHN YOU-SEONG
They were looking at us like,
"We're going to get you, White Spoons."
It felt vicious.
The theme
of the Black Spoon versus White Spoon Face-off
is inside the 20 refrigerators
in front of you.
Is it random?
There are 20 different main ingredients in each of the refrigerators.
Twenty ingredients.
The chefs competing against each other,
one Black Spoon and one White Spoon,
will choose one refrigerator.
The two chefs will use the main ingredient inside the refrigerator
to cook their best dishes and win against their opponents.
So we cook with the same ingredient.
It's an "I die, and you die" situation.
-No, it's "I live, and you die." -Right.
-This is the real game. -It is.
-This is where your true skills shine. -Right.
It is now time
to begin the matchups.
How will it go?
I'm nervous.
This is like ciphers in hip-hop.
I really don't want to get picked.
They're pent-up and ready to fight us.
First,
Team White Spoon's…
Choi Hyun-seok.
Of course.
If any Black Spoons…
CHOI HYUN-SEOK EXECUTIVE CHEF OF "CHOI."
…wish to challenge Team White Spoon's Choi Hyun-seok,
please step forward.
They're literally picking someone to fight.
So this is how it is?
They're all chickening out.
-They look scared. -They've chickened out.
I really wanted to avoid him.
I didn't want to challenge him in the first round
since he'd be so determined to fight.
-No one's going to… -I'll step forward.
This is a great two-shot.
They're both so tall.
I'm not stepping up there.
THE BLACK SPOON ELIMINATION ROUND
I've always thought it's difficult to cook duck that way.
He cooked the duck very well.
You've improved a lot.
You've survived.
Thank you.
He scraped off all the sauce.
You're the first from fine dining.
His dish surprised me.
It was impressive.
ONE TWO THREE HEAD CHEF OF "BORNYON"
-I'm not stepping up there. -No.
I wanted to challenge him from the moment he made his appearance.
I know I'll go against him at some point of this competition.
-"At some point." -So why not do it today?
I hope this will be a fun match.
They're both adept at fine dining.
It'll be fun to watch.
CHOI HYUN-SEOK VS ONE TWO THREE
The two chefs who have completed their matchup,
please select a refrigerator of your choice out of the 20.
Is it random?
It must be.
The ingredient for each matchup is different.
-You should choose. -Please.
Go ahead.
Let's go!
Which one should I choose?
I'll go with this one.
I wonder what's inside.
The main ingredient will now be revealed.
Jang.
Your main ingredient is the jang trio, the Korean condiments.
Gochujang, doenjang, and ganjang.
They'll have to bring out the flavors of all three.
Of course, because it's a trio.
That's difficult.
Team White Spoon's Lu Chinglai,
please step forward.
This is it.
This will be a tough matchup.
LU CHINGLAI CHEF-OWNER OF "HONG BO GAK"
Chef Lu.
He should be a judge.
He's the best of the best.
To my knowledge,
he's more famous for his culinary skills in China and Taiwan than in Korea.
He's one of the grand masters of Chinese cuisine.
He was my professor.
He taught a Chinese cuisine class when I was a freshman in college.
I think Chef Lu will win this competition.
If any Black Spoons wish to challenge Team White Spoon's Lu Chinglai,
please step forward.
There's a whole group!
They all cook Chinese cuisine, right?
This is fierce. He's a popular one.
SELF-MADE CHEF CHEF-OWNER OF "DORYANG"
GOD OF SEASONING CHEF-OWNER OF "EDAMAME"
COMIC BOOK CHEF CHEF-OWNER OF "CHO KWANG 201, 101"
Comic Book Chef.
-This is driving me nuts. -Stop that.
Beating him is like beating his 50-year career.
Please choose the Black Spoon you wish to match up with.
IF MULTIPLE BLACK SPOONS STEP FORWARD, THE WHITE SPOON CHOOSES THE OPPONENT
I don't know.
I'd prefer it if someone was picked for me.
This is hard.
I'll choose Self-Made Chef because
-I also used to deliver food like he did. -Thank you!
Apologies to the others.
Awesome!
Team White Spoon's Lu Chinglai and Team Black Spoon's Self-Made Chef,
you've been matched for the Black Spoon versus White Spoon Face-off.
Any Black Spoons who weren't chosen
will get the chance to step forward again.
Team White Spoon's Jung Ji-sun,
-please step forward. -It's clear who she'll compete with.
-Let's go! -Isn't the matchup already done?
What? No.
A lot of people want to see me challenge her.
If any Black Spoons wish to challenge Team White Spoon's Jung Ji-sun,
please step forward.
This is the matchup of the century.
GODDESS OF CHINESE CUISINE LU CHINGLAI'S APPRENTICE
She stepped forward as everyone expected.
I was a little disappointed.
I wanted to show her what I've got.
Choi Kang-rok,
please step forward.
Team Black Spoon's Seung-woo's Dad
has been matched for the Black Spoon versus White Spoon Face-off.
That's a tough matchup.
If any Black Spoons wish to challenge Team White Spoon's Park Joon-woo,
-Three people? -please step forward.
Goodness.
Come here.
If any Black Spoons wish to challenge Team White Spoon's Fabri,
please step forward.
As I'm sure all the chefs know,
Naples makes the best Italian cuisine.
This is very much like hip-hop.
Genius Restaurateur.
This will be a fun match.
Modern Korean cuisine versus traditional Korean cuisine.
Please open the refrigerator.
Your main ingredient is conger eel.
Pig trotters.
Beef intestines.
Live octopus.
Yes!
Your main ingredient is
*****.
That's the worst.
The matchups for the one-on-one
Black Spoon versus White Spoon Face-off have been completed.
Black Spoon versus White Spoon.
White Spoon versus Black Spoon.
Welcome to the kitchen where your first class battle will begin.
We will now begin the one-on-one Black Spoon versus White Spoon Face-off.
Before we begin,
this round will be judged differently.
In this round, the judges
will do a blind taste test of your dishes.
That's crazy.
The judges will not be observing
how you cook the dishes.
Neither will they see
your completed dishes.
What?
They're not seeing the dishes at all?
The judges will be blindfolded
and judge your dishes purely based on the taste.
Shit.
Are they serious?
I was caught off guard.
I want them to know how I cooked the dish and the way to eat it.
I realized I might have to change my strategy quite a bit.
In other words, only the chefs
who impress the judges with solely the flavor of their dish
will survive.
This eliminates any prejudices.
In terms of fairness,
this would be the true match between the White Spoons
and the Black Spoons.
I have no idea or explanation of what I'm eating.
Nothing's fairer than that.
This round will be the most important round yet.
1:1 BLACK SPOON VERSUS WHITE SPOON FACE-OFF
It's the first time I'm seeing the White Spoons cook.
It's not easy to beat years of experience.
The Black Spoons must be very nervous right now.
The one-on-one Black Spoon versus White Spoon Face-off
begins now.
Let's go!
Good luck!
Let's go!
-Go! -Let's go!
Let's go!
Let's go, Edward! Crush it!
-Good luck, White Spoons! -Go White Spoons!
Chef Edward Lee is pretty cool.
He has a natural-born coolness.
EDWARD LEE
I've admired him for a long time.
I have been a chef for 27 years in the United States.
He's very famous in the US.
I didn't expect him to be here.
Shouldn't he be a judge?
I have competed and won on Iron Chef.
I've been on Top Chef.
I have won the James Beard Award for my books.
It was an honor for me to be asked to cook at the White House State Dinner
for the President of the US and the President of South Korea.
I would not come all the way from the US
if I did not believe I could win.
His aura is something else.
He's super talented.
He's an amazing chef.
If any Black Spoons wish to challenge Team White Spoon's Edward Lee,
please step forward.
Look at that!
-I knew he'd step forward. -Yeah.
-This just looks right. -Right, American ties.
…please step forward.
There.
Look at that!
Edward Lee and David Lee, let's go!
-He's Meat Master, right? -Yes, that's him.
MEAT MASTER CHEF-OWNER OF "GUUNMONG"
I really wanted to go against him but also wanted to avoid him.
That was how I felt about Edward Lee.
I've always admired him,
so I was shocked to see him here.
Amazing.
I was so shocked when Edward Lee came out.
This is legendary stuff.
Back at the table, he said he wanted this matchup
even if he lost.
His wish came true then.
Chef Edward was also paying attention to him making galbi-jjim earlier.
I can't believe they got matched up.
And so I actually watched him for a while because
the way he made galbi-jjim was very creative and very different.
He has a lot of experience cooking in the US,
so I think his skills match very well with mine.
-Please head to the refrigerators -Chef, please.
and select one of your choice.
Black side or white side?
-Right side. -Right side?
Yeah.
What will it be?
Your main ingredient is…
mukeunji.
MUKEUNJI, AGED KIMCHI
…mukeunji.
Oh my god.
-That's crazy. -What? Mukeunji?
-How'd they get mukeunji? -It could've been better.
That's a very Korean ingredient.
It was a shock.
Living in America, I've only tasted mukeunji
maybe once or twice in my whole life.
We got mukeunji, aged kimchi.
Kimchi-based food is all so typical.
Kimchi soup, kimchi stew, kimchi fried rice.
We already know all of them.
The key here is the way we use kimchi.
How come I'm not seeing any meat at Meat Master's station?
-Did he not find any? -You're right.
-There's no meat. -He doesn't have any meat at all.
Mukeunji goes well with meat though.
My nickname is Meat Master,
so people assume I'd always use meat.
But I'm doing something unexpected.
What's that tangy smell?
-Is that skate? -Skate?
Why would he voluntarily use that?
I was thinking about dishes where kimchi plays an important role
but doesn't stand out far too much.
That's when I thought of samhap.
Samhap has three main components,
and kimchi is an essential one.
My dish is a samhap made of skate, mukeunji, and bacon.
I'm using a fresh skate instead of a fermented one.
It's not easy to peel off the skin.
And I'm using bacon instead of boiled pork.
And finally, stir-fried mukeunji instead of fresh.
-I think that's stir-fried kimchi. -Yes.
-That looks good. -It's American-style.
-American fusion style. -Exactly.
I fillet the skate's fins and put fried bacon and kimchi inside,
then roll it all up.
It's going to be a surprising dish.
I think he's going to roll it up and then cook it.
I live close to Incheon Airport,
so I can drop Chef Edward off.
What's Chef Edward doing right now?
Are those persimmons?
-Yes, they are. -Right, hard persimmons.
I can't imagine what he'd make with persimmons and mukeunji.
Western cuisine uses all kinds of fruits for desserts,
so I get using persimmons.
But with mukeunji? That's new.
So my dish is mukeunji salad with pork neck.
The hardest thing about this dish is, salad is very simple.
I have Korean pear that I'm going to slice.
I have radish sprouts and some arugula.
No words.
So I want to make a salad
but also make it very complex.
He's juicing it.
He's extracting the juice.
He keeps juicing the mukeunji.
Endless juicing.
I wonder what he's going to make.
To me, the mukeunji juice is like liquid gold.
It's so good.
So I reduced it and made a sauce with it.
And so that became the base for my dish.
He boiled the kimchi juice.
-He did? -I saw him juicing his kimchi earlier.
I'll make a salad using persimmon,
Korean pear, pine nut, and arugula.
Even though it looks like a very simple salad,
there's many layers and flavors to it.
So that to me is… Building that flavor.
It's very difficult to do.
Kimchi dishes tend to be very typical,
so I'm curious to see how theirs will turn out.
Me too.
That smells amazing.
And then I'll add just a little bit of mukeunji juice just at the end.
Be careful, Chef Edward!
Mine will be unpredictable.
Meat Master looks like he's nearly done.
Who's finished?
With five minutes to spare.
I'm also very curious about Chef Edward's dish.
I don't worry about competitors.
My competitor, really, is myself.
I'm only competing against my own abilities.
Did they take 70 minutes?
I wonder who'll make it through between Meat Master and Chef Edward.
The battle of mukeunji.
Please proceed to the blind taste testing table.
-Let's go! -Go!
Are they tasting the food in there?
-This part is the most nerve-racking. -I know.
So they're going to be blindfolded?
That's pretty unexpected.
No cooking show has ever done that before.
The battle of mukeunji.
Please enter.
I've never been in this situation before.
It's very, very scary to me. I don't know why.
I don't know why, my heart started beating.
I could tell they were trying to be as fair as possible.
This is the battle of mukeunji.
It's all down to which contestants ended up with it.
Now, please taste the first dish.
My dish is a pan-fried skate roll made with fresh skate
dipped briefly in pastrami seasoning,
with bacon and stir-fried mukeunji inside.
SKATE-BACON-MUKEUNJI SAMHAP
Looks delicious.
I think he made fish, which I thought was kind of weird
since his name is Meat Master.
I expected him to come up with some really intense meat dish.
I'm good with ingredients other than meat too.
I'm tasting the dish without even fully knowing what it's made of.
And that made us equally nervous.
I was hoping to pull it off
by focusing all my senses.
The first thing I noticed was the smell.
It does smell like mukeunji.
It's right in front of you.
-Should I open up? -Yes, please.
I focused on the three things which were its smell,
taste, and texture once it was inside my mouth.
I will have to base my judgment solely on the taste of the dish.
Maybe it's because it's mukeunji,
but I feel like I just had a nice spoonful of Korean food.
It feels like dinnertime, like we're not judging here.
That smokiness and the mukeunji
go really well together.
Next, please taste the second dish.
I wanted to focus on mukeunji.
And I wanted to make sure that every bite of food screams mukeunji.
MUKEUNJI PORK NECK SALAD
-Are you ready? -Yes.
It was like a simple salad.
It looked so simple
that I knew it had to have a secret weapon inside.
They used some sort of fruit
to make this sweet.
It has this subtle scent that I can't quite make out.
But that fruit is what's giving me the kick here.
That sweetness.
Yeah, I was very happy to hear that
because that was also my intention.
The voting will now begin.
Please select the dish
that is more delicious and better utilized the main ingredient.
The voting is complete.
The result is two to zero.
Judges, please remove your blindfolds.
I'm dying to find out.
That's a shock.
Chef Edward Lee, aren't you from America?
So…
I live in America
and work as a chef there.
But in my heart,
I'm Korean.
So I want to show people
my unique take on Korean cuisine.
When I tasted this,
I never imagined it'd be your dish.
I'm shocked at the way
you used the mukeunji.
It's very unexpected.
Did you put… Is there fruit in there?
-Yeah, persimmon. -Persimmon, okay.
I love the sweetness from it, and I think that's
one of the components that kind of binds together.
Meat Master.
-This is an unfamiliar dish, -Right.
but it didn't feel unfamiliar.
I think it's because you stir-fried the mukeunji
that it felt like taking a spoonful of a nice meal.
That's right.
I was shocked.
-All right. -Thank you.
It's time to announce the results of the mukeunji battle.
The survivor of this one-on-one face-off is…
Team White Spoon's Edward Lee.
-Oh, it's me? Thank you. -Congratulations.
You won.
-Thank you. -Congrats, Chef.
…Team White Spoon's Edward Lee.
WHITE SPOON: 1, BLACK SPOON: 0
I knew it.
-Thank goodness. -Edward!
How could it be unanimous?
-Thank you. -Congrats, Chef.
Your dish was good, Meat Master.
But you had too strong of an opponent.
What a shame. It was delicious.
-That was really delicious. -It was.
"Delicious" doesn't even begin to describe it.
I guess non-Koreans could think of salads when they see mukeunji,
and that's why he made it so tangy and refreshing,
whereas Koreans tend to think of this as a side dish.
And we typically think everything in a salad should be cold,
but this cold salad went very well with the warm meat.
I would've liked another bite.
This was a fantastic dish.
Hey.
Connect with me on Instagram or something.
-Okay, I will. -Okay?
-Okay, see you. -Thank you very much, Chef.
Of course I was disappointed.
But it's not like I made mistakes.
I guess my only mistake was picking an opponent that was too strong.
When I come to Korea, I want to show everybody here
how much I love Korean food,
even though I live in America.
So it makes me very happy.
I'm very happy.
-It must be nerve-racking to wait in line. -There's a whole lineup.
So they cook and they taste, cook and taste, and repeat that?
EACH BATTLE IS HELD WITH A 10-MINUTE BREAK IN BETWEEN
I'm going over as soon as Goddess of Chinese Cuisine starts.
-I'm going to watch too. -It's a big match.
It's a must-watch.
Everyone will be there.
-We need to get good seats. -This one's just…
JUNG JI-SUN
This is a once-in-a-lifetime match.
GODDESS OF CHINESE CUISINE
Two ladies fighting over Chinese cuisine.
I've never seen ladies do this before.
You've never seen it?
No, never.
FACE-OFF MATCHUPS
This is the matchup of the century.
It'll be fierce.
The queen of dim sum.
It's a match for the throne.
Who's going to win?
JUNG JI-SUN VS GODDESS OF CHINESE CUISINE
I think everyone's stepping back for this matchup.
Right, to see their battle.
I was most curious about the battle between the queen
and the goddess of Chinese cuisine.
Who's going to take the throne?
The main ingredient will now be revealed.
Please open the refrigerator.
-What's this? Siraegi? -Dried radish greens.
SIRAEGI, DRIED RADISH GREENS
I'm confident.
I thought of a dish as soon as I saw the ingredient.
Since I've decided on a dish, I just need to refine the recipe
to increase my chances of winning.
I knew I could do well.
I'm not as nervous as I thought I'd be.
I just have to do what I always do.
They'd think it's a battle between two female Chinese cuisine chefs.
But it's too predictable.
Where's the fun in all this when I'm obviously going to win?
I'm only here to win.
Ji-sun's going to be the number one in Korea soon.
She's that good?
She's obviously the best.
Ji-sun used to be unbeatable,
but she's catching up.
The battle of siraegi. Please begin cooking.
Big match!
Good luck!
Once we started, I noticed she had a big fish.
So I thought, "What is she cooking?"
Cutting fish with a Chinese cleaver is so sexy.
That's so cool.
-Is she cutting fish? -Yes.
That's incredible.
How is she cutting it with such a rectangular knife?
I'm making siraegi sea bream stew.
I'm making a deep broth by boiling the fish bones.
This dish focuses on utilizing the bones more so than the fillet.
I'll fry the bones and the head, then use them to make the broth.
The richness made by combining the siraegi and the fish broth
will taste great.
That looks awesome.
What's she doing?
Is that sugar art?
What is that?
-What a performance. -Wow, that's amazing.
That's Jung Ji-sun, all right!
-That's insane. -That's Chinese cuisine.
What is she doing that for?
What is that?
Seriously.
What is she doing?
She's making basi.
That's awesome.
She's making threads of sugar.
I think presentation is just as important.
I'm going to show everyone, once and for all,
what Chinese cuisine is.
-I've never seen such a thing before. -Right.
-Me neither. -Right?
The dish I'm making
is deep-fried siraegi basi in black vinegar.
When we say basi, people usually think of sugar-glazed sweet potatoes,
but it actually means "to make threads."
So I'm going to do some sugar art
to make basi and put that on top.
The key is how much that will affect the flavor.
I personally think
the fish stew will have a more impactful flavor than this one.
Basi?
Basi with siraegi? I don't know.
I wasn't sure if it'd taste good,
so I wasn't too worried.
I knew I had chosen a dish that was perfect for the main ingredient,
so I was sure I had the upper hand.
I came very much prepared and practiced a lot too.
If I just did as I practiced,
I was sure I would win.
That one over there looks better.
She's cooking, frying, steaming, and doing everything with the sea bream.
It just looks like it'll have more flavor.
It's a battle between a senior and a junior.
She's very talented, but the tasting is going to be a disadvantage for her.
Since the judges won't be seeing the process,
her competitive edge has gone down the drain.
It's all down to how she'll use the siraegi.
I gave it a lot of thought.
The siraegi was rather tough,
so I tried many different ways to make it softer.
It gets softer if you boil it with baking powder.
So I will boil it as such for about five minutes,
take it out, and mince it.
Then I'll cube some Iberico pork ribs,
dip that in the batter, wrap siraegi around it, and deep fry it.
Nineteen minutes?
They look like meatballs.
How did she make siraegi so round?
Did she make a batter out of it?
That's how I make it into hard balls.
Then I make black vinegar sauce and simmer them in it…
to further cook them.
Man, this is a toss-up.
With that kind of basi…
-I can't wait. -I don't know how this will go.
It's neck and neck.
It's a tough call.
The first bite will be the most important.
That looks so delicious.
I still have a lot of time,
but I'm finished.
They both look confident.
Chinese cuisine chefs are something else.
-Chef Jung must feel nervous. -You think so?
Is it the queen of Chinese cuisine against the goddess?
-Yes. -The queen against the goddess.
Please proceed to the blind taste testing table.
Good luck!
Let's go! Good luck!
Go, White Spoon!
How will it go?
The battle of siraegi.
Please enter.
It was really funny.
I know it wasn't easy for them,
but when I saw them like that, it kind of eased my mind.
The only thing I could read were their lips,
and that made me feel more relaxed.
The one-on-one face-off.
This is the battle of siraegi.
Please taste the first dish.
DEEP-FRIED SIRAEGI BASI IN BLACK VINEGAR
With basi,
you usually coat the food with sugar
so when you eat it, you see the thread it makes.
But I didn't do that.
I deep-fried the siraegi itself,
then cooked it separately in black vinegar sauce and combined it.
THE DEEP-FRIED SIRAEGI IS INTENDED TO BE EATEN LIKE THE BASI
Knowing that the judges would be blind taste-testing our dishes,
I liked my odds.
Why does it smell like tanghulu?
-Is it right in front of me? -Yes, it is.
Open wide, please.
What is this?
Open wide.
What's this?
What?
It's basi.
Yes, like mattang.
Oh wow.
I didn't expect this at all.
-This is very surprising. -It is.
I knew I succeeded when they knew it was basi right away.
It worked.
Must be a Chinese cuisine chef.
This basi is good.
How did they time this so perfectly?
People who like basi know
that even if you're a little late, the sugar hardens,
making it hard to separate them.
This isn't easy to do.
This chef has talent.
The techniques are there, for sure.
And cooking the siraegi in this way
gives it a nice aroma.
-Right. -Yes.
It has a rich flavor too.
Next, please taste the second dish.
SIRAEGI SEA BREAM STEW
My dish is inspired by Chinese cuisine.
I used savory siraegi and also some white kimchi
to give it a little acidity.
It's a wholesome fish siraegi stew
made from rich and savory broth with flavors not common in Korea.
It was a typical dish.
I knew mine would stand out more.
-Let me smell it first. -Sure.
It smells tangy.
Okay.
It's tangy.
And rich.
That's unexpected.
It tastes like they made kimchi stew
with washed-down kimchi.
It's like white kimchi stew.
The flavor's familiar.
Can I have some more?
Let me try the ingredients in the soup.
It tastes like white fish.
-I think it's white fish. -It's fish, isn't it?
That's what the broth is made of.
I couldn't work out their reactions to tasting her dish,
so I wasn't sure if they liked it or not.
This person must also be a Chinese cuisine chef.
What's this?
You know, the pickled…
-Suancai. -Yes, suancai. Pickled cabbages.
They make it with cabbage in Northeast China.
Making suancai with siraegi is a brilliant idea.
-This is tough. -Oh man.
They used the ingredients so well.
It's really tough.
They're both delicious.
The voting will now begin.
Please select the dish
that is more delicious and better utilized the main ingredient.
The first dish
versus the second.
Please make your choice.
The voting is complete.
The survivor of this one-on-one face-off is…
Subtitle translation by: Yenny Kang