NOVEL NEXT 72
15:00
A massive clock was displayed on the large electronic board. The MCs, guests, and remaining chefs were seated in a row on either side in front of it.
At the far end, two small kitchens were set up side by side.
“Alright! For our first battle~ We have An Derek, the Chinese cuisine chef. And facing him, the creative young blood! Chef Song Woo-yeon!”
I’m not a chef, I muttered quietly, but it didn’t seem to reach their ears.
Feeling An Derek glance at me from the side, I laughed awkwardly.
“Our guest, Hwang Wei-ssi, is watching with anticipation. Do you have any words for our two chefs?”
“Ah, yes. As I mentioned earlier, I’d prefer a dish that I can easily make for my Korean friends. Something with a Chinese feel but Korean-style. And if I could learn to make it, that’d be great.”
“I see~ Those were the words of our guest, Hwang Wei-ssi. First, it should be fusion cuisine. Second, it should be simple to prepare. He’s requested these two things.”
“In that case, Song Woo-yeon might have an advantage, don’t you think? After all, wouldn’t a Chinese chef’s dishes be more difficult to replicate?”
“That’s a fair point~”
The two MCs bantered back and forth.
An Derek didn’t seem interested in responding to their comments, so I decided to play along.
“Of course. Viewers, stay tuned. I’ll show you how to make a delicious dish easily and simply.”
As I grinned at the camera, the MCs responded approvingly.
“Ah~! Chef Song Woo-yeon is very confident!”
“This is exciting. I wonder what kind of dish she’ll present.”
“This isn’t easy, you know. We’re 100% real here! We can only cook with ingredients from the refrigerator~ Having to come up with a recipe on the spot is a huge pressure.”
“Since both are going first, I don’t think they realize yet how short 15 minutes really is. Well, shall we end the small talk here?”
Jang Seong-jun raised his hand, facing forward.
“Alright then~ Begin!”
Beep!
14:59
As Jang Seong-jun spoke, the time began to count down. An Derek darted to the refrigerator and started pulling out ingredients.
“Chef An is gathering ingredients first! Green onions, garlic, ginger, onions… Oh, what’s that sauce?!”
“It’s doubanjiang.”
Hwang Wei answered.
“It’s a Chinese sauce. It’s delicious.”
“Ah~ It seems he’s planning to use Chinese sauce. Oh, the last ingredient he grabbed is… tofu! It’s tofu!”
After gathering all the ingredients, An Derek announced:
“I’m going to make mapo tofu.”
“Mapo tofu is delicious~! It’s a good choice, as it’s a Chinese dish familiar to Koreans!”
“What do you think about mapo tofu, Hwang Wei?”
“It’s a good choice. Because if you don’t add Sichuan peppercorns, it’s fine. Koreans eat it well too.”
“Sichuan peppercorns? What are those?”
This time, the answer came from Chef Jang Ha-neul.
“It’s a spice often used in Chinese cuisine. It gives a numbing sensation, so it tends to be quite polarizing.”
“Ah, there’s such a spice?”
“Yes. Chef An is immediately turning on the heat and starting with scallion oil! Meanwhile, Chef Song Woo-yeon…?!”
“Ah, she’s taking her time~ She’s got the same green onions and onions, plus minced garlic, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper powder…. Wait, these are all Korean ingredients?! Isn’t she using anything like doubanjiang?”
“She coolly passed on the Chinese sauce section~!”
“Is this allowed? Even though it’s fusion cuisine, it should at least give the impression of Chinese food to the eater, right?”
“Chef Jang Ha-neul. What do you think?”
“It’s fine. You can create a Chinese cuisine feel with Korean ingredients too. What matters is how you cook it.”
“I see. It’s not over until it’s over. The cooking process is what’s important!”
“As you speak, Chef Song Woo-yeon is picking up another ingredient! What’s that? Am I seeing this right~?!”
I smiled slightly at the MCs’ exaggerated reactions. Yes, you should be surprised.
“Knife-cut noodles?! She’s picked up knife-cut noodles!”
“What’s this? I don’t understand at all~”
“And now instant ramen and cabbage too?!”
“What on earth are you trying to cook, Chef Song Woo-yeon!”
I waved my hand with a smile at that question.
“It wouldn’t be fun if I told you. Just wait a bit. It’ll be ready soon.”
The remaining time was 13:54.
This should be enough.
Now, the important thing is showmanship.
“Alright, the dish I’m going to make today is something you can easily replicate at home. You just need these ingredients.”
I started explaining while looking at the camera. While speaking, I didn’t forget to heat the frying pan and start with the scallion oil.
“Wait, Chef Song Woo-yeon. Are you suddenly starting a talk show?!”
“I’m using pork belly, but you can use any part. The hind leg is fine, or just ask for the cheapest pork cut at the butcher’s.”
As I explained, I finely chopped the pork and added it to the pan. The fragrant scallion oil rose, and I made sure to break up the pork so it wouldn’t clump.
“Ah, and it’s best to add gochujang. That’s what gives it the Korean taste. If you don’t have doenjang, you can use ttaejang, but the combination of gochujang and doenjang is better if possible.”
Once the meat was nicely browned, I added the rest of the ingredients in order. Brown sugar, dark soy sauce, doenjang, gochujang, and minced garlic.
“After stir-frying it well, add red pepper powder and water, then reduce it nicely~”
Simmer it to taste and adjust the seasoning, and the sauce is complete.
I placed a pot of water right next to it and brought it to a boil.
“When the water boils, add the knife-cut noodles.”
Bubble, bubble.
“Once they’re cooked, the dish is almost done. Easy and simple, right?”
I smiled brightly at the camera. It would take some time for the noodles to cook, so I had a moment to spare.
“Wow~ I was watching in a daze without realizing it! Chef Song Woo-yeon, how can you be so relaxed? Isn’t 15 minutes too long?”
“I wouldn’t say that, considering Chef An next to her seems to be struggling quite a bit~”
Glancing to the side, I could see An Derek moving busily without a moment to spare for comments.
“Chef An, is there a problem?!”
“…Well.”
An Derek started to say something but stopped and went back to chopping something. He clearly looked flustered.
Instead, I responded to the MC’s comment.
“It’s because of the weak heat.”
“The heat?”
“Chinese cuisine often requires high heat. Especially for mapo tofu, it’s important to cook it quickly over high heat rather than simmering it for a long time.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“Otherwise, the pork becomes tough, and the tofu releases water, diminishing the flavor.”
“Is that correct, Chef Jang Ha-neul?”
In response to the MC’s question, Jang Ha-neul smiled and answered.
“That’s exactly right. The kitchen here has weaker heat compared to other restaurant kitchens. It’s quite disadvantageous for Chinese cooking.”
“Ah~ I see. The heat becomes the Achilles’ heel here!”
Couldn’t he have anticipated even this much?
If I were a chef, I would have checked the stove as soon as I entered the kitchen.
“Only 5 minutes remain!”
“At this point, I’ll go to the kitchen for a field inspection!”
Jeong Young-do began striding towards the kitchen. Just then, the knife-cut noodles were fully cooked. I quickly drained them and rinsed them in cold water.
Then, I adjusted the temperature with hot water, took out another frying pan, and heated it with cooking oil.
As I started to stir-fry onions and green onions, Jeong Young-do approached and began asking various questions.
“I’ve been curious, what does this sauce taste like?”
“Why don’t you try it?”
“Well then, don’t mind if I do~”
Jeong Young-do took a small taste with a tasting spoon.
“Oh!”
“How does it taste?”
“It’s delicious! It has a hint of Chinese flavor, but it also tastes like, you know, that taste!”
“What taste?”
“You know, that one!”
As Jeong Young-do stomped his feet in frustration, I provided the answer from the side.
“It tastes like jeyuk-bokkeum, doesn’t it?”
“Ah! Jeyuk-bokkeum! That’s right, it tastes like jeyuk-bokkeum!”
“Wow, it can’t possibly taste bad, can it?”
Of course. Jeyuk-bokkeum is practically a cheat key.
“And yet, there’s a subtle Chinese style mixed in! I’m not sure about anything else, but it’s definitely delicious to my taste!”
“Ah, now I want to taste it too~”
“It’s ‘Junghwa-jeyuk-myeon’. The dish I’m making today.”
The atmosphere was good.
As favorable comments kept coming one after another, suddenly, there was a whooshing sound of something burning from the side.
Whoosh!
“Wow! A fire show!”
He had used alcohol to create a temporary flame show.
“Wow, amazing! I didn’t expect to see a fire show here!”
“That’ll definitely bring out the wok hei~”
It seemed to be meant as a counter-move. The MCs’ attention immediately shifted to that side.
That’s quite a cute trick. I didn’t feel particularly threatened, just thought he was trying hard.
I added the zucchini from the knife-cut noodle kit and the pre-sliced cabbage to the frying pan.
Then I poured the pre-made sauce over the pan and stir-fried it over medium-low heat.
I took out a new spoon to taste the sauce…
Jeong Young-do didn’t miss the chance to comment from the side.
“How is it? Is it the taste you were aiming for?”
“It’s delicious, but it’s missing a bit of umami.”
“Then~?!”
I quickly grabbed the instant ramen.
“It would be better if we had beef stock, but we’ll have to make do with this. It’s the magic powder, isn’t it?”
That’s right, ramen seasoning!
“Jeyuk-bokkeum with ramen seasoning!”
“I’m really looking forward to tasting this~!”
“Haha. I’m from the unorthodox school, so I have no qualms about using ramen seasoning.”
Using the fact that I’m not a formal chef to make a comment, the MCs burst into laughter.
“That’s right. You’re not exactly orthodox~!”
“So while the other chefs have history and tradition, Chef Song Woo-yeon is unorthodox? Hahaha!”
“I suppose that’s one way to put it.”
The remaining time was exactly 1 minute.
I plated the knife-cut noodles, tasted the sauce one last time, and poured it over the noodles.
Ding!
“Chef Song Woo-yeon finishes with 40 seconds to spare!”
Right after, a ding sound came from the side as well.
“Chef An also finishes with 35 seconds left!”
We completed the dishes almost simultaneously. On the plate An Derek quickly presented, there was a steaming, appetizing mapo tofu.
It smelled quite good.
“Wow, both dishes look so delicious.”
“But unfortunately, there can only be one winner!”
Everyone’s gaze turned to Hwang Wei.
“Hwang Wei-ssi will taste both dishes and choose the one he finds more delicious!”
Alright, it’s showtime.