The finals of ‘Black and White Chefs 2’ saw White Spoon Choi Kang-rok face off against Black Spoon “Cooking Monster” Lee Ha-sung, with the theme of preparing a dish for oneself. Lee Ha-sung, known for his expertise in exquisite cuisine, presented blood sausage soup, while Choi Kang-rok, nicknamed the ‘Stew Master,’ prepared sesame tofu by mixing kudzu starch with sesame paste and constantly stirring it. Both were seemingly simple dishes, prompting the other contestants to laughingly remark from the stands, as the value of blood sausage soup suddenly soared to 3 billion won (champion prize of 3 billion won; approximately 38.44 million Malaysian Ringgit). In the end, it was Choi Kang-rok who took home the victory—an unexpected result for everyone.
The final’s theme for ‘Black and White Chefs 2’ was to cook for oneself. “Cooking Monster” Lee Ha-sung served blood sausage soup, personally mixing pig's blood with glutinous rice and seasoned vegetables. He then steamed the mixture, shaped it into rounds, coated it with starch and pan-fried it. On the bed, he placed roasted pork large and small intestines and mixed with chive salad, serving the pork broth separately to present a blood sausage soup with a refined look that amazed all the contestants. Judges Ahn Seong-jae and Baek Jong-won also gave high praise.
The other contestant, ‘Stew Master’ Choi Kang-rok, made sesame tofu by blending kudzu starch with sesame paste, continually heating and stirring. This time, however, he didn’t make a stew. Instead, he incorporated all his favorite ingredients, such as sea urchin wrapped in pumpkin leaves, pea shoots, matsutake mushrooms, and more into a rich udon broth. Choi Kang-rok said that he was simply fortunate to have accidentally earned the title of ‘Stew Master,’ and actually wasn’t skilled at stewing, so he had to study hard. This time, cooking for himself, he didn’t want to make a stew dish again.
Ultimately, Choi Kang-rok clinched the championship. In the beginning, though, Lee Ha-sung was the crowd favorite, with almost all contestants predicting his victory. The surprising outcome stunned everyone, but some believed that Choi Kang-rok won because his heartfelt story was more moving and better fit the theme of “cooking for oneself.”
Source: NOWNEWS