Chapter 55
Edward Kang ignored Hong Man-gi's attempt to stop him and began acting on his own.
He added butter to the pan, then rosemary and thyme to release their aromas.
After that, he placed the fermented skate into the pan and began grilling it.
[Sizzle]
For a brief moment, the aroma of butter and herbs seemed to cover the ammonia smell.
But soon the two scents mixed together, creating an even stranger and more nauseating odor that spread throughout the studio.
"Cough! What the hell is that smell?!"
Chefs at the nearby stations covered their noses and frowned.
Edward Kang ignored them.
"What do you mean, what smell? It's the smell of something delicious."
He seemed completely convinced that his judgment was correct.
"Now, the final highlight!"
He poured white wine into the pan.
Then he lit it with a lighter.
Flambé.
A high-level French cooking technique where alcohol is burned away while adding aroma to the dish.
[WHOOSH!]
Blue flames suddenly rose beautifully over the pan.
A confident smile appeared on Edward Kang's face.
'See? My method was right. These flames will burn away every unpleasant smell and leave only perfect flavor.'
But his prediction was completely wrong.
The high alcohol content of the white wine combined with the oils released from the fermented skate.
The flames rose far higher than he had expected.
"Huh? Wait!"
Before Edward Kang could react, the fire spread across the cooking station.
Kitchen towels and nearby ingredients were immediately engulfed in flames.
"Danger!"
Hong Man-gi shouted and grabbed a fire extinguisher.
But it was already too late.
The fire detector installed in the ceiling activated.
A loud alarm rang out.
Then the sprinklers exploded into action.
[SHHHHHH!]
Cold water poured down like a waterfall and extinguished the flames.
At the same time, their entire cooking station became completely flooded.
The aged kimchi they had already stir-fried and the seasoned pork were ruined.
The flour batter disappeared without a trace.
Less than half of the time limit remained.
Their key ingredients were ruined.
Their cooking station looked like a disaster zone.
It was the worst possible situation.
The assistant directors were about to intervene when Producer Gu stopped them.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"Nobody move! This is the highlight. Do you people seriously have no sense for television?"
"...."
Edward Kang stood there completely drenched.
His face showed pure despair.
His arrogance and poor judgment had ruined everything.
Everyone in the studio watched with a mixture of shock and pity.
'It's over.'
'That's unfortunate.'
'Edward Kang got too greedy. Maybe they would've had a chance if he'd just left it to Hong Man-gi's team.'
'What was Hong Man-gi trying to make anyway?'
Just as everyone thought the round was over for them,
the soaked Hong Man-gi silently began moving.
Calmly, he checked the ingredients that had barely survived the fire and sprinklers.
Fortunately, some of the fermented skate that had remained soaked in makgeolli survived.
There was also a little pork in the corner of the station.
Some potatoes, flour, and aged kimchi had also escaped the water.
'This should be enough.'
Hong Man-gi's eyes began shining again.
"Yu-han!"
"What? Yes, Hunter Hong Man-gi!"
Lee Yu-han, who looked like a drowned rat, snapped back to his senses.
"It isn't over yet. You haven't given up, right?"
"Huh? Of course not. If you say we can still do it...."
Hong Man-gi chuckled.
"For some reason, I think this just became more interesting."
At that moment, an idea struck Hong Man-gi like lightning.
Before entering this competition, Poming had constantly emphasized ideas for fusion dishes.
And through serving food to wounded spirits, Hong Man-gi had discovered the true essence of Full Moon Restaurant.
'Harmony and comfort.'
Bringing things that should never fit together into one dish and creating something new.
Wrapping unfamiliar things inside familiar forms and using them to offer comfort.
That was Hong Man-gi's cooking.
That was his style.
Looking at the remaining ingredients, Hong Man-gi decided to create something entirely new on the spot.
"Yu-han!"
"Y, yes, Hunter Hong Man-gi!"
Lee Yu-han, still soaked and dazed, snapped back to attention once more.
"It isn't over, so listen carefully to everything I tell you from now on."
Hong Man-gi's voice carried unwavering determination.
"Wash the potatoes and steam them immediately. Leave the skins on. Make them as soft as possible. Then finely chop the remaining pork and aged kimchi. I'll handle the fermented skate."
After giving Lee Yu-han clear instructions, Hong Man-gi drained the skate that had been soaked in makgeolli and began chopping it finely.
Even under these terrible conditions, his movements were remarkably calm and fast.
"Hunter Hong Man-gi? What are you planning to make with all this?"
Lee Yu-han asked with a trembling voice.
"We're going to create a completely new fermented skate dish that nobody has imagined before."
A completed image had already formed inside Hong Man-gi's mind.
"Fermented Skate Samhap Croquettes with Aged Kimchi Aioli Sauce."
His strategy was to reinterpret the unfamiliar fermented skate in the form of fried food, something familiar to people all around the world.
He would combine finely chopped fermented skate, pork, and aged kimchi into a filling that carried the flavor of samhap.
Then he would wrap it in soft mashed potato and fry it until crisp.
The powerful aroma of the fermented skate would be softened by the fried coating and the other ingredients.
The aged kimchi aioli served alongside it would add brightness and umami.
It was a creative idea born from turning a crisis into an opportunity.
