Chapter 151

“What do I do? I can’t refuse an offer like that.”

Cho Min Joon looked back at Anderson with confidence. He was confident today, and the reason was simple; it was because he had eaten Yamamoto’s sushi the day before. 8 points. That meant that Cho Min Joon had fully understood the recipe.

If he only made an egg roll, he probably wouldn’t obtain 8 points, but that was okay because Anderson’s egg roll was 6 points. He thought he could get 7 points. Cho Min Joon believed it.

“Okay. Let’s make it at the same time. We should make it an equal playing field.”

“Okay. Sure.”

The smile on Cho Min Joon’s face slowly faded. He stood in front of the cooking station with calm eyes. He hadn’t forgotten Yamamoto’s recipe. He had organized it in his mind. The problem was the ingredients.

‘I have walnut oil or pine nut oil. But for the broth… all we have is kelp, anchovy, and fish jerky.’

If he didn’t copy the recipe completely, it was hard to recreate the same flavor. But that didn’t mean he could go and buy new ingredients. At that moment…

“Wait.”

Sarah approached with a playful look on his face. She lifted her phone and asked,

“The more viewers we have the better. Let’s use this to promote the live broadcast. Why don’t we film this and upload it online?”

“… This?”

“Why? Is it childish?”

“No… Okay, sure. Let’s do it.”

Anderson shrugged his shoulders. Cho Min Joon didn’t mind their conversation. He had problems of his own. Without the rice, Yamamoto’s egg roll was 7 points. But at this moment, with the ingredients he had on hand, he could only reach 6 points.

He didn’t have enough ingredients for the broth. That bothered Cho Min Joon. He needed to think. The meaning of the recipe. The meaning of every single ingredient.

‘Why did he have to add that in? Isn’t kelp and anchovy enough for a deep flavor? I need to think about the taste of that egg roll. It was savory, salty, and delicious. Also…’

Cho Min Joon closed his eyes. While the predicted scores continued to pop up, his thoughts didn’t stop. One question led to another, and even answers led to questions. And then a moment later, Cho Min Joon’s eyes opened back up. He looked at Anderson.

“Shall we begin?”

“Sure.”

They both boiled water for the broth and began cracking eggs. Their methods were different. While Anderson cracked eggs with one hand, Cho Min Joon calmly cracked his with both hands. Same with when he stirred the egg water. Anderson used the whipping machine to mix his while Cho Min Joon stirred his with chopsticks.

After that, Cho Min Joon added ingredients for the broth. After boiling the water with kelp and anchovy, he added in the egg water. The seasoning was simple—Yuja pepper. All he had to do was add the popular Japanese spice. Yamamoto’s egg roll was perfect because of the vinegar and wasabi that was added to the rice. This spice would make up for that aspect.

And that wasn’t the only thing that was added to the egg water. He also added the fish eggs from the fridge. That was able to give the broth a saltier flavor.

Since the ingredients were different, the proportions of the broth that was used for the egg roll was different from that of Yamamoto. It was already completely different from Yamamoto’s dish. The only thing he took from Yamamoto’s recipe was the walnut oil and pine nut oil.

Unlike Anderson, who put his pan over the gas range, Cho Min Joon put his heat on low and heated his pan. Yamamoto made his egg roll on a pan that was warmed all over equally. That was what made the egg flawless and smooth. He believed that using induction would make that happen.

‘… They’re both so serious.’

Sarah showed an annoyed face while looking at the two of them. Both Cho Min Joon and Anderson looked dead serious, so serious that even Sarah became more serious behind the camera.

Cho Min Joon was making thin egg rolls while Anderson was making thicker ones. No one knew which one would be better, but both were making their egg rolls with great detail as if they were master craftsmen.

Even when they finished the egg rolls, cooking wasn’t finished just yet. Cho Min Joon ground up white radish and sprinkled garlic water while Anderson added green onions on top. Jeremy sighed inside his head as he watched. He just wanted to see how they made egg rolls, but they went over the top.

‘The best way to eat delicious food is to make chefs compete.’

“Try it and pick which one is better.”

“What’s the point? I’ll win. I’ve invested so much time in my egg roll.”

Anderson glared his eyes. Cho Min Joon grinned and said,

“I’m confident in my egg roll, too. I used to make it all the time even before I became a chef.”

“Try mine first.”

In response to Anderson, everybody picked up their chopsticks, and Cho Min Joon was no exception. Was it because it was just made? Or because the recipe was changed? It was different from before. There were multiple layers like before, but the layers were thicker.

But that wasn’t a bad thing. Every time he chewed on it, it tasted more vast, and thanks to the overall sweet flavor, it almost tasted like a big roll cake. But overall, it was close to a traditional Japanese egg roll.

On the other hand, Cho Min Joon’s egg roll was unique. The fact that he added fish eggs wasn’t that unique because it was a common combination. However, the Yuja pepper, walnut oil, and the pine nut oil were unique. Rachel nodded and said,

“You used what was used in Yamamoto’s egg sushi.”

“Yes. But since we didn’t have all the ingredients, I changed it a little.”

“It’s hard to say which one is better… But it’s very delicious.”

In response to Rachel’s praise, Cho Min Joon smiled. His egg roll was 7 points. That was a decent score considering the circumstances. Anderson achieved 6 points, but that didn’t mean Cho Min Joon’s egg roll was better because Anderson stuck to the basics more. For those who liked it more savory, Anderson’s would have been more popular.

And that was how the voting went. Rachel and Emily picked Cho Min Joon while Jeremy and Sarah picked Anderson. It was a tie. Jeremy opened his mouth.

“The older you get, the more you prefer a more subtle taste. It depends on the main dish, too, but beyond that, Anderson’s dish was more comfortable. He didn’t try to overdo it. That’s what I liked.”

“I still liked Min Joon’s better. Cooking is always more fun when you experiment. The Yuja pepper and fish eggs were a refreshing touch.”

“Thank you.”

Sarah spoke into her phone, “Everyone, the decision hasn’t been made yet. If you’re curious about their battle, tune into the live broadcast!”

That was the end of Sarah’s short role as a cameraman. Cho Min Joon stared at her in confusion.

“Our battle?”

“Um… I thought there should be a round 2, so it just came out.”

“Who cares? People won’t remember anyway.”

But… they did.

***

Frank Bond: I didn’t think I’d ever sweat while watching an egg roll competition. Why are they so competitive?

Annabel Montgomery: I understand though. They don’t want to lose because they’re friends. It’s good to be rivals like that.

Isla Elias: I can tell what kind of egg roll Anderson made, but I have no idea about Min Joon’s. I feel like Anderson sticks to the basics while Min Joon is more creative.

Peter Downard: As a chef, I agree. Anderson is better at cooking what’s already been done, but Cho Min Joon is good at being creative and understanding ingredients to the core.

Isla Elias: @Peter Downard Oh, are you a chef? Then I’m curious. Is it common for people like Min Joon and Anderson’s age to be that good?

Peter Downard: @Isla Elias Of course not. It’s not easy to have that experience and ability at that age, especially Min Joon. He’s got the perfect palate.

Teagan Holdcroft: Anyway, I wonder what they’ll compete with next. Will it be cooking? The show is all about tasting, isn’t it?

Oliver Jerram: Who could ever beat Min Joon in terms of tasting? He’s the best in the world.

Teagan Holdcroft: @Oliver Jerram Uh… he might have the most sensitive palate, but does that mean he’s the best at tasting? He’s still young. His age will probably pose some limits.

Qamar Putthoff: @Teagan Holdcroft But don’t you think his palate will help him overcome those limits faster? He has good hardware. That means the software can be programmed much faster.

Deka Khela: @Teagan Holdcroft Nevertheless, I feel like it’ll be entertaining to watch and see who can eat more.

The responses weren’t explosive, but the viewers were already talking about the next battle just 10 minutes after the video was uploaded. Cho Min Joon looked at Anderson with a bitter face

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been the topic of a conversation since Kaya.”

“… Why did it have to be with me?”

“Are you surprised? It’s can’t be helped since we’re together all the time like best friends.”

“Don’t say that. It’s not like we’re girls.”

Anderson’s face flushed. Sarah opened her mouth with an awkward face.

“Sorry. This is my fault…”

“That’s okay. We’ll just have the battle, but what should we do?”

“I don’t know. You come up with something.”

“… Guessing ingredients?”

Anderson glared at Cho Min Joon. In response, Cho Mn Joon scratched his head and said, “Then think of something better.” In response, Anderson thought hard. A moment later, Anderson looked at Martin.

“Where are we going?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Where are we going?”

“… That’s a secret.”

“You need to tell us, so we can find out what we can battle with. Can you just tell us?”

Martin rolled his eyes. He then opened his mouth.

“A restaurant.”

“… By restaurant, do you mean a Western-style fine dining restaurant?”

“Um… something like that. What I know for certain is that every single one of you will be in awe.”

“It must be a three-star.”

Cho Min Joon blurted it out. Everybody looked over at Cho Min Joon questionably. They then looked at Martin. Martin maintained a straight face, but Cho Min Joon noticed Martin clench his hands. Martin answered, “Come on, three-stars are hard to come by.”

“It’s common in Japan. It’s about time we visit one. It’s sad to not visit a single one in the entire season. Thanks to you, I’ll get to go to my second three-star restaurant.”

“I never said it was a three-star restaurant!”

“Martin, I have a sensitive palate. I can tell if you’re lying.”

Martin shut his mouth. He couldn’t let Cho Min Joon beat him, but Cho Min Joon was already searching on his phone. Martin licked his lips out of nervousness. Cho Min Joon smirked and opened his mouth.

“There’s one. It’s nearby, and it’s a three-star course restaurant.”

Martin grumbled.

“I thought you were my fairy…”