Food in Culinary Class Wars Season 2 Episode 4
Culinary Class Wars Season 2 Episode 4 is an intense and exciting episode that continues the first 1-on-1 battles between the Black Spoons and White Spoons from Episode 3. In this 1-on-1 rivalry match, judges Paik Jong-won and Ahn Sung-jae perform a blind taste test while wearing blindfolds to evaluate purely on taste. The purpose is to fairly judge the food based on its original flavor, without any bias toward the chef’s reputation.
This episode features a legendary lineup of the Culinary Class Wars Season 2 Cast, ranging from a 50-year veteran of Chinese cuisine to rising stars of the underground food scene. Through this blog, you can also explore the innovative Culinary Class Wars 2 Recipes seen on screen, which reimagine traditional Korean regional ingredients into modern masterpieces!
Explore Previous Episodes
If you missed the earlier battles or want to recreate more dishes at home, check out the previous guides covering the journey so far:
- Culinary Class Wars Season 2 Episode 1 & 2: Signature Dishes and Recipes: Discover the intense opening rounds and the must-try Culinary Class Wars 2 Recipes from the first two episodes.
- Culinary Class Wars Season 2 Episode 3: The Black Spoon Survivors: Meet the final 19 Black Spoon contenders and see the Culinary Class Wars Season 2 Cast members who moved on to the next stage.
Culinary Class Wars Season 2 Episode 4: 1-on-1 Rivalry Match (Black Spoons vs White Spoons)
Check out the delicious dishes from the fierce battle between the Black Spoons and White Spoons, and since I’ve also introduced the Culinary Class Wars 2 recipes, let’s try making them at home!
1. Hu Deokjuk VS Buchae Dosa
In this match of Culinary Class Wars season 2 episode 4, ‘Buchae Dosa’ revealed a special connection to Master Hou Deok-juk. Although he currently specializes in Japanese cuisine, he started his career in Chinese food. Twenty years ago, he worked under Hu Deok-juk at the famous restaurant ‘Palsun,’ where he handled the steamers while the master worked the wok.
- Region: Taean
- Ingredient: Blue Crab (Kkotge)
White Spoon Chef: Hu Deokjuk
- As a prominent White Spoon member of the Culinary Class Wars Season 2 Cast, he is a master of Chinese cuisine with 57 years of experience, currently the Executive Chef of the 1-star Michelin restaurant ‘Haobin’ at Ambassador Seoul Pullman Hotel, and formerly the Executive Chef of ‘Palsun’ at Shilla Hotel Seoul.
- Dish: Buyong Crab (Buyong Kkotge)
Hu Deokjuk’s Buyong Crab Recipe
- Steam: Start by placing the blue crabs in a steamer, topped with scallions and ginger, and pouring sake over them to steam.
- Sauté: Carefully pick all the meat from the steamed crabs. Stir-fry the crab meat in a wok until all moisture is removed, then place it on a plate.
- Prepare Buyong: Buyong is a culinary technique that makes egg whites as soft and fluffy as cream. Mix egg whites with heavy cream, whisk well, and lightly fry the mixture in a pan.
- Finish: Create a rich sauce by adding crab roe to the Buyong mixture, then pour it over the previously prepared crab meat.
Black Spoon Chef: Buchae Dosa (Fan Master)
- He is the chef of ‘Donggyeong Babsang’ located in Busan, a restaurant famous for Japanese-style eel rice bowls (Hitsumabushi) that has been featured in the Michelin Guide. He mentioned that he personally learned the traditional eel-grilling techniques in Japan.
- Dish: Crab Rice (Kkotge Bap)
Buchae-dosa’s Crab Rice Recipe
- Grill: He begins by grilling live blue crabs directly over charcoal while fanning them to control the heat.
- Sauté Rice: Wanting to interpret the dish with a Korean touch, he stir-fries the rice on a cast-iron pan (cauldron lid style), similar to making a paella.
- Assemble: After picking the meat from the grilled crabs, he places it on top of the sautéed rice and pours in a rich blue crab stock.
- Finish: He prepares a sauce using crab paste (gejang). He explained that the dish is enjoyed by drizzling this crab paste sauce over the paella-style crab rice.
- The Judgment: The judges praised the Crab Rice, noting that it wasn’t overpowering and the crab flavor was subtly and beautifully infused into the rice. For the Buyong Blue Crab, they remarked that it tasted like authentic Shanghai cuisine, clean, free of artificial seasoning, and perfectly highlighting the natural essence of the blue crab, calling it the taste of a true master.
- Winner: Hu Deok-juk: The initial vote resulted in a 1:1 tie. Although both judges found some crab shell fragments while eating, they decided to make the final decision based purely on the depth of flavor. In the end, they awarded the victory to the White Spoon chef, Hu Deok-juk.
