Chapter 223
Chapter 223
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 223
Chapter Title: The Secret Ingredient
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Having received their mission from PD Lim Ji-hoon of 'Idol of Taste,' the contestants were in the van on their way to the studio, furiously looking up curry recipes or calling their agencies for help.
Although it was presented on the show as a mission for the following week, filming was actually continuing that very day at the studio.
Scheduling so many contestants was a nightmare, so they would block out an entire day to shoot enough footage for two to four weeks of episodes. Besides, inside the studio, day and night felt exactly the same.
"Sunddy unni, are you busy?"
-No. I had some time before my broadcast, so I was looking for a short-term part-time job.
Seul-bi's face lit up.
"Perfect! Unni, be my part-timer for today."
-What kind of job?
"The taste of that curry we had last time. Remember?"
-Of course. We waited in line for it.
"I only have about three hours until filming, so please hurry. Go to the mart and get green onions, Golden Curry blocks, tsuyu, eggs, a small piece of kelp, and fresh udon noodles. Call me as soon as you have everything."
-Got it. Text me the list of ingredients again.
Sunddy did as Seul-bi asked without any questions. Seul-bi considered sending 500,000 won but sent 300,000 won instead.
-Seul-bi: Sent 300,000 won.
-Sunddy: The recipient has declined the transfer.
-Seul-bi: Aish. I was going to send 500,000, but I sent 300,000 thinking you might not take it. Just accept it.
-Sunddy: I got to be on the 'Once Again Girl Group' episode thanks to you, and you won't even let me buy you a meal... Let me at least do this for you.
-Seul-bi: You should be buying Min-jun oppa a meal, not me.
-Sunddy: Anyway, I'm not taking it, so don't bother me. I'm putting on my sweatsuit now.
-Seul-bi: lol okay. A sweatsuit, how cute.
The word 'sweatsuit' made Seul-bi burst out laughing for no reason.
Choi Yoo-jun, who had been watching Seul-bi, asked.
"What is it? Something funny happen?"
"Hehe. I just think 'sweatsuit' sounds so cute."
"Ah. You should get some sleep, though. We'll probably be filming until dawn."
"Okay. If you hear my phone buzz and I don't wake up, please wake me."
"Don't worry, just rest."
Seul-bi closed her eyes for a moment, then jolted awake at the sound of a *dring*.
-Sunddy: I bought everything and just got home. What do I do now?
Sunddy had moved so quickly that only fifteen minutes had passed since their last text.
-Seul-bi: Let's video call.
The video call between Seul-bi and Sunddy began, and Seul-bi explained the curry proportions she had in mind, asking her to run a cooking test.
* * *
In a brightly lit studio designed for cooking, four idols stood in aprons at their respective cooking stations.
"You're all very busy people, so I wonder if you've prepared well for this surprise mission."
"Yes. We worked hard."
"Excellent. We've procured all the ingredients you requested. Of course, it would be absurd to expect you to perfectly replicate the taste of that secret-recipe restaurant. However, the purpose of this surprise mission is to find a recipe that can get as close as possible to that taste without having to go to the restaurant. After all, not everyone is willing to endure those long lines just for a meal."
Though it wouldn't be shown on screen, the four contestants nodded at PD Lim Ji-hoon's words. They'd only had a few hours, but their faces were filled with the desire to win this first broadcast.
Just by defeating Seul-bi of the 'Mi-seul-in Guide,' the rising star of the mukbang world, they would get a chance to be in the spotlight even for a moment longer.
"Today's judges will be myself and seven members of the production staff here in the studio, all of whom have tasted the original curry. You just need to put enough for a taste in each of these seven bowls."
For a moment, the two contestants other than Ra-mi and Seul-bi looked flustered. They had prepared a recipe for a single serving, but even a small tasting portion for seven would require at least one and a half servings.
"Ugh, what do I do? I only know how to make one serving."
Ra-mi scoffed at the muttering she heard beside her.
*'Are they idiots? They just need to double all the ingredients.'*
"However! We have pre-prepared the time-consuming broths. We have everything from anchovy, band-eye herring, radish, and bone broth, so you can just start cooking. You have 30 minutes."
A dedicated camera director was assigned to each of the four contestants.
"Seul-bi, how are you planning to make it?"
the camera director asked Seul-bi as she went to pick out her ingredients.
"Well, the mission was to make it as similar to the secret recipe curry as possible, rather than just focusing on taste, so I'll stick to that. And since this is also for the viewers who'll be making it at home, right? So I'm going to try and make it as quickly as possible."
The camera director smiled warmly at Seul-bi's smooth answer.
PD Lim Ji-hoon was watching all four contestants and approached Seul-bi, the only one wearing nitrile gloves as she selected her ingredients.
"Seul-bi, you must take very good care of your hands."
Seul-bi looked surprised and waved her hands dismissively.
"The gloves? Oh, it's not like that. My schedule was so tight I didn't have time to fix my nails. I was worried they might chip into the food, and when you're cooking, hygiene should always come first."
"Ah, so that's why."
PD Lim Ji-hoon nodded, impressed by Seul-bi's thoughtfulness.
"That's not to say the other contestants are doing anything wrong. Their nails are all perfectly neat. This is just my own issue for not having time to get mine done."
PD Lim Ji-hoon found himself nodding again at Seul-bi's impeccable attitude, which left no room for criticism.
Having gotten a satisfying shot from Seul-bi, Lim Ji-hoon moved on to another contestant.
Seul-bi's mission to copy the famous curry restaurant began in earnest.
"Could you explain your process as you cook?"
"Yes. As I mentioned earlier, I'm focusing on copying it as closely as possible rather than just on taste. I'll choose the kelp broth."
"And I'll add two spoonfuls of tsuyu to this. Now, I'll put it on the heat and add four blocks of Golden Curry. Then I'll bring it to a boil while letting them dissolve."
Seul-bi gently pressed the center of the curry blocks in the pot with the tip of her chopsticks and stirred, and they quickly dissolved, turning the water a dark brown.
The process was so simple that the camera director was taken aback. The other contestants were intensely focused, trimming ingredients and measuring out various spices as if they were professional chefs.
"That's not all there is to it, is it?"
"Nope. The curry itself is pretty much done."
"Huh? The others are grinding turmeric and using various spices and chicken stock. Will this be enough?"
Seul-bi glanced over at Ra-mi, who was grinding her own turmeric.
"Honestly, I think it's too much to expect people to make their own spice blends when they're just making curry at home."
"That's true."
"Besides, these curry blocks already contain all sorts of spices and even chicken stock."
"Oh, I see."
"I believe the theme of this mission is a simple, restaurant-quality recipe you can make at home. If there's ever a mission that requires more elaborate cooking, I'll show you what I can really do then!"
The camera director nodded at Seul-bi's confident declaration.
"Once the curry has boiled for a bit, I'll add the udon noodles that I soaked in hot water earlier and let them cook together."
"To let the flavor soak into the noodles?"
"Hmm, it's less about the flavor soaking in and more about the starch from the noodles spreading through the curry and thickening it up."
Once the curry had thickened somewhat, Seul-bi finely chopped the green onions. Her knife work wasn't fast, but the cuts were perfectly spaced.
"You're very skilled with a knife."
"Hehe. I used to only enjoy eating, but I practiced a bit to come on this show. I'll get even better in the future."
The camera director found himself increasingly charmed by Seul-bi's honesty and cheerful energy.
"Now, shall I taste it?"
Seul-bi scooped up a spoonful of the simmering curry and blew on it.
"*Hoo. Hooo. Hooo.*"
The camera director chuckled unconsciously at the sight of Seul-bi carefully cooling it down.
Soon, the warm curry entered Seul-bi's mouth. Even though the starch from the noodles had mixed in well, the flavor was a bit too strong. It was appealing in its own right, but it wasn't a close match.
Seul-bi cracked two eggs into a bowl.
*Whisk, whisk, whisk, whisk, whisk.*
Using a flick of her wrist, she rapidly spun the chopsticks, beautifully blending the egg whites and yolks.
"Don't tell me you're putting egg in the curry?"
"Yes. To add a creamy texture."
As Seul-bi stirred the curry, she slowly drizzled in the beaten egg, which scattered into cute little bits that floated to the surface.
*'So far, this is just as Sunddy unni modified it. I wonder how close the taste is?'*
Seul-bi tasted the curry once more.
It was now almost identical to the ridiculously good restaurant's.
However, it was still missing that unique, milk-like creaminess and a hint of umami—the very ingredients she had struggled to identify at the restaurant.
"How is it? Is it done?"
"It's close enough and delicious as it is, but... just a moment."
Seul-bi headed back to the shelf stocked with various ingredients.
"It's definitely a milky feeling."
*'Milk, yogurt, cream, butter, condensed milk, cheese... Cheese!?'*
Seul-bi's eyes landed on a pack of ordinary sliced cheese, the kind used in homes.
*'This was it. The milky creaminess and umami. It must be the amino acids from the cheese.'*
With a sudden realization, Seul-bi grinned brightly, picked up the cheese, and looked at the camera director.
"...Are you serious?"
"Of course. I'm always serious about food."
The camera director couldn't imagine what curry with cheese would taste like.
*Rip. Riiip.*
The sound of Seul-bi tearing open the cheese wrapper drew the attention of the other contestants. Without hesitation, Seul-bi dropped the cheese into the curry, and Ra-mi's face soured as if she'd seen something she shouldn't have.
Once the cheese was added, the curry became even thicker, and more of it clung to the udon noodles when they were lifted.
Seul-bi placed a couple of udon noodles onto a small plate.
"*Hooo. Hooo.*"
The camera director felt strangely nervous watching Seul-bi.
The plump udon noodles were slurped into Seul-bi's pursed lips, and closing her eyes, she began to savor the taste.
"*Nom, nom, nom.*"
Then, she broke into a gentle smile.
*'A fragrant and savory curry with perfect balance. The chewy, perfectly cooked udon noodles are coated in the curry, and the flavors harmonize instead of clashing. The ratio is perfect. It's delicious. 99% synchronized!'*
Satisfied, Seul-bi dished out a portion of udon similar to what she had just eaten into a small bowl and offered it to the camera director.
"Here, hold the camera."
"Huh? O-Okay?"
A little flustered by the unexpected situation, he figured it couldn't hurt, so he handed the camera to Seul-bi and cautiously took a bite of the curry udon. The sight of the cheese going in at the end had left him feeling skeptical.
*Slurp.*
"...Huh?"
The camera director's eyes, which had been filled with doubt, widened.
"It's delicious! And it's exactly the same!"
Seul-bi, who was now filming the camera director with his earpiece in, exclaimed joyfully.
"Right? Right?"
"What is this? It's really identical."
After taking the camera back, Seul-bi garnished each bowl with the green onions from the cutting board and raised her hand high.
"I'm finished!"
"What? It hasn't even been ten minutes."
PD Lim Ji-hoon and the rest of the production staff wore expressions of utter shock. One of the other contestants hadn't even finished prepping their ingredients yet.
"Then we'll start the judging with Seul-bi's completed curry udon."
The seven bowls of curry udon were slurped up by the key members of the production team, and every one of them looked astonished.
"Wow! It's identical!"
"It really is."
The eyes of the staff members, who had been secretly disappointed by Seul-bi's ten-minute creation, now widened one by one.
Hearing the staff's excited reactions, Ra-mi, who was meticulously following a recipe given to her by a professional chef, felt all the wind go out of her sails.