Original star chef Song Hoon and his newly joined chef squad took on a bold challenge with a shocking new menu in Myeongdong, the holy land of K-food.
In the Channel A variety show ‘Kitchen Interference Chefs’ Open Run’ (hereafter ‘Open Run’) aired on the morning of the 17th, a global chef squad visited a tteokbokki shop in Myeongdong, one of Korea’s most iconic tourist destinations, to provide operational support.
In this episode, the newly joined Chef Song Hoon showed off some fresh chemistry while working alongside Chefs Lee Moon Jung and Jang Ho Jun.
Their mission was to develop a “perfect topping menu” that would pair beautifully with Myeongdong tteokbokki. To tackle the mission, the chef squad personally got to work making tteokbokki and went through a process of intense deliberation, even holding a pre-meeting for the first time in the program’s history to ensure the menu was high-quality.
After their intense meeting, the resulting new menu was an unexpected and daring combination: “fried fruit.” Before the big reveal, Chef Jang Ho Jun hyped up Kim Jun Hyun’s expectations, saying, “You’ll be surprised when you see it.”
When Kim Jun Hyun questioned, “Won’t the fruit juice leak out of the fried fruit?” Chef Song Hoon showed total confidence, stating, “I will create a golden ratio batter that keeps the fruit from getting mushy and maintains its crispiness.” Leveraging his expertise in Western cuisine, Chef Song Hoon created a special batter using cornstarch and baking powder and dove straight into making the fried fruit.
Once revealed, the fried fruit boasted an overwhelming crispiness just by the sound. Contrary to the initial concerns, Kim Jun Hyun tasted the perfectly executed fried fruit and praised its unique flavor, saying, “It’s really delicious. It’s amazing how the batter sticks perfectly to the fruit.”
