Yeo Kyung-rae wrote a new history for Chinese cuisine in ‘Thanks for the Rest’.

In the 39th episode of the MBC entertainment program ‘Thanks for the Rest’ (directed by Kim Myung-jin, Shin Hyun-bin, Lee Jun-beom, Kim Ki-ho / written by Kwon Jeong-hee / hereinafter referred to as ‘Thanks for the Rest’), which aired on the 10th, world-class Chinese chef Yeo Kyung-rae and the rising star in the Chinese cuisine industry, Cheolgabang chef Im Tae-hoon, opened a Chinese restaurant ‘Muin-gak’ on an uninhabited island and treated guests. According to Nielsen Korea, a viewership rating research company, the broadcast that day recorded a viewership rating of 5.5% (nationwide), ranking first among all entertainment programs aired on Mondays.

On that day, executive Kim Dae-ho visited the site of a new uninhabited island restaurant with comedians Heo Kyung-hwan, Kim Min-kyung, and Kang Jae-joon. Even in the worst cold wave since the opening of the deserted island restaurant, the four of them worked hard to prepare buckets full of seafood such as abalone, rock crab, and conch while thinking of the customers.

Next, Chef Yeo Kyung-rae, a master of the Chinese cuisine industry who is worthy of being the vice president of the World Chinese Restaurant Association, and Chef Im Tae-hoon, a rising star in the Chinese cuisine industry who beat Yeo Kyung-rae on a cooking survival program and became a hot topic, appeared.

They made ‘Stir-fried Garlic Seafood Noodles’’’ for the workers who finished preparing the seafood. While everyone was amazed by their amazingly fast speed, Yeo Kyung-rae ended up using up all the ingredients just like she did at the hotel. This left them short on seafood to give to the customers, and Kim Dae-ho quickly stopped Yeo Kyung-rae from using more ingredients. However, thanks to the abundant ingredients, even more delicious new dishes were created, and the workers went out to sea again to serve the customers.



The fishing they took on this time was catching mullet. Quite a few fish were caught in the first net. A mullet so big that Jeong Ho-yeong said in the studio, “It‘s the biggest mullet I’ve ever seen,” was caught. However, the captain was not satisfied, saying, “It‘s the worst.”

If they didn’t receive their wages, the opening of “Unmanned Pavilion” would be in danger. The chefs and workers pulled in the next net with even more desperate hearts. The second net was full of mullet and other fish. It was a full catch that even the captain smiled. Here, the generous captain paid five mullets and even a bullet squid as wages.

Yeo Kyung-rae and Im Tae-hoon, who returned to the deserted island, each divided the menu and prepared three courses. First, Im Tae-hoon made ‘Stone Crab and Sea Cucumber Cold Noodles’. At that time, Kim Dae-ho committed a major accident by throwing away the cold noodle sauce that Im Tae-hoon had made. Everyone was astonished by this first major accident by Kim Dae-ho, who rarely made mistakes. When Kim Dae-ho was also shocked and depressed, Heo Kyung-hwan, who was next to him, joked, “You said you were free, but you‘re doing it freely” to lighten the mood.

Im Tae-hoon quickly pulled himself together and finished the sauce again. Thanks to this, the guests were able to enjoy the first course without having to wait too long. Im Tae-hoon then presented ‘Yurin Squid’, which was made with squid instead of chicken. The ‘Yurin Ottogi’, a new texture different from the yurin gizzard, drew admiration from the guests.

The final dish was prepared by Yeo Kyung-rae. He declared, “I’m going to make a grand show”, and made ‘Mungeo Chili Tangsuyuk’ using mullet. It was a new Chinese dish comparable to ‘Red Sea Bream Sichuan Tangsuyuk’, which is deep-fried whole red sea bream by Lee Yeon-bok, the Chinese cuisine master and long-time master of ‘Pookdahaeng’. He cut the mullet in a grid pattern to create a visual that resembled dragon scales.

The cut mullet flesh bloomed beautifully in the oil like a flower. Chef Yeo Kyung-rae further enhanced the visual by delicately carving the bok choy with his specialty, carving. As a finishing touch, he poured the sweet and sour chili tangsuy sauce he prepared over the fried mullet to complete the dish. Until now, guests have been satisfied with the food with unprecedented visuals that they have never seen on ‘Pookdahaeng’, enjoying the meal with their eyes and mouths twice.

Meanwhile, in the preview released at the end of the broadcast, Choo Sung-hoon, a friend of the same age who catches Ahn Jung-hwan, appeared, raising viewers‘ expectations. MBC ‘Pookdahaeng’ airs every Monday at 9 p.m.

Choi Yoon-na, Donga.com reporter yyynnn@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.