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00:01Less than three minutes to figure this out.
00:03Stressing us out over here, Syd.
00:06Like, what's something simple?
00:08I cannot say this straight nightmare.
00:10You want to win, Chop.
00:12Only thing that matters is what's in the basket.
00:15I don't know if you can smell it in the air.
00:17There's something burning.
00:19She just absolutely knocked it out of the park.
00:21Whoo! 20 seconds!
00:24Holy strikeies.
00:25If you haven't completed enough,
00:27you don't know how much time it takes.
00:28Need to be plating right now!
00:35What sets me apart from the rest is that
00:37I am born and raised in New York.
00:39I hope you guys like nicely seasoned steak.
00:43Yeah, it pops.
00:44And New York is a different animal.
00:46I opened Kurume about 10 months ago,
00:49and we're specializing in Korean tapas.
00:52I've gotten some recognition from Eater, New York Times.
00:57Oh, man, these potatoes are gonna be so good.
01:00I always grew up around food.
01:02My father was a chef, and he definitely did not want me to become a chef.
01:05But he came around and accepted my career.
01:08I mean, he had no other choice, to be honest, the way I'm cooking.
01:11New Yorkers, we got our own beast inside of us.
01:14Competition should be ready, because I'm coming in hot.
01:20Every happy or sad memory has something to do with food.
01:24So I just take in everything that I've experienced in my life,
01:27and I try to throw it together on a plate.
01:29That one's got a little heat.
01:30I'm gonna catch on fire.
01:34I've accomplished a fair amount of things in my career.
01:38I've won some awards.
01:39I opened my own restaurant.
01:41We were named one of the 15 best seafood dives in America.
01:45I competed on Supermarket Steakout.
01:48I'm on a cooking competition!
01:50And Alex Gordaschelli told me to keep competing.
01:52Hi, what are you making?
01:53When Alex Gordaschelli says, go for it, it sounds delicious.
01:57That you kind of have to go for it.
01:59I don't know anyone who doesn't do what she says, by the way.
02:04All the chefs have to watch out, because I don't really talk much.
02:07But when it comes to the time, it's like, boom!
02:10All right, rock and roll, let's go!
02:12I'm the chef of the cuisine at Bar Bar, New York City.
02:15It's already made my day.
02:17My style is progressive Indian cooking, using gastronomy,
02:21like French techniques.
02:22I started my career working in India for all these five-star properties.
02:26Look at this beautiful color.
02:28Later, I went to work at the One Michelin star Indian restaurant in New York City.
02:32So definitely, I'm going to win this competition in a high level.
02:36I want to win this competition for my parents who live back in India,
02:39because they are a very big support to me in my entire life for every aspect.
02:43They are very excited for me, and then they're always happy that I'm doing this.
02:47Bon appetito!
02:51I want to keep the person eating my food kind of guessing.
02:54I want them to be excited and intrigued.
02:59That's why I'm going to win Chops.
03:00I'm a sous chef at Time Bar in New York City.
03:03A chow chow is an Appalachian pickle.
03:07I am very influenced by my southern Appalachian roots.
03:11You make it at the end of the summer season, taking all of the things out of your garden.
03:16It's like everything in the kitchen sink, pickle.
03:19I'm really fast, very focused, and I just love to cook.
03:24Yeah.
03:25I have fought tooth and nail to get where I am.
03:28I like to win.
03:29I think most people do, and if they don't, then they're lying.
03:35Hello, Chef.
03:37Hello, Chef.
03:38Welcome to the kitchen.
03:42Hello, Chef.
03:43Hello, Chef.
03:44Good morning.
03:44Good morning.
03:45Good morning.
03:45Hello, Chef.
03:45Are you ready to try your luck in the chopped kitchen?
03:47Absolutely.
03:48Absolutely.
03:49You don't need the luck.
03:50No luck.
03:50You need the skill.
03:51There are three rounds, mandatory mystery ingredients for each course.
03:55If your dish doesn't cut it, you will be chopped.
03:59Uh, hopefully not.
04:01Kids would be so disappointed.
04:02Going after getting the $10,000.
04:04Yeah.
04:05Let's do it.
04:06You're about to discover what's inside this first basket.
04:10Check it out.
04:12All right.
04:14Oh, my God.
04:15Wow.
04:16And you've got fruit cocktail.
04:18Fruit cocktail.
04:19Fruit cocktail.
04:20All right.
04:22Basil.
04:23Basil.
04:23Oh.
04:24That smells good.
04:26Venison strip steak.
04:27Venison.
04:28I can work with this.
04:29Little strip steak there.
04:30Awesome.
04:31Venison.
04:32It is a lean game meat.
04:34Biggest challenge is going to be getting it cooked properly in 20 minutes.
04:38And onion rings.
04:40Onion rings.
04:42Perfect.
04:43Onion rings.
04:45Not really happy about it.
04:46I don't really understand what to do with these, but yes.
04:49I like, you know, play around with these.
04:52Very excited.
04:5220 minutes to make standout appetizers.
04:56It's going to be very fun.
04:57Time starts now.
04:58Go, Chef.
04:58Go, go, go.
04:59Let's do it.
05:00Oh, my God.
05:03All right.
05:03All right.
05:04All right.
05:04All right.
05:04All right.
05:04Manit, you are joined by two special guests, Korean cuisine superstar Chef Esther Choi and innovative
05:12restaurateur Chef Brian Malarkey.
05:14Welcome.
05:15Thank you so much.
05:16Great to be in the top kitchen.
05:17Judges, which ingredient should the chefs tackle first?
05:22Venison is a very, very lean meat.
05:24So you really have to get it cooked early so that you have the opportunity to get that rest in.
05:28I feel like venison can dry out really easily.
05:30So if you cook it wrong, it's done.
05:33Fat needs to be introduced to this party to make it nice and luscious.
05:38Yeah.
05:39And it lends itself to those raw applications, be it a carpaccio, be it the tartare.
05:45Daya, what do you have in mind for the appetizer round?
05:47I'm going to do a little seared venison.
05:50I'm going to make a pistachio and herb gremolata to go on top.
05:54And then I'm going to make a little vinegary fruit cocktail sauce.
05:58Really good.
05:59I like that.
05:59I like it.
06:00I like it.
06:00I love fruit cocktail.
06:02Fruit cocktail consists of grapes, pears, pineapples, and cherry.
06:07The fruit cocktail and the basil could make an incredible chutney.
06:12Yep.
06:13So I've decided to use the fruit cocktail and the basil to make a pretty punchy vinaigrette.
06:17His venison is really gamey.
06:19It's important for the judges to see me on a plate to get punched in the face with a little
06:23bit of flavor.
06:27Both of my parents are from South Korea.
06:30My father had Korean restaurants like sushi restaurants.
06:33Chef Esther Choi does Korean food as well.
06:37So I got to make sure I don't disappoint.
06:39Chef Jun, what are you making?
06:42Thinking some venison tacos, onion crisps, and fruit cocktail pico de gallo.
06:46Fruit cocktail pico de gallo.
06:49Little sweet and savory.
06:51I like that.
06:51I like it.
06:52I like it.
06:52Winning chops would mean to my parents that they raised a decent son, I guess.
06:58I hope.
07:00Fine.
07:01June is a little bit intimidating.
07:03I'm getting an intense energy from June.
07:06I grew up hunting with my dad.
07:08And so, like, many people don't know that you can eat venison raw, but you can treat it just like
07:13beef.
07:14Leah, what's your direction in this round?
07:16I am going to do a tartare.
07:19I like the idea a lot, right?
07:22Tartare.
07:22Love it.
07:23Tartare.
07:23Leah is going exactly where I think I would have gone.
07:26Great appetizer, too.
07:28I'm doing some stone-ground mustard, some Dijon, red wine vinegar, some of that fruit cocktail liquid, and then some
07:37basil.
07:37I'm mixing it all together and having that, like, really enhance the flavor of the meat.
07:42Go ahead.
07:43Yes.
07:45Chef Sid, what is it you're making?
07:48I got, like, some venison kebab going on here.
07:51Venison kebab?
07:52Dressed with salsa and potato sally.
07:54It's like a crispy potato on top.
07:57Very nice.
07:58Nine minutes, chefs.
08:00Chapnick kebab is basically like a thin, flat patty kebab, which has, like, spice rub in that.
08:06I'm a little concerned about the food processing of venison because there's not a lot of fat, so it can
08:12be really dry.
08:14When I make kebabs, I put cream cheese in it.
08:16Cream cheese?
08:17Cream cheese.
08:18Because cream cheese adds that moistness to it.
08:20Moisture.
08:21Yeah.
08:21I like that.
08:23Coming through, Bian.
08:24Bian, Bian.
08:25Onion rings.
08:26Okay.
08:27Pretty straightforward.
08:29How you doing over there, June?
08:30I hear you leveling behind me.
08:32Yeah.
08:33Onion rings.
08:34Yummy, right?
08:36The one I'm most concerned with right now is Daya.
08:39That is not a sear.
08:41She should have gotten that cast iron skillet super, super hot.
08:44I am not loving that I'm not getting a sear on here.
08:47I have no color going.
08:50Chef's coming up on five minutes here.
08:53Heard that 100% is not working, so let's do something different.
08:56I kind of start to panic because this is the main ingredient.
09:01Holy shikies.
09:02And if it's not right, I could definitely be chopped.
09:05Oh!
09:13Chef's here.
09:14Under five minutes here.
09:15I go to check my venison.
09:17Still not searing the way I want to.
09:19Spent so much time on a not-hot pan.
09:22So, yeah, I'm freaking out a little bit.
09:23Once I get the venison on the saute pan,
09:26I can tell that it is going to start to crust up a little bit,
09:29which calms my nerves.
09:30Just like a little.
09:31Just a little.
09:32What's up, buddy?
09:33How's it going?
09:34It's going.
09:35I tried it.
09:36Hopefully in the right direction,
09:37because I cannot turn around.
09:40We're at four minutes, Chef.
09:43We're in four minutes.
09:44Oh, God.
09:44This is the time you should be thinking of plating.
09:47Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead.
09:49What's boiling over here?
09:50There is something burning.
09:51It's that burnt sugar smell.
09:53I'm working on my onions, and I turn around.
09:55My fruit cocktail port reduction up is burnt.
09:58And I know that I just have to start this over,
10:00because I can't serve burnt sauce.
10:06Nice.
10:08Corn tortillas, I'm just heating them up on a dry pan.
10:11Really accentuate the corn flavor on the tortilla.
10:15And then making a garlic chili aioli,
10:17because venison is a leaner protein.
10:20So I want to add some fat content to my taco.
10:22Okay, come on, Chefs.
10:23Less than two minutes left.
10:25Oh, my goodness.
10:26I'm so hungry.
10:29Let's go.
10:35The temperature looks pretty good,
10:37considering how she cooked it.
10:38It looks pretty nice and rare.
10:39I am surprised, yeah.
10:45I left these onion rings till last.
10:48So I decided just to fry them,
10:50and then just leave it as they are on the food salad,
10:53so it has the little crunch.
10:56Let's go, Chefs.
10:58All four ingredients.
11:02Who is ready?
11:04Let's go, let's go, let's go.
11:04Who is racing?
11:0610, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
11:16Time's up.
11:16Step away.
11:17Let's go!
11:19Whoo!
11:20Wow.
11:22Oh, my goodness.
11:25Time in Chopped Kitchen is real.
11:27At the very beginning, you think,
11:29oh, 20 minutes, and then you start cooking
11:31and managing the ingredients,
11:33and suddenly they're like, five minutes.
11:35But I feel good.
11:35I feel confident that this will slide me through.
11:38I'm feeling confident about my dish.
11:40I want to make it to the next round.
11:42If you see the sweat, it proves it, hopefully.
11:53Chefs, you've arrived at the chopping block.
11:56You started with an appetizer basket of fruit cocktail,
12:00basil, venison strip steak, and onion rings.
12:05Chef June, please tell us about your dish.
12:07I made venison strip steak tacos
12:10with a garlic chili aioli, fruit cocktail pico de gallo,
12:16and ancho onion crisps.
12:22Chef, I loved what you did with the venison,
12:26slicing it thin, getting it in that marinade.
12:28You developed a lot of flavor.
12:30It's beautiful.
12:31I love the idea of the pico de gallo.
12:33The fruit cocktail can have a very metallic flavor,
12:36but by getting the onions and the tomatoes,
12:38I think you really lead with those flavors very well.
12:41The sweetness works great.
12:43I love that.
12:44I'm getting the big cilantro note,
12:47but I'm kind of missing the basil.
12:48Okay.
12:50Thank you, Chef.
12:51I do agree.
12:52The taco shell was a little dry.
12:54Chef, what got you started in kitchens?
12:56I was always fascinated by making people happy.
13:00My father's a chef,
13:01but I would always be, like,
13:03kind of shooed out of the kitchen,
13:04like Korean dad.
13:06I understand.
13:07Yeah.
13:08I just kept at it.
13:10Kitchen, front of house.
13:12One day, he just kind of gave, like,
13:14a nod of approval,
13:15and I was just like, okay, cool.
13:17I'll take that.
13:19Chef June, thank you.
13:21Chef Leah, please tell us about your dish.
13:23I made for you a basil
13:25and radicchio lettuce cup
13:28with a venison tartare,
13:30a fried onion crumble,
13:32and then there's a little bit of cocktail
13:35port reduction on top.
13:37How did you get into cooking?
13:38My mom was pretty sick when I was a kid,
13:40and so I would, like, make dinner
13:42for, like, my family.
13:43I would come home and, like,
13:44watch Food Network for, like, hours,
13:46and then just, like,
13:47fromage through the pantry for whatever we had,
13:49and I would make dinner.
13:51It's just something that I really loved.
13:52I loved, like, making people happy,
13:54and it was, like, kind of an escape,
13:56I would say.
13:58When you went and grabbed radicchio,
13:59I'm like, what is she doing?
14:02But it has a place over here.
14:05When you take a complete bite,
14:06you get that slight bitterness
14:08followed by that really beautiful
14:10floral quality of the basil,
14:12and then you get the venison.
14:14Yeah, I thought the venison tartare play
14:17was genius,
14:17but when you do make a tartare,
14:19one of the most important things
14:20is the consistency of your knife cook,
14:23and I do have some inconsistencies
14:24on my venison.
14:25I'm not sure about the port
14:27and fruit cocktail combination.
14:29It's sweet on sweet.
14:31Okay.
14:31So anytime you're doing that much sweet,
14:32bring in some heat,
14:33bring in some more acid.
14:35I agree,
14:35but I did really love the onion ring crumble.
14:38I thought it was very clever.
14:40It gave a really nice crunch.
14:42Your turn, Chef Sid.
14:43Please tell us about your dish.
14:45I made a venison chapli kebab
14:46with cumin fruit cocktail sauce
14:49with some fresh cocktail fruit basil salad,
14:52potato sully,
14:53and onion ring.
14:54Where did you grow up, sir?
14:56Hyderabad,
14:57south part of India.
14:58Amazing.
14:59Growing up,
14:59I got really impressed with my mom's cooking.
15:01Then I used to cook in my mom's absence.
15:04That really pushed me to become a chef.
15:05Oh, that's amazing.
15:08I do think that this was a beautiful basket
15:11to go in an Indian direction.
15:12I think the idea of a chapli kebab is great.
15:15The sully right on top of it,
15:16it adds the texture to it.
15:18Yeah.
15:19Your fruit cocktail basil and onion ring,
15:22I thought was delicious.
15:23It's very sweet,
15:24so it balanced well with all the spices.
15:27But thinking about ways to use
15:29that chopped basket ingredient
15:30instead of just putting it on the plate
15:32is how you will get to the finish line here.
15:35I agree with my fellow judges,
15:37but venison is a little scary
15:39when you start cooking it without a fat in it.
15:42It does really, really dry out.
15:44A trick for all of you,
15:46put a little bit of cream cheese in it.
15:47It makes it not as dry.
15:50Slowly.
15:50Thank you, Chef.
15:51Chef Deah, please tell us about
15:53what you've made from this basket.
15:55I have made a seared venison strip loin
15:58on a basil and fruit cocktail vinaigrette,
16:02and I've topped that with a pistachio basil crumble.
16:08The acid that you have in that sauce is so bright,
16:12and venison is rich meat,
16:14and to lift it up with that acid,
16:16I'm really, really excited to get something like that
16:18that kind of punches you in the mouth.
16:20Yeah.
16:21Gremolata, I think, is really smart using the basil.
16:23I taste the parmesan, pistachio, bright green and beautiful.
16:27I think that you could have used a harder sear on the venison.
16:32The grill needed to be screaming hot, right?
16:36Because a hard sear would have added so much more to it,
16:40especially the smoke.
16:42And where are you working right now?
16:43I work in Galveston.
16:44I'm the chef de cuisine at the Hotel Lucene.
16:47What brings you to Chopped?
16:48These past two years for me professionally
16:50have been super hard.
16:52I had to close my restaurant.
16:54Very happy landing at the hotel.
16:56You know, winning Chopped.
16:59The ego boost would be so amazing.
17:01Thank you, everyone.
17:02This is going to be a tough decision for us.
17:06It needs to get to the next round
17:07because I really want to prove myself more to the judges
17:11that I can do this and that I'm going to win.
17:16Unfortunately, one chef's appetizer is under this cloche.
17:20I wish I incorporated a little more fat, as the judges said,
17:24but hopefully I did pronounce enough flavors
17:26that I could stay for another round.
17:28I'm trying to prove I've been honing my craft the crack way.
17:39So whose dish is on the chopping block?
17:53Chef Leah, you've been chopped.
17:55Judges?
17:57Chef Leah, we love the idea of a tartare
18:01on the venison preparation.
18:03However, your venison cuts were a little bit uneven
18:06and your fruit cocktail port sauce was a little imbalanced.
18:09It was very sweet.
18:11And so we had to chop you.
18:14Thank you so much, Chef.
18:16Good luck to you, Chef.
18:18I feel like my own head probably got in the way.
18:21Like, I should have just, like, taken the extra time
18:23to do things correctly.
18:26It's a really fun and humbling experience being on Chopped.
18:35Chef June, Chef Sid, Chef Dea,
18:39round two ingredients ready to go.
18:43Check them out.
18:45And you've got pho soup dumplings.
18:48Oh.
18:50Cool.
18:52Brussels sprouts on the stalk.
18:53Brussels sprouts.
18:55Another favorite.
18:56Salmon.
18:57Salmon's tasty.
18:58Nice and fatty.
19:00And yuzu mayo.
19:02Yuzu mayo.
19:04I love yuzu.
19:06Yuzu is a citrus fruit,
19:08almost like a combination between lemon, lime, and orange.
19:12You get 30 minutes for this round.
19:17Clock starts now.
19:19Woo-hoo!
19:20Yes!
19:20Go, Chef!
19:22Salmon and Brussels sprouts?
19:24I mean, come on.
19:25And yuzu mayo?
19:26Yes.
19:27I think the biggest challenge with a salmon is how you cook it.
19:32You can very easily overcook a salmon.
19:35This salmon has a skin on it,
19:36and that shows so much technique when a chef can nail crispy-skinned salmon.
19:41So I'm looking forward to seeing somebody try to do that.
19:44I think that my edge in this competition,
19:47I hate to use the word maturity.
19:49I'm not better than anyone.
19:50I have had more experiences.
19:52Good or bad, I have had them.
19:55Chef Dea, tell us what you're making.
19:57Yes.
19:57I'm going to do some pan-seared salmon.
20:00I've got a gastric going with apples for these Brussels sprouts that I'm going to fry.
20:03I'm going to use the yuzu mayo kind of as butter to baste my salmon with.
20:08And then I've got a little fritter going with the filling of the dumpling.
20:12Really strong cooking coming from Dea.
20:14This round, I really want to get a good sear.
20:16The pan is screaming hot.
20:18Hallelujah.
20:19I hear the sizzle.
20:22The pho soup dumplings, delicious.
20:25It's really yummy.
20:26I do think that it's a difficult ingredient because it's beef.
20:30And then you have the salmon, right?
20:32So it's like, how do they use that to play each other?
20:35To me, I was like the Brussels sprouts.
20:38Crumble up the beef, saute the whole thing together.
20:40That could be a delicious base for the salmon.
20:43Yeah, like sausage.
20:45Dea seems very comfortable with her proteins.
20:48She's like an energizer bunny.
20:50Like, she has so much energy.
20:52It's making me nervous.
20:52Right behind, right behind, right behind.
20:54Whee!
20:54Sid seems very comfortable with spices.
20:57So these two chefs are packing a punch.
21:00I've got to make sure I do the same.
21:02Chef Jun, what are you making?
21:04Thinking about a salmon with a maple ganjang reduction.
21:09Soup dumpling, like a veluté sauce.
21:12And usually Brussels sprouts.
21:15Okay, salmon is a very rich fish, and I don't know that I need a heavy sauce.
21:20I mean...
21:21But then you do have the pho soup dumplings that you need to do something with.
21:24So I think making a sauce out of it probably is a direction that I've done too.
21:29And it could work.
21:30Maybe you break it up with lemon.
21:31Yeah, which is the yuzu mayo.
21:33I'm also loving what Jun is doing.
21:36The salmon, he's cooking it in really low heat, and he's putting herbs in it.
21:41I think Chef Jun is my big competition because I saw the way he's working.
21:46It made me a little nervous here and there, so I just wanted to look out for him.
21:50Chef Sid, tell us, what is it you're making?
21:53So I'm making a tandoori salmon with a bell pepper Brussels sprout for y'all.
21:58Ooh, this salmon's really good.
22:01I'm going to make a bell pepper sauce because the salmon is a fatty fish, so that's why it needs
22:06like an acid and a little spice.
22:09I'm wrestling with baby cabbages.
22:11Behind, behind.
22:14Uh-oh, we're both frying Brussels.
22:17Seems like we are.
22:19Ooh, love a fried Brussels sprout.
22:20Yep.
22:20When it gets like all crispy.
22:25Behind, behind, right behind.
22:27Chefs, you're under five minutes here, so you really need to start thinking about plating and perhaps simplifying.
22:34Smells delicious, Sid.
22:35Thank you very much.
22:38Jun, how long do you want these Brussels to go?
22:41Should be almost done.
22:42Heard. I just don't want them to overcook.
22:43Yeah.
22:44I just feel like maybe I'm doing a scooch better than Jun is, just on some technical things.
22:50I got you. Perfect. Thank you. Appreciate you.
22:52You're welcome. Now get them in a bowl so I can use that .
22:58There you go.
22:59Fire in the hole.
23:04Nice.
23:08That was hot.
23:12Sid is spending an awful amount of time.
23:14A naan basket.
23:15On a naan basket.
23:16Brilliant. Those peppers.
23:17Just put the dumplings in that.
23:19Like put something.
23:20Oh my gosh, yeah.
23:21Simple.
23:21I don't know what to do with this crispy dumpling because they're already completely done.
23:26Time is ticking fast.
23:27I decided to sear my dumplings in a pan with some chili powder because make them a little crispier.
23:32Because this usually mayo is already like heavy.
23:36I wanted to add like a little herb and that goes well with the seared crispy dumpling.
23:41Sid, he's taken the first dumpling and he's just cooking them.
23:46Cooking them.
23:46Chef Sid struggled with this in the appetizer round also.
23:49He gave us literally just the onion rings.
23:52Yeah.
23:52You are seeing a lot of urgency right now with these chefs.
23:55Ah!
23:56Almost to 20 seconds.
23:57Just do it.
23:58Just do it.
23:58Just do it.
23:59Get it on the plate.
24:00Get it on the plate.
24:0110, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
24:12Time's up.
24:14Oh!
24:16Whoa!
24:17Whoa!
24:23The fish is absolutely super high.
24:26Sweet.
24:27Nice.
24:27What's up, Chef?
24:28Nice.
24:29That looks beautiful.
24:32I appreciate it.
24:32Yeah.
24:33It's all the same color.
24:35I can smell Sid's and it smells incredible.
24:37So I feel good for him.
24:38I feel kind of weird for me.
24:50Chefs, in the entree round, the challenge was to make excellent main dishes with pho soup
24:55dumplings, brussel sprouts on the stalk, salmon, and yuzu nail.
25:01Chef Daya, please tell us about your entree.
25:03I've made for you pan-seared salmon, fried brussel sprouts in an apple chili gastrique, yuzu
25:10mayo, and a pho dumpling fritter.
25:13What inspired this direction for you, Chef?
25:16Well, the brussel sprouts, I've made those every year for Thanksgiving for as long as I
25:20can remember, in trouble if I don't bring them.
25:23I can see why.
25:25Because this is absolutely delicious.
25:27The Granny Smith, I think, was such a great choice because it still has the tartness,
25:32a little bit of the sweetness, and the addition of heat.
25:35Yes.
25:36Thank you very much.
25:37I'm a little biased because I'm Korean and I need spicy food, always.
25:42And so, like, for me, that was such a pleasurable moment when I got that heat.
25:46To me, the yuzu, I think, is a lost opportunity.
25:50It's such a beautiful ingredient.
25:51Even if you were to put it in the fritter, it would have been a different utilization of it.
25:55Hey, that's pretty smart.
25:56Yeah.
25:57That's what I'm sitting here.
25:58I know.
25:59There it is.
26:00Yeah, sing.
26:01But the fritter, I think, is a great repurposing of the fur dumplings.
26:06The crispy crunchiness on that is spectacular.
26:08It's my favorite part of the dish.
26:10And I love the crispy skin on my salmon.
26:13It's cooked beautifully.
26:14There's a lot of really fun things on here and some really great technique.
26:19Next up, Chef Sid.
26:21I made a tandoori marinated salmon on the bed of a Brussels potpouriel with a couscous pulao
26:26on the side and a crispy dumpling with cilantro yuzu.
26:33Chef, you have a lot of delicious flavors going on.
26:36The spices, it's, like, fragrant.
26:39You get, like, your point of view as a chef, which is always something that I look for when I
26:44eat.
26:44I love the tandoori on the salmon.
26:47Really, really nice.
26:48But the skin for me was, like, very gummy.
26:52This doesn't come across as a cohesive dish because the dumpling just seems like, hey, I'm over here.
26:58Hello.
26:59So you could have incorporated the dumpling in...
27:02The pulao.
27:03The pulao.
27:04Sid, I'll agree with my other two judges.
27:06You spent so much time playing with ingredients that were not in the basket, you know, and you want to
27:13win chopped.
27:14Only thing that matters is what's in the basket.
27:17All right, Chef.
27:18Definitely.
27:19Thank you very much.
27:19Thank you, Chef Sid.
27:21Finally, Chef June.
27:22What you have in front of you is a maple ganjang butter poached salmon served with blistered Brussels and a
27:30dumpling sauce.
27:34June, I think the salmon is flaky.
27:36It's buttery.
27:37It's delicious.
27:38Yeah.
27:39And I think the Brussels sprouts are cooked fantastic.
27:42They're crispy.
27:42They've got great flavor.
27:43They're well-seasoned.
27:45What's kind of a miss for me is the dumpling filling sauce.
27:50I wish there was soy in there.
27:51I wish there was some heat.
27:53Give me a different realm to go explore.
27:56Mm-hmm.
27:57Yeah.
27:58Each component is delicious, but these accompaniments are wrong for each other.
28:03Mm-hmm.
28:03They're all oily and heavy.
28:05So, I'm looking for some relief.
28:08Yeah.
28:09You know, yuzu mayo is like such a fun, beautiful ingredient.
28:13I feel like that was a missed opportunity.
28:16Chef June, thank you.
28:17Yes.
28:19My dish was heavy, not enough acid.
28:21I thought I had enough lemon in the Brussels, but hopefully, I mean, the judgment is not made
28:27yet.
28:29I definitely learned about incorporating all the basic ingredients.
28:32That definitely hit me very hard in this round.
28:34So, I'm definitely going to focus on the next round if I'm there.
28:38Only two chefs get to cook in the final round.
28:49So, whose dish is on the chopping block?
29:00Chef Sid, you've been chopped.
29:03Judges?
29:05Chef Sid, we adore you.
29:07Your energy is spectacular, and we see your personality in all of your food.
29:11The cook on the salmon was great, but the fact that you left the skin on there, and it
29:16was so gummy, just really didn't resonate.
29:18And so, we had to chop you.
29:23Thank you very much.
29:24Nice meeting you.
29:25Thank you very much.
29:39Nice meeting you.
29:40Thank you very much.
29:42I'm going to be right at the same time I'm head.
29:48I'm up against Chef June, and he is going to be a stiff competition.
29:52He has a lot of drive, and he's just, you know, a really nice guy.
29:57But I want to take home the win.
29:59Going against Dea, and she's a great chef.
30:02She's proven it throughout the rounds.
30:04But I'm in it.
30:06Let's go.
30:06Let's get this thing.
30:08Chef June.
30:09Chef Dea.
30:10Third and final round.
30:12Here's your dessert basket.
30:14Dig in.
30:16Whoa.
30:17Let's go.
30:18And what will you make with barbecued potato chips?
30:23Crunchy.
30:23Crunch is good.
30:24Plums.
30:25Okay, this is nice.
30:27These are gorgeous.
30:28Stone ground Mexican chocolate.
30:31Mexican chocolate.
30:32And croissant dough.
30:34This is fun.
30:35Croissant dough.
30:36I feel pretty good.
30:37I feel pretty good.
30:38Let's do it.
30:4030 minutes to rock it.
30:42Clock starts now.
30:43Woo!
30:43Go Chef!
30:44Go Chef!
30:45Who wants the money?
30:47It's been so incredible just seeing both June and Dea's journey.
30:53June came in really strong.
30:55He had all of these really strong flavors.
30:57And Dea, in the entree round, she completely blew us away.
31:00I think the dessert is really going to be the deciding factor.
31:04Since my entree was on the bit of the heavier side, I do want to wow the judges a little
31:09bit here.
31:10I see croissant dough.
31:11I see Mexican chocolate.
31:13Let's make this into churros.
31:15Churros are good.
31:17I'm making croissant churros with caramelized plums, mascarpone cream, with a spicy and salty potato crumble.
31:26I'm thinking, instead of a traditional churro shape, let's just make it into baby croissants and it's going to look
31:32really cute.
31:33June, have you worked with the croissant dough before?
31:36Yes, yes, I have actually.
31:38You have.
31:38So you're very confident that it will be cooked in time?
31:41Yes, yes.
31:42When you see the croissant, you see the different layers, right?
31:44There is fermentation and the fat between the layers is what takes time to cook.
31:50Now that I've made the shapes of the croissants, I'm going to have to deep fry them and hopefully it
31:55cooks all the way through.
31:56I want to win chop so I can prove to my father I've been doing the right things in my
32:01life.
32:05I don't know if you can smell it in the air, but I smell money.
32:09I mean, that's how close we are at this point.
32:10I feel really good about it.
32:11I'm really confident.
32:12I'm ready to do it.
32:13So for my dessert, I'm making a spiced baked croissant with balsamic and fresh plums, sweet and savory barbecue chips,
32:21and a Mexican chocolate meringue.
32:25So before I put them in the oven, I'm going to sprinkle my croissant dough with some Mexican chocolate and
32:30a little bit of the crushed pink peppercorn.
32:34Judges, this Mexican chocolate begins by grinding cocoa nibs with stone.
32:40Exactly.
32:41The Mexican chocolate is a little bit more granular.
32:44It is very bitter and like some sugar or something sweet would really balance that bitterness.
32:51So I'm going to use some of the Mexican chocolate in my meringue.
32:54So once it's mixing, I just start working on something else and kind of let it do its thing.
33:00I decided to use the microwave to make the chocolate sauce.
33:02So I'm taking the chopped up Mexican chocolate, throw some cream.
33:08June is microwaving his Mexican chocolate with cream, which is great.
33:13Perfect.
33:15While my chocolate sauce is working in the microwave, now I'm working on the mascarpone cream.
33:21I am actually like with June, the fact that he could have just got a stand mixer, put it in,
33:26walked and done something else rather than wasting the time.
33:30Chef's coming up on five minutes here.
33:33Heard.
33:36I hear the beep of the microwave, so I run over to check on my sauce and it's completely split.
33:43Every microwave is different and this microwave overheated my sauce heavily and like, I cannot save this straight nightmare.
33:56Even if I wanted to save the chocolate sauce, most of it's splattered all over the microwave, so I'm just
34:01going to restart.
34:02Chef June was not happy with the consistency of his microwave cream and Mexican chocolate.
34:08He's got less than three minutes to figure this out.
34:10Whoa.
34:11One more move in the microwave.
34:14You know, another really interesting thing is the barbecue potato chips.
34:16I kind of like the idea of the smoky barbecue with chocolate.
34:21I'm concerned that if I cook the chips down, they're going to get soggy and that removes all joy from
34:26a chip.
34:28So just going to amplify what's going on in there and add some coriander, cinnamon, some sugar and more of
34:35that Mexican chocolate.
34:37I wonder if he is going to be any happier with the consistency.
34:41The chocolate sauce, it's not hot enough.
34:44Oh, come on, come on.
34:45Where the chocolate's melting.
34:49Are June's croissant...
34:51They're floating.
34:52Are they holding together?
34:53They are holding.
34:54He's just spending a lot of time on them.
34:56Yeah.
35:00So, Dan, right now, you can see her croissant has risen very beautifully.
35:06So I look at my meringue.
35:07It's not meringuing.
35:09It's souping.
35:10This is not good off me.
35:11I decided to pivot to whipped cream.
35:15I need to shoot myself in the foot right now.
35:17Right behind you?
35:18Right.
35:19Come on.
35:20Let's go.
35:23Let's go.
35:24Get it on the plate.
35:25Good vibes.
35:26Come on, come on, come on.
35:27You got it.
35:28Now get a fire.
35:30Final seconds of the final round, chef.
35:32Take it home.
35:33Take it home.
35:34Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
35:43Time set.
35:45So stressful.
35:48I'm proud of the dish I got down.
35:50You know, it's weird, but so am I.
35:52But I think it's delicious.
35:54I'm a little nervous for sure, but I feel pretty good going in.
36:05Chef Jun and Chef Dea, you opened the final basket and found barbecue potato chips, plums, stone-ground Mexican chocolate,
36:15and croissant dough.
36:17Chef Jun.
36:18I made a churro croissant with a mascarpone cream, caramelized plum, Mexican hot chocolate sauce, and spicy potato crumble.
36:30Chef, I think churros, with this basket of ingredients, so genius, Mexican chocolate, obviously, even the plums are delicious.
36:38And you made like a beautiful fluffy whipped cream, which is really, really nice.
36:42The croissant, the exterior is great.
36:44The seasoning is spectacular.
36:46It reminds me of a churro.
36:48Unfortunately, the croissant is completely raw inside.
36:51And how you could have prevented that was not make a croissant.
36:56Just cut it into strips, throw it in the fryer, right?
36:59It would have even looked a lot more like churros, okay?
37:02But I think the barbecue potato chips on top, that smokiness, it goes with the caramelization of the plums.
37:08And I think the chocolate sauce is great.
37:11Very well done.
37:13Chef Jun, do you have plans for the prize money, should you win it?
37:17I would ideally like to travel, learn more, and increase the depth of my palate.
37:23Thank you, Chef Jun.
37:25Finally, Chef Daya.
37:26I made a spice baked croissant with sweet and savory potato chips, a Mexican hot chocolate whipped cream, and balsamic
37:35and fresh plums.
37:42Chef, I think that you did a great job on cooking your croissant.
37:47Baking it in the oven with that spice dust, really fun.
37:50I do really like the spice mix that you have on it.
37:53And once I got the chocolate and the cinnamon, it really started making sense to me.
37:58I think the whipped cream is slightly over whipped, but it's delicious.
38:02And I like the chocolate notes in there.
38:04It's like that chocolatey whipped cream that, you know, is irresistible.
38:07The balsamic plums are delicious.
38:11Chef, have you learned anything about yourself going through this competition?
38:14I don't think you can do something like this and not face yourself a little bit.
38:18Come on, Daya.
38:20I'm just, I'm happy to be here. I'm happy to do what I did.
38:23What's making you so emotional?
38:28The last two years have been really hard.
38:30And, you know, I had to get rid of my restaurant and start as a grill cook again.
38:37And this year, I've realized that I'm not just a chef.
38:40I'm a mother. I'm a role model.
38:42And so doing this just made me realize that there's so many things that I am that feed into being
38:49a chef.
38:50Chef, Daya, thank you.
38:51All right. We are moments away from naming the next chopped champion.
39:01Judges, both of these chefs worked hard. But what impressed you most?
39:06Appetize around June's started strong.
39:09Mm-hmm.
39:09That taco that he gave us, the venison strip steak was perfectly cooked.
39:14But that taco shell was a little dry.
39:17Yeah, but I think June's was by far the best play on the fruit cocktail.
39:21To me, Daya's was better than June's.
39:25She went ahead and made this absolutely bright sauce with basil in it.
39:30There was all of this vinegar.
39:32However, her venison needed a really hard sear.
39:35I agree.
39:36June took the first course.
39:38And then we go to the entree course.
39:39Daya blew us away.
39:41I was shocked.
39:42The Brussels sprouts were treated beautifully.
39:44The delicious gastrique with apples in it and the heat.
39:49Yeah, and by far the best cook on the salmon.
39:51I loved what June did with the salmon.
39:54Mm-hmm.
39:55Right?
39:55The butter poaching was absolutely amazing.
39:57It was creamy and it melted in your mouth.
40:00I think all of his elements were good by itself.
40:03It's just together it read heavy.
40:05There was highs and lows with each of these chefs and to see them both work through the problems
40:10of the basket and really put it together was fun.
40:16I want to win this for myself inside to feel like I did this whole thing and that I was
40:22the victor on the other end.
40:23But also my kids, I want to show them that all of the hard work and all the times I
40:28wasn't there that it's worth it.
40:30Daya is a very strong contender, but I'm pretty confident except for the slightly undercooked croissant at the end.
40:38So, whose dish is on the chopping block?
40:48Chef Daya, you've been chopped. Judges?
40:52Chef Daya, we've loved your spunk and energy in the kitchen today.
40:57The first course, the venison, it wasn't seared properly.
41:02And in your dessert round, the whipped cream was over whipped.
41:07And so, we have to chop you.
41:10Thank you so much for this awesome day.
41:12I appreciate it.
41:13You've made it awesome for us too.
41:18I feel good.
41:19I definitely think that I was able to get some validation for my life choices, the good ones.
41:25And I'm really excited to get back home and to see my kids, you know, snuggle up at some point
41:31and let them watch me.
41:33And that means Chef Jun Ryu, you are the Chopped Champion.
41:38For giving it all you had, we're giving you $10,000.
41:41Congratulations, Chef.
41:43Awesome work. Nice work.
41:45To win Chopped, it feels surreal.
41:47I'm on cloud nine, and I'm getting validation from amazing judges.
41:53That means so much to me, and it makes me happy that I've been doing the right things.
42:01Thanks, guys.
42:01I'm getting started.
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