I Asked Michelin Chefs to Make $20 Budget Meal

Quick Overview

Michelin chefs Sungchul Shim and Mitsunobu Nagae successfully create a high-quality Naju Gomtang (beef soup) and a Japanese Cordon Bleu, both staying within a strict $20 budget for the main components of each dish, demonstrating budget-conscious gourmet cooking techniques.

Key Points: Sungchul Shim prepared Naju Gomtang for $19.95 (excluding the optional egg) using beef bones, beef shank, green onion, onion, ginger, garlic, salt, and pepper. The Naju Gomtang preparation involved soaking and blanching bones/meat twice to achieve a clear broth, charring vegetables (onion, green onion, ginger) for depth, and slow-cooking in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes followed by a 45-minute rest. The final Naju Gomtang was seasoned with a house-made soy sauce (sake, mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil, lime, ginger) and garnished with seaweed, pickled ginger, wasabi, and egg yolk strips. Mitsunobu Nagae prepared Japanese Cordon Bleu using a $4 pork chop ($4.00 total for the meat), stuffed with mozzarella cheese ($4.25), and served with an arugula and gooseberry salad ($4.00) dressed with ginger ponzu. A key technique for the Cordon Bleu was pan-frying in sunflower oil and basting with butter, thyme, and sage to achieve a crispy exterior and perfectly melted cheese interior. The total ingredient cost for the Naju Gomtang (serving five people) was $19.95 (excluding the optional egg), and the Cordon Bleu meal cost $17.25, proving high-quality meals can be made on a budget. The chefs emphasized techniques like using vegetable scraps (onion skins, garlic roots) for stock and properly preparing sushi rice (1:1 rice to water ratio, cutting technique) to maximize flavor and minimize waste.

Context: The video features a culinary challenge where two Michelin-starred chefs, Sungchul Shim (Chef at GUI/Hwaro, specializing in Korean cuisine) and Mitsunobu Nagae (Chef at Shota Omakase, specializing in Japanese cuisine), compete to create a gourmet dish for under a $20 budget, referencing the rising cost of groceries as motivation. Sungchul Shim focuses on making traditional Korean Naju Gomtang, while Mitsunobu Nagae prepares a budget-friendly Japanese Cordon Bleu.