Tournament of Champions ™
Baker:
Season:
Week:
Challenge Type:
Cremini and Calamari Congee
Cremini and Calamari Congee with Wok-Seared Calamari Steak and Herbaceous Salsa Verde
Chef Shirley Chung on her approach: "We got blender as our equipment. As chefs, we blend everything, especially me. I've been using blenders to blend all my food for the last year."
On making congee: "I'm making porridge. Yeah. Hell, yeah."
On blending mushrooms: "Chopping up some cremini mushrooms so I can blend them. I'm going to add the earthy umami into my porridge."
On the personal significance of congee: "During my recovery, the moment that I can start eating a little bit of food instead of soups is actually rice congee. Mixing with meat, with protein, with vegetable. So I feel that today as my first battle back, it's the perfect stage for me to show everybody my past journey."
On using the randomizer multiple times: "My strategy is really to use the randomizer multiple times. I already have minced mushroom in my congee, but nothing beats a butter roasted mushroom."
On the calamari in the congee: "Also poached the small calamari into my porridge."
On the salsa verde: "The style is herbaceous. One of the first things that I would be able to taste were fresh herbs. The salsa I immediately went to is a salsa verde. So I have cilantro, lots of parsley, a touch of mint. The brightness of the mint makes your salsa verde extra herbaceous."
On the wok-seared calamari: "To saute my calamari, I'm going back to my three favorite sauces. Brace yourselves. Soy sauce and black vinegar. This is the first cook of TOC. I want to have a big return."
On plating: "I have my umami bomb mushroom and calamari congee as my base. And I have the beautifully butter roasted cremini mushroom, followed by my perfectly wok-seared calamari steak. So amazing to be back cooking on the TOC stage again."
Voiceover (Tiffany Faison): "In front of you is a melody of cremini and calamari congee with wok style roasted calamari steak, mushrooms, and an herbaceous salsa verde. The congee was constructed by jasmine rice being placed into the blender to then create the congee. Cremini mushrooms were also processed in the blender. A blended salsa verde of parsley, mint, cilantro, chive, and dill was tossed with the calamari steak on top."
Scott Conant: "Fantastic cooking. Let's talk about textures. In here, you have the soft congee, which has one texture. Then you have the cremini and the calamari, which has this kind of double texture, both from the wetness from the cremini, but it's seared and charred. And then on top of this, the casual salsa verde adds so much flavor. This is a fantastic dish. But it might be a little bit too much congee ratio to calamari."
Nancy Silverton: "Wow. Expert cooking. There is nothing missing in this dish. Really, I cannot get over how everything is cooked so perfectly."
Marcus Samuelsson: "This is the type of heartfelt, emotional cooking that really deeply resonates with me. It's not just the flavors. This is a point of view. This is a nod to heritage. It makes me emotional. This is a person opening their chest and showing you their heart. That's what this dish is. It is that good."
Post-result, Nancy Silverton: "That dish sets the bar of TOC." Score: 94. Winner.
Would you like us to create a recipe to match this dish?
We try to create several recipes every day, and we'd love to prioritize a recipe for you. Just fill out the form and watch your inbox - no cost, no catch.
Your request has been submitted
An error occurred. Try again later
