Sesame tofu comeback after Choi’s Black and White Chef win

Jan 15, 2026, 07:57 am

Chef Choi Kang-rok’s championship dish on Netflix’s cooking survival series Black and White Chef: Culinary Class Wars 2 has sparked renewed attention, as viewers discover that the winning recipe—sesame tofu—was introduced by the chef himself in a video released three years earlier.

Following the release of the season finale on Jan. 13, a YouTube video uploaded in April 2022 on Choi’s channel resurfaced among fans. In the clip titled “A dish of perseverance, sesame tofu,” Choi describes the dish as one that demands intense concentration, requiring constant stirring, precise heat control and uninterrupted attention from start to finish. He characterizes it as a “dish of perseverance,” detailing the time commitment and technical challenges involved in maintaining consistency and quality.

In the same video, Choi also reflects on a practical dilemma familiar to many chefs: that food prepared with great care does not always receive its due value. He notes that to serve a dish at its best, chefs must consider not only cooking but also timing and sales methods, highlighting the gap between culinary ideals and everyday livelihood. These reflections have since been seen as closely aligned with his decision to present sesame tofu as a deeply personal dish in the finale.

After the broadcast, viewers flooded the old video with congratulatory and reflective comments. “I cried more watching this than the show itself,” one viewer wrote, while another commented, “The narrative was already complete three years ago.” Others said the finale made them see the sesame tofu in an entirely new light.

In the final episode, Choi defeated fellow finalist Lee Ha-seong—nicknamed the “culinary monster”—to claim the title. Returning after competing in Season 1, Choi ultimately took home the 300 million won grand prize. The finale theme was “one dish for myself,” with Choi presenting a soup built around sesame tofu, while his opponent served a traditional blood sausage soup.

Judges Baek Jong-won and Ahn Sung-jae unanimously selected Choi’s dish as the winner.

Accepting the award, Choi said he does not see himself as someone who creates extraordinary food, but as one of many chefs who quietly dedicate themselves to cooking. He added that he intends to remain humble and stay focused on his craft moving forward.

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