'Maksanharu' Teases a Black-and-White Cooking Showdown: Doenjang Stew vs. Malatang

Episode 4 of “Maksanharu,” released on the YouTube channel AtHeart, follows the members as they choose their menus and develop individual strategies ahead of a “Black-and-White Cooking Showdown.” The discussion reveals two sharply contrasting approaches, ranging from Korean comfort food centered on meat and stew to Western-style brunch, Filipino food and malatang.

“I’ll use my dad lifeline”: A Korean-food strategy built around doenjang stew and meat

At the beginning of the video, the members mention “Black and White Chef” and begin discussing possible dishes, with Seo-yeon taking on the role of the gourmet. One team decides to make Korean food the foundation of its strategy and starts considering which combination of dishes could give it an advantage in the competition.

Taking into account that Seo-yeon does not prefer vegetables, the team suggests that meat should be the menu’s defining feature. The members consider dishes that would pair well with jeyuk-bokkeum, a spicy stir-fried pork dish, while also naming doenjang jjigae, or soybean paste stew, and sundubu jjigae, or soft tofu stew, as potential choices.

One member notably brings up using a “dad lifeline” while the team is deciding what to cook. The member says, “My dad adds fresh bracken,” and confidently adds, “If I get my dad’s recipe, we’ll win.” The group then discusses more specific ideas for the dish, including adding thinly sliced beef brisket to the doenjang stew.

The members also express their determination to use ingredients or recipes recommended by their parents. Their plans show that parental advice is not merely an afterthought: it is becoming part of how each team intends to refine its menu and improve the finished dishes.

“How about malatang for breakfast?”: Competing ideas between Western food and malatang

The opposing team offers a markedly different set of possibilities. Its suggestions include Western-style brunch dishes, Filipino food and malatang. Highlighting the variety under consideration, one member asks, “Should we go with breakfast malatang?”

Concerns are also raised that the portions might be too small. Even so, the members continue coordinating the dishes and ingredients each person wants, gradually turning their different preferences into a practical plan for the upcoming showdown.

Overlapping parental advice sets up a “recipe war”

The ingredient-shopping process adds another layer of interest as information recommended by the members’ parents begins to overlap. Na-yeon checks the shopping list while referring to her mother’s advice, leading to a moment described as, “The parents—the moms—are overlapping right now.”

Following her mother’s guidance, Na-yeon points out that they need green onion. The members then check other essential ingredients, including onion, Cheongyang chili peppers and minced garlic, as they move into the full-scale preparation stage for their cooking competition.