Side dishes, Korea's next hallyu export

The cast of tvN's new cooking show "Soo-mi's Side Dishes" wave at Amoris Hall in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on Friday. Courtesy of CJ E&M

BTS rocks world. Why not Korean cuisine?

By Park Jin-hai

Kim Soo-mi, a veteran actress known for her recent hilarious cussing strong granny image, has returned to the small screen with tvN's upcoming cooking show "Soo-mi's Side Dishes."

In the show, the 68-year old actress _ who has been reputed for her master-level cooking skills in Korean cuisine and sharing them with her staff and friends _ will teach her recipes to three celebrity chefs in Chinese, Italian and Bulgarian cuisines.

Today, eating out has become a massive trend, so the aim of the show is to rekindle the importance of the mother-made home cuisine by focusing on Korean side dishes. Its master chef is actress Kim, who has long been a granny figure after appearing in the landmark TV series "Country Diary" for almost 20 years between 1980 and 2002.

"Some of my friends say they eat out four times a week and I see many people quickly having ramen and going to coffee shops for expensive desserts and coffee. I think this is wrong. People should understand the importance of having proper homemade meals," Kim said during a press conference for her new show "Soo-mi's Side Dishes" at Amoris Hall in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Friday.

"In the local entertainment world, she is a well-known cook. Many celebrities are anxious to enjoy Kim's signature homemade side dishes. After I decided to bring side dishes into the main theme of my new show, the name that struck me first has been actress Kim," the show's producer Moon Tae-ju said. "From what to cook to its overall cooking process, Kim puts almost everything under her control."

Kim, born to a poor farming family in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, recalls that her happiest childhood memories are of her parents and her five siblings sitting together on the wooden deck in their front yard for dinner surrounded by flowers.

"Although we were poor, my mother was a magician and made the best out of vegetables and other ingredients to make as many side dishes as possible. She used to get baby fishes that fish stores always put away because of their small sizes and made wonderful dishes and our dinner table was rich and always full of appetizing dishes," she said.

The actress says "stepping into the kitchen" is a "way to meet her mother who passed away 50 years ago." "I lost my mother when I was 18. When I was pregnant, suffering from morning sickness, it was a slice of my mother's fresh kimchi that I desperately wanted. For me cooking and searching for similar tastes as my mother's recipes is like my wishing to meet her again."

In recent years, through her cameos as a foulmouthed mother and granny in TV shows and films including "Mapado" and "Granny's Got Talent" as well as commercials, she has successfully revamped her image and rejuvenated her fading career.

The tough-talking actress joins with three star chefs Yeo Kyung-rae of Chinese cuisine, Choi Hyun-seok of Italian cuisine and Mihal Spasov Ashminov of Bugarian cuisine.

"Many chefs specializing in Western cuisine of today study the tastes of Korean foods and try to introduce them to the world. As I feel that I need to learn more about my profession, I'm learning a lot from Kim," said Choi who claims to be a sous chef in assistance to Kim.

The three chefs who are used to using exact measurements in the kitchen told of their difficulties in following Kim's recipes, where her rule-of-thumb measurements such as "this much" and "just a little" are frequent.

Choi who "weighed ingredients to the precision of 0.5 grams" remarked on the unfamiliar cooking environment. "Although the three of us cooked as we were told, the same dishes resulted in different tastes," he said.

"When I season Western cuisine, what I had to focus on was a single dish served. But in cooking Korean side dishes, which are served together with cooked rice, their seasoning tends to be stronger then I'm accustomed to."

Kim also plans to sell her side dishes as far away as in the Middle East and Africa. "Producer Moon and I in previous meetings planned for a food truck selling our side dishes and kimchi cheaply to university students living alone around near Hongik University. If that goes well, we will sell them in the streets of Tokyo and possibly in Dubai," she said. "It's not just daydreaming. Who ever dreamed that BTS would top the Billboard artist chart? Possibly we can see the day when we sell fermented chili baby clam sauce in Africa, if all goes well."

"Soo-mi's Side Dishes" will premiere on Wednesday.

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