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Chef Cho Woo-hyun talks to The Korea Times at his Italian restaurant Flora, early this month. / Korea Times Photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
Korea has shown deep interest in promoting ``hansik'' (Korean cuisine), and thanks to chefs like Cho Woo-hyun, intentions are being put in action.
For the past two decades, the famed chef and owner of the Italian restaurant Flora has been doing what he does best: cooking. His culinary skills have won him many international competitions.
``You cannot get good results if we simply copy foreign dishes. The judges are interested in new recipes and ingredients. In order to bring hansik to the international level, chefs who have vast experience and food experts must get together and work alongside each other,'' he told The Korea Times during an interview at his restaurant early this month.
Cho and his five-member team won the silver medal at the Asia Culinary Cup held in Bangkok last September.
The Korean team participated in the competition on the ``Gourmet Team Challenge Program'' under the theme ``Globalization of Hansik'' and served 25 different dishes, all based on hansik.
``The only way for us to win was to stick to the Western recipe, but add in some Korean elements. For instance, we made 'tteokbokki' pasta made with a tomato spaghetti sauce with a hint of the original Korean 'tteokbokki' sauce. Visitors had to stand in a long line to taste the dish,'' he said.
In the case of rice cakes, Cho had to consider the judges' preferences.
``We usually enjoy the sticky and chewy 'tteok' for tteokbokki, but many foreigners find this unattractive. So we used a different type of tteok, the 'jolaengi' tteok, for it is less sticky than the usual long and thin one,'' he added.
Another interesting dish was the beef tongue salad whipped up with seaweed and a mustard sauce.
``The reason we chose beef tongue was because we needed something that would attract attention. Koreans may be aware of beef tongue, but many other countries are not, and so we thought it would be an interesting, and healthy ingredient to use ,'' Cho said.
The chef explained that with the right recipe, anyone can enjoy the special dish without having to be disgusted.
``The tongue is originally very chewy and so we left it to soften in a boiling broth made with onions, celery, ginger, carrots and herbs for three hours. The dish is actually a slow-cooked food, which hansik is famous for,'' the chef explained.
Another important factor was the use of local products, including the hanwoo, or Korea's homebred cattle, for the beef tongue dish.
``I used hanwoo when making the dishes and I think they were the main reason why they were so tasty. Korean ingredients are the best when making a Korean-style dish. The color, taste and even the scent are different,'' he said.
What more can chefs and hansik lovers do to promote the cuisine?
``It's crucial for young chefs to participate in as many international contests as they can. This way, they can learn more and also have a broader view in both cooking and also in creating unique recipes. I feel that the environment is getting better, but we still have a long way to go,'' he said.
Cho made his international debut as a chef in 1992 in Singapore and has won famous titles including the Gold medal at the 12th Culinary Gathering of Cooks & Chefs in 2006 and the Gold award at the Istanbul Gastronomy Festival in 2007. He currently runs two Italian restaurants in Samcheong-dong, northern Seoul.
sanghee@koreatimes.co.kr
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