Doenjang croquette creator wins MFG food contest

Kim Hak-joon, right, from the Department of Korean Cuisine at Jeonju University in North Jeolla Province, poses with Choi Seung-rim, head of MFG Korea’s Menu Development Division, at Mad for Garlic’s Times Square branch in Seoul, Friday, after winning the grand prize in MFG Korea’s new recipe contest.

A student who created a doenjang, or soybean paste, garlic croquette has won the highest honor in a new recipe contest hosted by MFG Korea, according to the major restaurant chain company Monday.

Kim Hak-joon, from the Department of Korean Cuisine at Jeonju University in North Jeolla Province, received the grand prize for his winning recipe. MFG Korea operates Mad for Garlic, a Korean-style Italian restaurant brand with 41 locations nationwide.

In the contest among university students from across the nation, Kim used garlic pickled in doenjang as the key ingredient in his innovative croquette.

“My grandfather is from Uiseong County in North Gyeongsang Province, which is known as one of the country’s major garlic-producing regions. Mad for Garlic also uses garlic as a signature ingredient in its dishes,” Kim said during an award ceremony held Friday at the brand’s Times Square branch in Seoul’s Yeongdeungpo District.

“So I wanted to create a croquette that combines the flavors of garlic and Korea’s representative traditional sauce, doenjang. I’m glad it turned out well,” Kim said.

The company said Kim “created a croquette that hit a note with the unique flavor symbolizing our brand,” earning the highest score among the contestants. He was awarded prize money of 3 million won ($2,200).

The company launched the contest in March under the slogan “Mad for Garlic, Mad for Recipe.” The company wanted to not only promote the brand but also encourage consumers to participate in developing the brand’s menus and thus borrow their ideas.

The contest received around 250 recipe submissions. Based on creativity, brand adherence, feasibility, level of expression and completeness, the company shortlisted 35 after two rounds of evaluation.

Choi Seung-rim, head of the company’s Menu Development Division, supervised the tasting and evaluation of all the recipes.

“The participants all showed a high level of creativity, passion and quality as a dish. It was very difficult to make my decisions,” he said. “I’m sure your recipes will inspire us to develop and introduce new dishes for our consumers.”

The second-highest honors were awarded to two recipes: a vegan pasta inspired by the growing “slow aging” dietary trend and a prosciutto and garlic show pasta.