Chef Kang Min-koo expands possibilities of Korean food

By Jun Ji-hye

Chef Kang Min-koo has recently received the Inedit Damm Chefs' Choice Award, voted for by the other chefs on the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list, in recognition of his contributions to the Asian culinary scene for expanding the possibilities of Korean dishes.

Chef Kang Min-koo / Courtesy of chef Kang Min-koo

Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, which was launched in 2013, is published by U.K.-based William Reed Business Media that also publishes the World's 50 Best Restaurants and Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants.

Chef Kang opened his flagship restaurant, Mingles, in Seoul in 2014 and brought his innovative interpretation of Korean cuisine overseas for the first time with the opening of Hansik Goo in Hong Kong last year.

“I was honored. It was impressive and thanks to all the chefs we've worked with,” Kang said in an interview with The Korea Times, regarding his winning of this year's peer-voted award.

Kang started thinking 15 years ago when he was living abroad about opening a restaurant introducing Korean food, as he realized that, though the charms and possibilities of Korean food were endless, it was still relatively unknown around the world.

“Since then, I have collected a lot of materials such as videos and books on Korean food culture, and one day I wanted to add my experience to the international stage and show Korean food in a new way,” he said.

Kang lived abroad for almost five years, but has never studied at a famous culinary school due to a lack of time and money.

He said the basics that most chefs learn at school were supplemented by working harder in the field and by eagerly seeking out and reading up on cooking basics and materials on days off or after shifts.

Stressing that the discovery of seasonal and special ingredients is one of the most important tasks in a restaurant, the chef said his restaurants use a lot of Korean traditional pastes, sesame oil, vinegar and fermented foods.

“While respecting the origins of Korean food, we prioritize whether it is a menu containing Mingles' unique colors that add today's technologies and sensibilities,” he said. “Beyond just delicious food, we value the dining experience, the experience that can only be felt at Mingles.”

Mingles first appeared on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants in 2016 at No.15.

This year, the restaurant rose to No.10, and was named the best restaurant in Korea for the sixth consecutive year.