What makes Korean food special? For these culinary masters, it’s all in the 'jang'

From left, Chef Kang Min-goo, Ven. Jeong Kwan, and Chef Cho Hee-sook pose at Cho’s studio, Hansikgonggan, April 9. The three have been both teachers and students to one another through a Korean cuisine study group they began about a decade ago. Korea Times photo by Kang Ye-jin

Kang Min-goo, chef of the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Mingles, dedicates his latest book to four women: his late mother, mother-in-law, Buddhist nun Jeong Kwan, and chef Cho Hee-sook — two of whom are Korea’s most respected authorities on traditional cuisine.

In his newly published book "JANG," which explores traditional Korean fermented sauces and pastes, Kang writes, “To my four mothers: the beloved women in my family who have passed, and the mothers of Korean cuisine, Ven. Jeong Kwan and chef Cho Hee-sook.”

Together, Kang, Jeong Kwan, and Cho represent the past, present and future of Korean cuisine. On April 9, the three gathered for a rare joint discussion about the growing global interest in Korean food and the foundational element at the heart of it all: jang, the fermented sauces that define Korean flavor.

Chef Kang Min-goo, center, says that it was Chef Cho Hee-sook, left, and Ven. Jeong Kwan who taught him the fundamentals. Courtesy of Kang Min-goo

Masters of Korean culinary tradition

Known globally through her appearance in Netflix’s "Chef’s Table," Ven. Jeong Kwan is the head monk at Cheonjinam Hermitage in Baegyangsa Temple in South Jeolla Province and an expert in temple cuisine.

Chef Cho, often referred to as the “godmother of hansik,” began her career as a kitchen assistant at a five-star hotel and went on to serve as head chef at the Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C. She now leads the acclaimed restaurant Hansikgonggan in Seoul.

Kang, one of Korea’s most celebrated fine-dining chefs, credits both women with helping him find his voice in traditional cuisine. “I thought I knew Korean food well, but when I actually tried to run a restaurant, I realized how much I didn’t know,” he said. “They taught me from the ground up — how to blanch vegetables, how to use jang.”

Their collaboration began over a decade ago in a study group they called Geumbaru, where chefs gathered weekly to study Korean food. For Kang, it was a chance to return to the basics despite already leading a globally recognized restaurant.

“Temple food teaches precision. Ven. Jeong Kwan would say, ‘Blanch the greens until your fingernail can sink into the stem,’” Kang said with a laugh. “She showed me that cooking is about attention and respect for ingredients.”

Chef Kang Min-goo takes notes as Ven. Jeong Kwan prepares porridge with coastal hog fennel at Cheonjinam Hermitage of Baekyangsa Temple in Jangseong, South Jeolla Province. Courtesy of Kang Min-goo

From homestyle to fine dining

Chef Cho emphasized that traditional Korean food and Korean restaurant cuisine should differ. “At Shilla Hotel in the early 2000s, a French chef once told me, ‘I don’t see a clear distinction between Korean home cooking and restaurant food,’ and that stuck with me,” she said. “That’s something I wanted to change.”

Chef Kang’s signature dish “hobakseon” (stuffed steamed pumpkin) was created to honor Ven. Jeong Kwan, who he calls his muse for plant-based cuisine. Both chefs admire Kang’s creativity, with Cho admitting, “Sometimes I envy how he approaches food so intuitively.” She added, “I’ve learned a lot from him, not just about cooking, but about how to run a modern restaurant.”

A reinterpretation of the Korean cooking method “seon” by Chef Kang Min-goo at his restaurant Mingles, featuring stuffed vegetables like zucchini, cucumber, eggplant and cabbage steamed in broth. Captured from Mingles’ Instagram

The soul of Korean food: jang

What unites them all is a belief in the power of jang — fermented sauces like soy sauce (ganjang), soybean paste (doenjang) and chili paste (gochujang). “Korean food is essentially rice with side dishes seasoned with jang,” said Cho.

Ven. Jeong Kwan maintains over 30 earthenware fermentation jars at her hermitage. The oldest soy sauce in her collection is 37 years old. “I move the jars with me even when I relocate temples,” she said, because temperature, location and air quality all affect fermentation.

Chef Kang has modernized jang with a trio of house-made sauces served at Mingles. “People often say jang is too salty, but sauces in every cuisine are salty,” said Cho. “The key is knowing when and how to use each one — soy sauce, vinegared soy, sweetened soy, stewing soy.”

Ven. Jeong Kwan prepares tofu jang, a fermented dish made with soy sauce and doenjang. Often described as a plant-based cheese, it showcases the depth of traditional Korean fermentation. Courtesy of Willbook

In temple cuisine, even a simple spinach salad is made differently depending on the season. Young leaves are seasoned with soy sauce, mid-season leaves with soybean paste, and mature stems with chili paste. “Each ingredient has a different energy, and we match that energy with the right jang,” said Ven. Jeong Kwan.

Chef Kang wants to share this depth with a global audience. “Even in Korea, many people don’t understand how to use jang,” he said. “But jang goes well with cuisines around the world.”

“I think every household should have at least three kinds of soy sauce: light Korean soup soy sauce, brewed soy sauce and a well-aged traditional soy sauce,” he said. “Don’t waste that expensive aged one on stews, rather try it on something simple like blanched bean sprouts. That’s gourmet enough.”

The covers of the books “JANG” by Kang Min-goo, left, and “Jeong Kwan Snim” / Courtesy of Bookus and Willbook

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.