Royal recipe book inspires foodies to feast like kings
Galbijjim, or braised beef, is shown on the left while tarajuk, or milk porridge, and zucchini tofu soup, which the king was often served for his first meal of the day, is on the right. The dishes will be introduced in the new recipe book “Jewels in the Palace: Royal Recipes from Old Korea” by the Korean Food Foundation in Korean and English. Provided by the foundation
The agency plans to introduce recipes and tips on cooking food indigenous to Korea in a book and has already uploaded video tutorials online.
The ingredients used to make tteokgalbi, right, or marinated beef.
The book, “Jewels in the Palace: Royal Recipes from Old Korea,” was inspired by the hit TV drama “Dae Jang Geum,” which aired on MBC in 2003. The drama is about Dae Jang-geum, (played by Lee Young-ae), a chef at a royal palace who later uses her knowledge of ingredients to cure the sick.
Tofu with fried kimchi, right, a popular dish that accompanies traditional Korean alcohol, is made with ingredients shown on the left.
About 70 recipes for traditional Korean dishes will be included in the book, which is slated to be released toward the end of the month. The English version will come out next month.
Han Bok-ryeo, an expert on traditional Korean food who helped the producers add authenticity to how the food on the drama was presented, curated the recipes for the book.
Prior to the book’s release, Han gave a demonstration on the cooking process for dishes enjoyed in ancient times to show how they can be recreated at home with ease. Han shared essential tips, such as how meats and vegetables should be cooked simultaneously in Korean recipes and how royal cuisine usually includes special garnishes to ensure the plating looks pleasing to the eye.
Eggs, dates and chestnuts were popular decorations for meals at the time.
For fans of the drama, which was also popular in several countries outside of Korea, the book includes select scenes from the show.
“We hope that the ingredients served to the royal family will be further developed into a variety of menus so that more people can spread the word on cooking traditional Korean food,” the foundation said in a press release.
The foundation has also invited local chef Leo Kang to introduce Korean food to people in Chinese-speaking countries.
Kang was chosen by the foundation because he was the chef on the set of the TV drama “Fated to Love You,” which was very successful in China.
The foundation decided to create a promotional video showing Kang serving food to the stars, such as Jang Na-ra, who played the main character in the drama and is popular in China.
The foundation said that the drama has attracted more than 100 million viewers and that the video could go viral as a result.
The recipes in the video include rice covered in lettuce and doenjang, or fermented soy paste, and tofu with grilled kimchi. Dishes such as these incorporate Korean elements yet are simple to make.
Kang has been receiving private training sessions with Korean food expert Han to learn more about what constitutes Korean food and how to make it more accessible to non-Koreans.
The video also includes cooking demonstrations from Kang so that even Korean food novices will be able to cook up some authentic cuisine.
The recipes will have Chinese subtitles and will be available through the foundation’s website, www.hansik.org, and its other social media.
The recipes are not available in English.
BY LEE SUN-MIN [summerlee@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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