Lee Kum Kee introduces Korean recipes for its Chinese sauces

Chef Lu Chinglai demonstrates how to cook with sauces made by Lee Kum Kee Wednesday. [LEE SUN-MIN]

Chinese sauce brand Lee Kum Kee held a cooking class to share how convenient and versatile its sauces are when it comes to home cooking, especially as many have taken to their kitchens recently in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Lee Kum Kee, a global brand with over 130 years of history that distributes its products to over 100 countries worldwide, invited veteran chef Lu Chinglai, whose Korean name is pronounced as Yeo Gyeong-lae, to demonstrate two dishes at Lotte Department Store on Wednesday.

The menu of the day consisted of a bowl of noodle soup and a plate of seasoned pork.

“Many just assume Chinese dishes are difficult to cook at home, but once you try, you will find them simple and easy to cook,” said chef Lu. He added that not all Chinese food is fried, a common misconception many Koreans have.

“Some of the most popular Chinese dishes in Korea happen to be fried, but there are milder options you can have on a daily basis.”

To show how versatile the sauces are, the brand has been incorporating them into Korean recipes available online.

The company has also been introducing small-sized packages to appeal to customers who live alone or in two-person households.

“Alongside the bulk sales coming from the restaurants, we have been trying to cater to the needs of retail customers who wish to cook at home,” said Park Kyoung-won, communications manager of Lei Communication that promotes the sauce brand.

“We will continue to share recipes we have with home chefs as well as products in different sizes and styles to make home cooking easy.”

BY LEE SUN-MIN [summerlee@joongang.co.kr]