Master classes, meal kits and must-make recipes — all available online

Food & Travel

Published: 26 Nov. 2020, 16:30 Updated: 26 Nov. 2020, 18:15

Master classes, meal kits and must-make recipes — all available online

Globally acclaimed wine critic James Suckling has joined Hong Kong's Wine and Dine Festival that is currently being hosted online. [HONG KONG TOURISM BOARD]

Online content has expanded amid the coronavirus pandemic and with Seoul back under Level 2 social distancing guidelines, people are heading online for cultural content from both home and abroad.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board is doing its best to keep global attention on Hong Kong and has joined hands with numerous food and wine experts that enjoy global popularity for this year's Wine and Dine Festival, which will run until Dec. 15.

Since international travel for leisure isn’t widely available, the festival has moved online and has seen participation from big names like wine critic James Suckling and chef Vicky Cheng of Michelin-starred VEA.

Master classes are streamed live in which culinary talents hold demonstrations and sommeliers give tips on. Experts in other areas have also gone online to share their thoughts on sake, whiskey, and cocktails as well as other things trending in Hong Kong.

On Saturday, the lineup will feature women who are paving their way in the culinary industry. Shirley Kwok of The Cakery, which specializes in vegan treats, sake sommelier Jamie Lo and wine expert Sarah Heller are just some of the female talents sharing their experiences.

The team at Hansik Goo in Hong Kong, which serves casual-style Korean food, will also give a talk on Nov. 29. It is the sister restaurant of Seoul’s Mingles, which has two Michelin stars and serves modern Korean food.

If you miss the livestream, there's no need to fret as all programs will be available online to rewatch until the festival ends.

Go to winedinefestival.discoverhongkong.com/eng to get more information about the festival and schedules of available programs. There will be a total of 34 master classes.

If all these master classes inspire you, but you can't be bothered sourcing lengthy lists of ingredients, try getting your hands on a unique meal kit that can be delivered directly to your door.

The Korea Foundation’s Asean Culture House is crowdfunding for five different meal kits until Dec. 11, to cater to those craving the cuisines of the Asean member nations.

Five different dishes available as meal kits from the Asean Culture House. [THE KOREA FOUNDATION]

Thai pad thai, Vietnamese beef stew, or bo kho, cha gio, or fried spring roll, Thai fish cake, or tod mun pla, and Filipino noodles, or pansit bihon, are the five dishes that have been made into special meal kits.

Each package includes all the ingredients you'll need, as well as a recipe card with a QR code. When you scan the code, you will be connected to a video of a person who moved to Korea from the country of the recipe you're following and they will demonstrate how to follow the recipe.

The crowdfunding not only provides locals with more authentic flavors from Asean countries but also helps those who immigrated to better settle in Korea.

To get more information about the meal kits, go to Wadiz at https://bit.ly/34ZrBKp to bid. The cheapest option is priced at 37,500 won ($34).

Some online content focusing on Korean cuisine comes from the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism which has prepared a series of videos and posts to share during “2020 Korean Temple Food Week,” from Nov. 23.

A sample recipe to cook temple-style food. [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]

Through its website and Instagram accounts, available in both Korean and English, the organizer shares recipes that are easy to follow at home with seasonal ingredients widely available at any market in Korea.

“Social and cultural environments are largely changing and online activities are becoming more common,” said Wonkyung Sunim, or Monk Wonkyung, the head of the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism.

“We will continue to take to new platforms that fit such changes and share the value temple food has with people in Korea and across the world.”

Jeongkwan Sunim, who became known across the world thanks to her appearance on an episode of Netflix's series “Chef’s Table” in 2017, explained more about the particular food widely enjoyed at temples and among monks, and demonstrated how to cook some alongside veteran chef Cho Hee-sook of Hansikgonggan as well as food commentator and chef Park Joon-woo in a video posted online earlier this week.

Cho, who was named Asia’s Best Female Chef for 2020 in February as part of the annual Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants’ celebration, won the Michelin Guide Seoul's “Mentor Chef Award” earlier this month.

“We take food ingredients as something alive, so I cut cabbages with my hands instead of cutting them with a knife,” said Jeongkwan Sunim during her video on how to make cabbage soup.

Videos on how to make grain syrup to sweeten food and vegetable stock to add depth of flavor have also been posted. A video on temple-style marinade to make kimchi will go online Friday. Videos are only available in Korean.

For more information, visit www.koreatemplefood.com/event/en or go to @k_templefood_eng on Instagram for details in English, and @korean_templefood in Korean.

If you need a break from online content, head to Gimpo International Airport, no passport needed.

The Healing Cube at Gimpo International Airport provides virtual reality tours to Unesco-designated cultural spots in Korea with LED screens. [KOREA CULTURAL HERITAGE FOUNDATION]

The so-called Healing Cube shows scenes of Korea’s 14 cultural heritage spots recognized by Unesco through LED screens. The area is put together by the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation as well as the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea and will be available until Dec. 8.

Even without wearing any virtual reality devices, visitors can feel like they are having a virtual experience. Tongdo Temple in South Gyeongsang’s Yangsan and the volcanic caves of Jeju Island are some of the spots available to view on multiple screens.

The Healing Cube is set up in two spots at the airport on the departure floor, one in the east waiting area and one in the west. For more information about the exhibit, go to www.chf.or.kr or call (02) 566-6300.

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