Netflix's 'Culinary Class Wars': Four contestants share 11 traditional Korean recipes for you to try

Home > Culture > Food & Travel

Netflix's 'Culinary Class Wars': Four contestants share 11 traditional Korean recipes for you to try

Published: 12 Oct. 2024, 07:00

TREVOR TREHARNE
trevor.treharne@joongang.co.kr

Netflix's cooking survival show 'Culinary Class Wars' participants Triple Star, left, and Cooking Maniac, right pose for a photo during a press briefing held Oct. 7 in Seoul. [NEWS1]

Two years ago, the Korea JoongAng Daily ran a series called “Taste of Hansik” where we asked some of Korea’s top chefs to give us their traditional Korean recipes.

Four of those featured chefs went on to appear on Netflix's cooking survival show “Culinary Class Wars”: “Cooking Maniac” Yoon Nam-no, “K-Pasta Master” Lee Tae-woo, “Yeong Chicken” Jason Oh and “Secret Course” Park Jun-seoung.

Of the four, Yoon made it to the top eight contestants on the Netflix show, showing off his talent and passion for food throughout the episodes.

“Cooking Maniac” Yoon Nam-no

Homemade geotjeori

A screen capture of a short video featuring chef Yoon Nam-no as he introduces his recipe to make a simple geotjeori [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

Similar to how American cheese can be added atop the traditional Korean dish of kimchi fried rice, traditional Korean meal elements can also be easily incorporated into otherwise very Western-style meals.

Chef Yoon Nam-no of Deepin in central Seoul suggests adding geotjeori, a type of fresh salad, to your everyday dining table repertoire to casually include something Korean. Read the recipe here.

“K-Pasta Master” Lee Tae-woo

Makguksu

A screen capture of a short video featuring chef Lee Tae-woo as he introduces his recipe to make makguksu made of buckwheat noodles. [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

Since buckwheat noodles are perhaps most famously used in Korean cuisine in naengmyeon (noodles in cold meat broth), many instantly picture the noodles in an icy, clear broth with some meat and half an egg on top. However, buckwheat noodles are not just for naengmyeon.

While naengmyeon is a term widely used for any cold noodles, the term that refers to dishes made with buckwheat noodles is makguksu. A variety of ingredients can be added to mix with the noodles. Oftentimes, gochujang (hot pepper paste) is used as the mixing sauce, or even just perilla seed oil is used with some gim (laver) flakes.

Whether it be sauce or oil, adding just a few more ingredients gives the dish some more texture and flavor. Chef Lee Tae-woo of pasta restaurant Evidence, which is currently closed, makes his makgusu with abalone and radish. Read the recipe here.

Bibim guksu
Baechu, or napa cabbage, is one of the main ingredients of kimchi, but it isn’t the only way to highlight the sweet and crunchy characteristics of the leafy vegetable.

Napa cabbage is harvested in fall — which is when kimchi is made in bulk for the year — so this is the perfect time of year to try making it the main ingredient in a hearty meal with noodles.

To make things more exciting, Lee suggests adding fresh herring roe for this baechu-inspired herring roe bibim guksu. Read the recipe here.

Hanwoo bibim guksu
Guksu (noodles) is a carb to be reckoned with in Korean cuisine. Similar to how Koreans eat rice with savory banchan (assorted small dishes) for their everyday meal at home, they often do the same with noodles.

One of the most common ways to eat plain noodles in Korea is to mix a bowl with gochujang, essentially making the basis for a dish called bibim guksu. Bibim in Korean means "mixing."

This variety is made with spring vegetables and gochujang. The olive oil and gochujang sauce will give your dish a mild kick of spiciness while still enhancing the taste of the spring vegetables. This version will be made using raw hanwoo (Korean beef). Read the recipe here.

“Yeong Chicken” Jason Oh

Suyuk

A screen capture of a short video featuring chef Jason Oh as he introduces his recipe to make suyuk [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

Not all quality home-cooked meals have to be made completely from scratch. To enjoy Korean food at home with minimal time investment, a variety of premade food packages will come in handy.

Most Koreans make suyuk, or simmered pork, with pork belly meat for the utmost tenderness due to its layers of pork fat. But to create more texture, a portion of gabrisal, or pork loin, should do the trick. Read the recipe here.

Sundubu

A screen capture of a short video featuring chef Jason Oh as he introduces his recipe to make sundubu [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

Sundubu jjigae, a stew made with soft tofu and has a velvety texture, is one of the most commonly eaten Korean dishes worldwide. It is usually red, using gochujang and gochugaru (hot pepper flakes) for seasoning.

Depending on preferences, some people add kimchi or use beef or seafood broth instead of water to add a deeper flavor. As the dish is usually served hot, many diners choose to have one raw egg ready to put in their jjigae right before they dig in. Read the recipe here.

Egg and rice

One of the simplest yet heartiest foods in Korea is egg mixed with rice. As long as you have cooked rice in a rice cooker at home, there's nothing simpler than frying an egg and putting it over the rice, mixing well with soy sauce and digging in.

Oh has recreated a version of the egg rice dish that is a familiar comfort food for many Koreans. Some food companies even introduced a special soy sauce that pairs very well with eggs and rice to prove how popular the dish is. Read the recipe here.

“Secret Course” Park Jun-seoung

Ganjang gyeran bap

A screen capture of a short video featuring chef Park Jun-seoung as he introduces his recipe to make egg over rice seasoned with soy sauce [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

Many Koreans will have different memories of their beloved childhood meals. Some might say kimchi fried rice was a personal favorite, while others might recall the joys of a simple bowl of ramyeon — both dishes that can easily be made at home by hungry youngsters.

One nostalgic dish that comes up a lot is ganjang gyeran bap, which is egg over rice seasoned with soy sauce. It is possible to have this particular dish ready within five minutes, or even two if you are quick. You can fry the egg on a pan while you microwave packaged rice to cut your cooking time when hungry. Read the recipe here.

Yeolmu bibimbap

To make a hearty meal, use yeolmu (young radish) to make bibimbap, one of the most well-known Korean dishes.

This particular kimchi is often made with only the leafy parts of the radish and, despite being technically a seasonal side dish, is now available to buy at supermarkets year-round. The texture of the kimchi, which is crunchy, gives more crispiness to the dish so that diners feel more refreshed as they eat. Read the recipe here.

Mandu

A screen capture of a short video featuring chef Park Jun-seoung as he introduces his recipe to make a mandu meal [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

Mandu (dumplings) are one of the most common items almost everyone has at home in the freezer. One of the easiest ways to eat mandu is to put them in boiling water, as you don't have to worry about them sticking to the pan.

To make an easy Korean meal, all you need is a pack of frozen dumplings and a few standard ingredients. If you want to add a little more texture, feel free to add slices of tteok, or sticky rice cake. Read the recipe here.

Squash jeon

Diverge from the classic jeon variations that use just green scallions or kimchi, and branch out by using almost any ingredient readily available in your city.

Jeon, often deceivingly described as Korean-style pancakes, is a pan-fried or battered fritter-type local food.

While zucchinis are one of the more popular choices to make jeon with, squash can make for a special variation when you want something different. Read the recipe here.

BY TREVOR TREHARNE [trevor.treharne@joongang.co.kr]