Korean Food Festival was held in the capital’s Astana Marriott hotel with the support of the Korean Cultural Center of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea.
Korean cuisine lovers could taste traditional dishes from the guest Chef of the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games Han Chul-Bae.
During the festival, guests had the opportunity to taste traditional dishes such as Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), Pibimpab (a mixture of different vegetables and rice), Japchae (fried glass noodles and vegetables), Kalbi gui (Korean BBQ ribs) and other traditional dishes.
As Winter Olympic Games Chef says, this is his second visit to Kazakhstan.
"Last year I arrived in Kazakhstan under the Korean Food Promotion Institute programme. We served a menu of Korean dishes to capital residents, and also held master classes for local chefs.
I have worked in restaurant business for over 20 years, and now I teach cooking courses and promote Korean cuisine abroad. Every year, the Korean Food Promotion Institute selects several destinations in the world where it sends the best chefs to train local chefs and promote Korean cuisine.
We have specially developed traditional dishes with modern presentation for the capital's residents" said the invited guest from South Korea.
As Mr. Han Chul-Bae says, the main ingredients in Korean cuisine are soybean pasta with red pepper, chili sauce and soy sauce.
"All the ingredients we used to make the dishes are local. If you have soybean paste with red pepper, chili sauce and soy sauce, you can cook any Korean dish.
While in Kazakhstan, Mr. Han Chul-Bae tasted Kazakh cuisine as well. According to the famous chef, he liked local dishes very much.
"I tasted kazy and shashlyk. I tasted a lot of dishes in different countries, but Kazakh lamb is the best I have ever tasted," the famous chef said.
Mr Han Chul-Bae also told about his experience at the Winter Olympics 2018:
“I worked in the VIP lounge during the Olympics and prepared Korean cuisine for International Olympic Committee members from different countries. I specifically cooked the international menu, and since the Olympics were held in Gangwon-do Province, I cooked traditional local dishes, such as buckwheat noodles, fried rice with meat and vegetables”.
To the question “What a good chef should be like?”, the master of Korean cuisine answered that good ingredients are the most important in cooking.
"A professional chef should be able to find good ingredients and control the cooking process. Qualitative food products and skillful cooking are very important in this field," concluded Mr. Han Chul-Bae.
Dana Tugambekova
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