By Ruxien Aclaracion and Julie Anne Cortes
I was assigned to be the Executive Chef of Korea and my Sous
Chef is Julie. The whole experience, from booking the ingredients to service
was a real joyride. At first I know it would take a lot of effort to have a
successful function for Asian Cuisine. It was a challenge for me; I wanted to
push myself doing this kind of job so that we can practice it when we go to the
real kitchen world.
We had a difficult time to do the market list and maintain
the 3,300 budget. But we ended up having 4000+ budget.
Julie and I were so glad that it became successful.
Actually, we took it as a challenge because we had also a successful function
before us, which is the Japan group. I
am confident in saying that we did our function better.
We designed the ceilings with crepe papers and chinese
latern and filled the airwaves with K-Pop music so that people can feel the
korean ambiance.
All in all, the guests liked the food especially Chef Kel.
So we had a lot of dishes namely:
- 9 treasures such as anchovy, pickled radish, sesaoned bean sprouts, seasoned eggplant, seasoned cucumber with sesame seeds, cabbage kimchi, sauteed mushroom, sweet potatoes and boiled quail eggs.
- Squid and mushroom stir-fry with noodles
- Spicy stewed mussels
- Toasted nori
- Bulgogi
- Kimchi Hotpot
- Bibimbap
- Dak Galbi gui (grilled chicken)
- Kimchi fried rice
- Pork Stew and Beef Stew
- Sticky rice with dried fruit and nuts
Most of our dishes have Kimchee - Spicy
fermented cabbage and spicy fermented radish.
Since it has to be fermented at least one week, I already
made it at home.
Facts:
Kimchee is a staple of Korean life and many
people include it in their meals three times a day. You can eat it by itself,
or use it in so many different Korean recipes.
Almost any food can be kimchi-ed, and there are over
170 varieties!
Korean chopsticks and eating bowls are often made of
metal as Koreans have been working in metal for centuries, even developing
metal type for printing, two hundred years before the Europeans did.
Bibimbap: What is the most popular Korean dish?
Among westerners, barbecued meats. Among Koreans, the hot rice mixture called
bibimbap. From humble origins as a catch-all for leftover vegetables, it has
become a top dish in its own right.
Kimchi refrigerators: Traditionally, kimchi ferments in stone
pots outdoors. This may be the old way, but modern Korean homes now have kimchi
refrigerators, which keep the spicy pickle at the ideal, steady low temperature
to encourage fermentation. It certainly beats trekking out in the snow to get
some for dinner.
Soju: Soju may be the national drink of Korea,
but it didn't originate there. This distilled beverage, made from fermented
rice and/or other grains, originated in China and traveled through Mongolia to
Korea, where it has been popular for centuries.
Seaweed is for wrapping
your rice to help pick it up, not just a nice dried salty side snack. Learned
that from a Korean commercial. Previously I’d just been eating my little bowls
of seaweed and rice separately.
