SEOUL, KOREA — Chua Lam, a gourmet who is also referred to as 'Hong Kong's God of Cookery,' paid a visit to Korea on the 20th of June. Chua Lam made his visit at the invitation of Choung Byoung-gug, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and had a taste of Korean food at Sandang, one of the finest Korean traditional restaurants located in Seoul. His visit was aimed at promoting the excellence of Korean food in order to target the recent fast-growing tourism market of China and to develop recommended menus for tourists from the Greater China region.
The Minister Chung Byeong-gug said, "I hope this will be an opportunity to introduce the richness of Korean food all across China," and added, "This will likely become a chance for Chinese tourists to appreciate the genuine taste of Korea."
Chua Lam is expected to experience the Korean table d'hote, samgyetang and well-being medicinal food by beginning at Sandang and expanding to over ten restaurants specializing in tourism. As a pro-Korean who creates Korean gourmet tourist packages and frequently visits Korea with Chinese gourmets, he has published about a hundred books on travelling and food, and contributes to the globalization of Korean food.
Located in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, the food research institute 'Sandang' is a restaurant run by Im Jiho, an organic food researcher well known in and outside the country. He introduces menus with the light taste of the nature itself by excluding strong additives and using ingredients such as wild fruit, mushroom, and fresh fish. Also having profound knowledge in art, Im Jiho, the Korea food researcher, gave his own drawings to Chua Lam and the Minister Chung Byeong-gug as gifts.
Im Jiho talks about Food at Sandang by saying, " I found my identity from my experiences in nature. When I deal with food, love and trust are always underneath. I would also like to build hope and achieve it with lots of people, and then share that with others through food. That is why I cook." He stated that the joy of making food is the only light that bringhtens his heart and his life is full of questions and passion of how to make new food with nature.
Korean Food itself is Nature and Freedom
The dinner started with Millet Porridge. It is well known that Millet helps to calm the stomach down. Gujeolpan, which is an appetizer, came out next. It consists of 9 different foods showing the way to harmonize color and balance the yin and yang. Perfectly grilled Pork Barbecue was another food to arouse the appetite. The grilled pork is mixed and kept a few days with green tea and seaweed powder and then finally cooked once more. It is better to add soused shrimps to prevent any stomach trouble. The scallops were gently steamed and served with plum sauce. After having such great cuisine, a formal Korean dinner was ready. It consisted of rice, doenjang (fermented bean past) stew, raw crab marinated in soy sauce, four kinds of kimchi, fermented and salted fish, 9 different wild greens and scorched-rice water. Fermented foods are good for health and easy to digest. Since all the foods are made naturally without any artificial flavor, it will make a person feel healthier than before. Lastly, the dinner was closed with dessert of fruit and Andong Shikye, which is a sweet rice drink.