Korean food expert AHN BOK JA conveys the essence of her country’s cuisine at a workshop. ANANYA listens in
The young crowd of Delhi is always ready to try out new styles in food and that is probably the reason why the craze for Korean platters is increasing. looking at the fast-spreading love, the Korean Culture Centre India hosted a workshop by Master Chef Ahn Bok Ja.
A Korean food specialist, she gave a two-hour lesson on Yukwa, a traditional Korean snack, from scratch. She also prepared a special presentation on Korean food at the beginning of the session, which was extremely helpful and informative for everyone present.
Yukwa, a healthy traditional Korean rice snack, is exclusively made by hand. “A lot of effort goes into making the Yukwa. Specially when you have to make everything from scratch. We use dried fruit, honey and natural products, she said. “These snacks can be preserved for a long time and don’t get spoilt if kept away for long,” she added.
The delicious Yukwa is made in a time span of about 50 minutes and includes various powders like pumpkin, cactus and rice. “The powders that are used in making Korean snacks are natural products from the environment so they are health-friendly,” said the master chef.
Mrs Ahn Bok Ja also showed us how to make really frilly and flat rice cakes. The rice cakes are then deep fried in hot oil and later, sugar syrup is added to them. “Yukwa is a traditional dish which is made in various flavours and shapes. When the dish is in a square shape, it is called ‘Yukwa’ and when it is cut into small pieces, it is called ‘Khan Jum’. There is no addition in the ingredients, only the name changes when the size does,” she added.
The master chef, who decided to take up this profession to meet her financial needs, told us a few fun facts about Yukwa. “In history, Yukwa was a royal snack. It was only made during festivals and special occasions. However, later on it was made compulsory on all occasions. It is now easily available in the market and is a part of regular meal” she claims.
The ace chef also spoke about ‘E-bazi’ meal, which is her specialisation. “In E-bazi, special food is prepared only for the bride and groom. It is not made for the guests. So even though I am not restricted to anything, I can easily say that E-bazi meal is my specialisation” she rounded off with a touch of humour.