Enjoy a tantalising taste of Korean culture

11 July 2012 | last updated at 01:00AM

By OLIVIA MIWIL|KUALA LUMPUR|streets@nstp.com.my 


SAVOUR: InterContinental Kuala Lumpur’s food promotion hints of Korea

INTERCONTINENTAL Kuala Lumpur is having its Korean Feast at Serena Brasserie until Sunday.
Chef Kim Jae Sun, Hyun Soon Ahn and Jun-Young Heo from InterContinental Seoul  are here to cook, as well as teach  local chefs on preparing Korean food.

Korean food enthusiasts can enjoy dining the bansang charim way at an affordable price.

Bansang charim means having rice (bap) with a set of side dishes (banchan) such as  fermented vegetables (kim chi), fresh vegetables (namul), a stir-fried dish with sauce (bokkeum) and pan-fried dishes (jeon), among others.

Kim, who has 20 years of experience as a chef, said almost all the ingredients were bought from the "Korean town" at Ampang.

"We are providing halal food so that all Malaysians can enjoy our dishes," said 41-year-old.

He added that local vegetables are used, while beef is imported from Australia.

Patrons are recommended to try  cucumber kim chi (oi sobagi), mixed rice (bibimbap), stir-fried potato noodles (japchae), the cinnamon punch (sujeonggwa), as well as Korean cookies (mae jak gwa).

The oi sobagi is cucumber stuffed not only with kim chi, but also a mixture of chives, garlic and red chilli powder.

Koreans believe the warming effect of chives counterbalances the cooling effect of cucumber.

This dish is normally served during the hot summer season when people often lose their appetites.

As for the colourful bibimbap, patrons are given the chance to mix the banchan  into their rice according to their  preference.

The dish is believed to be adapted from  the ancient custom of mixing together leftover rice and dishes for midnight snacks.

Japchae is seasoned with soybean and sweetened by sugar and accompanied by vegetables.

For desserts, cinnamon is a key ingredient.

The brown sujeonggwa is a freshly made traditional fruit punch with a distinctive cinnamon and ginger taste.

Mae jak gwa are fried ginger cookies glazed by cinnamon syrup.

There are  20 other Korean dishes such as the kim chi pancakes, beef tartare and grilled beef ribs, besides  Japanese and local cuisine.

The buffet is organised in collaboration  with the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation to promote Korean culture.

Korea Agro-Trade Centre (S) Pte Ltd deputy manager Yang Jae Song said the organisation is promoting the  buffet because it knows Malaysians love Korean food.

"Food is a means for locals to 'taste' Korean culture and also get to know our Korean food products," he said.

The Korean Feast is priced at RM85++ per person for lunch and RM98++ for dinner.

For reservations, call 03-2782 6228.
enjoy
Jun-Young Heo with the ‘bibimbap’ dish.

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