India News | KCCI Declares Winners for 2nd All India Korean Culinary Challenge 2021
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The second edition of the All India Korean Culinary Challenge 2021 concluded here on Tuesday, with Gazal Taneja and Junaid Sharif emerging as top winners in the non-professional and professional categories of the contest, respectively.
New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) The second edition of the All India Korean Culinary Challenge 2021 concluded here on Tuesday, with Gazal Taneja and Junaid Sharif emerging as top winners in the non-professional and professional categories of the contest, respectively.
The three-round event was jointly organised by Korean Cultural Centre India (KCCI) and Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology here.
In the first round, the participants had to choose any Korean dish with an authentic recipe or create an innovative fusion recipe with Indian cuisine, and share their cooking video at registerkccindia@gmail.com.
The best 20 videos advanced to the second round based on the criteria of creativity, performance, authenticity (recipe, ingredient, etc.), cooking skills, final dish demonstration, video editing, etc.
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The next round saw these 20 videos being judged on the basis of the number of views and likes on the hosts' social network service channels between November 23 to December 4.
Judges evaluated the entries on the basis of the cooking process and the end product delivered by each participant.
Ten finalists, five from each category, participated in the third and final round, where they were asked to submit their second cooking video for the final competition by a four-member professional jury panel.
Taneja, a 24-year-old student from Chandigarh, prepared a Korean Snack Platter in the finale round which consisted of Korean fried chicken, corn cheese, Vegetable Pan Cake and Chicken Kimbaps (Korean seaweed rice rolls). She will receive Rs 50,000 along with an LG refrigerator as her prize.
Saba Naj, 26, won the second prize in the non-professional category, courtesy the Bibimbap (Korean rice dish) she cooked in the final round. She will receive a cash prize of Rs 30,000 along with an LG dishwashing machine.
Hufrish K Sethna, a Korean-language student from Mumbai, came in third. She prepared an Indo-Korean fusion dish with Japchae, a savoury and slightly sweet dish of stir-fried glass noodles and vegetables that is popular in Korean cuisine, and Parsi bafat (Parsi style curry). She will receive Rs 15,000 rupees in cash along with LG water purifier.
In the professional category, Sharif won the first prize and will receive Rs 50,000 along with a LG refrigerator.
Shreshth Jangir, the second placeholder will receive Rs 30,000 in cash along with a LG dishwashing machine. Akshita Kashyap ranked third and will be presented with Rs 15,000 and an LG water purifier.
Chang Jae-bok, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to India, told PTI in a statement, "Having tasted the richness of Indian food locally, I understand why my eldest son in Korea loves Indian food so much and Indian food is gaining popularity in Korea."
Hwang Il-yong, the director of the KCCI, said the "glocalization phenomenon" of Korean food in India highlights the increased mutual understanding between the two friendly nations.
With the rising interest in Korean culture through online content like K-Pop, K-Movies, K-Dramas, etc., K-food also has been exposed and explored in India, Hwang added.
"Food is an essential part of our soul and mind as we know. I believe most Indian people will miss Dal makhani, Shahi paneer, all home cooking curries out of the country like Korean people miss Kimchi and all home cooking cuisines and these foods remind us of our beloved family, country. It builds our identity, our character and soul.
"Our friend, India is cooking Korean food and localising it in new forms is really inspiring and heart touching. It is a very symbolic and meaningful event building up our two countries' friendship. I wished to experience and taste glocalized kimchi and Korean foods by our Indian cooks through this event," the KCCI director said in a statement to PTI.
Yoo Jung-hun, the chef at Dalgrak (the Korean restaurant at the KCCI), reflected on what could be the key reasons behind the rising popularity of Korean cuisine in India.
"... I can tell two points based on my observation and experience, the first one is recognition as healthy food to help our immune system in a pandemic situation, and the other is refined convenience menu development. City life is busy, and these days the young generation prefers to eat a convenient food menu rather than a heavy meal. Understanding these demands, Korean food experts and related industries have developed the menu," Yoo added.
The four-member expert jury of the contest included Amit Lohani, national convener, founder, and director for Forum of Indian Food Importers (FIFI); Professor Kundu Ranojit, who is in charge of the Bakery and Pastry Department at Banashidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, and Kim Ji-yeol, chef of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea.
Chef Kim, who judged the final 10 finalists, said he was "surprised" with the participants' level of understanding of Korean seasoning.
"As a Korean chef working at the Embassy, I am proud that Indian people are showing keen interest in Korean food after seeing Korean-style fusion dishes that contain Indian culture," he added.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)