Bring a bit of Korea into an Irish classic

Over the past few months I have been exploring Korean cuisine more and more especially dishes like tteokbokki, small cylinder shaped rice cakes in a rich spicy sauce.

Now, the Korean Embassy is offering a unique opportunity to bring Korean flavours into Irish homes. Their newly launched cooking competition invites home cooks across the country to create a dish using one or more jangs (fermented sauce).

Whether you’re adapting an Irish favourite with a Korean twist — think gochujang-glazed roast chicken or a beef and stout stew infused with doenjang — or cooking a Korean classic, the possibilities are as open as your spice rack.

Jangs are a family of fermented sauces and pastes that are the bedrock of Korean cooking. There are three key players: doenjang (fermented soybean paste), ganjang (soy sauce), and gochujang (fermented chilli paste). Each is crafted from soybeans and fermented over weeks, months, or even years, developing rich layers of flavour that no single spice can imitate.

What’s most remarkable is how these sauces transform simple ingredients. A spoonful of doenjang can turn a pot of cabbage and water into something soulful.

A dab of gochujang on a fried egg makes a weekday lunch feel like an event.

With the jang trio in your pantry, the everyday becomes extraordinary. I have yet to try the spicy cucumber salad with just a few ingredients. This salad is easy to make and has your tastebuds dancing.

Entries will be judged not just on creativity and taste, but also on how well contestants showcase the versatility and richness of these beloved condiments. Shortlisted entries are invited to Dublin to cook in front of judges (I was told that Rachel Allen is one of them) with the finalists having the opportunity to travel to Korea to cook their dish for at the Grand Final – this seems to be a global competition.

Entries have to be submitted by 25 April with a video of you cooking your dish with the final taking place in the Dublin Cookery School on 5 June. The video needs to be uploaded to YouTube (a private shareable link is fine) and submit the link via email to ireculture@mofa.go.kr.

For inspiration why not explore YouTube and TikTok where Korean cooks are cooking up mouthwatering dishes? We have in Ireland some amazing food creators with Jaru’s Kimchi (the best I have ever tasted) and Ogam – check both out online.