Chef Kang Min-goo will tell the story of jang in new book

When talking about Korean food, many may be familiar with tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), kimchi and bibimbap. But, Michelin-star chef Kang Min-goo is looking to draw more eyes to the fundamental flavors of the cuisine beyond street food and a...

Chef Kang Min-goo is cooking at his restaurant Mingles in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. [JOONGANG ILBO]

When talking about Korean food, many may be familiar with tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), kimchi and bibimbap. But, Michelin-star chef Kang Min-goo is looking to draw more eyes to the fundamental flavors of the cuisine beyond street food and a handful of iconic dishes.

Kang runs a contemporary European restaurant called Festa by Mingoo in central Seoul and Hansik Goo in Hong Kong, but he is foremost known as the owner-chef of Michelin-starredMingles, a contemporary Korean restaurant in Gangnam District, southern Seoul.

And as someone cooking Korean food, Kang has always been particularly passionate about jang — a base sauce made from fermented soybeans.

“It isn’t Korean food without some incorporation of jang; it is the magic ingredient in our cuisine,” Kang said in an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, at Mingles, earlier this month.

Kang has been studying this fermented sauce for over four years now and is gearing up to publish a Korean cuisine cookbook next year which will also be released in English.

Below are edited excerpts from the interview.

Q: From contemporary Korean to European, you have expanded your brand in recent years.

A: It wasn’t done to expand the business, but they do have one thing in common, which is that they are all brands that I as a customer would like. As a consumer, sometimes, I want to enjoy fine dining; other times European and also more casual Korean restaurants. In terms of business as well, I had been thinking that it would be good to open another store that could support Mingles. Opportunities came by and at the right times, I was able to open more restaurants.

Dish at Mingles in Gangnam District, southern Seoul [MINGLES]

But even with more restaurants, my identity as a chef will always be at Mingles. There are some people who think that I would often leave my post at Mingles, but I am always in the kitchen during service. When I have to attend other restaurants, I go during Mingles’ break time or on off days.

In 2020, you made your first foray into the global market and opened a Korean restaurant in Hong Kong, a city famous for gourmet cuisine.

I initially wanted to open a Korean restaurant in Paris and had been preparing to do so until 2019. But, there came a point when I realized that France wasn’t quite so open to Korean cuisine as I thought it was. The city is very focused on its own cuisine and lack, in my standards, knowledge about Asian food. What they expected from Korean cuisine was something very salty and very sweet with lots of sauce. I came to the conclusion that opening a restaurant in Paris at that time would be a premature call so pushed it back. And soon afterward, I got a call from Hong Kong. I sent them my business plan that was ready to go for Paris and Hansik Goo was set to open within just two weeks.

Cabbage wrap served at Hansik Goo, a contemporary Korean restaurant in Hong Kong [HANSIK GOO]

Ahead of the restaurant’s opening, I visited Hong Kong and was taken by the level of knowledge of food. It felt as though every epicurean in the world was there and they had a deep understanding of Asian cuisine. It was a city that acknowledged and appreciated food with tradition and proper skill, without easy shortcuts.

People in Hong Kong wanted to experience traditional, well-made Korean dishes and this was a major appeal to me because I didn’t need to localize anything. Inside the kitchen of Hansik Goo, there are many Korean chefs, crafting authentic Korean dishes.

Is there a special method or standard that you apply in your cooking in order to satisfy all your customers?

I don’t have a particular standard. Every country prefers different tastes and it changes with the times as well. Even the ingredients we use in the kitchen are constantly changing. For instance, the quality of strawberries is very different compared to five years ago. Not only have they gotten sweeter, but also, they now have a better balance of taste with more fragrance and tanginess. Asparagus has become so much more delicious than when I was first cooking as well. So I think the best that a chef can do is to use seasonal ingredients and cook them in a way that brings out the natural flavors. I guess you can say that my standard is to properly handle the ingredients and serve that to customers.

Is there an ingredient that you are particularly interested in these days?

Because my base is Korean cuisine, I am always exploring and learning about fermented foods. There are many different types of fermented foods, like kimchi, doenjang (soybean paste), gochujang and jangajji (pickled vegetables). It isn’t Korean food without some incorporation of jang; it is the magic ingredient in our cuisine.

Chef Kang Min-goo with jang (fermented Korean seasoning) at Gangnam District, southern Seoul [JOONGANG ILBO]

However, many only know about gochujang and think about ganjang (Korean soy sauce) and doenjang as similar to Japanese shoyu (Japanese soy sauce) and miso (Japanese soybean paste), even though the method of making them is completely different. I recognized the need to properly introduce jang because it is the foundation of Korean cuisine. So four years ago, I started working on a Korean cookbook with the central theme of jang.

And as I studied jang, I became interested in other countries’ fermented foods as well. Recently I have taken interest in Indonesia’s tempeh. Beans are an important ingredient in Asia. Korea’s doenjang, cheonggukjang (a soup made with fermented soybeans), Japan’s natto (Japanese fermented soybeans), and tempeh are all made by fermenting beans. Tempeh in particular barely has any smell and can be eaten as it is, without any seasoning. I think it could be a good ingredient to use in Mingles in the future.

What is the book about?

Do you know the difference between Korean soy sauce and Japanese shoyu? Most people, including Koreans, are not aware. To briefly explain, the traditional Korean jang is made by fermenting meju (dried soybeans) in salt water. That meju becomes doenjang and the water Korean soy sauce. Thus, the two jang are produced inside the same hangari (Korean clay jar for fermentation). But shoyu and miso are made differently, and I may be stating the obvious here, but Korean cuisine goes well with ganjang and doenjang while Japanese cuisine is better suited with shoyu and miso.

I decided to publish this book to let more people know about jang and how is a critical part of Korean cuisine. I plan to include some 60 recipes with jang in the book as well. I am currently in the process of showing the recipes to foreigners and receiving their feedback. It is set to be published in English sometime in spring 2024. Hansik Goo is a one-Michelin-star restaurant that successfully opened in Hong Kong. This is quite a feat for a Korean restaurant. How do you evaluate your accomplishments?

I like to think that I am doing well since I am paving new pathways that no one else has walked. Modern Korean restaurants are still nascent so there weren’t really any precedents that I could refer to throughout my career. I hope younger chefs and restaurants can learn and get inspiration from the steps that Mingles took. Going forward, I would like to focus on evolving. I think change is something that people should constantly strive for.

One thing that is challenging about fine dining is that there is no end. Different customers come to the restaurant every day and it is my job to give them a great experience and satisfy them. So I try to always change something. But if a change gives customers less joy, that is a failed change. I want to be known as a chef who runs restaurants that are always new and can be trusted, though, maybe I am being too greedy!

What is next for you?

My mission is to promote Korean cuisine. It has been in the past and it will continue to be my most important endeavor. I hope the new book helps with this. Mingles will continue to constantly change, striving to give new satisfaction to our customers and be a positive precedent to younger chefs.

For that, I believe I need to create a supportive atmosphere for my co-workers, so they to grow and experience new things. I hope that attention doesn’t stop at Mingles and Kang Min-goo, but goes on to shed light on my colleagues and families as well.

BY AN HYE-JIN [kjdculture@joongang.co.kr]