Recipe: 'Culinary Class Wars' chef Lee Mi-yeong's rice balls — just in time for suneung

For parents worrying about what to prepare for lunch, the South Gyeongsang Office of Education invited Lee, who introduced two recipes — one vegetable rice ball recipe and one kimchi rice ball recipe.

Chef Lee Mi-yeong, who starred in Netflix’s cooking show “Culinary Class Wars,” shares a recipe for rice balls in a YouTube video. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Suneung, or the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), takes place in Korea on Thursday, and many parents of test-takers are wondering what to pack for a student's lunch. To help, cafeteria cook Lee Mi-yeong, who starred in Netflix’s cooking show “Culinary Class Wars,” shared an easy recipe.

During suneung, students have a lunch break from 12:10 p.m. to 1 p.m. and they must bring their own food to fuel them for the rest of the exam.

For parents worrying about what to prepare for lunch, the South Gyeongsang Office of Education invited Lee, who introduced two recipes — one vegetable rice ball recipe and one kimchi rice ball recipe.

“I chose rice balls because they are easy to prepare, simple to eat and nutritious,” Lee said in the video uploaded to the education office’s YouTube channel.

For the kimchi rice balls, the ingredients include 2 cups of fermented kimchi, 2 cans of tuna, 200 grams of imitation crab (or crabmeat), 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 tablespoon of sesame seeds, 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil and 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise. Simply mix everything together and shape into small, bite-sized balls.

For the vegetable rice balls, prepare 100 grams of minced pork, 1/2 an onion, 1/2 a bell pepper, 1/3 of a carrot, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil. Stir-fry the pork lightly, chop and stir-fry the onion, bell pepper and carrot to remove excess moisture, then mix everything with rice and shape into bite-sized balls.

“I believe this is a simple and easy recipe that parents of test-takers will find helpful,” Lee said. “It’s also a good idea to include some side dishes and fruit in the lunch box.”

Lee, 60, was a cafeteria cook at Habuk Elementary School in South Gyeongsang for seven years until August. She expressed her affection for the students.

“When I cooked at the school, I always thought of the kids. I really enjoyed going to school and working there,” said Lee, emphasizing that the key to cooking is to have fun.

In the making of the video, Lee mentioned the “Culinary Class Wars” star judge Ahn Sung-jae, who applauded one of her dishes as a food he "couldn’t stop eating." He also praised her dishes in his personal interviews.

“Ahn really enjoyed my dishes on the show,” Lee said. “While other chefs boasted about their fancy dishes, I prepared my dishes on school lunch trays. They may look simple, but they’re fulfilling and satisfying,” said Lee.

Lee also pointed out that she was always the first to finish cooking on the show, explaining, “Moms have the cooking process mapped out in their heads.”

The video concluded with Lee sharing a warm message for parents: "Don't worry too much, cheer up and I'm sending you all my love."

BY WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]