LYNNWOOD – Thinly sliced, spiced meat sizzled in frying pans set up over hot plates outdoors in the crisp, fall air. Dozens of pairs of shoes sat on a porch at the front door.
Inside, amid whiffs of the distinctive aroma of Korean food, cooks with a range of skills stood at long tables in their stocking feet mixing, arranging, tasting and putting the finishing touches on their culinary creations.
Kevin Nortz / The Herald
Others padded around the hardwood floor, leaning over, taking peeks, asking questions.
Downstairs, people sat on pillows at low tables, sampling bulgogi, a Korean barbecued meat; kimchi pancakes; a walnut-anchovy mix, noodle salads and porage, a “kimchi cousin,” free of charge. Around the feast, kids ran and played.
Festivity, fun, creation, innovation and education were the words of the day at the Taste of Korea cooking contest at the Morning Star Korean Cultural Center near Lynnwood on Sunday.
Those who run the center opened the contest to non-Koreans to introduce only Korean food and culture to a broader audience, said Jiyeon Cheh, director of the 3-year-old cultural center at 15206 18th Ave. W.
Kimchi “brings a special energy, too, to the people,” she said. A class in making kimchi was part of Sunday’s event.
Cheh believes Korean food affords health benefits, claiming that kimchi’s fermentation and spices may have helped protect Koreans from sudden acute respiratory syndrome during outbreaks in Asia in 2002.
The center used $2,900 in prizes to entice prospective contestants. The event was co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Korean Cultural Center, the Korean Traditional Food Tourism Association and the Korea Cooks Association.
The 30 contestants, in 15 teams of two, were challenged with making their own kimchi, bulgogi and a “fusion” of kimchi and another food of their choice. The center supplied the basics for kimchi – Napa cabbage soaked in salt water, white radish, green onions, white onions, red pepper, salt and sugar. It also supplied meat, cooking wine and oil.
Two who entered the contest were experienced, professional chefs trying something new. The rest were amateurs, many of them also taking their inaugural try at Korean cooking.”It’s my first time,” said Wendy Arness of Edmonds. Her friend and cooking partner Alan Piercy, also of Edmonds, also had never tried Korean cooking before, despite being married to a woman of Korean heritage.
“I thought we did OK,” Arness said.
So did the others, said state Sen. Paull Shin of Mukilteo, a native of Korea and one of seven judges for the contest.
“They improvised it to their own different cuisines – French, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, even Greek,” Shin said. “I liked them all.”
Lauren Soliday of Bothell combined kimchi with ceviche, a Mexican dish featuring shrimp, avocado and cilantro. Soliday’s 6-year-old adopted daughter was born in Korea, and her family takes dancing and drumming classes at the center.
Micah Windham, a sous chef at the Ovio Bistro in West Seattle, and his partner Christina Longo took the grand prize of $1,000 with their oyster-glaze marinade kimchi served with pomegranate and sesame seeds.
Jeremiah Budish of Seattle, a chef at the Columbia Tower Club, wrapped kimchi and goat cheese with prosciutto. He and his partner won a creativity award.
“I didn’t know what I was getting into,” said Budish, who hadn’t cooked a lot of Asian food before. “It’s a blast, I love doing stuff like this.”
Reporter Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439 or sheets@heraldnet.com.
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