Chef Jeong Kwan

Chef Jeong Kwan, a Buddhist nun, winner of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants' prestigious Icon Award Asia 2022, and star of the award-winning Netflix series Chef's Table, will be the featured chef during a two-week celebration of "spiritual" Korean gastronomy at Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi from October 15-31, 2022.

Chef Kwan's unique menu takes its cues from the realm of traditional Korean temple food, and features dishes made with the finest ingredients from South Korea.

Spicy Persimmon Muchim Salad

Ingredients

- 400g dried persimmon

- 1 cucumber

- 1 tbsp omija (also known as magnolia berry) syrup

- 5 tbsp vinegar

- 3 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)

- 1 tbsp blackberry syrup

- 1 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds, crushed in a mortar

- Pinch of black sesame seeds

- Salt

Preparations

- Rinse the cucumber and remove the seeds, then cut it into segments of 0.5 x 2 cm.

- Cut the dried persimmon into bite-sized pieces.

- Marinate the cucumbers and persimmon with a pinch of salt, 2 tbsp of vinegar and 1 tbsp of omija syrup and put aside to rest.

Dressing

- Mix 3 tbsp of gochujang, 1 tbsp blackberry syrup, 1 tbsp vinegar, and 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds.

Assemble and serve

- Squeeze the cucumber segments slightly to get rid of excess liquid.

- Transfer them together with the persimmon in a mixing bowl and the dressing to generously coat everything.

- Mix evenly and transfer to a serving dish. VNS