KCC Thailand encouraged to create local Kimchi recipe
The Korean Cultural Center in Thailand (KCC Thailand) hosted the online contest ‘Kimchi KinJai KinDai KinDee’ during June, to promote Kimchi, which is the most representative of Korean foods, and also have popularity in Thailand.
As a result, total 42 new Kimchi recipes submitted, using Thai local ingredients, such as Banana, Mango, Durian, Mangosteen and finger root. Contestants were in the different age group from 20s to 50s, and came from diverse sectors like artist, teacher, restaurant employee, etc.
KCC Thailand got impressed that most participants had good knowledge of how to make Kimchi. Many recipes preserve the main ingredient, make the paste using the sticky rice porridge, and season it by the Korean chili powder like the traditional Kimchi. Some recipe create their own seasoning way by using raw pepper or tomato.
To evaluate it, KCC Thailand invited four famous professional chef in Thailand. As a result, judges decided ‘Kimchi Kluay-namwa (Banana Kimchi)’ by Ms. Juriporn as a winner.
Chef Mew who worked at the Michelin one star restaurant ‘Nahm’, said “Using unripe banana to the fermented food is creative idea”, and Chef Yoon, Dae Sook from the Korean restaurant ‘Myeongga’, gave a favorable comment that “It has high connectivity with Kimchi”.
2nd place went too ‘Watermelon rind Kimchi’ and ‘Lotus stem Kimchi’. Chef. Nutty from the Grand Hyatt Bangkok mentioned that “Using Watermelon rind as the food ingredient is very good idea”, and Chef Shim, Young Dae, the Korean chef in the Grand Hyatt Bangkok talked “Lotus stem Kimchi reminds me of sweet potato stem Kimchi, which is one of the unique Kimchi in Korea.
For third place, Winged bean Kimchi, Bamboo shoot Kimchi and Morning glory Kimchi placed, with high score in creativity and marketability.
Kimchi’s popularity in Thailand also related to the market growth. According to Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (AT), the amount of Kimchi export from Korea to Thailand grew by 162%, from 0.79 million dollars in 2019 to 1.28 million dollars in 2020. It seems that the growing concern on health amid Covid-19 pandemic and the influence from Korean contents such as ‘Itaewon Class’, a series introducing Korean foods, may affected on the increasing Kimchi market.
KCC Thailand will introduce Thai Kimchi recipes to the public by SNS and seek to commercialize by the collaboration with Korean restaurants in Thailand.
