The Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong hosted the "K-Food MasterChef in Hong Kong 2024" Korean food competition at the Towngas Cooking Center on 10th Nov(Sunday). While the act of making Jang is officially recognized as Unesco cultural heritage in Dec 2024, the contest, co-hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Korean Food Promotion Institution, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was conducted to promote the excellence of Korean 'Jang', including Gochujang (red pepper paste), Ganjang(soy sauce), and Doenjang(soybean paste). After the preliminary round conducted online, 13 people from various backgrounds, including chefs, hotel management institute students, teachers, housewives, and office workers, were selected to compete for excellence in the final round.

Mr. Lee Jong-seok, chairman of the Association of Korean Restaurants in Hong Kong; Mr. Choi Jun-woo, executive chef of the Korean restaurant "obp"; and Mr. Do Yong-soo, executive chef of the "Liberty Group" restaurant, were invitied to join the contest as judges. In the contest, contestants were required to use of at least one of the Korean Jang(Gochujang , Ganjang and Doenjang). The judges judged the contestants' dishes based on six criteria: relevance to the theme, composition, taste, plating, difficulty, and creativity.

Judges

The winner of the contest was Paula Poon, who made Korean style Beef Pie with raw shrimp fresh kimchi based on Hong Kong-style chicken pie (雞批) with the use of all three Korean Jang.

Champion

Korean style Beef Pie with raw shrimp fresh kimchi

The 1st runner up of the contest was Akniyet Nygmet, who cooked 'Eggsquise Heart' (Gochujang stewed rice with egg on top).

1st Runner-up

Eggsquisite Heart

Rachel Chan won the third place for her Doenjang Basque Cheesecake, which showed amazing combination of the soybean paste and cheese.

2nd Runner-up

Doenjang Basque Cheesecake

Judge Mr. Lee Jong-seok said he was grateful that all the contestants presented great dishes despite the difficulty for foreigners to make creative food using Korean Jang, and that it was hard for him to decide the winner of the contest as judges have to consider not only taste but also understanding, utilization, and visuals of the dishes. All the judges expressed their gratitude to the contestants for their hard work on the dishes and their preparation for the contest.