Cooking w/ Chef Hooni Kim at De Gustibus, Midtown, NYC

Last week I spent a remarkable evening at De Gustibus – the upscale cooking school housed on the 8^th floor of Macy’s. De Gustibus has one of the most impressive line-ups of celebrity chef’s who come in to demonstrate their culinary talents in a casual and intimate setting. Participants get to observe, interact and partake in a full course menu with wine pairings amongst a delightful cohort of gastro-enthusiasts. I spent the evening with my blogger friends Jean-Philippe from I Just Want to Eat and Cindy from Chubby Chinese Girls Eats.

The host chef for the evening was Hooni Kim who took us on a food journey to Seoul with his ‘Street Market’ inspired menu. Chef Kim owns Danji and Hanjan in New York City both of which serve his own takes on traditional Korean foods. There were fine wine paring with each course provided by Vias Import Ltd.

We started off with an amuse-bouche of a “Homemade Tofu w/ Soy Perilla Vinaigrette”. It’s the kind of dish that makes you sit up and take notice. It consisted of super soft fresh tofu covered with a zesty, tangy, vibrant sauce that gets your palate to do a happy dance.

One of my favorite dishes of the night was the Spicy Rice Cake w/ Sausage “Ddukbokki”. This dish seems to be a favorite amongst all in Korea, especially kids. Kim’s preferred street vendors to buy this from are at the Tong In market in Seoul. His version is made with soft rice cake, sausage, gochujang sauce and is absolutely addictive.

I have to say that every dish that Hooni Kim taught us to make (and eat) was really outstanding. Dessert was done by Diane Kang from ‘A Korean Girl Eats’ who made ‘Caramel Filled Korean Pan Fried Donut’s’ called “Hotteok”. The evening was filled with simple recipes that crafted a really delectable meal.

I can’t wait to try these recipes at home and go back for my next De Gustibus cooking lesson.

Here is some of what we learned to cook and eat: