All-India Korean Cooking Contest to be broadcasted on state-run Indian national TV channels DD India & DD National

NEW DELHI: The finale of the second All-India Korean food cooking contest will be streamed on the state-run Indian TV broadcasting channels DD India and DD National at 4.00 pm IST on December 21, the Tuesday.

The event was jointly organized by the Korean Cultural Centre India and Banashidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology. The event was sponsored by Korean multinational giant LG India.

The final round of the Korean Cuisine Contest, which was subdivided into experts (including Hotel management & Culinary School Students) and the general public is presenting the 10 finalists (5 from the professional category, 5 from the non-professional category) cooking videos. Participants in the first round submitted a video of themselves cooking by selecting either authentic Korean cuisine or a fusion food that innovatively combines Korean food with Indian cuisine.

The 20 best videos were selected based on creativity, performance, authenticity (recipes, ingredients, etc.), cooking skills, and video editing by the faculty members of Banashidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology.

The second round was held through these 20 selected videos which have been uploaded to the SNS channels of the two organizers from November 23 to December 4. The 10 finalists (5 from professional, 5 from non-professional) have been selected by the participation and public opinion of netizens based on the number of views and likes.

The 10 finalists were requested to submit their second cooking video for the final competition, and a 4 professional jury judged the submitted videos.

The expert jury included Amit Lohani, national convener, founder, and director for Forum of Indian Food Importers (FIFI), who also runs Max Inc. (a luxury grocery trading company). Professor Kundu Ranojit, who is in charge of the Bakery and Pastry Department at Banashidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, and Kim Ji-yeol, chef of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea who has won numerous culinary competition awards, including the Gold Medal in the 2016 International Culinary Competition hosted by the Korea Culinary Association.

Gazal Taneja in the general category and Junaid Sharif (Juned Sharif) in the professional category won the first prize, which includes 50,000 rupees in cash along with an LG refrigerator. The second place to receive 30,000 rupees in cash along with an LG dishwashing machine will go to Saba Naj in the general category and Shreshth Jangir in the professional category.

Hufrish K Sethna in the general category and Akshita Kashyap in the professional category will be awarded the 3rd prize will receive 15,000 rupees in cash along with an LG water purifier. In particular, Hoofrish, who won the 3rd prize in the general category, introduces herself and her food in Korean, showing the current social trend in India that fever in Korean food is connected with Korean culture and the Korean language.

Chef Kim Ji-yeol, who judged the final 10 finalists, said, “I was surprised that the participants have a high level of understanding of Korean seasoning. As a Korean chef working at the Embassy, I am proud that Indian people are showing keen interest in Korean food after seeing Korean-style fusion dishes that contain Indian culture.”

Chang Jae-bok, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to India said, “Having tasted the richness of Indian food locally, I understand why my eldest son in Korea loves Indian food so much and Indian food is gaining popularity in Korea.”

Hwang Il-yong, the director of Korean Cultural Centre India said, “I would like to thank Banashidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology for graciously accepting the proposal again this year, following last year and LG India who is sponsoring the event. Through the creative challenges of Indian people through Korean-Indian cuisine, Korean food created by Indians is not limited to simply ‘replicated Korean food’, but is reproduced as ‘Indian culture’ and ‘Indian food’. I wish these glocalized Korean food and culture can penetrate deeply into India and Indian people`s hearts.”