By Ochiaka Ugwu
Nine Nigerian cooks have qualified to participant in the final round of 2024 Hansik (Korean Food) Contest holding in Abuja on August 31.
Speaking during the second-round contest of the event, Habiba Sharon Yakubu, Officer in charge of Korean Cultural Centre Cooking Classes and events said the contest was all about blending Korean, Nigerian flavour and ingredients.
She further elaborated that Hansik (Korean Food) was about using Jang collaboration between Korea-Nigeria with success.
Her words, “Some people here are working as a team and we also have individuals as well. So, for the contest, you could register as a team and as an individual.
“They have decided on which dish they intend making and we have given them ingredient. This is the second round; the first one was an online based competition. It is han, Nigerian fusion. We want to see their creativity in blending Nigerian, Korean taste.
We have five teams and 13 individuals for the entire round. We have 18 participants all together and the competition is for Friday and Saturday. That means that nine will participate each day.
“The final round would be held on August 31. The winner of the competition will be going home with One Million Naira.
“The Korean Cultural Center is designed to promote Korean Culture in Nigeria; food is also part of the things it. It is to enable Nigerians know more about their culture.
“This kind of exchange helps Nigerians to understand Korean food and also help Koreans to understand how Nigerian food ingredient can blend with theirs. It is about exchange of cultural values. This is our first contest, but we always have cooking classes once in a month” she said.
Also speaking, one of the contestants, Precious Umeh who was in a team with Esther Raymond said her love for Korean culture right from childhood motivated her to participate in the contest.
She informed that the event has given her the ample opportunity of showcasing her talents in making Korean foods which she said was surrounded with uniqueness.
Her partner, Esther Raymond said she expected the best from the cooking competition.
Speaking on the criteria to get the winner, one of the judges, Chef Godfrey Mario Odoh who said that Jang (Korean Spice) was the major capture in the competition noted that the ability of the competitor to understand the Jang and its application in cooking was the concept.
He stated that both the taste, arrangement of the food and other things would also serve as measures for selecting the winner.
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