K-Street Food Cooking Demo by a Korean Cuisine Master

K-Food enthusiasts recently gathered at Korea Plaza, Kuala Lumpur, for a cooking class led by Madam Shin Pil Hyo, an expert in Korean cuisine.

Madam Shin began her culinary journey with the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) in 2009 as a K-Food Chef. Trained in Royal Korean Cuisine at the Korean National Treasure Institute, she has since conducted numerous cooking classes and demonstrations with KTO, KMT (a Korean food company), and various cultural events. She even recognised several familiar faces among the participants, a testament to her long-standing presence in Malaysia’s Korean culinary scene.

For this session, she demonstrated how to prepare two beloved Korean dishes: Gimbap (김밥) and Tteokbokki (떡볶이).

Gimbap

The Korean rice roll gimbap—made from gim (seaweed) and bap (rice)—is highly customizable. Because Korean spinach wasn’t available, Madam Shin swapped it with cucumber. She also replaced the commonly used ham with chicken sausage to cater to Muslim attendees.

However, she reminded participants that while gimbap ingredients can be adapted, watery vegetables should be avoided as they make the rolls soggy.

Throughout the demonstration, she shared practical cooking tips, “Cook with slow fire. If you cook frozen food on high heat, the outside may be cooked but the inside won’t be.”
“For rice, use calrose rice. Add salt, sesame oil, and sesame seeds, then mix well. Use a small ball of rice as too much makes the roll difficult to wrap.”

Tteokbokki

With over 15 years of teaching Korean cooking in Malaysia, Madam Shin understands the local palate well.

“For Malaysians, ‘without sauce cannot eat’,” she joked, explaining why tteokbokki—chewy rice cakes simmered in spicy sauce—is especially popular here.

The sauce, she explained, can be easily adjusted, “Add more sugar for sweetness, add soy sauce if you prefer it saltier.” Her version also included Busan-style Korean fish cakes.

Journey to Korea

The cooking class was part of Korea Plaza’s Journey to Korea: Experience Your K-Culture program, a two-day event featuring free activities related to K-Culture, K-Food, and K-Pop. Highlights included a Korean language travel phrases class, a K-Pop dance workshop, a travel-sharing session, and a Busan DIY craft activity featuring Gwangalli painting and travel information.

Madam Shin went around to chat with attendees as they enjoyed their freshly prepared dishes with hot tea. During the session, she explained that making gimbap is a meticulous process because most ingredients—such as carrots and burdock root—must be cooked or braised, with cucumber being the only exception.

She also shared a home-style tip: Korean moms often dip leftover gimbap in egg and pan-fry it. “It’s a good way to get children to eat vegetables—and gimbap is full of them,” she said.

The class was more than just a cooking workshop, it offered a glimpse into Korean daily life and culinary traditions.