Earlier this year, I noticed long queues forming on my street every night. Suddenly, the normally quiet streets of Koramangala were bustling with college students in baggy jeans and platform sneakers. The reason was a new Korean fast-food joint called Corn Dawg. Serving Korean corn dogs, or gamja hot dogs, the joint had caught the attention of online customers flocking from all over the neighborhood. The snack is a sausage that is breaded, battered and deep-fried on a skewer. A few years ago, I had no idea what a corn dog was, but now it's literally just around the corner from my house.
And it's not just these cheese dogs that are booming: all things Korean are becoming increasingly popular: K-Pop stars have passionate fanbases, and, thanks to Korean dramas, the Southeast Asian country's food culture has become a source of curiosity and intrigue for Indians.
“I got hooked on Korean dramas in 2022. I often see characters going to eat Korean skewers after work or going on dates at food stalls. Now when I see a Korean restaurant, I feel like going there and trying it,” says Ananya Bejoy, a university student. Open a delivery app and you'll see Korean burgers, fried chicken, bingsu (shaved ice), hotteok (pancakes), and kimbap (the Korean version of sushi rolls). From gourmet restaurants to food stalls, everyone is jumping on the trend.
Soju, the Korean drink, is extremely popular in Korea and is easily available in Bangalore.
Hormiga is a Korean barbecue restaurant that opened five months ago at Forum Rex Walk, Brigade Road. Co-founder Minseong Seok, a native of Seoul, spent more than a decade in India. Minseong opened Hormiga after the success of his other brand, Daily Sushi.
“We feel that the popularity and interest in Korean food has increased considerably compared to the past. In particular, we feel that the global interest in many cultural and artistic exports, such as Korean dramas and K-pop music, has spread to interest in food culture as well,” he says. He adds, “Korean food has not been easily available abroad for various reasons, such as sourcing ingredients and complex cooking methods. However, with more diverse Korean ingredients being imported and distributed recently, we believe that we will be able to introduce a greater variety of Korean food to Indian consumers in the future.” Their most popular menu items are Samgyeopsal (barbecued pork belly) and Dakgui (barbecued chicken). Sundubu jjigae (tender tofu stew), Nakji bokkeum (spicy stir-fried baby octopus) and the popular snack, Tteokbokki, are also popular dishes.
Of course, insiders know that Korean food itself is nothing new to Bangalore. The city has some well-kept secrets. Hae Kum Gang on Castle Street has been open since 2004. It has seen a lot of change in the last 20 years. Manager Nirmal Tamag says that earlier, 15% of the clientele was exclusively Indian, the rest foreign, but now there is a balanced mix of the two. “Today, people come in and already know a lot of the dishes. Earlier, many people would walk out because they weren't familiar with Korean food. Whereas earlier, we were one of the few Korean places in the city. Now there are plenty of other options,” he says.
Celebrity chef Gautham Krishnankutty, who previously ran well-known restaurants such as The Smoke Co and Tulp, likes to incorporate Korean ingredients into the food he serves at his pop-ups. When making his barbecued pork, he marinated the meat in gochujang, a fermented chilli paste that gives the dish a unique flavour.
“I also make a lot of sauces and pastes, as I like to add Korean ingredients,” he explains. But he also feels that diners are still just dipping their toes into Korean cuisine and have a long way to go before diving into the complexities. He says, “When I go to restaurants, I still see people ordering only popular or familiar dishes. During the pandemic, everyone was making kimchi. Traditional Korean food is a lot of fermented foods, dried fish, cold noodles etc, which may still be unfamiliar to the average diners in Bengaluru.”
Gautam uses gochujang in his special char siu.
Minsung agrees: “My personal favorite dish is Daeji Gomtang. Daeji Gomtang is one of the most authentic Korean dishes, where pork is boiled for a long time until it is tender, and then the soup made from the meat is eaten with rice. The culture of eating rice with hot soup instead of noodles is very familiar to Koreans, but may not be familiar to foreigners.”
So, while it may not become the new Indo-Chinese cuisine in India, it will be interesting to see where this trend goes next. Whenever a dish becomes popular, we Indians love to tinker with it and give it our own twist. Take butter chicken pizza or tandoori momos for example. So what's next for K-wave in India? Kimchi paratha anyone?
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