Dae-Ahn Sunim I feel quite lucky these days because my good friend, Monk Dae-Ahn is an amazing person and amazing chef. She is a creative and logical person that is pushing the envelope of what is considered Vegan Cuisine. She is like Thomas Keller for she takes Korean favorites and adds her own spin on the dishes. She transformed pork cutlets into Kongkas: bean cutlets and the bean meat is absolutely...meaty. I mean I couldn't believe it wasn't meat. Her mushroom sauce on top is exquisite as well. Last week she started making kimbap: Korean vegetable rice rolls and these were the best rice rolls I have ever had. The vegetables were all delicious (and organic) and the rice she uses is a mix of brown rice, barley, and other grains (so it is healthy). It is a delicious snack and one that I will have to get the next time I need a snack.  Here is a mix of different rice rolls she has made. Balwoo Gongyang Kong (Located on the 2nd Floor of the Templestay building a...

Review: 2 Stars: Recommended (Serving system needs an overhaul, food is good and not expensive, atmosphere is quaint) Who would have guessed that it would take a Buddhist Monk to rejuvenate Korean cuisine and make it popular to westerners and Koreans. Master Dae-Ahn of Balwoo restaurant is doing just that. The Jogeysa Order of Buddhist monks now has 3 restaurants in Seoul. Their flagship store Balwoo- across from Jogeysa temple is usually booked every day. I tried to get a reservation over the weekend and they told me that it was booked over a week ago. The one criticism that many people had about the Balwoo Restaurant on the 5th floor was the price. With meals starting at 25,000 a person- it's not a place you can eat at regularly. The humble monks realized this and then opened Balwoo Gongyang Kong on the 3rd floor of the same building. It is a Buddhist cafeteria style restaurant so it is self service but prices are modest (meals start at 6,000 won).  Oh, and you can only go up...

Here is a video of my visit to one of my visits to Balwoo Temple Cuisine Restaurant in Insadong (I love this place, so I've been there several times.) It's right across from Jogyesa Temple on the 6th Floor. Reservations are highly recommended and lunches start at 25,000 won per person. www.baru.or.kr Come take a cooking class or take a Culinary Tour in Seoul! http://www.ongofood.com Pictures are taken either with my Panasonic DMC-G2 Camera with 20mm Lens or with my iPhone 4G

I went to Balwoo the other day for lunch and I'll be writing more about it soon. Sorry, but with my schedule, there isn't a lot of time left for blogging. Here's a taste: Balwoo 02.2031.2081 Website: http://www.baru.or.kr 110-170 서울시 종로구 견지동 71번지 템플스테ㅣ 5층 71 Gyeonji-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-170 Directions: Near Anguk and Jonggak Stations, across from the big Jogyesa Temple in the Temple Stay Building, 5th floor. Balwoo Korean Temple Cuisine: Dodeok Salad with Citron Dressing Balwoo Korean Temple Cuisine: Corn Porridge Balwoo Korean Temple Cuisine:Black Rice Jeon, Nokdu Jeon, Gochujang Jeon Balwoo Korean Temple Cuisine: Mandu, Ssam, and Tofu Balwoo Korean Temple Cuisine: Shitake Tempura in a sour/sweet/spicy sauce

Sanchae Salad from Nwijo I ventured to Seoraksan National Park this weekend to feast my eyes on the highly anticipated foliage. Although clearly in the advent stages of the season, the showcase of the color spectrum was worthwhile. Alongside the accustomed greenery, vivid ambers, oranges and chocolate browns began to emerge throughout the scenery. Besides the mountains, I also saw plenty of color in my food pickings. Seoraksan is a mountainous area that houses a famous sanchae bibimbop, a tasty spin of the mixed rice treat. Sanchae bibimbop in many ways is the twin of dolsot bibimbop. Both dishes features rice, fried egg and heavy dollops of red pepper paste. The difference between these two dishes, however, is quite notable. Sanchae bibimbop is known for its large servings of leafy and root vegetables that are found in Korea's own mountainous landscape. The overall taste is much fresher than that of some bibimbop varieties, and sanchae may even be (gasp) tastier.

We will have a Vegetarian Temple Cuisine Cooking Class starting at 10am followed by a market tour on Saturday the 25th. The menu for the day will be: Potatoes in Soy Sauce Side Dish (Kamja Jorim) Stone Bowl Nutrional Rice steamed with beans, nuts, and jujube. (Yeongyang dolsotbap) Temple Cuisine Soup Stock :which can be used as a flavoring to dishes and as a soup base. In this class, it'll be used to make rich soybean and tofu stew. The class will be taught in English by Chef Hye-Jin Kim. It will be a hands on class and you'll have a chance to eat the food after you cook it. You'll receive a recipe book and a market tour after the class. The class will cost 55,000 won per person. RSVP by e-mailing us at ongofood@ongofood.com or calling us at 02-3446-1607. Payment can be made in advance through Korean Bank Transfer: Woori Bank 1005-480-990616  Choi Jia, O'ngo Food Communicaitons 최지아 온고푸드커뮤니케이션 우리은 or through Paypal: dnlgray@gmail.com.

Last week Michelle and I were invited by Jerry Kim of GSA Public Relations to participate in a temple cuisine cooking class at La Cuisine Cooking Studio. The class was taught by famous Buddhist Monk/Chef Dae-Ahn. Dae-Ahn is a well known specialist in Buddhist Temple Cuisine and I got to meet with her once before when I did a filming special for KBS TV. The class was very informative and the menu for the day was: Burdeok Pancake (우엉전). Mountain Herb Rice (더덕밥) Minari Soup (미나리즙탕) After watching Chef Dae-Ahn demo the dishes, we had the chance to make our own. Ours maybe didn't look or taste as good as what Chef Dae-Ahn made, but it was still good. It was great to learn temple cuisine techniques. Thanks Jerry! Dan Photographs taken by Michelle Min The Cooking Studio at La Cuisine Burdeok Pancake Chef Dae-Ahn

Back in December, I was invited by KBS TV to participate in a Buddhist Temple Cuisine Cooking Class. I learned how to prepare dishes using locally grown produce. The special ingredient was lotus root which has medicinal qualities and adds a floral accent to the dishes. You can see it tonight (Sunday, February 14th) at 8pm on KBS1 TV. Happy Eating! Dan Here is the front to Kilsangsa Temple The meditation area. The head monk. His English was impeccable and his message was profound. Here are some of the participants. Chefs in action. Guljeolpan: Buckwheat crepes with vegetables. Kimchi and Tofu. Lotus Broth Dasik: Pressed Pine Pollen Delicacies. Lotus Tea