[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Hyesoo] On the afternoon of the 11th, MBC's 'Baekfather: Don't Stop Cooking!' (hereafter 'Baekfather') featured Baek Jong-won introducing two types of kimchi fried rice to beginner cooks.
Before diving into cooking, Yang Se-hyung started by saying, "Last week, Yorsin claimed his ramen was tastier, which put a scratch on Baek Jong-won's reputation." In response, Baek Jong-won said, "It's impossible to please everyone's taste buds," adding, "Yorsin has a unique taste. I told the production team to recruit people with more common tastes, but they ended up bringing in unique individuals," which drew laughter.
Baek Jong-won then emphasized again, "Those who are good at cooking, don't watch. Other channels have a lot of fun content." Yang Se-hyung appeared flustered and said, "What are you talking about? Just keep watching."
This episode of 'Baekfather' became even more global with participants from the US, Australia, Vietnam, and China compared to previous broadcasts. Also, many young couples participated with their children, catching viewers' attention. Among them was a couple who had been unable to meet for six months due to being stuck abroad in China because of COVID-19.
Yorsin, the scene-stealer of 'Baekfather,' shone again in this episode. When kimchi was mentioned as an ingredient, he introduced various types of kimchi collected from around the neighborhood, showing his village leader-like qualities. Also, a newlywed wife in her second year of marriage, who joined after her husband's tip-off, confessed, "My husband said all he needed was chicken breast and eggs when we got married, but after eating only that for a year, he seems tired of it."
After brief greetings with the beginner cooks, Baek Jong-won started cooking with kimchi. He said, "I'll make kimchi fried rice, which is the easiest to make alone and easy to serve others. Since the beginners are novices, using knives is dangerous, so I'll make it using only scissors."
The ingredients were aged kimchi, scissors, sugar, soy sauce, cooking oil, and ham, sausage, or bacon. Before cooking, Yang Se-hyung and Baek Jong-won advised the beginners to listen carefully to the instructions before starting.
The first step was cutting the kimchi with scissors, and Baek Jong-won recommended kimchi made from napa cabbage. However, some beginners didn't even know how sour the kimchi should be to qualify as aged kimchi, which surprised Baek Jong-won and Yang Se-hyung. At this point, Baek Jong-won shared a trade secret, saying, "If the kimchi doesn't seem fermented enough, you can add a little vinegar."
Meanwhile, seeing a young dad team participating with their little daughter, Baek Jong-won repeatedly said, "So cute." Since it was the daughter's birthday, Yang Se-hyung joked, "Come visit Baek Jong-won at headquarters."
After cutting about one paper cup of kimchi, Baek Jong-won instructed to crush or cut ham or sausage by hand or scissors. Tristan from the US, who had prepared quail eggs when making ramen, brought a chunk of smoked ham this time, earning Baek Jong-won’s comment, "You're a funny guy."
After prepping the kimchi and ham, the pan was heated strongly, and the ham was stir-fried first. When it was somewhat cooked, red pepper powder was added. Baek Jong-won said it was optional but recommended if a red color was desired. Then sugar, soy sauce, and water were added in order. When Yang Se-hyung mentioned, "Many people add kimchi juice when making kimchi fried rice," Baek Jong-won emphasized, "There's no need to add it."
At this point, several beginners burned their dishes because they didn't add water in time. Seeing the burnt pan, Yang Se-hyung joked, "Is this soybean paste?" and pointed out to Baek Jong-won, "I think it's because of the heat control." Watching this, Baek Jong-won started making the fried rice again from the beginning, advising to pour enough water before adding red pepper powder to adjust the heat and amount of red pepper powder.
Finally, rice was added, and Baek Jong-won made two versions: one with instant rice and one with regular rice. He explained that instead of adding rice while stir-frying, it's better to turn off the heat, mix the rice thoroughly, and then put the pan back on the heat for better frying. This completed the spicy kimchi fried rice. Baek Jong-won added that topping it with a fried egg learned last time would finish the dish.
Additionally, a non-spicy kimchi fried rice was made for young beginners who can't eat spicy food. This was simply made by washing the kimchi well with water and following the same process. Baek Jong-won said that if there is white kimchi (Baek kimchi), it can be used as well. Lastly, lightly stir-frying it with sesame oil finished the dish.
During the process, a young dad beginner asked, "My wife dislikes sugar; is there a substitute?" Baek Jong-won humorously replied, "Then add it secretly without your wife knowing," making the beginners burst into laughter.
Once again pressed for time, Baek Jong-won hurriedly made two types of kimchi fried rice and, as the title screen appeared, teased, "Next ingredient is bread!!"
MBC's untact era interactive cooking show 'Baekfather' airs every Saturday at 5 PM.
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