Kim Na-rae / Korean chef
 
Chef Kim Na-rae offers dishes that resonate with the body and soul, focusing mainly on the cuisine of her native Korea. We spoke to her about what inspired her to become a chef and the message she wants to convey through her cooking.
 
 

I want to continue to tell you
Healthy home cooking

Kim Na-rae first came to Japan in her 20s. She had been aiming to become a photographer, but by chance she ended up studying cooking in Korea. However, the culinary school she attended focused on techniques with the goal of obtaining qualifications, so she returned to Japan and attended Hattori Nutrition College instead.



"After graduating, I worked in Italian and Mediterranean restaurants in Japan, but I began to realize that making chefs' recipes wasn't what I wanted to do. That's when I learned about a system of classes where foreigners could teach cooking in their own home using a foreign language, and I started Korean cooking classes. As I'm a big drinker myself, the lessons included alcohol. Maybe that was a good thing, because the classes became so popular that people said it was impossible to get a reservation."



At the time, the narrator was teaching how to cook a type of Korean cuisine that is somewhat junky, but also popular in Japan.
However, when I returned to Korea temporarily due to poor health, I realized that the foods I had eaten and the stress I had been feeling had built up and taken the form of an illness.

"After thinking about it again, I realized that it's important to release stress frequently and eat healthy foods on a daily basis. Food can either make a person live or ruin their health. I changed the direction of my lessons, believing that my students would enjoy the food that I thought was delicious, even if it was no longer the popular menu items that I had been using."

Gradually, the students began to confide in me their physical and mental concerns.

"There are many people in Japan who are popularizing standard Korean cuisine, but I want to share lesser known aspects of Korean culture, including the flavors I grew up with and what I'm currently studying. I was born and raised in Korea, so I know the deliciousness of Korean home cooking, the snacks from the food stalls I frequented as a student, and the food at the restaurants run by older women."



 
That's why the theme of her new book (pictured left) released this spring is Korean home cooking that not many people know about. It introduces many easy-to-make recipes along themes such as "rainy days" and "days when you don't feel like doing anything."

"I wanted to share with you the kind of food that would fit seamlessly into the dining table of Japanese people. It's not something that makes you feel like you're trying to make Korean food, but something that you can make on a daily basis and that can be combined with Japanese side dishes. In a way, it's more like Narae-style cooking than Korean food (laughs)."
Nare, who calls himself an "otaku" (geek), loves to learn. When he buys old tableware, he wants to know how it was used, and he says he finds it interesting that old recipes tell the history of exchanges with Japan.





 
"Right now I'm obsessed with researching and recreating Korean temple cuisine and old recipes from the Joseon Dynasty. For example, if you look at a book from the 1920s, it starts with hunting and strangling a bird. It's difficult to read because it's written in ancient characters, but the more I study it, the more I think people from the past were amazing. I'm always impressed by their wisdom, such as using seasonal ingredients from the area they lived in and valuing the compatibility of foods. Recipes from 200 years ago, from a time when Chinese influence was still strong, don't make extensive use of chili peppers, and instead use spices like star anise and fennel seeds. It's fascinating."
 

Through home cooking
Connecting Korean culture

Nare says that she is happy when her students repeat the dishes they learned at home during her cooking classes, where she generously shares her knowledge. She says that comments like, "It was so delicious that I immediately made it for my child," and "I was tired and thought about eating out, but I wanted to eat what Nare taught me, so I went home" are the most encouraging thing for her.

"If someone continues to make the dishes I taught them, they will gradually become part of that family's cooking. Eventually they may become someone else's 'mother's cooking.' Then, that person will make it for their child. I think that would be a wonderful thing. Just thinking about it makes me so happy."

Nare herself is a working mother raising a 5-year-old son, and cooks every day for her child.

"I've always been the type of person who has too many things I want to do and never enough time, but after my child was born, I felt even less time-consuming. But I hate being in a rush, so I've become good at planning. If I want to make sujebi (dumplings) tomorrow, I'll knead the dough before going to bed, and I always keep salted vegetables in the fridge. I often make my son hold back because I'm busy, so I'd like to at least make him some homemade meals."






Although there are only a limited number of foods that young children like to eat, Nare tries to make as many homemade foods as possible, except for salt and soy sauce, and to feed them simple, carefully made foods using only the raw ingredients. This may be because the idea of traditional Korean medicine in Korea, where Nare was born and raised, is the basis for this.
 

At the base of life
The Concept of Korean Medicine

"In Korea, there are certain foods that are eaten according to the season. For example, in winter, people drink Polygonatum tea and eat lots of Chinese chives to warm the body. In summer, they actively consume Cassia tea and mung beans, which cool the body. It's a Korean medicine philosophy. Young people have seen their parents do it, so I think it's natural for them to adopt it."
 
One of Nare's health tips is to comfort herself with porridge when she's not feeling well (apparently in Korea, people often eat porridge when they're not feeling well).

"I often eat samgyetang and wakame porridge. To make wakame porridge, I stir fry the wakame in sesame oil, then simmer it with the soaking water from dried shiitake mushrooms, water, and rice. I season it with salt and add perilla powder. When I eat this, I sweat a lot and it really energizes me."
 
The secret to Nare's radiance may be her healthy diet, supplements like Lypo-C that she personally chose, and beauty products such as cosmetics. And also her positive attitude, never giving up on what she wants to do.

"It's been about nine years since I started working as a chef. I've published two books and appeared on television. I'm still getting new offers, and I'm amazed at how many of my dreams have come true. I'll continue to work hard, but I still have dreams.
I think it would be fun to open a store selling freshly pressed sesame oil and serve only gyoza and beef bone soup next to it, or I'd like to sell delicious Korean seasonings and tableware. I'm looking forward to making that dream come true someday."


The person the narrator chose as the person he would like to give Lypo-C to is Yoshie Uematsu, a chef. In the next issue, we will talk to Yoshie, who has been trying Lypo-C for about a month.
 
 
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Kim Nare / Born in Incheon, Korea. She holds Korean cooking classes in Tokyo, focusing on Korean home cooking using seasonal ingredients and Nare-style Korean cuisine.

Text: Shiori Fujii
Edited by Yuko Homma
Photo: Tsukasa Nakagawa
 

 

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