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Today’s dish is zucchini noodles.

This was inspired by the zucchini noodle dish from Mosu, the former Michelin three-star restaurant.

The zucchini I used is a Korean variety called aehobak. It sweeter than zucchini, but zucchini or courgette would also work well.

I used a peeler to shave the squash into long strips so they would work like noodles.

For the center, I quickly roast on the pan with sesame oil, after blended it and strained it through cloth to make a juice. Then I added kelp and salt and kept it over a double boiler.

The zucchini noodles are cooked gently in that warm juice. They need attention, because they should not be undercooked, but they also should not soften too much.

Once the juice reduces and becomes more concentrated, the dish is ready to plate.

What I like about this dish is that you can taste the zucchini’s umami, green freshness, sweetness, and texture all in one bite.

Of course, my cooking is nowhere near Chef Ahn Sung-jae’s level, so on its own it felt a little incomplete.

That made me think of Venerable Sunjae’s doenjang bibimbap sauce in Culinary Class Wars.

In Korea, squash and doenjang are a very familiar combination, especially in doenjang jjigae, so I thought it would work well here too.

I mixed chopped squash trimmings, green chili, and shiitake with doenjang, let it sit for about 15 minutes, then added kelp stock and cooked it briefly into a light, spoonable sauce.

It worked surprisingly well with the noodles, and I enjoyed it a lot.

Today’s dish is a vegan tartare.

I wanted to keep it as Korean as possible in structure and seasoning, but in this case avocado was the one ingredient I could not really avoid. Other than that, most of the ingredients can be replaced with local alternatives depending on where you live.

The key ingredients

dallae(Korean wild chives)

king oyster mushroom

tofu

watermelon

avocado

chopped nuts

Soy sauce , sesame oil

For the allium, I think it is important to use something aromatic with an edible bulb, not just the green part.

For the mushroom, I prefer something mild and not too fragrant. The tofu is also important here.

The tofu is cut to fit the ring mold, about 5 mm thick, then pan fried in sesame oil until golden.

The mushroom is finely diced, toasted in a dry pan, then lightly seasoned with soy sauce diluted with water. After that, it is cooled and gently mixed with watermelon cut into thin matchsticks. The watermelon should keep its shape, so it needs to be handled carefully.

To assemble, I start with sliced avocado in the mold, then chopped nuts, then finely chopped dallae bulbs. A little diluted soy sauce is brushed on for aroma and seasoning, and then the fried tofu goes on top.

Above that goes the mushroom and watermelon mixture, finished with the green part of the dallae or chives.

At the end, I add lemon zest and drizzle a little sesame oil, soy sauce, and lemon juice to taste.

It is obviously not a traditional tartare, and not fully local either, but I wanted it to stay close to Korean flavor logic while still working as a vegan dish.