One of my favorite experiences that I’ve had in Korea was taking a Korean vegan cooking class. It was so much fun that I even took my mom when she dropped by for a visit. Taking a Korean cooking class is one of my biggest “must do” recommendations because the experience is a souvenir that you get to take home with you and use over and over again. But while there are plenty of perfume or knot-making classes in Seoul, cooking classes in English are still relatively rare.
Enter CJ the Kitchen. If you’re not in the know, CJ is one of the biggest companies in Korea and they’re one of the kings of the supermarket. They also behind one of my favorite food brands, Bibigo. It’s impossible to go to any market or convenience store in Seoul without seeing at least 50 of their food products on the shelves.
A Kitchen Fit for a Chef (or Youtube)
Now, I didn’t know what to expect when we arrived at CJ the Kitchen, but it basically turned out to be a food enthusiast’s dream. There was a main “stage” cooking station and multiple smaller stations set up with a clear view of the chef’s table. Each station was fully stocked with pots, pans, utensils and ingredients in arm’s reach making the entire class feel super professional and a little intimidating. There were even stands to set up your phone for recording.
***If you’re ARMY you may recognized this place from Episode 20 of Run BTS!
I cook almost daily, but my husband only cooks a few times a week. However neither of us had any trouble following the instructions in clear English. The pace was a bit faster than we had expected, but there was a teaching assistant who was always on stand by to answer questions and provide help.
A Meal Fit for a Queen
The menu of the day was tteokgalbi (grilled short-rib patties) with an apple & chamnamul (Korean greens) salad and gangdoenjang stew with minced pork (a thicker version of doenjang jjigae). The salad was surprisingly the most work and required the most knife skills, while the gangdoenjang and tteokgalbi were pre-packaged and, therefore, much easier to prepare.
Even the rice was microwaved which meant everything could be made easily at home or in a dorm, especially if you’re short on time. And just in case we forgot anything or got lost, we were given a handy recipe booklet with step-by-step instructions to help us along the way. We even got to take it home with us, in case we wanted to give it another go later.
The class flew by as we chopped onions, carrots and greens. Our “team” was able to keep up with the instructor, but a few others fell behind. Of course, that just meant we had more time at the end to take videos and photos of our masterpieces.
Talking Over Lunch
As fun as the class was, getting to enjoy the fruits of our labor was definitely the best part. Once we were done plating and taking pictures of our meal, we were ushered into a dining room where the rest of the class was waiting and we all shared a meal together. The class was a mix of students and travelers of all ages from all over the world. If anything, our shared experience of keeping up with the chef was a nice icebreaker to socialize over.
Overall, I’d definitely rate this as a beginner level class (as advertised). There’s a bit of knife work involved, but since the doenjang and tteokgalbi are both pre-prepped, it’s a lot easier to get through than you’d expect. This is definitely a meal you can easily recreate at home when you don’t have a lot of time on your hands, but still want something filling and delicious to eat.
Can I take these classes?
The classes are open to the public, but reservations are absolutely necessary since each class can only accommodate 12 people. The classes vary in length and level of difficulty, so definitely check the schedule to see what best suits you. Changes to the classes and recipes are made from time to time, so you might not get to cook the same things we did, but you can check out On.K Culture’s reservation page for more details and class times.
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