Actress Kim Min-ha tastes Cheonan specialty Ppagemjang at mountain restaurant

Actress Kim Min-ha visited a reservation-only restaurant in Cheonan to enjoy a 15,000 won Ppagemjang set featuring boiled pork. The local specialty uses a fast-fermented paste completed in just one week to create a uniquely sweet flavor.

Following a winding mountain road leads to a reservation-only restaurant in Cheonan, where actress Kim Min-ha recently visited. This journey, presented by TV CHOSUN FOOD, features a clean meal centered around the local Cheonan specialty 'Ppagemjang' alongside the personal narrative of Kim Min-ha.

"I dreamed of being an actor thanks to my neighbor Sul Kyung Gu," Kim Min-ha shares her sincerity

Before her meal, Kim Min-ha recalled the motivation behind choosing acting as her profession. While she had loved singing and performing since before deciding on her university major, she revealed that she decided to pursue acting seriously due to the encouragement of her neighbor, actor Sul Kyung Gu. Kim mentioned Sul, stating, "The man next door was the first adult to encourage me to do it."

She also expressed being moved while recalling a recent moment when she encountered Sul Kyung Gu at the Busan International Film Festival. Noting that she has not been able to express her gratitude often due to her blunt personality, she made a determination, saying, "I will continue to work hard, waiting for the day when I can act with him."

The aesthetics of 'Ppagemjang', a Cheonan specialty completed in one week

The protagonist of the meal was 'Ppagemjang', a local food of Cheonan. Ppagemjang is a type of 'fast fermented paste' made using meju powder left over after making gochujang when doenjang runs out in early spring. While traditional methods use meju powder, the owner of this restaurant uses soybean meju made from fermented beans to reduce labor. It is characterized by a process of drying at approximately 55 degrees Celsius for about 40 hours and adding malt water to create a soft texture. Unlike soy sauce or doenjang, which require a year of waiting, Ppagemjang is completed in just one week and serves as an important medium for carrying on the flavors of Cheonan.

A variety of dishes seasoned with Ppagemjang were served. The table was filled with acorn jelly pan-fried in oil, tofu jangajji coated with egg yolk and marinated in soy sauce, and oriental melon jangajji made by mixing oriental melon with gochujang. In particular, the oriental melon jangajji is a quick version made by marinating salt-pickled oriental melon in gochujang; the owner shared how to add flavor by drizzling perilla oil over it.

Boiled pork simmered in Ppagemjang and 15,000 won of happiness

The highlight of the meal was the boiled pork (suyuk) simmered with Ppagemjang. The 'Ppagemjang Set,' offered at 15,000 won per serving, consists of Ppagemjang gang-doenjang, napa cabbage wraps, and boiled pork. The boiled pork is characterized by a clean initial taste that gives way to the uniquely sweet flavor of Ppagemjang the more it is chewed.

Tasting the boiled pork topped with Ppagemjang gang-doenjang, Kim Min-ha remarked, "The meat itself is so soft." She also expressed satisfaction with the combination of gang-doenjang with jujubes and napa cabbage wraps, saying, "I can't stop eating." Enjoyed on a wooden platform in the mountain restaurant under the sunlight, this meal was more than just a simple meal; it was a place where the efforts to preserve local flavors and the sincere stories of an actress intersected.

Source: TVCHOSUN JOY (YouTube)