But he’s not a full-time food influencer – rather, Kim is the official chef at the South Korean embassy in New Delhi, where he landed in 2019 after professional cooking stints across Europe and Australia.
Now the passionate cook’s home is India, a country he finds “colourful” and its people warm. He ranks paneer palak, dal, dosa and chole bhature (a dish of chickpea curry with a fluffy fried leavened bread) among his favourite Indian dishes.
Throughout his culinary research, he has also found overarching similarities between the cuisines of India and South Korea, and their peoples’ obsession with spices and gravies.
When I came down to Delhi, I had a tough time looking for quality ingredients
“Like the Koreans, Indians too are big on bold flavours,” Kim says. “They also love condiments like pickles, just like we love our kimchi. That’s why both cuisines are known to deliver a flavour kick.”
Kim says among his most-loved gastronomic creations have been fusion dishes like kimchi-stuffed chicken kathi rolls (flatbread wraps) and Indian breads infused with Korean seasonings.
Kim’s popularity has risen further since he started doing voice-overs for his cookery shoots and more in-depth YouTube videos.
‘I thought it was a mistake’: top UK Indian chefs on chicken tikka masala
‘I thought it was a mistake’: top UK Indian chefs on chicken tikka masala
His tiny south Delhi kitchen – which mimics a research and development lab – is his happy space, he says, always abuzz with culinary experiments.
These experiments aren’t always smooth, the chef explains, primarily because sourcing authentic Korean ingredients in Delhi is difficult.
“When I came down to Delhi, I had a tough time looking for quality ingredients,” he says, adding he would hunt for produce at markets all over the city. “After a long time, however, I did manage to locate two which are now my go-to places.”
However, occasionally the chef still needs to travel further afield – even to other cities – to find what he needs.
Without the fresh and flavourful ingredients he says are crucial to the heart of Korean cuisine, taste and authenticity are compromised.
Kim often documents his trips to local markets, where he relishes interacting with vendors.
More than kimbap: Seoul, South Korea, pushes food as next cultural export
More than kimbap: Seoul, South Korea, pushes food as next cultural export
The chef believes that cooking is an inclusive craft as “it helps break down geographical barriers and brings people together”.
His collaborations with local celebrity chefs have also piqued online interest. In a recent cooking session with Gurkirat Singh, a MasterChef India finalist in 2023, the pair collaborated to make chilli paneer with a Korean twist.
To create this dish, instead of Indian spices, they use gochugaru (chilli powder) and gochujang along with soy sauce and oyster sauce.
While rising geopolitical tensions across the world are dividing people, culture (especially food) is becoming the glue to unite them
“Temple food is a world-famous vegetarian food, and I think it’ll help me grow a lot in the future, including the monk’s cooking philosophy and understanding of ingredients,” reads Kim’s caption.
With his amiable personality, Kim has helped spread the message about his country’s culinary culture beyond Korea.
‘Underrated for too long’: chef on elevating Korean food in Hong Kong
‘Underrated for too long’: chef on elevating Korean food in Hong Kong
In May 2023, he headed a Korean food pop-up at The Westin Kolkata hotel to mark the 50th anniversary of Indo-Korean diplomatic relations, for which the chef prepared signature Korean dishes such as chicken tteokgalbi, dubu tangsuyuk, mushroom bulgogi, dubu jorim, dak galbi and saengseon gui.
A big fan of Indian culture, Kim says he loves celebrating local festivals by cooking festive treats.
The chef has also shared a video where he shows viewers how to make spring onion kimchi.
However, it was no ordinary video – what caught the interest of viewers was the chef’s narration in Hindi.
“Just want to really appreciate all the videos you do and also so much effort you put in speaking in Hindi to reach a bigger audience,” read one comment. “Thank you and kudos to you!”
Apart from cooking, the chef’s other passion is travelling. His love for globetrotting has taken him to more than 40 countries. This year, Kim’s wanderlust took him to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, France and Hong Kong while last year’s highlight was a Turkish sojourn.
Apart from visiting local attractions, Kim also reviews eateries in the new destinations triggering comments and likes – and also suggestions about where to dine – from his large social media following.
Fans of Korean food in Hong Kong have more choice than ever
Fans of Korean food in Hong Kong have more choice than ever
“We try to go out at least once a month for a nice Korean meal,” says the 35-year-old.
Anthropologist Minu Kakkar acknowledges Korean culture’s increasing resonance across the world.
