On the Nov. 16 episode of SBS’ "My Little Old Boy," the chef showed up with kongbiji―a creamy soybean porridge―made just for the panel of moms.
Serving as a special MC, Lee ladled out his house-made kongbiji for the moms and hosts. His version blends pumpkin and soy milk, then gets a hearty finish with pork, kimchi, toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds―leaving everyone grinning.
“Most biji I’ve had is very fine, but this has a great, slightly chunky bite,” host Shin Dong-yup praised. Seo Jang-hoon added, “It’s somewhere between kongbiji stew and oatmeal. You usually eat kongbiji with rice, but this one stands on its own.”
When the Mom-vengers said it would pair nicely with makgeolli, Lee cracked, “No makgeolli here?” referring to the Korean rice wine, drawing laughs.
With credits that include winning a U.S. cooking competition show and cooking for a White House state dinner, Lee recently served as the lead chef overseeing the APEC summit.
“It was an incredible honor,” Lee said. “At such a major global event, I wanted to showcase Korean food. I think traditional Korean cuisine is perfect, so I created a menu that was half traditional and half modern. I also wanted to show that Korean ingredients can go global.”
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Hyo-jung)