In the mood for dinner, I decided to cook up the ‘Paldo Jjajangmyeon’ I had stashed away. Being a cooking master, I usually don’t bother with instructions, but while waiting for the water to boil, I casually glanced at the package and stumbled upon this gem.
Chef Lee Yeon-bok’s Recommended Way to Enhance the Flavor
Sauté chopped scallions (1/2) and chopped chili peppers (1/2) in cooking oil.
Add a tablespoon each of oyster sauce and roasted soybean powder, then stir-fry further.
Mix with the Paldo Jjajangmyeon sauce.
After mixing with the cooked noodles, top with sliced cucumber for extra taste.
I was a bit taken aback. It seems no matter how much effort you put into cooking the contents of the package, it won’t be the best it can be without additional ingredients. I have to prepare cooking oil, chili peppers, oyster sauce, and roasted soybean powder myself? Chef Lee, why not just suggest making the sauce from scratch? Couldn’t the chili go into the garnish soup, and the oyster sauce be dried and ground, then added to the Jjajang sauce with soybean powder?
Though I don’t know much, it’s understandable he might have had some ambition since it’s a product bearing his name. Maybe Chef Lee did give it his best shot.
Lee Yeon-bok: I wish you could add a soybean powder soup.
Paldo Executive: We can’t add a soybean powder soup. If a customer forgets it in their pantry, we might have a situation.
“Mom, what’s that soup in the pantry?”
“Oh, that’s the Paldo soybean powder.”
“Why does Paldo have soybean powder?”
Paldo Executive: So, it can’t be done…
Though it might not be like this, it somehow feels disappointing.
No matter how you slice it, asking us to top it with sliced cucumber seems a bit much.
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