In preparation for an upcoming collaboration with Serai, Chae has purchased nearly 900 chinoola persimmons this week. These persimmons will be used for a special dinner event and for the preparation of this year's batch of gochujang.
Left. Fresh persimmons arrived
Right. Dried persimmons as known as Gotgam
"Peeling each persimmon is labor-intensive and time-consuming," shares Chae. To aid in the process, Chae's mother sent a box of special pins from Korea. These pins are cleverly designed to clip onto the stem of the persimmons, allowing them to be effortlessly hung for air drying, which significantly reduces the time and minimizes damage to the persimmons.
In their first year at the Cockatoo property, Chae and Yoora attempted to dry persimmons in the traditional Korean way, involving outdoor drying during winter. However, the humid conditions in the Dandenong Ranges led to mould before the fruit could dry properly, resulting in the loss of all the persimmons. Learning from this experience, in the second year, they designed a drying rack suspended from their ceiling beam, with a fan strategically attached adjacent to it to keep air consistently blowing and prevent mould. The persimmons will hang for about a month and a half until they are fully dried.
Known as "gotgam" in Korean, these dried persimmons can be enjoyed as they are. However, Chae plans to incorporate them into one of her dishes for the Serai collaboration. The remaining dried persimmons will be blitzed and used as a natural sweetener in Chae's gochujang. Traditionally, gochujang is sweetened with fermented fruit, and persimmons provide a rich, subtle sweetness that is a popular alternative.
When asked about her inspiration for incorporating gotgam into her dishes for the collaboration with Serai, Chae emphasized its significance in her culinary heritage. She aims to showcase traditional Korean elements in a fresh and exciting way, bridging the old and the new for a broader audience to enjoy.
Comments