The hilarious time-travel drama, Mr. Queen, received a lot of praise from viewers and the ratings have been amazing!
A modern-day Blue House chef Jang Bong-hwan travels back in time to the Joseon era. He finds himself in the body of Queen Cheorin the day before her wedding ceremony.
The interesting plot perfectly captured the viewers' attention along with the delicious foods presented in the drama. Let's take a look at each dish!
Samhyang Ramyeon
삼향라면
In the third episode, the empress of the nave returns to the palace drunk and wakes up the next day without appetite.
She asks the palace kitchen to make a hangover soup but she would not be satisfied until Cheorin steps in and prepares ramyeon (instant noodles) herself.
First, cut the green onion, cucumber, and carrot into shreds.
In the era of Queen Cheorin, instant noodles didn't exist, so she makes the noodles herself, rolls them into wavy shapes, and fries them in a pot.
Mash the spices, vegetables, peppers and other ingredients and grind them into powder.
Finally, cook everything together and finish it off with an egg.
What did you guys think of Queen Cheorin's version of instant noodles? Did you get hungry after watching the scene?
The chef names the dish samhyang ramyeon, 'sam' meaning 'three' and 'hyang' meaning 'aroma'.
Some said it was actually a tribute to Korea's famous Samyang Ramen.
Shinseonro
신선로
Have you seen or heard of this dish? Shinseonro is an ancient Korean royal cuisine that Queen Cheorin had no problem preparing!
Shinseon (신선) refers to Taoist hermits and ro (로) refers to fire bowl.
On Mr. Queen, a good portion of the preparing process of the dish was omitted.
A record of this dish could be found in Dongguk Sesigi(동국세시기 · A Record Of Seasonal Customs In Korea, 1849).
According to this record, shinseonro was made by first placing charcoal fire in the middle of the stove.
The beef would be cooked in oil, soy sauce, eggs, spring onions and garlic, and placed on the stove.
The shape of the unique bowl cannot be defined as purely Korean. Records show these bowls appearing in China, Russia and other countries in Central and Southeast Asia.
Regardless, the dish looks delicious. Great work, Mr. Queen!
Confit
Let's first appreciate how beautiful the end result looks! It looks like a dish out of a Michelin guidebook.
This dish, in fact, takes a long time to make and can only be made by very few qualified chefs including the Blue House chef.
After the fish is sliced, spread it on an iron plate sprinkled with coarse salt, brush the skin thinly with oil, and bring it in the oven to bake slowly at low temperature overnight to retain the gravy aroma and soften the meat.
An additional dish is also seen made to make the Grand Queen Dowager proud.
The beef is cut into pieces and then fried on a frying pan at low temperature overnight.
This confit method of French cooking captures the attention of the king too.
Let's take a look at the expression of love in the eyes of the Grand Queen Dowager. We would all love to taste the craftsmanship of Chef Jang, don't we?
Milk Gnocchi
Queen Cheorin does it again by making noodles with potatoes. It looks soft and delish!
After getting her (his) hands on the precious milk, Queen Cheorin boils it repeatedly in the pot until it becomes thick.
In the eyes of other chefs in the imperial dining room, this was very distressing.
Sprinkle some coarse salt, drain the watered gnocchi and pour it into the milk pot. And there you have it!
Gnocchi made in a Korean palace.
Overall, the Grand Queen Dowager was satisfied with the food, but she felt a little chilly. This created the business idea of "Korean-style" delivery.
What a turn of events!
Azalea Tea
Because ice cubes were so rare in ancient times, people would often drink a variety of juices, herbs, etc. to cool down.
Among the many, azalea fruit tea, made by the chef of the Imperial Kitchen, looked so refreshing that it made the viewers want to brew some at home!
Sift the tea, add some honey for the added sweetness, and add pear and citrus slices to the drink to increase the coolness.
Look at how much the people at the palace are enjoying the tea! It must be the perfect summer drink.
What did you think of the dishes introduced in the blog? Not only did Mr. Queen have an amazing storyline, it presented so many dishes that looked both colourful and delectable.
If you get a chance, try some of the recipes at home and let us know how it goes!
