Share
‘Two Kids From LA’ is the title of the third episode of ‘With Love, Meghan’ on Netflix featuring Korean-American Chef Roy Choi. The series has Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, as the host who invites her friends, cooks for them, shops for them, and enjoys elaborate yet sophisticatedly plated dishes with them on a breezy afternoon or for a high-tea party.
The third episode was particularly interesting for every Korean food lover. Meghan talked about how LA is the hub for a beautiful amalgamation of Korean and American food cultures of which Chef Roy Choi is a huge part. From cooking his signature fried chicken to teaching the Duchess of Sussex how to prepare pickled strawberries, the show was divided into various cooking segments which all came together in the end and were fun to watch for gastronomes and home chefs.
Roy Choi: Meghan Markle’s Friend And Korean-American Chef
If you have been impressed by Chef Roy Choi’s unique recipes, swift movements in the kitchen, knowledge about ingredients, and abilities to turn everyday food items into drool-worthy delectables, you must have been Googling about him too. Born in Seoul, South Korea, he was raised in LA and Southern California.
He started his journey as a chef in 2001 as a journeyman hotel chef. After working in many Michelin-star restaurants, he shifted to food trucks. In 2008, he launched his company, Kogi, with partners Caroline Shin-Manguera and Mark Manguera.
Roy Choi has worked with chefs like David Chang and Wolfgang Puck. If you have watched the episode, you will know how well he knows the ingredients and spices. It almost looked like he was sailing through the space seamlessly like a dancer on stage.
The chef had no intentions of writing a book, but he realised that wherever he went, people asked him similar questions about his cooking styles, spices, techniques, etc. His first book. ‘L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food.,’ is all about how the food landscape evolved since the 1970s.
In 2011, he made it to the Times 100 list of the most influential people in the world. In 2019, he collaborated with another chef for Netflix: The Chef Show. In the same year, he produced and hosted a series - Broken Bread on Tastemade and KCET in Los Angeles. He has another book lined up to be published soon in 2025. It is titled, ‘The Choi of Cooking’.’
Image Credit: Roy Choi/ Instagram
Roi Choi’s Instant Pickles
While you have learnt a lot about Chef Roy Chef, you must also dive into his recipes. There is no better way to know a chef than to get into his mind to understand how they perceive food. In the third episode of ‘With Love, Meghan’, he taught how to make quick pickles or quickles. Here are the recipes for you.
Add chopped garlic, spices you like, salt, pepper, chopped dill, and a teaspoon of sugar. Pour equal parts water and vinegar into the same pan and bring the ingredients to a boil. You can also add chopped chilli depending on the heat you would prefer.
While the concoction is boiling, you can quickly dice or slice the vegetables and fruits you like, including strawberries, cucumber, papaya, radish, carrots, etc. Add the boiling blend into the jars with diced ingredients, seal the lid, and shake a bit. When the mixture cools off, your pickled fruits and veggies are ready to be served.
Image Credit: Roy Choi/ Instagram
