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Kimchi in Action: Mandu Chef Yesoon Lee Makes a House Specialty

Welcome back to Chef in the Kitchen, a recurring Eater photo feature where we boldly go where few diners have gone before — into D.C. restaurant kitchens — to get a sneak peek of the chef du jour hard at work.

Missy Frederick is the Cities Director for Eater.

Kimchi shows up in just about everything on Mandu's menu, and it's a labor of love for chef Yesoon Lee.

Each week on Tuesday they start the process, prepping the cabbage and making pastes for the kimchi. On Wednesday, each leaf gets rubbed with the homemade paste. The whole process takes about five hours over two days, producing about 500 pounds of kimchee per week.

Here, see Lee make a batch with the help of restaurant co-owner Danny Lee, her son. Find Mandu's kimchi in everything from fried rice to soup to late night bar dishes.

Mandu

453 K Street Northwest, , DC 20001 (202) 289-6899 Visit Website