Part 2/6:
On a typical day, the kitchen is buzzing with activity by 4:30 a.m. Head chef Lee Ho-jun, along with his team, begins the morning by preparing ingredients for the day's menu. Today’s highlight is 1,200 mapo tofu lunch boxes, which are complemented by an array of side dishes including rice, crab egg soup, chili japchae, pickled radishes, cucumber and chive salad, stir-fried garlic scapes, and Chinese flower buns.
The preparation process kicks off with washing and cutting substantial quantities of vegetables. In a flurry of chopping, the chefs tackle 40 kilograms of white onions and 20 kilograms of green onions, ensuring that the foundational flavors of the mapo tofu are well established.