Chef Lee Yeon-bok Creates Unique Dish Combining Turkish Cuisine and Tteokbokki

On May 23, 2025, KBS2's show 신상출시 편스토랑 (New Menu Launch Restaurant) featured Chef Lee Yeon-bok, along with MONSTA X members Shownu and Jooheon, as they showcased a unique culinary creation that blends Turkish cuisine with the popular Korean dish, tteokbokki.
During the episode, the trio met with rising Turkish chef Şinem Özlece, who introduced herself as 'the Lee Yeon-bok of Turkey.' She prepared a variety of dishes for them, including mantı, a Turkish dumpling filled with lamb, which Jooheon praised, saying, 'It tastes like fried dumplings. I love dumplings; this is so delicious.'
Chef Lee also revealed a new Korean recipe inspired by Turkish flavors, noting the similarities between the two cuisines. He prepared tteokbokki using köfte, a Turkish dish with a texture similar to fish cakes, and mantı. When he brought out gochujang (Korean chili paste), Şinem expressed curiosity, commenting that it resembled a Turkish sauce.
Lee stir-fried green onions and onions on a large iron plate, adding gochugaru (red pepper flakes) and soy sauce, along with Turkish bone broth and oyster sauce. When Şinem remarked that it wasn't very spicy, Lee humorously added more gochujang, causing laughter among the group.
Şinem then invited the restaurant staff to taste the tteokbokki, with one employee exclaiming, 'This is a flavor my mom would love! It's my first time trying it, and it's so delicious.'
The culinary collaboration between Lee Yeon-bok, Shownu, and Jooheon has garnered attention in Turkish media, highlighting the fusion of their culinary talents.