Korean actor Jung Il-woo cooks kaldereta, sinigang for close friend Sandara Park


Korean actor Jung Il-woo showed his cooking skills by preparing popular Filipino dishes sinigang and kaldereta for ex-2NE1’s Sandara Park. 

The two stars have been close friends for 13 years and Dara became a guest of Jung Il-woo in a video he uploaded on Jan. 29 on his YouTube channel 1DAY 1LWOO JUNGILWOO.

“I’ll be cooking some Filipino food for Dara. I’ve actually never been to the Philippines before. I’ve never been there but I tried my best to search information on YouTube,” said the 33-year-old actor who has starred in dramas such as “Moon Embracing the Sun” and “Haechi.” 

He added, “I also looked everywhere up for ‘the favorite Filipino menus of Dara.’” 

“Sinigang is my favorite. It’s my favorite Filipino menu out of all Filipino food and I never had my meals without it,” Dara told Jung Il-woo. 

Jung Il-woo told her he will be preparing seafood sinigang, beef kaldereta and garlic rice for her: “So those are what I’ll be cooking for my dear friend of 13 years, Dara.” 

While he was cooking, Jung Il-woo said, “I don’t know how I’ve never been to the Philippines yet” to which Dara replied, “I know, what were you doing not going to Dara Tour?” 

“Let’s go together when this pandemic is over,” he told her. 

He asked her what is her favorite vacation spot in the Philippines and Dara replied, “It’s hard to choose but I have to say it’s Palawan.” 

“That’s my favorite spot because it’s all nature there. It’s a popular honeymoon spot, too. It’s probably one of the most expensive spots in the Philippines,” Dara said. 

Jung Il-woo noted that even though it was the first time that she and Dara recorded “something like this together, it’s not awkward or anything.”

“I mean we didn’t film a variety show together and only starred in that one drama,” he said, referring to the 2009 K-drama “The Return of Iljimae.” 

Dara said they were isolated when they were filming “The Return of Iljimae” in Tsushima Island in Japan and Jung Il-woo became tired of eating bento so she gave him gochujang, or Korean chili paste. 

“Gochujang was the beginning of our friendship. Ever since then, we became really close,” Dara told him. 

On his sinigang dish, Dara said, “There are some familiar taste points on this.” 

“I realized something today. Our concept for today is like we’re on a date. Then there should be these tingling feelings. But I feel none of those,” he said. 

Dara said, “If we’re going to be more than friends, that should have already happened a long time ago.”

“You’re such a great friend to me. I think you’re really awesome because you always try and challenge something new,” Jung Il-woo told Dara. 

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