Recipe: Homemade Herb Butter Trending in Korea

Today’s recipe is not a Korean one but is something trending hard in Korea. I’ve seen a few flavoured butters in the local supermarkets, mostly related to garlic. But I don’t think I’ve come across lemon and dill flavoured butter before. Dills are a type of herbs that are often used as a substitute for parsley. They have a slightly citrusy taste to them, with a fresh grassy aroma. Some experts say that it has a very subtle sweetness to it as well, making it a fine collab with lemon, garlic, creamy dressing and salmon steaks.

YouTube | W Table 

So when I heard of the idea of Lemon Dill Compound Butter, integrating lemon into this herb made so much sense. The mix of the two citrus flavours will double the freshness they each bring. Also, the natural scents of these two aromatic ingredients would even intensify! Lemon Dill Compound Butters originate from the French, and they are apparently used for most seafood dishes, meat steaks and even mixed with pasta. Recently many Koreans found out about this French invention through the TV show, I Live Alone.

I Live Alone is a reality TV show that does a sneak-peek into celebs’ life at their very house. The show gained its popularity as the public got interested in seeing famous celebrities’ personal spaces, and what they do when they’re having their off-time at home. SHINee’s Key starred as a guest a few weeks ago and showed off his amazing cooking skills, adorable puppies Comme des and Garcons, and his mini garden filled with herbs and vegetables. With the dills he's grown in his garden, Key made an armful of Lemon Dill Compound Butter to gift them to those at the studio.  

MBC | I Live Alone

The show’s panels including (from left) Park Nae-Rae, Kian84, Key himself, Lee Ji-Hoon, and Kim Kwang-Kyu had a try of the butter with some freshly toasted white bread and fell straight in love. The ease of making the uniquely flavoured butter surprised them all, even having the actor Lee Ji-Hoon following Key’s recipe to make it at home himself in the following episode of the show. 

August Vines

Ingredients:

• Salted butter (250g)
• Lemon (1)
• Fresh dill (10g)

1) Make sure the butter stays out at room temperature and is soft enough to mash with a fork or a spoon.

2) Chop up the soft butter into small pieces, and place in a bowl.

3) Wash the lemon (with 2 Tbsp of baking soda if you want to be thorough) under running water, and use a grater or a zester to zest the lemon finely in the bowl.

4) If you want a more citrus taste to your butter, squeeze some lemon juice into the butter as well. 

5) Wash the fresh dill and remove the leaves from its thick stem. Chop the dill, place it in the bowl, and mix all ingredients together.

6) Once all mixed, divide the mixture in half and wrap them up in baking paper. 

7) Roll up the baking paper to shape the butter into a cylinder and twist the ends of the paper to seal. Leave in the fridge until firm.

In Korea, those who watched I Live Alone started making the Lemon Dill Compound Butter at home, leading to a trend of making flavoured butter with personal favourite herbs! With this fancy and flavourful butter not only can you upgrade your morning toast, but it’s a fantastic addition to any type of meat steaks and seafood dishes - if you’re inviting someone over, this can be your fancy dish to serve! The recipe is a literal no-brainer, so why not give it a go if you’re not doing much this weekend? Watch this recipe video if you want more details!