She started her music career as a gospel singer in Christian youth camps in her birthplace of South Korea and after emigrating earned first-class honours for a Bachelor of Music from Queensland University. A Masters in Contemporary Voice from Griffith Uni pointed her down the road towards her eventual victory in the fifth series of X-Factor. After a hectic year on the road performing, including in Carols in the Domain in Sydney, Dami Im is looking forward to a quiet Christmas at home in Brisbane with family. The menu? Korean barbecue and kimchi.
My pantry:
We always have canned tuna, no particular brand, which goes into salads, Korean stews and stir fries. It's great for emergencies and gives us a bit of protein and extra flavour. Chilli powder goes into noodles and soups. Dried anchovies are the base for soups and broths. There are two Sempio Korean soy sauces, a normal one and one for soups which is stronger and saltier. And we always have sesame oil and seeds for adding extra flavour and fragrance. Sesame is so special.
My fridge:
Kimchi is a must at every meal. Firm Korean tofu goes with the kimchi. There's always cabbage, bok choy and doenjang, the Korean version of miso which has an earthier taste. And gochujang, the fermented chilli paste, is a staple for giving everything some extra spice and saltiness. There are chopped chillies in the freezer for steamboat broths and fried rice. Because I'm on road a lot I always have a bit of pork belly in the freezer which I can defrost and drop into a soup.
We had a stir-fry with bok choy, prawns, onions, garlic, oyster sauce and chopped chlili.
I love homemade cupcakes. I have a friend who makes them in every imaginable flavour and they're a real treat when I come back home.
I've just started drinking coffee. I love it black, without sugar, sometimes cold with ice. I also love green tea and it's really good for you and helps with weight management. That's important to me because I eat a lot of junk food on the road. I'm not really into alcohol but I do like dessert wines occasionally and I've fallen in love with ice wine. They make it in cold countries with frozen grapes and over time the sweetness becomes really intense.
The Sunbeam Professional electric wok is great for steamboat nights. It gets hot enough for stir frying too and is nice and big. My knives are good but I've had them such a long time I don't even know what they are. I love all my Portmeirion china which Mum bought for me.
The apron Mum used to wear I now wear all the time. She's still a great cook and has other aprons but I love this one.
My mum is my biggest inspiration. Whenever I cook I ask myself "How would Mum do this" and things always work out when I channel her.
I like that the sink looks out to the pool and the kitchen's big enough to accommodate a pretty big fridge.
I've really just gotten into steamboat cooking. I was eating too many carbs and unhealthy food on the road and so much Asian food isn't complete without rice. But with steamboat cookery you get to eat all the healthy ingredients in the broth, you can eat a tonne of it and it's still quite light.
It was at Steer Bar and Grill in Melbourne. I love my steak and there you can choose everything about it – your cut, marbling grade, where the cow grew up. I chose one with the highest marbling grade and it melted in my mouth. All the sides were just perfect as well.
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