Korean Food

Cookbooks

Cook Korean!
By Robin Ha
Fun to look at and easy to use, this unique combination of cookbook and graphic novel is the ideal introduction to cooking Korean cuisine at home. Robin Ha’s colorful and humorous one-to three-page comics fully illustrate the steps and ingredients needed to bring more than sixty traditional (and some not-so-traditional) dishes to life.

In these playful but exact recipes, you’ll learn how to create everything from easy kimchi (mak kimchi) and soy garlic beef over rice (bulgogi dupbap) to seaweed rice rolls (gimbap) and beyond. Friendly and inviting, Cook Korean! is perfect for beginners and seasoned cooks alike.

Each chapter includes personal anecdotes and cultural insights from Ha, providing an intimate entry point for those looking to try their hand at this cuisine.

The Kimchi Chronicles: Korean Cooking for an American Kitchen
By Marja Vongerichten (Korean Adoptee)
Long a favorite of in-the-know foodies, Korean cuisine is poised to become the next big food trend, with dishes like bibimbap and kimchi popping up on menus nationwide. In a new PBS series that will begin airing in May 2011, Marja Vongerichten and three-star Michelin chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten will give viewers an insider’s look at Korea as they travel the country and experience its authentic flavors and cultural traditions. As the show’s companion cookbook, The Kimchi Chronicles will include a recipe for every dish featured, explaining how they can be easily duplicated in an American kitchen. Chef Vongerichten will also offer original dishes with a lighter, modern flair, showing how the flavors of the Korean table can be readily integrated into any meal.

For lovers of Korean food, those eager to experiment in search of an accessible introduction to this intriguing cuisine, and readers who just want a little taste of culinary and cultural exploration outside the Western Hemisphere, The Kimchi Chronicles is sure to provide plenty of inspiration, information, and entertainment.

Korean American
By Eric Kim
New York Times staff writer Eric Kim grew up in Atlanta, the son of two Korean immigrants. Food has always been central to his story, from Friday-night Korean barbecue with his family to hybridized Korean-ish meals for one—like Gochujang-Buttered Radish Toast and Caramelized-Kimchi Baked Potatoes—that he makes in his tiny New York City apartment. In his debut cookbook, Eric shares these recipes alongside insightful, touching stories and stunning images shot by photographer Jenny Huang.

Playful, poignant, and vulnerable, Korean American also includes essays on subjects ranging from the life-changing act of leaving home and returning as an adult, to what Thanksgiving means to a first-generation family, complete with a full holiday menu—all the while teaching readers about the Korean pantry, the history of Korean cooking in America, and the importance of white rice in Korean cuisine. Recipes like Gochugaru Shrimp and Grits, Salt-and-Pepper Pork Chops with Vinegared Scallions, and Smashed Potatoes with Roasted-Seaweed Sour Cream Dip demonstrate Eric’s prowess at introducing Korean pantry essentials to comforting American classics, while dishes such as Cheeseburger Kimbap and Crispy Lemon-Pepper Bulgogi with Quick-Pickled Shallots do the opposite by tinging traditional Korean favorites with beloved American flavor profiles. Baked goods like Milk Bread with Maple Syrup and Gochujang Chocolate Lava Cakes close out the narrative on a sweet note.

In this book of recipes and thoughtful insights, especially about his mother, Jean, Eric divulges not only what it means to be Korean American but how, through food and cooking, he found acceptance, strength, and the confidence to own his story.

Korean Food Made Simple
By Judy Joo
In Korean Food Made Simple, Judy Joo, host of the Cooking Channel’s show of the same name and Food Network regular, brings Korean food to the masses, proving that it’s fun and easy to prepare at home. As a Korean-American, Judy understands how to make dishes that may seem exotic and difficult accessible to the everyday cook. The book has over 100 recipes including well-loved dishes like kimchi, sweet potato noodles (japchae), beef and vegetable rice bowl (bibimbap), and Korean fried chicken, along with creative, less-traditional recipes like Spicy Pork Belly Cheese Steak, Krazy Korean Burgers, and Fried Fish with Kimchi Mayo and Sesame Mushy Peas. In addition, there are chapters devoted to sauces, desserts, and drinks as well as a detailed list for stocking a Korean pantry, making this book a comprehensive guide on Korean food and flavors. Enjoying the spotlight as the hot Asian cuisine, Korean food is on the rise, and Judy’s bold and exciting recipes are go-tos for making it at home.

Learning Korean: Recipes for Home Cooking
By Peter Serpico (Korean Adoptee)
The best Korean food is Korean home cooking. The cornerstones of every meal are kimchi and white rice, and once you unlock that perfect marriage of flavor, the universe of wholesome, vegetable-centric cooking will inspire healthy eating, every day. In this insightful and endearing cookbook, new flavors, techniques, and ways to enjoy one of the world’s greatest cuisines are revealed by chef and father Peter Serpico.

Born in Seoul and raised in Maryland, Serpico’s route to Korean food came long after making a name for himself in New York City restaurants. His first bites of marinated short ribs and black bean noodles tasted like home, and a love affair with the flavors and techniques of his birthplace began. His debut cookbook draws from his decades of professional cooking experience to elevate the greatest hits of at-home Korean dishes. Serpico’s brilliant Instant Kimchi brings home the funk of fermented cabbage in record time, his hearty interpretation of gamjatang is a Spicy Pork Rib Stew to share, and his classic noodle and rice cake dishes borrow from grandma with clever spins for the modern, busy parent. BBQ fans will love a Korea-fied roast chicken and a sweet-and-spicy grilled cauliflower.

Across 100 recipes, Serpico shares his philosophy of eating, his personal journey into food, and a connection to family that promises satisfaction and comfort for cooks of all backgrounds.

Maangchi’s Real Korean Cooking
By Maangchi
Her millions of fans compare her to Julia Child. An Internet sensation, Maangchi has won the admiration of home cooks and chefs alike with her trademark combination of good technique and good cheer as she demonstrates the vast and delicious cuisine of Korea. In Maangchi’s Real Korean Cooking, she shows how to cook all the country’s best dishes, from few-ingredient dishes (Spicy Napa Cabbage) to those made familiar by Korean restaurants (L.A. Galbi, Bulgogi, Korean Fried Chicken) to homey one-pots like Bibimbap.

For beginners, there are dishes like Spicy Beef and Vegetable Soup and Seafood Scallion Pancake. Maangchi includes a whole chapter of quick, spicy, sour kimchis and quick pickles as well. Banchan, or side dishes (Steamed Eggplant, Pan-Fried Tofu with Spicy Seasoning Sauce, and refreshing Cold Cucumber Soup) are mainstays of the Korean table and can comprise a meal.

With her step-by-step photos—800 in all—Maangchi makes every dish a snap. A full glossary, complete with photos, explains ingredients. Throughout, Maangchi suggests substitutions where appropriate and provides tips based on her readers’ questions.