Notes about Recipes in this book

• Allspice sauce (Kajin Yaknyŏmjang)

  • milgwimper on March 02, 2015

    In the book it states that you can use it for a dipping sauce, but it is too sweet. You might need to add a lot more vinegar to taste to even it out. Even as a marinade you might need to reduce the sugar. I found this sauce to be overly sweet. I have not tried it for salads or as a marinade, but I would add sugar as I go a long. I think it could work very well for a base and then add more ingredients as you go, but go easy on the sugar.

• Seaweed-wrapped rice (Kimbap)

  • Delys77 on November 17, 2022

    It was only a of us eating so made a few substitutions and cut back the recipe a bit. We used 2 rice cooker cups of rice which is about 1.5 cups to make 3 large kimbap. We didn't have any ground beef on hand so we used ground turkey, which worked quite well, and we had no crab so we just increased the egg a bit. The result was quite good but I think I put too much filling in teh rolls. I would likely cut back on the rice and make sure I have a solid 2 inches at the top as a few of my rolls didn't close well there was not enough Gim free at the end. Carrots are a good alternative to the crab. Overall I think this is a good recipe but I likely need a bit of practice. Flavouring was good and quite similar to what I ate in Korea.

• Chicken stock (Tak changguk)

  • Delys77 on October 22, 2024

    Made the clear version and it was nice. Simple, but still quite flavourful from the garlic and green onion. Good for a quick Asian stock.

• Noodles with chicken and vegetables (Tak kuksu)

  • Delys77 on March 09, 2015

    Pg. 84 I didn't bother blanching the mushroom or cabbage and that was fine. Also went with about half the recommended kimchi. Results are quite subtle compared to many other Korean dishes but very tasty.

• Chilled buckwheat noodles (Naengmyŏn)

  • mjes on September 07, 2021

    The chicken is poached and shredded. Together with Asian pear, cucumber, hard-boiled eggs, and kimchi one essentially an Asian chicken salad. Add the noodles and broth and you have a cold noodle bowl that has a great variation in textures and flavors that complement each other perfectly.

• Sweet potato noodles with meat and mixed vegetables (Chapch'ae)

  • Delys77 on March 13, 2015

    Pg. 88 Takes about 1.5 hours at a relatively leisurely pace. Went with all beef and it was delicious, but I think that you could use flank or sirloin to reduce the cost a bit. Noodles are very forgiving, just right after about 5.5 minutes. Increase the soy and the sesame in the final tossing. Delicious.

• Leaf lettuce salad (Sangch'u kŏtjŏri)

  • mharriman on February 06, 2023

    This recipe makes a refreshing, crisp, tasty salad. We loved the dressing. I added cucumbers and celery to the lettuce for added crunch. This went well with a Chinese Mushroom & Tofu dish from Eating Well Magazine. Will repeat.

• Cucumber salad (Oi saengch'ae)

  • Delys77 on March 05, 2015

    Pg. 118 I didn't peel the cucumbers and left them in medium slices and it worked well. The flavour of sesame is nicely offset by the acid and the water in the cucumber, but make sure to really ring them out. Overall a nice little side for a Korean meal that allows you to cut a bit of the richness with the nice slightly acidic foil.

  • mjes on July 31, 2021

    Much more complex than the standard cucumber-vinegar or cucumber-onion-vinegar recipes. The sesame and walnut were a bit surprising while the garlic, parsley, and hot chiles were a bit more expected variations on the cucumber salad theme. A very nice side-dish.

  • mharriman on March 17, 2022

    As others have noted, this cucumber salad has more depth and interest than standard Asian cucumber salads- probably because of the addition of walnut, parsley, wine, and sesame seeds. This was a nice complement to the shrimp stir-fry ( G Paltrow cookbook) we had as an entree.

• Seasoned soybean sprouts (K'ong namul)

  • Delys77 on December 29, 2025

    Pretty much just like you would get in a restaurant as part of a banchan. Nice light flavour and a good break from spicier dishes on a Korean table.

• Seasoned spinach (Sigŭmch'i namul)

  • Delys77 on March 05, 2015

    Pg. 125 Very easy and tasty and just like I remember in Korea. A perfect foil for a busy meal of spicy and heavy flavours.

  • mharriman on May 11, 2022

    This was a perfect side for the crab cakes in the same cookbook. I made them before pan-frying the cakes, and since they’re eaten at room temperature, I didn’t have to worry about them staying hot or over-cooking them. The flavors were very pleasant. This spinach would be a great Veg side for many entrees.

• Sautéed p'yogo mushrooms (P'yogo pŏsŏt pokkŭm)

  • celeste_8ryupw on May 07, 2026

    Highly recommend! I only used half shiitakes though and kept it vegetarian, but it was a really ideal flavor set for making a mushroom side dish.

• Bean curd and vegetable stew with fermented soybean paste (Tubu toenjang tchigae)

  • Delys77 on March 10, 2015

    Pg. 138 Not sure about this one. Recipe doesn't call for enough liquid and the cooking time is a bit short for the radish. Flavour wise it is a bit too subtle. Possibly more toenjang would remedy this but not sure it is worth it.

• Fish stew (Saengsŏn tchigae)

  • Delys77 on March 05, 2015

    Pg. 140 Simple, comforting, healthy, and filling. Lots to like here. I would say you need to follow her recommendations on the seafood as my substitutions (shrimp and barramundi) weren't as good as I recall this dish being in Korea.

• Braised pork spareribs (Toeji kalbi tchim)

  • Delys77 on March 05, 2015

    Pg. 144 I considered trying to use my cleaver to cut the ribs into smaller pieces but in the end I wisely decided to let the butcher saw them in half lengthwise and this worked well. I would suggest going with a slightly shorter cook or cut the veggies larger as they came apart in the sauce. Also be careful not to over thicken. Lastly, I did it all in one large LC pot, this allowed me to sauté my veg in the pork fat. Delicious.

• Green onion pancakes (P'ajŏn)

  • Delys77 on March 09, 2015

    Pg. 160 I'll admit to not following the instructions of cooking the green onion then pouring over the batter. I just mixed everything in with about 110 gr of flour and then pan fried. Also, needed only about 1/2 the amount of green onion when doing it this way. The results were still nice, pleasantly chewy and very flavourful with a good crisp texture.

• Summer squash pancakes

  • Delys77 on March 16, 2015

    These have great potential but you really have to mince up the shrimp and get them thin so that they crisp. My first attempt there wasn't enough batter to filling so the pancakes fell apart a bit. I would suggest just a touch more liquid and flour.

• Mung bean pancakes (Pinchajŏn)

  • milgwimper on March 02, 2015

    These were fabulous. I added 1 cup of cooked and squeezed drained mung beans, and 2.5 tsp of rice flour to the original recipe. I left out the peppers. These were crispy and delicious. I could not taste that there was kimchi and the pork kind of faded into the background. If I did not add the mung beans I would have upped the kimchi and not chopped it as finely. This was served with the allspice seasoning, which is not the norm, I was looking for a recipe close to what I use for dipping, it should have been the soy sauce vinegar dipping sauce. They tend to like to stick the pan when making them so a well seasoned and oiled pan is necessary. Extra Note : These do not reheat well. They need to be eaten when first cooked or at room temp. The batter can be saved uncooked for 2 days in the refrigerator. I don't know if they last longer than that but it lasted 2 days in my house. Just mix and cook.

• Pan-fried crab cakes (Kyejŏn)

  • mharriman on May 11, 2022

    This recipe produced mild crab flavored cakes. That’s most likely because the pound of bean curd took away from the flavor of one cup of lump crab meat. The sesame seed oil gave it an Asian vibe. Even though not in the instructions, I refrigerated my cakes for a couple hours to ensure they were firmed up for pan frying. I used egg whites instead of whole eggs to dip them in after dusting with flour. The recipe made enough for two nights of dinners for two people. We enjoyed this Korean version of crab cakes but prefer ones that are mostly crab and strongly crab flavored, so probably won’t repeat. Served with the suggested seasoned spinach and rice.

• Fired beef (Pulgogi)

  • Delys77 on March 16, 2015

    I much preferred the fired pork to this. While the pear and lighter seasoning does allow the beef to come through, the flavours are a little tame. I believe this is often served with grilled vegetables, onions, and grilled garlic, which I think would be a necessary addition to jazz this up a bit. I used the eye of round that was suggested and very thinly sliced with a meat slicer and the pear did a great job tenderizing. Overall ok but not my favourite as prepared.

• Fired beef ribs (Kalbi kui)

  • metacritic on January 30, 2022

    I absolutely adore this recipe. The marinade yields a gentle sweetness that doesn't occlude the essential flavors of the ribs. The cooking chars and slightly caramalizes the ribs. This cut has become quite expensive but the results make this special-occasion dish well worth the cost.

• Fired chicken (Tak kui)

  • metacritic on January 30, 2022

    The variation with gochujang is fabulous and well worth making.

  • Delys77 on December 29, 2025

    We had a guest who doesn't like spicy food so went with this for Ssam. Was quite good and easy to do in a large pan indoors. Overall flavours were nice, but for those of us who want more punch you definitely want to serve with a spicy ssam sauce in your wrap. Overall pretty good and nice and light/lean.

• Fired pork (Toejigogi kui)

  • Delys77 on March 09, 2015

    Pg. 184 Simply stir fried in a cast iron pan and this was delicious. Served with samjang, rice, and romaine leaves for a delicious meal. I didn't worry about the pork curling up as it was going into leaves anyway. Very flavourful and easy recipe.

• Korean fruit soup (Hwach'ae)

  • metacritic on January 30, 2022

    This is absolutely excellent. One can pick and choose fruits in-season that best pair with one another, rather than using all the listed fruits. The recipe yields a delicate dish that is complex, honied, and not too sweet. I had something similar in (I think) Singapore. This recipe comes close to what I enjoyed then.

• Pears poached in rice wine

  • metacritic on January 30, 2022

    This is excellent. A lovely, gentle dessert.