• milgwimper on March 06, 2016

  The apple Samjjang is really good, and so simple.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Multigrain rice (Japgokbap)

  • jenburkholder on August 21, 2020

    Excellent alternative to plain white rice. Instructions are clear and effective.

  • Delys77 on May 06, 2024

    I used brown jasmine, white glutinous, black rice and barley in my rude cooker on mixed rice setting and it either very well. Healthy, filling and attractive.

• Soybean sprout rice (Kongnamulbap)

  • hirsheys on January 11, 2019

    This one is quite simple and homey, though it's also a bit one-note as written. (That one note is basically sesame oil.) The edges crisp up if you don't turn it down all the way, or, if you do what I did and forget that you've let the pot on and let it cook a bit longer on very low before getting seconds (whoops!) Maangchi suggests that you serve with a sunny side up egg (mine was just barely over easy, which I have recently realized I prefer) and a seasoned soy sauce. I was honestly disappointed that I didn't love it more. Still, the method of cooking is really brilliant and allows for a pseudo-dolsot bibimbop experience with very little work. I'm going to drastically adapt by doubling the meat and mixing it with a simplified bulgogi marinade/sauce to infuse the rice with more flavor. I also will serve with a bibimbop sauce or one like the CHOJANG (p. 82 of Koreatown).

• Korean-style curry rice (Ka-re-rice)

  • silecook on March 29, 2026

    https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/curry-rice

• Seaweed rice rolls (Gimbap)

  • shoffmann on November 19, 2017

    Tasty right away, but even better after sitting in the fridge for a few hours.

• Hand-torn noodle soup (Sujebi)

  • Delys77 on October 22, 2024

    This one wasn't a winner for us. The soup itself is nice but the hand torn noodles just didn't work. She suggests resting the dough, which we did in the fridge fro 2 hours and still it was impossible to manipulate to get thin noodles. We ended with some serious clunkers. Might be user error but I think given how essential the dough is to this recipe she needs more specific instructions on kneeding, resting, and stretching.

• Spicy seafood noodle soup (Jjampong)

  • ethedens on November 03, 2024

    Alex made this, so did not adhere too close to the original recipe (but gets the Korean pass). He did not like the bitter flavor from scorching the gochugaru, but it grew on me. 3/5

• Sesame seed porridge (Kkaejuk)

  • sosayi on March 15, 2018

    Warming and nutty, but drink it from a mug. It's a little too thin for a spoon and bowl treatment. Very easy and quick breakfast. I personally think it could use something to dunk in it. Something fried and doughy and delicious.

• Potato-soybean paste soup (Gamja-doenjangguk)

  • Delys77 on March 01, 2018

    Overall pretty good but add more doenjang and go with two chilies. Also, the anchovies are present but no overpowering so don't worry about letting simmer for the full 40 minutes.

• Seaweed soup (Mijeokguk)

  • milgwimper on January 17, 2017

    The recipe is easy and tates good. I needed to add a little more water, but otherwise very tasty.

• Spicy soft tofu stew (Sundubu-jjigae)

  • Delys77 on April 03, 2018

    Absolutely delicious! I went a touch lighter on the gochugaru and used a touch more pork shoulder but otherwise followed as written and really really enjoyed this. Vibrant red stew with lovely soft tofu and luscious eggs swimming in a the flavourful broth. Also comes together quite quickly and easily. Timing for the eggs was just right.

• Beef radish soup (Soegogi-muguk)

  • Delys77 on February 23, 2026

    I used about 550 grams of beef shank with bone. I simmered it with some garlic and green onion for about two hours to make a broth. I then followed the recipe. Overall a subtle soup but a good one. The shank gave us good beef flavour and the fish sauce added enough umami to give it character. Overall good but not great.

• Kimchi stew with tuna (Chamchi-kimchi-jjigae)

  • jenburkholder on August 21, 2020

    Delicious for how easy it is. Makes a good lunch, and a nice way to use up older kimchi. Just add rice.

  • celeste_8ryupw on May 22, 2026

    Ingredients list is very wrong. Check your book.

• Perilla leaf kimchi (Kkaennip-kimchi)

  • milgwimper on January 17, 2017

    I added more sauce and a lot more onions/carrots because that's what we like, and we had a lot more leaves of perilla...It was delicious. Make sure if you grow your own to pick young leaves otherwise blanch them quickly, to make sure they are not so tough.

  • kitchen_chick on August 08, 2020

    I agree with making more of the "sauce". I ran out. I haven't tried them yet. I'm going to let them sit overnight before trying them.

• Spicy stuffed cucumber kimchi (Oi-sobagi)

  • shoffmann on July 30, 2017

    My husband would prefer these a bit less spicy, but I enjoyed. With good flavor, and nice crisp texture, this kimchi was a nice change of pace from all of the cucumber salads that I typically make this time of year. We ate this fresh rather than waiting a day or two for fermentation.

  • Delys77 on April 03, 2018

    Very easy and super tasty for us. The only thing I changed is that I had some very dainty cukes so I minced the veggies that were going into my kimchi paste and this worked very well. Quick and easy and very flavourful.

• Scallion salad (Pajeori)

  • rhughes24 on December 29, 2021

    I've made this to go in lettuce wraps with bulgogi. It must take a lot of practice to slice them the traditional way! I find that part challenging, but I suppose you could just slice them cross-wise and keep the dressing.

• Spicy cucumber salad (Oi-muchim)

  • shoffmann on August 17, 2017

    This cucumber salad was incredibly quick and easy to toss together and was very flavorful. I will definitely make again.

  • Delys77 on March 05, 2018

    Really liked this too. The onion is a nice addition and the heat was nice. Definitely a repeat.

  • jenburkholder on August 21, 2020

    Very good iteration of oi-muchim. Have made serveral times and will make again. Quite easy.

  • rhughes24 on December 29, 2021

    I make this any time I make Korean food. Spicy and refreshing. It keeps well in the refrigerator for several days. I don't care for raw onions so I leave those out.

  • gootenbeez on December 18, 2024

    Super easy, quick and delicious.

• Cold cucumber soup (Oi-naengguk)

  • shoffmann on August 19, 2017

    This soup exceeded my expectations. Even my husband who "doesn't like cold soup" ate a whole serving and would eat it again. This was super quick to throw together, had a nice texture, and was super refreshing.

• Blanched spinach with scallions and sesame (Sigeumchi-namul)

  • abrownb1 on March 07, 2022

    I subbed baby bok choy (chopped into 2 inch pieces and blanched) for the spinach and it was a nice simple side. If you aren't a garlic lover you may want to reduce to 2 cloves since it's pretty potent but I loved it!

• Stir-fried kale with soybean paste (Keil-doenjang-bokkeum)

  • jenburkholder on August 21, 2020

    Tasty side dish. Can be made with any green, not just kale.

• Braised lotus root (Yeon-geun-jorim)

  • jenburkholder on November 03, 2022

    At first I wasn’t quite sold on this, the lotus root (I used frozen) didn’t seem to quite tenderize to al dente in the sauce and it all didn’t marry as well as I would have liked. Overnight, though, everything melded nicely and it made a nice lunch component for the rest of the week.

• Fernbrake with garlic and soy (Gosari-namul)

  • shoffmann on October 21, 2018

    Solid, quick side dish once the fernbrake has been re-hydrated.

• Panfried tofu with spicy seasoning sauce (Dububuchim-yangnyeomjang)

  • jenburkholder on August 21, 2020

    This tofu-lover found this delectable. Easy and cheap. I usually have firm or extra-firm tofu around instead of medium, and that hasn't ever posed an issue.

  • TrishaCP on September 03, 2021

    This is a great tofu side dish. (Don’t be tempted to eat this as a main dish with rice though.)

  • Babycarrot on December 25, 2024

    This was easy, tasty, and cheap. I used extra firm bc that’s what I had on hand and it didn’t seem to be an issue. I ate it as a main dish with rice and kimchi.

• Steamed eggs in an earthenware bowl (Ttukbaegi-gyeran-jjim)

  • sosayi on March 05, 2018

    While this didn’t turn out quite like the photo in the book for me, it was still quite good and I’d definitely try it again. Mine turned out not so fluffy, a little grainy, and not so yellow... more of a tan? Even though that sounds awful, the flavors were spot on and the eggs tasted great with a kimchi bacon fried rice (from Koreatown). I think either the time for the steaming is too short or??? My eggs were looking good, but were taking far too long (perhaps double the time) so I turned the temperature up and stirred a bit. Probably should have just waited and let the rice get cold, as they looked like they were starting to fluff nicely before I intervened.

• Braised beef in soy sauce (Jangjorim)

  • Delys77 on October 22, 2024

    I have had this in Korea before and quite enjoyed it. This recipe is definitely a fair bit saltier. Not bad per se but it is definitely banchan so only take a bit and eat with a fair bit of rice.

• Spicy stir-fried pork (Dwaejigogi-bokkeum)

  • Delys77 on April 15, 2019

    This is fairly spicy, but very good. I made it with a pork chop as I wanted to keep it a touch leaner. I also served with lettuce to make ssam.

• Spicy stir-fried squid (Ojingeo-bokkeum)

  • shoffmann on November 19, 2017

    I subbed in parsnip for 1/2 the carrot since I only had a small piece of carrot in the fridge. This was really tasty. There is a fair amount of effort involved in cleaning/prepping the squid, but otherwise cooks up rather quickly. I will definitely make this again.

• Seafood-scallion pancake (Haemul-pajeon)

  • Vanderpham on December 03, 2024

    I was skeptical about this recipe because it does not have any baking soda. It did not come out crispy, even though I used a lot of oil and let it sit in the pan for longer than recommended. also, the soy sauce and vinegar ratio is way too much vinegar, and I would recommend using a Chinese vinegar rather than white distilled

• Meat and tofu patties (Wanjajeon)

  • Delys77 on March 01, 2018

    These were very good. Lovely texture and juiciness from the tofu in the meat mixture. Cut the salt a touch next time. Also make sure you get them thin as they were too thick and you had to finish in the oven.

• Korean fried chicken (Yangnyeom-tongdak)

  • shoffmann on July 07, 2018

    Yum! Chicken was nicely crunchy, the sauce sticky and flavorful. I added a spoonful of chile flakes because I wanted a bit more heat, but otherwise followed the recipe as written.

• Bulgogi

  • Smokeydoke on March 06, 2017

    This is my go-to bulgogi recipe. It is delicious!

  • Delys77 on April 03, 2018

    Served this to my family plus my parents and everyone enjoyed it in lovely Ssam with rice and the recommended sauce. I would add more gochujang to the sauce but otherwise this was very good as written. We sauteed in batches on a screaming hot cast iron pan. Great meal.

  • hirsheys on January 11, 2019

    I didn't have as good an experience with this one as everyone else, probably because I made the mistake of buying pre-sliced bulgogi meat at H-Mart. As a result, the 2-hour marinade made the meat kind of mushy, and I wasn't able to get a good char on the meat before it was over cooked. The difference in this recipe and Koreatown's is remarkable - this one has 2 T of soy sauce, while the other has 1 cup! This one has the traditional Asian pear and the other doesn't, etc, etc. Anyway, I might try this again with meat that I cut (as she recommended) or I may just continue looking for a different version.

  • rhughes24 on December 29, 2021

    My go-to bulgogi recipe. I like the suggestion to stir fry in batches and may try that next time, as I've found that cooking all of it at once results in more steaming than frying (I also haven't made this since acquiring a wok, and I think that will be an improvement over a regular frying pan). Even so the flavors are great and this is delicious with ssamjang in lettuce wraps.

  • Bessp on January 17, 2025

    This turned out great! A fairly simple marinade that would work with lots of cuts of beef. I served with rice and a variety of banchan.

• Sweet potato starch noodles with stir-fried vegetables and beef (Japchae)

  • MmeFleiss on March 23, 2017

    This was the best version of japchae I have eaten. Definitely going into our repeat list.

  • shoffmann on February 17, 2018

    We enjoyed this. I didn't end up making the optional egg garnish because after the marathon effort of individually prepping and cooking all of the other components it just didn't seem necessary. It wasn't missed since there are plenty of other flavors and textures to go around.

  • Smokeydoke on February 27, 2018

    This is a delightful version, chockful of vegetables and flavor.

  • sosayi on March 05, 2018

    Really enjoyed this! Loads of flavor. Subbed flank steak for the brisket, which worked out well. Many steps, and time consuming to prep, but really quite easy to cook. If that makes any sense. I’d definitely make it again.

  • Rinshin on September 30, 2019

    Excellent and mild tasting version of japchae using more common button mushrooms. I subbed thinly sliced chuck beef for brisket, kale for spinach, frozen shiitake mushrooms and added biased sliced asparagus. Halved the recipe and all in all, took about 45-50 min to prep and cook. Did add bit more soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds after combining everything. Photo added.

  • jenburkholder on August 21, 2020

    Tastes just like all the japchae I've ever had. Delicious. Can also be made vegetarian quite readily by adding more mushrooms.

  • aileent1 on November 11, 2022

    Good but not great. I prefer the recipe from Kimchi Chronicles.

  • dubumandu on July 11, 2024

    This is my favorite japchae recipe. I’ve doubled & once even quadrupled it for a big party. Turns out great every time. It’s really flexible and works with lots of different veggie combinations.

  • ShayLRoss on January 11, 2026

    I make this pretty regularly, it's easy enough to pull together after doing the initial prep work and always tastes great. I like to try different vegetables and meat to see how it comes together. For this last version, I used shabu shabu beef and added bell peppers.