Notes about Recipes in this book

• Gochujang vinaigrette (Cho-gochujang)

  • Yildiz100 on February 24, 2019

    I found this version to be very vinegary and very one note compared to other versions of the sauce. I had to doctor it with some sesame oil, mirin, and soy sauce to make it work as a bibimbap sauce.

  • Lepa on January 15, 2020

    Wow, this sauce is so amazing. I want to eat it on everything.

• Soy-vinegar dipping sauce (Cho-ganjang)

  • bernalgirl on August 07, 2023

    A simple, full flavored dipping sauce, that dresses anything up. Excellent on chilled soft tofu or over stir fried greens and steamed rice.

• Spicy kale and bacon gochujang pancakes (Jangddeok)

  • bernalgirl on December 28, 2023

    Loved the combination of flavors with kale adding undetectable virtue. Based on other’s reports, I precooked the chopped bacon and tossed it with the kale before mixing the rest of the batter. We really enjoyed these and the vinegar dipping sauce is a perfect complement

• Green onion and seafood pancakes (Haemul pajeon)

  • Lepa on January 26, 2020

    These didn't hold together well for me. I had better luck on the second batch, when I made small pancake and mixed in the oysters (they fell off and ruined the pancakes when I dotted them on per instructions). The end result was okay but not great.

• Oyster fritters (Gul jeon)

  • annieski on February 17, 2020

    Easy and delicious!

• Braised rice cakes (Ddeokbokki)

  • Lepa on January 26, 2020

    I wasn't crazy about this but it could be because I altered the recipe. I didn't want it to be too hot for the kids so I included the gochujang but omitted the gochugaro. I included the optional fish cakes and used Napa cabbage because my market didn't have savoy. The end result was much drier than the picture in the book. My son loved the chewy texture of the rice cakes. I happily ate them but doubt I'll make this again.

  • bernalgirl on April 24, 2026

    I doubled the cabbage — using green cabbage in place of savoy — and halved the sugar and this was a hit.

• Egg drop soup (Gyeranguk)

  • pattyatbryce on September 28, 2023

    I liked it, but the sesame oil took over the flavor. Next I'd rather use less or choose another recipe.

• Glazed lotus root (Yeonkeun jorim)

  • Lepa on January 15, 2020

    I don't think I got the texture right here. This dish was okay but we didn't love it.

• Candied baby potato banchan (Gamja jorim)

  • patioweather on May 09, 2024

    These were good. I went back for thirds. However, I think I prefer the texture that you get from cut potatoes.

• Daikon radish banchan (Mu saengchae)

  • bernalgirl on February 28, 2022

    I found this a little dry and wondered if I squeezed too much liquid out of the daikon. I increased the sauce ingredient quantities and it was great with the bulgogi meatballs from the same book.

• Fresh bean sprout banchan (Sukju namul)

  • patioweather on December 08, 2019

    Reading the recipe, these struck me as pretty mild. I've made them twice so far, however, and ate huge portions both times.

• Crispy cucumber banchan (Oi muchim)

  • Yildiz100 on November 06, 2018

    Not a favorite version of this dish. Very little seasoning for a lot of cucumbers.

  • Lepa on January 08, 2020

    This is good but not great. I think it needs some acid.

  • bernalgirl on February 28, 2022

    Easy and delicious, I added 1 teaspoon rice vinegar for a slight hit of acid. Loved this with the bulgogi meatballs

  • SheilaS on April 21, 2023

    This was perfect for what I wanted - a crispy, nicely seasoned cucumber side dish that wasn't vinegary. I used Persian cucumbers and loved how crispy they were.

• Sesame spinach banchan (Shigumchi namul)

  • patioweather on March 07, 2022

    I have made this multiple times, including with chard. It is exactly what you want out of a spinach banchan.

  • bernalgirl on November 18, 2022

    An easy and delicious side.

• Leafy greens with gochujang (Namul gochujang muchim)

  • bernalgirl on January 17, 2023

    I’ve made this with collards and tatsoi and love the way the gochujang vinaigrette compliments both the strong-flavored and lighter, crisper greens.

• Napa cabbage banchan

  • bernalgirl on January 17, 2023

    The miso compliments the blanched napa cabbage beautifully, and this comes together in 10 minutes. I look forward to making this regularly

• Shiitake mushroom banchan (Pyogo buseot bokkeum)

  • bernalgirl on January 17, 2023

    I’ve made this with oyster mushrooms cut in 1/4” slices as well as with maitakes. If you like your mushrooms slightly browned and with the moisture fully released, this will take longer to prepare than the recipe indicates, but it will be totally worth it! I used a pound of mushrooms as one of a number of banchan and this disappeared first.

• Soft tofu with soy vinaigrette (Yeondubu banchan)

  • bernalgirl on August 07, 2023

    The easiest banchan and I love this over Korean mixed grains for an easy desk lunch. The addition of slivered roasted seaweed helps to make it a satisfying light meal, especially in summer!

• Roasted salmon with gochujang mayo

  • lizbot2000 on June 06, 2018

    This was great and super easy

  • Lepa on January 15, 2020

    This dish is so delicious and easy! Even my kids loved it. The Gochujang Vinaigrette is amazing here.

  • annieski on February 17, 2020

    Delicious!

  • patioweather on January 21, 2021

    Mine burnt on top at about 6 minutes, but was still raw in the middle. I think my salmon was a bit tubby. We liked the flavor so I will try this again with a more evenly-sized salmon.

  • bernalgirl on July 23, 2021

    Outstanding and easy. Three generations of family begged me to make this again. Great in lettuce leaves but also wonderful service as a fillet of salmon entree

  • Babycarrot on May 20, 2024

    Echoing everyone else's comments about this being absolutely delicious and requires minimal effort. I went two minutes over the called for cook time and is did get very dark so I would be very mindful of the cook time towards the end of the window. I ate mine in lettuce wraps with sushi rice and avocado/furikake but will eat the leftovers as an entree with rice

  • jenburkholder on April 30, 2026

    Made the fish only (internet recipe as i don't have the book). This was absolutely delicious and so easy. As an entree with rice and cucumber muchim, simple supper that is more than the sum of its parts.

• Beef bulgogi meatballs

  • bernalgirl on February 28, 2022

    Absolutely delicious tucked into little toasted seaweed wraps with rice and banchan. A huge hit across three generations.

• Emergency pork stir-fry

  • bernalgirl on July 15, 2022

    I rarely have pork belly lying around but I always have ground pork in the freezer and this worked out perfectly with this replacement. I stir fried the onion and a chopped jalapeño, added the pork to brown it a bit and break it up, then added the sauce ingredients minus half the sugar. I finished the dish with a slurry of cornstarch, and tossed it with a thicker Japanese wheat noodle. Dinner was on the table in 30 minutes, including store-bought kimchi and a cucumber salad.

• Duck breast with creamy soy sauce

  • bernalgirl on August 20, 2021

    This is an outstanding recipe for those who do not love a sweet sauce with duck. The cooking directions are dead-on (always start duck breast in a cold pan) and the final result is elegant without too much effort. I opted for bok choy and crème fraîche, per the variations provided in the recipe. I braised the bok choy in the remaining duck fat (after pouring out the excess for another use), and removed it before deglazing the pan, adding it back with the crème fraîche — the most savory bok choy ever. I served this with kimchi pancakes but it would also be lovely with white or brown rice.

• Spicy chicken with rice cakes and cabbage (Dak galbi)

  • bernalgirl on July 10, 2024

    An easy and delicious dinner. I used a full package of rice cakes rather than just one cup and an entire hispi cabbage and the proportions were still heavy on the chicken, which suited the kids. Putting this one into the family dinner rotation.

• Extra-crispy baked chicken wings two ways

  • bernalgirl on January 31, 2022

    This is an outstanding recipe all around. The wings succeed in getting crispy, and the sauce is a perfect balance of sweet and hot — I hesitated at the amount of sweet ingredients but they really work together instead of becoming cloying. I did make two changes to the cooking instructions: I turned the heat up 10” after they started baking and maintained the total cooking time because my oven heats slowly and I flipped them midway because the bottoms were browning and the tops looked bare.My kids loved these and asked me to make them again.

• Fried chicken liver po'boy with mint and Asian pear

  • SheilaS on February 21, 2020

    So, so good! If you are a liver lover, or even a liver liker, you must try this. The combination of the gochujang mayo with the lightly pickled slaw of Asian pear, red onion and mint, crunchy, cornmeal-coated fried livers and crispy baguette is just fabulous. I kept going back and piling on more slaw. I used ~ equal parts julienned pear and onion and a generous amount of lemon juice and put that into the fridge just after I put the livers in the buttermilk so they had time to "pickle" a bit before I added the mint. I used ~ 1/2 a small Asian pear and 1/4 of a large red onion and I ended up using it all on my one sandwich or nibbled alongside. I think any appropriately sized food that can be breaded and fried, including tofu and vegetables would make a delicious sandwich with this recipe

• Kimchi fried rice

  • Lepa on March 01, 2020

    This was good but not great. It could have used more flavor. This could be partly my fault. I didn't read the entire recipe ahead of time and so I didn't save the juice I squeezed out of the kimchi. I tried to pour a bit in after frying the kimchi but didn't have enough. I added corn, which I thought was good here. If I try this recipe again I will use bacon, save the kimchi juice (!) and probably add some sesame and scallions at the end for more flavor.

• Kimchi bacon mac and cheese

  • Lepa on January 08, 2020

    This dish is a real flavor bomb. I rinsed the kimchi because I was worried it would be too spicy for my children but next time I won't bother. The milk and cheese tame the spice in the kimchi quite a bit. I will be making this again; it is pure comfort food.

• Buckwheat noodles and assorted vegetables with gochujang vinaigrette (Bibimguksu)

  • lizbot2000 on July 16, 2018

    The spicy sauce was sooooo delicious. But be careful with it - it is no joke. I poured way too much on my noodles and paid for it. On the bright side my sinuses are VERY clear. We ate this with hard boiled eggs for a nice dinner. I'll definitely make it again, except I'll try also making the mild sauce next time!!