• billie109210 on February 18, 2026

  Everything I have made in this book has so much flavor. Nothing disappoints. It might seem daunting, but I feel everything has been relatively easy.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Ssamjang

  • Rinshin on May 31, 2021

    The best tasting ssamjang yet!

• Stewed sweet black beans (Kong jaban)

  • tges on November 08, 2021

    Just as Chef Kim states, these stewed sweet black beans are delicious and now, are a staple for the times I cook Korean.

• Marinated spicy cucumbers (Oee muchim)

  • billie109210 on February 18, 2026

    I make these all the time. I love them alone or as a side with any Korean dish.

• Spicy bean sprouts (Kong namul)

  • tges on November 08, 2021

    A very basic recipe but does the job.

• Soy-marinated BBQ beef short ribs

  • Rinshin on June 01, 2021

    This was absolutely fantastic. Of all the years of making kalbi including my own method, this was by far the best. I had to sub very small apple and pear for Asian pear but it worked out perfectly. Marinated at least 6 hours. Used an outdoor gas grill which took less than 10 minutes tops to cook. Made ssamjang and used lettuce leaves as a wrap for me. This chef is very special. Photos added.

  • Rinshin on February 16, 2025

    Made this again. No pear apple so subbed in apple and fresh pineapple. Pineapple made the meat falling off tender without any taste of pineapple coming through. So good. No need to marinate more than 4 hours with pineapple in the marinade.

• Beef brisket bulgogi sliders

  • tges on November 08, 2021

    These are incredible. I was lucky enough to buy pre-sliced Wagyu marbled 9 from a home delivery Korean butcher service so my cut for the bulgogi were perfect. The marinade yielded a great tasting bulgogi, but I would probably cut the soy and sweet ingredients by a wee amount the next time I cook bulgogi. Do try these with each component as the result is fantastic. I added a smear of ssamjang on two fresh cucumber slices instead, as I think with the bulgogi and mayo and brioche slider - the freshness of raw cucumber is much welcome and the crunch improves the texture of the mini burger. Ssjamjang on the slider is just a small adjustment but feel, it rounds things off beautifully.

  • MmeFleiss on January 06, 2025

    These made for an interesting dinner; now I want to try the spicy pork version.

  • billie109210 on February 18, 2026

    Super easy and so tasty

• Braised pork belly (Danji's bossam)

  • dubumandu on December 01, 2024

    Fantastic bossam recipe!! I've made this twice now, as written. It's fantastic.

  • billie109210 on February 18, 2026

    A little on the salty side, but we enjoyed it. I’d love to try it again

• Spicy stir-fried squid (Ojingeo bokkeum)

  • JoanN on March 03, 2025

    This was just outstanding. I can't rave about it enough. I made half a recipe which should have been enough for two but it was so good I ate all of it. I served it on somen noodles instead of rice, one of the options she suggests. Recipe doesn't say anything about how to prepare the squid so I just cut it into bite-sized pieces and that turned out perfectly. This was spicy, but exactly right for me. And the timing of the squid was absolutely spot on; it was so tender. My one small issue was that when I first put the squid into the pan to sauté it exuded a lot of water, so I dumped it into a colander to drain and then put it back in the skillet. Did the trick.

• Soy-poached black cod with daikon (Eun-dae-gu jorim)

  • JoanN on December 22, 2024

    Outstanding. And quick and easy. Sauce is to die for. Make sure to have plenty of rice to soak it up.

  • billie109210 on February 18, 2026

    Love, love, love, this recipe. The daikon is so flavorful. My kids love the fish - we leave out the gochugaru for them, then add for us.

• Rice cake soup (Tteok guk)

  • MmeFleiss on December 30, 2024

    Not the most exciting soup, although it is tasty.

• Beef short rib soup (Galbi tang)

  • MmeFleiss on January 06, 2025

    I originally thought having a dipping sauce for the meat in a soup to be kind of odd, but it really did make a huge difference. A comforting winter dish; perfect for a snowy day.

• Aged-kimchi stew (Kimchi jigae)

  • cmartinfirvida on January 03, 2024

    Followed exactly with one substitution--did not have pork belly, used guanciale. Delicious and very quick to make!

  • MmeFleiss on January 06, 2025

    This was my favorite of the three soups I've made so far from this book; very tasty.

  • Chefjames1 on March 15, 2026

    Great!

• Spicy soft tofu stew with seafood (Haenum sundubu jigae)

  • JoanN on May 09, 2025

    Made as written using the easy recipe for Beef Broth on page 315 and substituting cockles for Manila clams because the latter are hard to find in these parts. I thought this was excellent, and quite easy once the broth is made. The author says it serves two. Perhaps it does with a tableful of banchan. I ate about three-quarters of it as a standalone meal.

• Fermented-soybean stew (Doenjang jigae)

  • JoanN on December 17, 2024

    This is a cheffy book and author is very particular. This is the first recipe I've made from the book. (Well, perhaps the third, if you count the recipes for rice and dashi.) Followed his instructions to the letter and the result was outstanding. Would make this again in a heartbeat.

  • billie109210 on February 18, 2026

    Fantastic soup. So much flavor and so easy to make. It reheats well.

• Rice with beef and vegetables (Bibimbap)

  • Rinshin on May 24, 2021

    Probably should have picked a new to me recipe from this book than this standby but wanted to use up some vegetables with minimal beef and chose his method of using 1/3 lb ground beef as a topping for 2 servings. I had to up the flavor for us using his ground beef version. For simplicity and easy to understand, I like Judy Joo’s recipe more. But, this makes good- to-average bibimbap with good gochujang sauce. Photo added.

  • tges on November 08, 2021

    My only comment on this recipe is for the BBB sauce, which I felt a little lacking. I prefer the BBB sauce from Hong and Rodbard's "Koreatown" but for the uninitiated to Korean, this will suffice, nicely.

• Kimchi-and-brisket fried rice (Kimchi chadol bokkeum bap)

  • MmeFleiss on January 06, 2025

    This was fine, but not as tasty as the kimchi fried rice from Koreatown.

• Noodles in black bean sauce (Jajangmyeon)

  • billie109210 on February 18, 2026

    These noodles are so good. My kids love them. The first time we made it we used pork belly as suggested, but found it tough and chewy cooked this way. We now use pork tenderloin when we make this dish.

• Scallion pancakes (Pajeon)

  • tges on November 08, 2021

    I used Chef Kim's recipe to make haemul pajeon (with mussel, calamari, prawns and white fillet bites) and I followed it as instructed and it's amazing. The batter improves day by day. Certainly, pop your batch in the freezer for 10 as you busy getting your stovetop ready. I like to fry the green onions in a lattice work pattern in hot oil to crisp them up a bit before hitting the batter to pan. Now, I do find a decent amount of oil (say a cm layer) yields the best texture for these and as you flip them over, press gently with your spatula to ensure even crisping on the other side. This also ensures they are thinner too which some Korean establishments prefer to do but of course, it's a matter of personal preference. Do not forget the makgeolli! That is absolutely essential when eating a fried dish as the carbonation from the rice wine cuts the richness from the pajeon. Much like soft drink with burger and fries meals.

• Hanjan's spicy rice cakes (Tteokbokki)

  • billie109210 on February 18, 2026

    I love the texture of these rice cakes and the spiciness of the sauce. Don’t skip on dipping in the egg yolk, it adds a very nice richness.