What do you think?
Gather Around My Table: Simple, Flavorful Recipes from My Global Pantry: A Cookbook
The debut cookbook from New York Times Cooking contributor Kay Chun, featuring 100 accessible, globally inspired recipes for every table.
“A master class in recipe writing and home cooking. Here is an artist who cooks with a quiet restraint that makes you lean in. There’s a precision to Kay Chun’s recipe development style, yet whimsy in the way she combines flavors and ingredients that aren’t usually found together.” — Eric Kim, author of Korean American
Where does a great recipe come from? For Kay Chun, it’s all about the inspiration. And to a lifelong New Yorker, inspiration is all around. Drawing from a global pantry of ingredients—the Korean influences she grew up with and the many flavors that have shaped her—she shares fresh yet familiar dishes the whole family will love.
Gather Around My Table embraces cooking without dumplings are tossed with butter and Parmesan rather than soy sauce; doenjang steps in for tomato paste, caramelized to add complexity and richness to sauces; kimchi seasoning creates a punchy salad dressing. These are flavor-forward recipes for every day of the week. In Kay Chun’s hands, the question “What’s for dinner?” will never have a boring answer again.
•Cooking for a crowd? Try the Smoky Eggplant Dip with Parsley-Dill Oil, Doenjang Carnitas, or the Marinated Trout Ssam Bar
•Dumplings for days! From Mixed Veggie and Tofu Dumplings to Spicy Boiled Dumplings in Habanero Sesame Oil to a show-stopping Crispy Dumpling Pancake.
•Seven different types of extra-special infused rices, like Smoky Kelp Rice, Extra-Nutty Rice, Mushroom Rice, and Roasted Barley Tea Rice.
•Easy weeknight dinners from Smoky Soy Sauce Chicken and Pantry Pasta for Tinned-Fish Lovers to Crispy Sesame and Shredded-Wheat Cutlets and Spiced and Caramelized Tofu Noodle Bowls.
•Salads and veggie sides like the Italian Chopped Salad with Fried Hot Peppers, Mixed Chicories in a Caper-Raisin Vinaigrette, or a stunning Mushroom and Swiss Chard Galette.
•Crowd-pleasing desserts like Sticky Date Snacking Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce, Coconut and Passion Fruit Eton Mess, and Cherry Cornmeal Torte.
“A master class in recipe writing and home cooking. Here is an artist who cooks with a quiet restraint that makes you lean in. There’s a precision to Kay Chun’s recipe development style, yet whimsy in the way she combines flavors and ingredients that aren’t usually found together.” — Eric Kim, author of Korean American
Where does a great recipe come from? For Kay Chun, it’s all about the inspiration. And to a lifelong New Yorker, inspiration is all around. Drawing from a global pantry of ingredients—the Korean influences she grew up with and the many flavors that have shaped her—she shares fresh yet familiar dishes the whole family will love.
Gather Around My Table embraces cooking without dumplings are tossed with butter and Parmesan rather than soy sauce; doenjang steps in for tomato paste, caramelized to add complexity and richness to sauces; kimchi seasoning creates a punchy salad dressing. These are flavor-forward recipes for every day of the week. In Kay Chun’s hands, the question “What’s for dinner?” will never have a boring answer again.
•Cooking for a crowd? Try the Smoky Eggplant Dip with Parsley-Dill Oil, Doenjang Carnitas, or the Marinated Trout Ssam Bar
•Dumplings for days! From Mixed Veggie and Tofu Dumplings to Spicy Boiled Dumplings in Habanero Sesame Oil to a show-stopping Crispy Dumpling Pancake.
•Seven different types of extra-special infused rices, like Smoky Kelp Rice, Extra-Nutty Rice, Mushroom Rice, and Roasted Barley Tea Rice.
•Easy weeknight dinners from Smoky Soy Sauce Chicken and Pantry Pasta for Tinned-Fish Lovers to Crispy Sesame and Shredded-Wheat Cutlets and Spiced and Caramelized Tofu Noodle Bowls.
•Salads and veggie sides like the Italian Chopped Salad with Fried Hot Peppers, Mixed Chicories in a Caper-Raisin Vinaigrette, or a stunning Mushroom and Swiss Chard Galette.
•Crowd-pleasing desserts like Sticky Date Snacking Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce, Coconut and Passion Fruit Eton Mess, and Cherry Cornmeal Torte.
- GenresCookbooks
304 pages, Hardcover
Published October 6, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you Knopf for providing an ARC for review consideration via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.
Gather Around My Table by Kay Chun is exactly what I needed to get my cooking to a whole new level of flavor.
Lately, I’ve been adding new staples into my pantry and learning how to incorporate them into my routine - fish sauce, soba/udon noodles and broth, miso, anchovies, tinned fish, and seaweed have quickly become favorites. Now that I’ve gotten comfortable with those and am ready for the next level, this book seems like the perfect guide to expand my arsenal of ingredients, flavor profiles, and techniques. Thanks to Chun, my upcoming shopping list now includes clam juice, capers, perilla leaves, bonito flakes, dried fernbrake, and gochujang.
The standout recipes I’m starting with first include:
- Salads: The Everyday Greens Salad with wakame, and a Crunchy Cabbage and Sprout Salad with Tomato Nuoc Cham.
- Dips & Small Plates: A brandade made with smoked whitefish and labneh, a seasonal Smoky Eggplant Dip with Parsley-Dill Oil, and Blistered Beans and Okra.
- Hearty Dishes: Doenjang-Smothered Collards and Cabbage, and Mung Bean Pancakes with sprouts and scallions.
- Drinks: The Green Juice Cucumber Cooler (though I might wait until next summer for this one!).
As a lover of anything fermented and pickled myself, it was interesting to read how a traditional Korean meal uses a spread of these items to complement the main dishes. I walked away from that chapter with some very intriguing recipes so I can offer a spread as well—like caraway and soy pickled garlic, star anise pickled peanuts, soy-glazed seaweed, and smoky, jammy marinated eggs.
Another chapter I was excited to see was devoted entirely to tofu. Chun learned from her grandmother that tofu adds moisture and texture to meat, so she blends it into sausage for meatballs, a breakfast sausage roll, and hamburger sliders. This section also includes an eggless mayo using tofu and detailed instructions on how to make dumplings, which I have always wanted to try my hand at.
If you’re someone who is eager to branch out in the kitchen, I would highly recommend this book. While some of the ingredients might not be as familiar and may require an extra shopping trip or online order, so far in my journey that is half the fun of cooking! And once you’ve got the ingredients, the recipes look to be fairly quick and straightforward. Being in the kitchen with her grandmother, growing up in NYC, and learning French foundations in culinary school all melded into Chun’s unique perspective. That fresh approach, which mixes the familiar with the unfamiliar, is an incredibly approachable way for readers to foray into new territory.
Read more of my book reviews here...
https://fortandfield.blogspot.com/202...
Gather Around My Table by Kay Chun is exactly what I needed to get my cooking to a whole new level of flavor.
Lately, I’ve been adding new staples into my pantry and learning how to incorporate them into my routine - fish sauce, soba/udon noodles and broth, miso, anchovies, tinned fish, and seaweed have quickly become favorites. Now that I’ve gotten comfortable with those and am ready for the next level, this book seems like the perfect guide to expand my arsenal of ingredients, flavor profiles, and techniques. Thanks to Chun, my upcoming shopping list now includes clam juice, capers, perilla leaves, bonito flakes, dried fernbrake, and gochujang.
The standout recipes I’m starting with first include:
- Salads: The Everyday Greens Salad with wakame, and a Crunchy Cabbage and Sprout Salad with Tomato Nuoc Cham.
- Dips & Small Plates: A brandade made with smoked whitefish and labneh, a seasonal Smoky Eggplant Dip with Parsley-Dill Oil, and Blistered Beans and Okra.
- Hearty Dishes: Doenjang-Smothered Collards and Cabbage, and Mung Bean Pancakes with sprouts and scallions.
- Drinks: The Green Juice Cucumber Cooler (though I might wait until next summer for this one!).
As a lover of anything fermented and pickled myself, it was interesting to read how a traditional Korean meal uses a spread of these items to complement the main dishes. I walked away from that chapter with some very intriguing recipes so I can offer a spread as well—like caraway and soy pickled garlic, star anise pickled peanuts, soy-glazed seaweed, and smoky, jammy marinated eggs.
Another chapter I was excited to see was devoted entirely to tofu. Chun learned from her grandmother that tofu adds moisture and texture to meat, so she blends it into sausage for meatballs, a breakfast sausage roll, and hamburger sliders. This section also includes an eggless mayo using tofu and detailed instructions on how to make dumplings, which I have always wanted to try my hand at.
If you’re someone who is eager to branch out in the kitchen, I would highly recommend this book. While some of the ingredients might not be as familiar and may require an extra shopping trip or online order, so far in my journey that is half the fun of cooking! And once you’ve got the ingredients, the recipes look to be fairly quick and straightforward. Being in the kitchen with her grandmother, growing up in NYC, and learning French foundations in culinary school all melded into Chun’s unique perspective. That fresh approach, which mixes the familiar with the unfamiliar, is an incredibly approachable way for readers to foray into new territory.
Read more of my book reviews here...
https://fortandfield.blogspot.com/202...
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I am absolutely thrilled with this cookbook, and the photography is so stunning that just flipping through the pages makes you incredibly hungry. My favorite part has to be the incredibly helpful section about stocking your pantry, which breaks down exactly what you need to have on hand for these recipes and makes prepping feel so much easier. As a huge salmon lover, the Caraway and Umeboshi Cured Salmon caught my eye immediately, and I am definitely making the Saturday Salmon and Rice this weekend. The dumpling section also looks incredible, and I am already planning a cooking night to try the Shrimp, Ginger, and Cabbage Dumplings, the Double Allium Pork Dumplings, and the Butter and Parm Shrimp Dumplings. I also cannot wait to try the Pan con Tomate Bodega Rolls, the Rye and Caraway Focaccia with Rosemary, the Mushroom Rice, and the Green Juice Cucumber Cooler Drink. I am giving it four stars because several of the unique ingredients absolutely require a trip to a specialty grocery store, but overall, it is an incredibly beautiful, inspiring book that deserves a spot on everyone's kitchen shelf.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Netgalley ARC- Sweet, nostalgic, and full of flavor, the recipes in Gather Around My Table are quiet, well-written, and undeniably delicious. Kay Chun pairs unexpected ingredients together to effortlessly layer culture and taste, while her thoughtful headnotes provide intimate insight into the experiences that built her culinary career.
I can't wait to try her Citrus Doenjang Carnitas, Oxtail Soup Meets Pho, and Sesame Cake with Tahini Whipped Cream.
I can't wait to try her Citrus Doenjang Carnitas, Oxtail Soup Meets Pho, and Sesame Cake with Tahini Whipped Cream.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is a lovely cookbook with Korean inspired dishes of all sorts. There are photos of most recipes but no nutritional information. The recipes are creative and interesting. They are rather heavy on wheat and meat, so the cookbook isn’t a great fit for family members I cook for, but it will be a great read for adventurous foodies.
I read a digital ARC of this book via netgalley.
I read a digital ARC of this book via netgalley.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I found this book to be extremely interesting. So many combinations and choices I would never have thought of on my own and now? I can’t help but think about other combinations. We really enjoyed the dumpling recipes the most, but the rice and Smoky Soy Sauce Chicken were hits too.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews