My Korea: Traditional Flavors, Modern Recipes

by Hooni Kim

Simple rice cakes drenched in a spicy sauce. Bulgogi sliders. A scallion pancake (pajeon) the New York Times calls “the essential taste of Korean cuisine.” For years Hooni Kim’s food has earned him raves, including a Michelin Star—the first ever awarded to a Korean restaurant—for Danji. His background in world-class French and Japanese kitchens seamlessly combines with his knowledge of the techniques of traditional Korean cuisine to create uniquely flavorful dishes.


My Korea, his long-awaited debut cookbook, introduces home cooks to the Korean culinary trinity: doenjang, ganjang, and gochujang (fermented soybean paste, soy sauce, and fermented red chili paste). These key ingredients add a savory depth and flavor to the 90 recipes that follow, from banchan to robust stews. His kimchis call upon the best ingredients and balance a meal with a salty, sour, and spicy kick. Elevated classics include one-bowl meals like Dolsot Bibimbap (Sizzling-Hot Stone Bowl Bibimbap), Haemul Sundubu Jjigae (Spicy Soft Tofu Stew with Seafood), and Mul Naengmyeon (Buckwheat Noodles in Chilled Broth). Dishes meant for sharing pair well with soju or makgeolli, an unfiltered rice beer, and include Budae Jjigae (Spicy DMZ Stew) and Fried Chicken Wings.


Complete with thoughtful notes on techniques and sourcing and gorgeous photography from across Korea, this cookbook will be an essential resource for home cooks, a celebration of the deliciousness of Korean food by a master chef.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Culinary, Asia, Reference

352 pages, Hardcover

First published April 7, 2020

Reviews

[Linda Ferreri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely one of the best, and best written, cookbooks I have ever read. I really read them, front to back. And I have been collecting them for decades. This one is a real treasure and exceptionally useful. Thank you Hooni Kim.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love eating Korean food out. I had previously tried to replicate the Bulgogi recipe in Bimbimbap and my results previously were average. I have been using the Bulgogi recipe found in the Beef Brisket Bulgogi sliders in this book and it is so good. I have also being making the recipes in the Muchim section of the book as sides and they have turned out well too. (Muchim are quick marinated vegetables served soon after they are made, you don’t have to wait for them to ferment like Kim Chi) recipes I have tried and liked from this book include

• Beef brisket Bulgogi sliders
• Spicy Bean Sprouts
• spinach with sesame
• Streamed eggplant
• Spicy Brussel Sprouts
• Spicy Lettuce Salad
• Marinated Spicy Cucumbers

I knew nothing about Chef Hooni Kim prior to picking up this book, but now I have put both his restaurants Danji (the first Michelin-starred Korean restaurant in the world) and Hanjan on my wishlist of places I would like to eat at in New York

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this cookbook, I made me want to move back to Korea, I really enjoyed the food while I lived there but this cookbook made me realize I didn't appreciate it enough! Can't wait to make everything!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

High end Korean restaurant cooking, some traditional, some fusion. I wonder if Mexican-Korean exists in LA? My local Mexican market has a small amount of Asian spicy sauces. An excellent read with some personal anecdotes about the writer's upbringing and travels.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

GREAT reference for Korean cooking.

[Sun-Hee Yoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a native South Korean. I spent my childhood, youth, and young adulthood in southwest region, Jellanamdo of Korean Peninsula, specifically city of Mokpo. This region is well known for the rich, flavorful, and variety of Korean dishes.
Having so many authentic and original Korean dishes, I grow up understanding the philosophy of traditional Korean cuisine.
When I found the cookbook, My Korea: Traditional Flavors, Modern recipes by Hooni Kim, it satisfied me with the in-depth descriptions and truthful practices in Korean cuisine that I longed for.
Lastly, the food photography in the book kept the tradition real and authentic, which I really appreciate.

[0000000 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. It's okay. It's an acceptable introductory selection of dishes. Recipe books for non-speakers of Korean are usually not great, and this one has issues as well. For example, yooksu is used constantly but referred to every time as dashi, a Japanese word.

While Japanese food is probably still more widely known, the population that reads reviews and tracks down cookbooks is relatively small and unafraid to learn words like bouillabaisse.

There is no excuse in 2020 for digesting Korean food through Japanese food terms. Just learn the Korean terms. Maybe get a Korean co-writer/editor. The cocktails section seems very forced.

[Julie Capell · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many great things about this cookbook.

First, the "Korean Pantry" chapter, which goes into very helpful details about all the essential ingredients in Korean cooking, including where to buy some things online.

Second, the recipes. I have tried several and loved them. Two of my favorites so far are Kimchi and brisket fried rice and Spicy bean sprouts.

Third, the stories. Each recipe has a story about how the author came up with the idea, or how it is served in his restaurant, or tricks for making the dish.

[Cin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking to diversify my use of vegetables when I picked up this cook book. I've always known Korean food for its simplicity and this doesn't disappoint.

However, I have some issues with this book as the author seemed to have a thing against Chinese takeouts and made a diss not once but twice. This is probably because the author is Korean-American and knew Chinese food only in its Americanized form.

There's also a part where he said salted shrimp is 'uniquely Korean', I'd disagree as I've seen it often used in Malaysia, though not in the way Koreans use them.

[Kes · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Europe, it’s more customary to start a meal with something acidic and bright to whet your palate. In Korea, we like to serve food that’s easily digestible, like a soft and mellow juk, to prepare the stomach for the ready of the meal. It’s a gentle way to wake you your digestive tract, and that’s exactly what I had in mind when I came up with this dish.

Beautiful writing about food and the author’s relationship / history.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this book 4 stars for the recipes and food information and 2 stars for the layout. I really didn't like the way the pictures were laid out and hoped there would be more of them.

Still, I got great information on Korean home cooking which is what I was looking for.

[Aasinathena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always looked away from the Doenjang jar I see at grocery aisles thinking "err its the same as miso". Apparently its not and even my regular/mass market Gochujang tastes so ordinary than the "REAL ONE". So much to learn and so much to cook from this book !

[Jenn Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was perfectly fine. It was interesting to read about different aspects of Korean cooking, but nothing about it was particularly special in terms of content or aesthetics.

[Ryan Juno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timeless. So intelligent. Well done.

[Avi · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best Korean cookbooks in English, but not one of the best cookbooks in English.

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems very authentic and thorough.

[Gina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a single recipe I could make. Not friendly for ingredients. Really? Use only a chicken that was butchered that day??? Too many specialty things not easily available. Filleting a whole fish?

[Thomas Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best overview of South Korean foods and cooking techniques.

[Wesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

not enough pictures, not a ton of recipes I wanted to try (or couldn't find elsewhere)

[Dray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice book on Korean foods, sauces and traditional meals but upgraded to modern. As i am just getting into self made fermented foods this book offered a lot of help. But there is a lot more than that. Recommended.