Preface: I’m a white lady. I was introduced to Korean food when I was 18, and fell instantly in love. I’ve been cooking Korean food for 25 years, and not to brag, but my Korean husband, his family, and friends tell me I’m pretty dang good. Most of it I’ve learned from watching people cook, or reverse engineering what I’ve eaten. But when I get stuck trying to figure something out, or I want the authoritative recipe on something I’ve never made before, I go to Maangchi.
Maanghci (aka Emily Kim) is a YouTube star, famous for cooking her favorite Korean food online, and she parlayed this lucrative career into publishing the best Korean cookbook ever. I own at least ten Korean cookbooks, but I haven’t used any other since I got this one. I have never had a recipe go sideways using this book. It’s well written – simple and clear – and has yummy photos to go with the recipes. From kimchi to soups, galbi to japchae, she will teach you to make authentic, delicious, nutritious, and easy recipes to impress your friends and family.
Korean food is vibrant and nuanced, all while using a surprisingly small palette of ingredients. If you’ve ever had Korean BBQ and longed to go back for more, or need a spicy and healthy change up to your meal planning, pick up a copy of this book. You can also go to her website – https://www.maangchi.com– or her YouTube channel if you need something NOW. For anyone who has a taste for Korean food, there is no other cookbook I could more highly recommend. If you want to cook halmonie-approved food, Maangchi is here to help!