I dream of this food. I make this food. I think about how I am shaped by these flavors.

Maangchi's Big Book of Korean Cooking is truly an all-encompassing cookbook, filled with everything from recipes to ingredient descriptions. The recipes are very picture-heavy, which I have found is excellent, especially since I am not terribly familiar with cooking Korean cuisine.

I'm looking forward to trying more of the recipes from this book!

I’ve followed her videos for years so when a Korean friend sent me this marvelous book as a gift I could be nothing but grateful. Easy recipes, so many easy to follow photos, and stories from her life all combine to make a fantastic book.

Maangchi is queen, and with this tome, she came to slay.

Having binge-watched Maangchi's YT channel during lockdown, I made the leap a few years ago and decided it was time to order her inaugural cookbook. It has come to be one of my most referenced cookbooks in my library, independent of the national cuisine concerned, and the go-to among my several Korean cookbooks. I adore this book without qualification. The instructions are easy to understand and broken up into comprehensible sets of activities that make it intuitive and easy to follow.

Highly deserving of its "Big Book" title, this cookbook is broken into thirteen recipe sections with the average section having around ten to twelve recipes, give or take. Some of the longer sections have even more—the section on banchan and mitbanchan boasts no less than twenty-five recipes. It is comprehensive, including chapters on ingredients and cookware and Korean cooking techniques. Short narratives also accompany every recipe. There is such wonderful variety, including meat and vegetarian options for some of the most quintessential Maangchi recipes, and an excellent range of options among the low- to moderate-effort recipes.

The color photographs are bright and well-lit and do not suffer from intrusive post-production editing that sacrifices visibility for aesthetics.

Of all the recipes I have tried, not a single one has disappointed. Indeed, a few that I went into without any preconceptions ended up being so surprisingly good that they easily surpassed dishes that I have long known to be my favorites. Of these, I want to particularly mention kimchi guksu, which is hands-down my favorite and hugely enticing for its effort-to-reward ratio.

Here are the recipes that I have made from this cookbook:
Tongbaechu kimchi (napa cabbage kimchi)
Kkakdugi (diced radish kimchi)
Kimchi guksu (noodle soup with kimchi seasoning)
Haemul pajeon (seafood pancake)
Dububuchim yangnyeomjang (pan-fried tofu with soy-scallion seasoning sauce)
Brokoli-dubumuchim (broccoli with tofu)
Oi-bokkeum (sautéed cucumber)
Ganjang-yangnyeomjang (soy-scallion seasoning sauce)

this is a cookbook I would love to cook my way through.
a range of Korean cooking with some great favourites

I have followed this author on Youtube for years now. As a foodie, I will try anything at least once and the first time I tasted Kimchi I knew I would just love Korean food. This book is amazing, it has step by step instructions, grocery favorites and the most delicious recipes. Many of the recipes I was already familiar with from watching her show and even trying a few myself. Plus, many of the ingredients were easy to find and there were alternatives to certain foods that ay be difficult to locate. Loved it!!

I've been pushing off this review for so long because I feel I should try a few more recipes before I post anything. But this is one BIG book. Here are the recipes I tried with my thoughts:

Octopus Porridge
-I made this with shrimp instead and it was very comforting and nice for breakfast. I recommend reducing the recipe if you're cooking for one because I had a lot of leftovers that didn't keep very well.

Soy Butter Pan-Grilled Chicken
-A MEAL PREP GO TO. This is so simple and extremely delicious, but what can you expect with soy sauce and butter? Paired with some ssamjang, seasoned scallions and white rice, these made for some tasty lettuce wraps.

Spicy Grilled Chicken
-Depending on the gochujang you use, this can get very spicy which is much appreciated! I often made this as lettuce wraps with some gamja jorim as a side. I make this often as well.

Spicy Stir-Fried Pork
-I think this was the first recipe I made from this book and it was a hit! I made it for some of my co-workers for a mini potluck and they really liked it. Some complained it was too spicy so reduce the spice level if (you're a wimp) you prefer milder flavors. Or honestly skip this and make the Soy Butter Chicken instead.

Glazed Meatballs
-A serious disappointment. Very one note flavor with just the ground beef and glaze. I much prefer Korean Bapsang's recipe (check out her blog, it's awesome too!) as she has pork and beef with scallions, ginger, garlic and more. I tried Maangchi's recipe after I made the other one and it doesn't come close.

Garlicky Cooked Soybean Sprouts
-Not a big sprout fan to be honest, but this was a solid side dish that can be made ahead and keep for days when many of the side dishes only last for a day if even. Overall mild flavor with the garlic and fish sauce coming through. It's fine.

Blanched Seasoned Spinach
-I made this with boy choy instead and it was really tasty and pairs well with any of the meat dishes I mentioned above. I like adding extra garlic and pepper flakes to give it a stronger flavor.

Chive Pancake
-I tend to substitute a lot depending on what vegetables are in season so I've used this recipe to make pancakes with ramps, scallions and garlic chives so far. The most delicious was the ramp pancake or sanmaneuljeon. A recipe specifically for this can be found on Maangchi's website. I recommend adding up to a tbsp of gochujang if you want more flavor. Paired with a dipping sauce of soy sauce, vinegar, a pinch of sugar, some water and sesame seeds and you're good to go. I clearly have a lot to say on the recipe and that's because I've made it the most often. A lunch or dinner go-to.

Tuna Pancakes
-I made these once for meal prep and they were good and kept in the fridge for up to 4 days okay. I paired these with some rice and blanched bok choy. Honestly, not my favorite, but do try to get Korean canned tuna as I did taste a different. It was much stronger in flavor and meatier.

Fire Chicken with Cheese
-What a wild recipe! This is some SPICY chicken smothered in melted mozzarella. I think I needed to get a softer, meltier mozzarella because mine didn't melt as much as I wanted too. But actually, I just remembered I didn't have a cast iron skillet or oven safe skillet to broil at the end. Now that I do have one, I need to try this again...

Recipes I really want to get to next: kimchi hand-torn noodle soup, stir-fried potato and ham, spicy garlic fried shrimp, japchae, pepper and perilla leaf pancakes, honey cookies, rabokki and many more!

Apart from one or two I was kind of disappointed in, everything was so delicious and a joy to make. Korean cooking has been a passion of mine for a long time and this book added so much it! I think this would be a great cook book for those who want to get into Korean cooking or want to have a solid collection of many areas in Korean cooking at their disposal. This is better than her first cookbook (the flavors and amount of sauce was kind of off in my opinion) so if you're choosing between the two, get this one. Anything not in here, you'll probably be able to find on her blog or YouTube channel.

I have another dozen or so recipes of hers I want to get to so I better get cooking!

One of the best cookbooks I've used over the past years! A must for understanding basics of Korean cooking and meal service. All two weeks worth of meals were delicious, easy to prepare, with little cleanup!