Customer Reviews

Eating Korean: From Barbecue to Kimchi, Recipes from My Home

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Despite growing up in a Korean American kitchen, cooking Korean food has always been this mystery to me. Like many others, I have read many Korean cookbooks trying to find a way to make the comfort food I grew up with, and I find this particular cookbook to be exactly what I've been looking for. For one, it's the only Korean cookbook to have more than 1 or 2 recipes that I was seeking. Not only does it have more than 1 or 2, it has ALL the important ones I've wanted. I think any cookbook recipes will have some flaws. You have to tweak them for sure, so I don't feel I can take off stars for this fact. I actually appreciate that the ingredient lists are simple and uncomplicated. I plan on using the recipes as a springboard - to get the gist. Then I plan on calling my sisters and mom for advice on how to improve it and what to add. I also am increasingly wary of complaints concerning superficial aspects of cookbooks: black and white pictures, lack of pictures, and - the most offensive to me - the color of the recipe titles. I used to think these things were important, but the more and more I read cookbooks the more I find the higher quality cookbooks don't have color pictures or fancy visuals. Bottom line, Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee has lifted the mystery of Korean cooking, and, yes, the stories are a great bonus.

I'm part of a military family currently living in South Korea. I recently bought this cookbook on base after my husband and I grew to love Korean food.

We had dinner at a local Korean restaurant and ate clams with a delicious sauce as one of the many side dishes. I asked one of my Korean friends for the recipe and she ended up making me some because she said it was hard to make. What sold me on this cookbook is that it had the recipe for that very sauce on page four, Seasoned Soy Sauce. It is very good on dumplings and steamed rice. We also love bulgogi or "fire meat" and the cookbook offered that recipe as well.

Surprisingly, Eating Korean is not only a great resouce for Korean recipes, but also and enjoyable read. The author, Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee's writing style is warm and colorful. Her personal essays paint fun and interesting glimpses of her childhood in South Korea. I highly recommend it!

I first heard about this book on the radio while I was driving and listening to "The Splendid Table." I love Korean food, and the author sounded interesting so I ordered it. The book is really good! I read most of the stories the first night. They're funny and charming, and really drew me in to the author's life and childhood.

I'm a decent cook, but if I wasn't, this book would get me there. The recipes are simple and Cecilia Lee spells it all out pretty clearly. I've made about 5 or six dishes so far, and they have all tasted great. I know Korean food pretty well, and these recipes are the best I've ever run across. If you're at all interested in Korean food you'll want this book!

Like a lot of Western fans of Asian cooking, I never am quite sure if what I'm eating in a restaurant is the real, authentic cooking of a regions, or an overly Westernized version. Korean food has not been homoginized to the extent that Chinese and Thai food have in this country, but unless you're dining with a Korean-born companion you can never know for sure. The same goes for cookbooks; is this the real recipe someone would serve in their home in Korea, or something that's been homoginized to a MacDonld's-trained palatte?

I bought "Eating Korean" after reading reviews both here at Amazon and at a few on-line bulletin boards for Korean expats and Korean-Americans. The general concensus was that while the recipes were toned down a bit in seasoning, they are indeed authentic. So far, my experience has been that carefully following the recipes in Celia Hae-Jin Lee's book will deliver something very close to what I've had in various restaurants. I've made her seafood pancakes (Pa Jun), kimchee pancakes, and various namool, and all have come out very close to what I expected.

Unlike some cookbooks for non-western cuisines, no special cookware or difficult techniques are required for most of the recipes presented here. A large pot and a skillet or wok should suffice for most any recipe. Grilled meats like Bulgogi can be made on a barbecue grill. You might want to buy a traditional bowl for serving the hot BiBimBop, or some large mason jars for making Kimchee, but that's about it.

Aside from the recipes, the author's stories of growing up Korean in Korea and America are very enjoyable, and provide a context for the recipes; I was greatly reminded of another favorite cookbook, "Every Grain of Rice: A Taste of Our Chinese Childhood in America", which, although about Chinese and not Korean cooking, has a similar narrative structure.

This is so much more than a great cookbook! The stories by the author about her life growing up in Korea are wonderfully written and engaging, and I love the personal photos, too. The recipes aren't too complicated, and you really feel as though you're recreating home-cooked meals from the author's childhood. I highly recommend this book!

This is an excellent cookbook, albiet one written by a Korean-American. Like most younger Korean-Americans, she has toned down the fire. This is not a problem because almost all of her dishes can be heated up or energized by adding ground Korean Chilli Pepper. She gives excellent background on the dishes and this book is one of the best Korean Cookbooks I have seen in English. The only other comment I have is that she like many young people adds a bit too much sugar for my taste in her recipes.

This is like one of those korean cookbooks that contain terrific stories, but when it comes to receipes it just fall short. This book reminds me of the book I also own "Growing up in Korea". There both very enjoyable to read, but after trying out many receipes, I was disappointed with the results of the foods. Simply, they just don't taste right or some ingredients seem missing from the receipes. Also, if you have never really seen and tasted korean foods, you may want to think about buying a different book, because as some of the reviewers already pointed out, there are no illustrations or pictures in this book. There are however, very nice story about the author as she was growing up, black and white pictures of the author's family, and what looks like some receipies that are author's family had created (not necessary what traditionally served in korean homes). I won many korean cookbooks that were produced by so called professional chefs or people with some sort of degree in cooking, but so far not many korean cookbooks contain receipes that I grew up eating in Korea. I own both kinds of cookbooks, the ones that have pictures of foods in them and ones that don't. I don't agree with the reviewer "Home Style", she sounds way to critical of people who thought that this cookbook may have been little better with some color pictures. I hope that the Home Style reviewer finds many cookbooks without any pictures in them, or always know how to tweek the receipes.

The alternatingly touching and huh-larious stories Lee recounts of her growing up in Korea provide the perfect context for her easy-to-follow and scrumptious recipes. Each one I've tried was delicious -- almost as if a master chef had made them herself. Genius!

This book has a lot of recipes that come to mind when one thinks of Korean food. Some of the recipes are good, however, some are just bad. It's a hit-or-miss kind of a book. For example, the recipe for pinenut porridge, that was a disaster. My mom, who was born and raised in Korea who is a lauded cook, tasted the food I made and she was like, what is this? Also, the fried chicken recipe was not good at all. However, the bulgogi recipe is good. So as I stated, some are good (however, not excellent), while others are just plain BAD. I would just go ahead and buy a book that has more consistently.

I have been a connoisseur of Korean cooking for sometime and have always been searching for a great Korean Cookbook and "Eating Korean" more than fits the bill. What impressed me most was that this book provided such a fascinating glimpse into the author's life and, by extension, into Korean culture. Even without the recipes, the book is still a great read. I look forward to seeing more from this author in the future.