Simply Korean: Easy Recipes for Kimchi, Noodles, Soups, and More

Simply Korean is a comprehensive collection of Korean food with recipes developed and curated by Aaron Huh. Released 20th Dec 2022 by Penguin Random House on their DK Alpha imprint, it's 256 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.

I love Korean food but always felt somewhat intimidated and full of excuses: "It's too complicated", "the ingredients are hard to source", "it requires too much special equipment", and "is it culturally insensitive for a lily white Irish girl to even make Korean food?". This is an everyday cookbook for non-professional cooks who love delicious Korean food, simple as that. The author's accessible and friendly writing style inspires confidence and there's a definite "you can do it" vibe about the whole book. 

It starts with a short author bio and pictorial introduction to Korean seasonings and ingredients. Some of these can be readily sourced at any well stocked international/Asian grocery store. Some of them will probably need to be ordered online.

The book continues in a logical fashion from foundational sauces, banchan (side dishes) to chicken, beef, pork, tofu, seafood, rice, noodles, soups & stews, kimchi (yay!), pancakes, and street food recipes. The chapters are packed with recipes (most with photographs) which are clear and easy to follow. Each of the recipes include sidebar with ingredients listed bullet point fashion (given in imperial/US standard measurements and some few metric equivalents), yields, and step-by-step instructions. Nutritional info is not included.

All of the recipes and assorted other information is provided in both English (transliterated), and Hangul (Korean characters). The book isn't bilingual, but it is well grounded in the traditional Korean names for dishes and ingredients. The author's wife & partner, Claire, provides interesting commentary and tips in text sidebars throughout, which added a lot to the read.

All in all, this is a beautifully written and presented Korean cookbook full of delicious food. The photography is top notch, the dishes are appealing and the recipes reflect a love and respect for culture and good food.

Five stars. Loved this one. A good choice for public library acquisition, home use and gift giving.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.