ssung's review
4.0
if you're fond of your recipes in comic book form, this is totally for you. i've never been fond of the current library of korean cookbooks out in english but as i'm not precisely much of a cookbook collector, what i say about them might be utterly meritless. (i find a lot of them a little too overly formal or have odd proportions to ingredients or compromise a lot on ingredient substitutions for the sake of nationwide availability so i have no idea what the original was meant to be.) i particularly like this one because it's actually a good repertoire of everyday cooking, with a good selection of banchan and main dishes. although because it's quite general, it doesn't get into much specifics about certain ingredients (i.e., the book basically reads like it assumes you can run into an hmart or hanyang or whatever equivalent thereof any time and grab a kuk kanjang like it's no problem), but then again, that's not really its purpose, it does a nice middle ground between available ingredients and suggesting possible substitutions.
i've tried the proportions on about half the recipes so far and they're quite good without tinkering! although i've halved sugar and lengthened cooking times for a good chunk of them on second or third rounds.
i've tried the proportions on about half the recipes so far and they're quite good without tinkering! although i've halved sugar and lengthened cooking times for a good chunk of them on second or third rounds.
laurahonest's review
5.0
Cook Korean! is a comic book with recipes. It says it right on the cover and that is exactly what it is. Ha drew beautiful comics throughout the entire book. There are comics that show you how to prepare and cook amazing Korean food, there are comics explaining the historic and cultural significance of the food and other items draw in this book. It is beautifully drawn and easy to follow.
This cook book is broken down into chapters for kimchi, vegetable side dishes, meat, seafood, soup, porridges, noodles, snacks, drinks & Korean fusion food. You can start at the beginning or jump around to the recipes that interest you most.
The introduction chapter gives you a quick rundown of the most common staples in a Korean pantry, the Korean table, the way to cook rice and a breakdown of Korea by region and most common foods. It is very informative and accompanied by great visuals.
Each recipe is chapter starts with a quick information page that explains what the foods in the chapter are, when they are eaten, how they are prepared and how to do it in America. Each recipe has the English name of the food and the Korean name. Each recipe has a clearly marked ingredient list as well as stating how long the prep takes, how the long the cooking takes and how many people the recipe will serve. Each step of the instructions is accompanied by an illustration to show how to do something or what it should look like.
I have always been a little intimidated by Korean food. It looks like it is complicated or takes a long time to prepare. This cook book breaks down that illusion and shows you how simple it is. Some things do take a long time to prepare but it appears that a lot of the prep time is actually marinading time where you don't have to do a lot. I am really excited to give these recipes a try! First though, I have to make a trip to the Asian grocery store for some Korean food essentials!
I received this book free from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
This cook book is broken down into chapters for kimchi, vegetable side dishes, meat, seafood, soup, porridges, noodles, snacks, drinks & Korean fusion food. You can start at the beginning or jump around to the recipes that interest you most.
The introduction chapter gives you a quick rundown of the most common staples in a Korean pantry, the Korean table, the way to cook rice and a breakdown of Korea by region and most common foods. It is very informative and accompanied by great visuals.
Each recipe is chapter starts with a quick information page that explains what the foods in the chapter are, when they are eaten, how they are prepared and how to do it in America. Each recipe has the English name of the food and the Korean name. Each recipe has a clearly marked ingredient list as well as stating how long the prep takes, how the long the cooking takes and how many people the recipe will serve. Each step of the instructions is accompanied by an illustration to show how to do something or what it should look like.
I have always been a little intimidated by Korean food. It looks like it is complicated or takes a long time to prepare. This cook book breaks down that illusion and shows you how simple it is. Some things do take a long time to prepare but it appears that a lot of the prep time is actually marinading time where you don't have to do a lot. I am really excited to give these recipes a try! First though, I have to make a trip to the Asian grocery store for some Korean food essentials!
I received this book free from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
kaloughl's review
5.0
I loved how unique this cookbook (slash graphic novel) was! I've always been curious about cooking Korean food and I loved how simple Ha made it. As a visual learner, the illustrations definitely helped me identify items at my grocery store especially since I don't have a Korean grocery store handy to me. It's already inspired some of my meals :)
Since I read Ha's other graphic novel Almost American Girl first, I was also thrilled to see connections with bits of Ha's personal life. Ha's illustrations are brilliant. Her style is a little simpler and rougher in Cook Korean! but her intro pages still feature that gorgeous water color (I think) that WOWS me every time!!!
Since I read Ha's other graphic novel Almost American Girl first, I was also thrilled to see connections with bits of Ha's personal life. Ha's illustrations are brilliant. Her style is a little simpler and rougher in Cook Korean! but her intro pages still feature that gorgeous water color (I think) that WOWS me every time!!!
emeraldreverie's review
5.0
Delightful. Bright art and a straightforward voice portray approachable, delicious looking recipes in a very personal way. I loved it!
cook_memorial_public_library's review
5.0
A 2017 staff favorite highly recommended by Jean. Read her review on the Cook Memorial Library blog, Shelf Life: https://shelflife.cooklib.org/2017/02/07/jeans-pick-of-the-week-cook-korean-a-comic-book-with-recipes-by-robin-ha/
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Scook%20korean%20ha__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Scook%20korean%20ha__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
blueroo's review
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
Absolutely love this book! I made so many of the recipes already and they came out AMAZING! Can't wait to buy more. I usually get books form the library but I'm definitely buying this one!
crystalisreading's review
informative
inspiring
relaxing
4.25
My first graphic cookbook did not disappoint. Robin Ha's art is attractive and easy to read. Many of the recipes sound delicious, and I learned a bit about Korean food and lifestyle. Fun to pick up and read a few recipes at a time. Such a user friendly cookbook. I'm planning to buy a copy for myself after returning this copy to the library.
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