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

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!

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.

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!

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!