Discovering Korean Cuisine: Recipes from the Best Korean Restaurants in Los Angeles by Allisa Park (Editor)

Product Details

Synopsis

A step-by-step guide to re-creating healthy, delicious, Korean-style dinners, this book unlocks the mysteries behind these delicacies in an approachable, illuminating manner. Featuring contributions from 12 of Los Angeles’ most prominent Korean restaurants, this cookbook includes recipes ranging from mainstays such as kimchi, bulgogi (marinated beef), mu-saengchae (spicy Korean radish), and bossam (boiled pork) to specialty dishes such as jjim-dak (vegetable chicken stew), hobak-juk (squash porridge), and jjam-bong (spicy noodle soup with seafood). Besides the typical listing of ingredients and instructions, each recipe contains a progression of photographs illustrating various stages of preparation along with the completed dish. A handy introductory section visually identifies common ingredients and details how to complete the basics—cleaning, peeling, dicing, slicing, shredding, and preparing broths and rice. Those inspired to visit the restaurants themselves will find contact information and a map of their locations in the back of the book.

Publishers Weekly

Packed with more than 75 recipes from some of L.A.'s top Korean restaurants, this outstanding collection will appeal to those who've never even set foot in Southern California, let alone Korea. Opening with an exhaustive, photograph-rich overview of key ingredients and preparation techniques, the book offers step-by-step instructions for simple and complex dishes ranging from appetizers to sides, salads, entrees and desserts. There is a bevy of recipes for traditional dishes such as kimchi, porridge and ribs, as well as specialty and fusion dishes to ensure palates never get bored. Budding cooks can choose from familiar fare such as bulgogi, a marinated and stir-fried beef dish, or the more exotic, such as Jellyfish Salad, Spicy Monkfish or Seafood Vegetable Stew. Though these dishes can intimidate, cooks will find their meals coming together quickly once the initial preparation is done. The book's strongest suit is its breadth of flavors and styles-there are recipes for virtually every protein source, from pine nuts to pork to tofu-offering mouthwatering options for every kind of diner. (Apr.)

Biography

Allisa Park is the editor of A Collection of Fine Baking, the first English-language collection of recipes by the internationally renowned Korean pastry chef, Young Mo Kim, which won the prestigious Gourmand World Cookbook Award for best dessert book in 2005. She lives in Los Angeles.