Judy Joo's Korean Soul Food: Authentic dishes and modern twists

I am a huge cookbook collector & currently have 6 Korean cookbooks on my shelf. I am also a giant fan of Korean food (thus the number of Korean cookbooks I have) after studying abroad in South Korea in college. What I LOVE about Judy Joo’s “Korean Soul Food” is it’s such a fun twist on Korean food as I know it. This is unlike any of my other Korean cookbooks. Instead of classic dishes, the recipes are elevated, modernized, given a unique twist, or fused with another type of cuisine in the best way possible. The book is gorgeous and inspiring with loads of pictures & I plan to cook my way through it. What I’ve made so far (the egg souffle, English bibim breakfast, and ribeye with kimchi bearnase) has been to die for. I highly, highly recommend this cookbook.

This book is well written and easy to use for ingredients and steps. The food is a blend of cultures in ways that make it easy for the user to adapt into their cooking styles. The cooking is well flavored and always leaves you feeling full and happy. The show she runs as well is very good and inspires you to try new ideas.

I bought this cookbook as a gift for my wife who is Korean but has never really cooked Korean food and she loves it! She says it's her new favorite cookbook. She likes that it includes both traditional and modern dishes. My wife also says the directions are laid out very clearly and she says she's already learned some new cooking techniques from it. All 3 recipes (pork kimchi dumplings, beef bulgogi, and chili brownies) my wife has tried have been delicious, and we can't wait to try more!

White Lion Publishing and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Judy Joo's Korean Soul Food. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given. Cookbook author Judy Joo was inspired by her multicultural upbringing, creating recipes that showcase her heritage and her love of flavor. This cookbook is divided into logical sections, like Salads & Banchan, Pickles & Kimchi, Dumplings, Street Food, Rice, Ko-mex, Meat & Seafood, Soup & Noodles, Bread, and Desserts. The list of Korean staple ingredients, along with definitions, is very helpful for those getting their feet wet regarding this cuisine. There is a page of necessary sauces, easy to make and store in the refrigerator until needed. In Korean cuisine, small dishes are essential to each meal, creating a balance of color, texture, and flavor, so it is fitting that the first section includes banchan and salads. Dishes such as Korean-style Cucumber Salad, as well as Egg Souffle with Mushrooms and Truffle, are common. Even those who are unfamiliar with Korean cuisine will recognize the name Kimchi. The author has several variations to choose from, as well as dishes such as Korean Picked Onion and Spiced Pickled Green Papaya and Cucumber. Dumplings (mandoo) recipes are both non-traditional (Philly Cheesesteak) and traditional (pork and kimchi), having in common bright flavors and great textures. There are Street Foods like Saewoo Prawn Pop Balls, with their crisp texture and tangy dipping sauce. Ko-mex fusion dishes can inspire, like Sea Bass Tacos and Kimchi Lamb Tamales. The Meat & Seafood section has the most recognizable dishes, like Grilled Beef Short Ribs, Beef Bulgogi, and Pan fried Flounder. There are Soup & Noodle dishes like Seafood Silken Tofu Soup and Fish Chowder with Miso. The final two sections are Bread, with offerings such as Kimchi Cheese Pretzel Bites, and Desserts, such as Green Tea Roll Cake and Asian Pear Tart. I found many recipes to be inspiring, but would have been even more so if there had been accompanying photographs for every dish. Especially when a cuisine may be new to readers, the photographs help to spark an interest. Overall, there were many dishes that I would like to make in Judy Joo's Korean Soul Food Cookbook, so I would recommend it to other readers.

Judy’s second cookbook brings a new and fresh approach to traditional Korean dishes. I have both of her cookbooks and use them often. The dumpling recipes are family favorites! I am not a chef and the directions are super easy to follow. Highly recommend!!

I don't even understand why this is on SALE but PICK IT UP!!!! Why not?!?! Haven't gone through it all yet, but it's a gorgeous hardcover chockfull of personality, photos, and info. A recipe that did stand out so far: Spam Fries with Kimchi Cheese Dip! :P

Nice book, haven’t tried the recipes yet but they look promising. Mostly this review is regarding the quality of the book I received. The price was pretty good as the item was on sale but I’m a bit disappointed in the quality. As seen in the photos there is some unattractive damage along different parts of the cover, almost like it was bleached or it got paint on it. Also some dirt or other grime along one spot. Besides the cooking recipes, I enjoy cookbooks as display pieces on my bookshelf, so I’m not too happy about the look of this. Keep in mind when buying that the quality of the book varies and may not be pristine.

I wasn't to sure about ordering a "USED" book, concerned the possible condition. When ordering it it stated that it was like new, I'll tell you I would not have been able to tell from a new one.

Great modern Korean / fusion - fun for my 13 year old and mom cooking time. Beautiful book. Yummy recipes.

Read this on Kindle Up but will be buying. Well laid out, good instructions and personal anecdotes make it very readable my only moan and it is a small one, I would have liked more photo's , I know nothing about Korean cuisine ( other than the spam) or how it presents so something to show how it could look would have been helpful but even if you are not a big foodie it's a great read.

Judy Joo does a great job of explaining her recipes and adds photos which help. I love the easy tasty recipes and will be looking to purchase other cookbooks from this chef.

Authentic recipes well written, recommend it.

Lots of lovely recipes but not quite what I wanted I was disappointed at the amount of fusion food. I had wanted authentic Korean food not a mismatch. The book itself is well presented and the photos are good. I’ll give it a go but feel I now have to buy another cookery book to go alongside this one