Starred review from November 16, 2015
Hong is one of the hottest chefs in New York’s Koreatown. Rodbard authored the Korean Food Foundation’s guide to New York after sampling the cuisine at 60 Manhattan restaurants. In collaboration, the two have come up with a detailed and sharply written collection that includes nearly 100 recipes, as well as photos, short essays, and interviews that explore various K-towns across the U.S. The authors are quick to point out what has been lost in translation. They explain that kimchi, for example, is a pickling technique, not a single dish, and offer seven variations, including pineapple, to prove their point. Bibimbap translates to mixed rice and can include any number of ingredients. The authors’ interests lie more in flavor combinations than in cooking from scratch, so packaged noodles and thawed dumpling wrappers are the order of the day, but the results are delicacies such as jjampong, a spicy noodle soup full of seafood and anchovy stock. Bar snacks—including classic Korean fried chicken, braised pig feet, and crispy pork belly—take on an added dimension in a chapter that asserts, “Drinking symbolizes respect for elders.” An inspiring section is handed over to guest chefs who have found ways of adding Korean flavor to their dishes: Daniel Holzman, of the Meatball Shop, creates a Korean barbecue–flavored ball, and Texas chef Paul Qui concocts a comforting kimchi grilled cheese.
February 1, 2016
Due to the television stardom of such chefs as David Chang, Korean food enjoys increasing influence around the U.S. Major American cities have neighborhoods where Korean immigrants flourish and where Koreans and anyone else can savor the unique tastes of good Korean cooking. Famous for beefsteak dishes including bulgogi and kalbi, Korean cuisine has been characterized as Chinese for carnivores. And the current rage for fermented foods has drawn more attention to Korea's trademark spicy, garlicky kimchi. Hong, with coauthor Robard, celebrates Korean cooking in America, and his recipes cover a wide spectrum of meat, seafood, and vegetable offerings. As interested as Hong may be in food, he has equal passion for those creative chefs around the country who have expanded the reach of Korean cooking beyond traditional Koreatowns' borders. New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago chefs offer their personal takes on Korean favorites. There's even an Atlanta recipe featuring Coca-Cola and hot-pepper paste.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)