My friend and I are obsessed with Korean food. We made vows to try to make our own this year because we love it so much. We have noticed more and more Korean restaurants popping up in our area. This, of course, has encouraged us to share our infatuation with our loved ones. The caveat is that most Korean food at restaurants we go to is not vegan-friendly. That’s why both of us are thrilled about this new cookbook coming out.
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The Korean Vegan Cookbook: Reflections and Recipes from Omma’s Kitchen is exactly what we’ve been looking for! Joanne Lee Molinaro began her journey in July 2020. She created a TikTok as a way to cope with isolation during the global pandemic. Originally, she posted content about politics and life as a lawyer! But it was her post of Korean braised potatoes that went viral. She decided to pivot and exclusively make 60-second recipe videos while telling stories about her family immigrants from North Korea. Check out The Korean Vegan website for more information.
Now for The Korean Vegan Cookbook: Reflections and Recipes from Omma’s Kitchen… Many people misconstrue what Korean cuisine looks like. Westerners assume that it always involved barbecue and fish products. This cookbook shows that there is more to Korean food!
This cookbook has over 300 pages of delicious vegan Korean recipes. Some of these dishes come straight from Joanne’s childhood! Others pay homage to her mother. There’s a lovely story for every dish.
Here’s the list of chapters provided:
- The Basics
- Bbang
- Banchan
- Kimchi and Salads
- Soup and Stews
- Noodles and Pasta
- Bar and Street Foods
- Main Dishes
- Sweets
The photos throughout The Korean Vegan Cookbook: Reflections and Recipes from Omma’s Kitchen are stunning. The colors pop against the dark background. The food looks sophisticated and approachable.
A helpful feature in this cookbook is the difficulty rating stated above. Every dish is either easy, medium, or hard. Joanne has also listed additional allergies alongside. That means recipes can be gluten-free, nut-free, or have a “gluten-free option”.
If you’ve never made Korean cuisine, don’t feel intimidated. Joanne breaks down all the pantry essentials in the very beginning. Many of the ingredients are unfamiliar to Westerners. You may think, “I’ll just find a substitute!” – that’s almost impossible. To get those flavors right, you have to utilize all those sauces and bases. I appreciate how in-depth the ingredient list is!
I am curious about some of the fusion dishes! There’s a Lasagna with Gochujang Red Sauce that looks appetizing! There’s a lot of pickling recipes that will come in handy!
Take a look at The Korean Vegan Cookbook: Reflections and Recipes from Omma’s Kitchen for more! I can’t wait to dive into these recipes with my friend. Now we can make everything inclusive!
~Kaiti
