Maangchi's Real Korean Cooking

Well, since I reviewed The Silver Spoon, may as well do my other go-to cookbook: MAANGCHI.

I don't know how I found Maangchi, but - like most people? - I found her on YouTube. She's awesome. I love her. What a hero. Her name means “Hammer” in Korean, I think she used it for some MMORPG games? I dunno. She's hilarious.

Anyway, I've always been daunted by Korean cooking. Bibimbap seems very mysterious to me. What is this magic? So I was amazed and surprised and VERY HAPPY to learn, via cooking Maangchi's stuff, that (1) Korean cooking is super unexpected, yes, in its ingredient combos, but (2) it's SO EASY, and (3) oh man, such easy hits. This book definitely has the highest attempt:success ratio than any other cookbook. I lived near an HMart for a while, which made buying more niche Korean ingredients super easy. Now I think I'll have to depend on the intertoonbs. Maangchi has some recommendations on where to get stuff: glutinous rice flour, rice syrup. Kimchi you can get anywhere.

Anyway, the hits:
- Savory-sweet black beans, oh man yum. So easy. And a good example of the ingredient combos that made me go, “This'll never work...” and THEN IT WORKED: soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic. Okay, I guess that sounds pretty straightforward actually.
- Zucchini pancakes.
- Kimchi pancakes.
- A kimchi + beef soup thing.
- This amazing porridge that was surprising and different (for me) and SO GOOD and VERY WARMING. Perfect for the winter.
- Fried tofu with soy sauce and scallions. Every time I make this, I batch-make it for a week of work lunches and then just eat it all on Sunday afternoon. DISCIPLINE FAIL.
- Jajangmyeon, MMMMMM SO GOOD.
Sorry, I'm not looking up the other recipe names. Honestly, everything I've tried has been easy and amazing. I'm also a big fan of the indiscriminate use of a soft boiled egg on everything. YES PLEASE. Also, I think, it's so nice because much of the stuff is (a) nice and spicy and tasty and (b) actually quite light!