We are massive fans of Korean food and since you've clicked on this article, we're guessing you are too! Whether you're a kimchi queen, a bibimbap beginner or somewhere in between, in this article we share tips on how to find the best Korean cookbooks for your home kitchen.
Below you'll discover the top ten Korean cookbooks in the UK; from authentic flavours to contemporary treats, these books are packed with delicious Korean recipes and are all available on Amazon and eBay. We've found vegetarian Korean food, mouthwatering paleo picks and even the perfect guide to a tasty Korean bbq. Bab meokja!
This guide is dedicated to breaking down your decision into simple steps. We'll help you carefully consider your purchase, rather than making a snap decision, and hopefully inspire you with Korean cookery books and cuisine to try at home.
Make sure you know the types of dishes and ingredients the cookbook you've chosen includes, so you can realistically plan out the kinds of things you will be learning to prepare. The staples of Korean cooking are soups, stews, kimchi and other pickles, meat, seafood, noodles and rice.
However, you might want to check whether the book you're considering also contains dessert recipes, ideas for snacks, cocktails and banchan (side dishes). That way, you can create a more comprehensive Korean spread or host a dinner party that ticks every possible box. Some books even have a special barbecue chapter with pastes and sauces too!
Specialised books can be ideal for catering to specific diets and tastes. If you're all about the Korean barbecue, forget the single chapter and choose a tome which focuses wholeheartedly on this mainstay of Korean eating. These books talk you through the whole process from prep, to pepper sauce, to presentation.
You may have a more serious dietary aim, like avoiding meat and fish or cutting out grains, gluten and dairy. For such cases we've pinpointed the most inspiring, educational books on veggie options in Korea and even handpicked our favourite paleo book, which reinvents Korean classics using only ingredients that would have been available in the Palaeolithic era.
Few are budding chefs capable of spotting a new recipe to try, without a photograph to help decide. A picture speaks quite a few words, or so we've heard, so you'll likely want to pick one that contains glorious images to illustrate how the final product should ideally look.
Top-quality, full colour photographs clearly present the recipes and get you licking your lips before you've so much as opened the cutlery draw. Others have more trendy, artsy images and hand-drawn illustrations, providing a quirky twist that feels sweetly nostalgic - and could serve as a thoughtful gift!
Hardcover or paperback? While paperbacks are cheaper, lighter and more flexible, a hardcover is often the best way to go when buying a cookbook. You can open it out flat more easily, or prop it up for reference when cooking without the need for a stand as paperbacks have a tendency to suddenly ping shut.
Another handy option is choosing the Kindle edition of a cookbook, saving space on your shelves. Digital cookbooks have shot up in popularity as they are convenient to store and much cheaper on average than buying the book itself. Just be careful not to get doenjang on your screen as you swipe!
Now we are pleased to introduce the top ten best Korean recipe books in the UK! We hope at least one will make it to your kitchen bookshelf and bring Korean cuisine into your weekly menu.
£25.95
Dish Types | Kimchi and pickles, banchan side dishes, stews and soups, noodles and rice, desserts. |
---|---|
Speciality | Vegetarian |
Illustrations | Photographs |
Formats Available | Paperback |
£20.51
Dish Types | Bap (rice) dishes, BBQ and protein dishes, soups and stews, noodles, pancakes, banchan side dishes, sweet dishes, Korean kitchen classics |
---|---|
Speciality | Paleo (gluten- and grain-free) |
Illustrations | Photographs |
Formats Available | Paperback and Kindle edition |
£16.26
Dish Types | Sauces and seasonings, snacks and drinks, meats, poultry, fish and shellfish, vegetables and tofu, sides, leftovers, sweet dishes |
---|---|
Speciality | Barbecue |
Illustrations | Photographs |
Formats Available | Hardcover |
£17.69
Dish Types | Rice and savoury porridge, soups and strews, vegetables, pickles and sides, pancakes, fritters and tofu, noodles, fish, meat, dessert |
---|---|
Speciality | Classic Korean cuisine |
Illustrations | Photographs |
Formats Available | Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition |
£12.12
Dish Types | Kimchi and banchan, rice, noodles and dumplings, barbecue: grilled, smoked and fired, drinking food (pojangmacha), soups, stews and braises, drinks, sweets and desserts |
---|---|
Speciality | Classic Korean cuisine |
Illustrations | Photographs |
Formats Available | Hardcover and Kindle edition |
£18.85
Dish Types | Banchan side dishes, barbecue, seafood and meat, soups and stews, noodles, rice and dumplings, desserts |
---|---|
Speciality | Home cooking |
Illustrations | Photographs |
Formats Available | Hardcover and Kindle edition |
£9.99
Dish Types | Stock, sauces and marinades, kimchi and pickles, appetisers and anju (bar food), side dishes, soups and stews, rice and noodles, fish and seafood, poultry and meat, fusion fare, drinks and sweet treats |
---|---|
Speciality | Classic Korean cuisine |
Illustrations | Photography |
Formats Available | Paperback, hardcover and Kindle edition |
£25.27
Dish Types | Banchan side dishes, kimchi, muchim, meat, seafood, soups, stews, rice, noodles, anju, snacks, cocktails and desserts |
---|---|
Speciality | Modern and classic Korean cuisine |
Illustrations | Photographs |
Formats Available | Hardcover and Kindle edition |
£15.99
Dish Types | Kimchi and pickles, vegetable side dishes, meat and poultry, seafood, soups and stews, porridges, noodles and rice cakes, snacks and street food, cocktails and anju (bar snacks), Korean fusion |
---|---|
Speciality | Classic Korean cuisine |
Illustrations | Comic book style drawings |
Formats Available | Paperback and Kindle edition |
£21.99
Dish Types | Grains and one-bowl meals, soups and stews, kimchi, sauces and garnishes, meaty, essential Korean seafood, vegetables, banchan and mitbanchan side dishes, dosirak Korean lunchboxes, drinks and party food, Korean Buddhist temple cuisine, sweet dishes, street food and modern dishes |
---|---|
Speciality | Classic and modern Korean cooking |
Illustrations | Photographs |
Formats Available | Hardcover |
Image | 1 ![]() Maangchi With Martha Rose Shulman | 2 ![]() Robin Ha | 3 ![]() Hooni Kim and Aki Kamozawa | 4 ![]() Naomi Imatome-Yun | 5 ![]() Sohui Kim | 6 ![]() Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard | 7 ![]() Jordan Bourke and Rejina Pyo | 8 ![]() Bill Kim with Chandra Ram | 9 ![]() Jean Choi | 10 ![]() Shin Kim |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Maangchi's Big Book of Korean Cooking | Cook Korean! A Comic Book with Recipes | My Korea: Tradition | Seoul Food Korean Cookbook: Korean Cooking from Kimchi and Bibimbap to Fried Chicken and Bingsoo | Korean Home Cooking: Classic Modern Recipes | Koreatown: A Cookbook | Our Korean Kitchen | Korean BBQ | Korean Paleo: 80 Bold-Flavored, Gluten- and Grain-Free Recipes | Vegetarian Dishes from My Korean Home |
Features | Award-Winning Bestseller With Top Quality Images and a Broad Array of Treats | A Joyful Blend of Graphic and Culinary Art | High Class Korean Cooking From a Seasoned Chef | Korean Flavour Sensations Passed Down From Grandma | Super Straightforward Homely Korean Recipes | Bestselling Cookbook Sharing Korean Recipes Through an American Lens | Award-Winning Celebration of Culture, Etiquette and Feasting | Seven Sumptuous Sauces Adding a Dash of Korea to Your Barbie | Tasty Dairy, Grain and Gluten Free Versions of Korean Classics | A Straightforward Guide to Veggie Feasting, Korean Style! |
Price | £21.99 | £15.99 | £25.27 | £9.99 | £18.85 | £12.12 | £17.69 | £16.26 | £20.51 | £25.95 |
Dish Types | Grains and one-bowl meals, soups and stews, kimchi, sauces and garnishes, meaty, essential Korean seafood, vegetables, banchan and mitbanchan side dishes, dosirak Korean lunchboxes, drinks and party food, Korean Buddhist temple cuisine, sweet dishes, street food and modern dishes | Kimchi and pickles, vegetable side dishes, meat and poultry, seafood, soups and stews, porridges, noodles and rice cakes, snacks and street food, cocktails and anju (bar snacks), Korean fusion | Banchan side dishes, kimchi, muchim, meat, seafood, soups, stews, rice, noodles, anju, snacks, cocktails and desserts | Stock, sauces and marinades, kimchi and pickles, appetisers and anju (bar food), side dishes, soups and stews, rice and noodles, fish and seafood, poultry and meat, fusion fare, drinks and sweet treats | Banchan side dishes, barbecue, seafood and meat, soups and stews, noodles, rice and dumplings, desserts | Kimchi and banchan, rice, noodles and dumplings, barbecue: grilled, smoked and fired, drinking food (pojangmacha), soups, stews and braises, drinks, sweets and desserts | Rice and savoury porridge, soups and strews, vegetables, pickles and sides, pancakes, fritters and tofu, noodles, fish, meat, dessert | Sauces and seasonings, snacks and drinks, meats, poultry, fish and shellfish, vegetables and tofu, sides, leftovers, sweet dishes | Bap (rice) dishes, BBQ and protein dishes, soups and stews, noodles, pancakes, banchan side dishes, sweet dishes, Korean kitchen classics | Kimchi and pickles, banchan side dishes, stews and soups, noodles and rice, desserts. |
Speciality | Classic and modern Korean cooking | Classic Korean cuisine | Modern and classic Korean cuisine | Classic Korean cuisine | Home cooking | Classic Korean cuisine | Classic Korean cuisine | Barbecue | Paleo (gluten- and grain-free) | Vegetarian |
Illustrations | Photographs | Comic book style drawings | Photographs | Photography | Photographs | Photographs | Photographs | Photographs | Photographs | Photographs |
Formats Available | Hardcover | Paperback and Kindle edition | Hardcover and Kindle edition | Paperback, hardcover and Kindle edition | Hardcover and Kindle edition | Hardcover and Kindle edition | Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition | Hardcover | Paperback and Kindle edition | Paperback |
Link |
Now that we've tempted you with our Korean cooking suggestions, we bet you're hungry for more additions to your kitchen shelf. Below you'll find links to some of our other informative articles on recipe books ranging from different countries' cuisines to those championing different diets. Take a peek to find more of the very best books available from Amazon, eBay and more!
Whether you've spent time in Korea and want to recreate some of your favourite feasts here in the UK, or are testing out Korean cuisine for the very first time, we hope you've worked up an appetite reading about our top-rated Korean cookbooks. Here's to a proper feast. Ready, steady, bul - GO - gi!
Author: Annie Hopkins
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