Banchan is an accessible and appealing collection of Korean American side dish (banchan) recipes collected and written by Caroline Choe. Released 8th Oct 2024 by Chronicle Books, it's 208 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.

For readers who love Korean food but always felt somewhat intimidated and full of excuses: "It's too complicated", "the ingredients are hard to source", "it requires too much special equipment", and "is it culturally insensitive for a pasty white Irish girl to even make Korean food?". This is an everyday cookbook for non-professional cooks who love delicious Korean food and are enchanted by and want a cookbook with emphasis on the huge array of side dishes, pickles, ferments, relishes, etc which accompany meals. The author's accessible and friendly writing style inspires confidence and there's a definite "you can do it" vibe about the whole book. It's a welcoming book with a friendly voice.

It starts with a short background and pictorial introduction to Korean seasonings and ingredients. Some of these can be readily sourced at any well stocked international/Asian grocery store. Some of them will probably need to be ordered online.

The book continues in a logical fashion from (ferments/preserved dishes), namul & muchim (fresh salad/veg), jorim (soy sauce marinated), stir fried & steamed, soups & stews, buchimgae (pancakes - wonderful selection), and cold & hot banchan. There are 60(ish) recipes, plus alternative tips and prep suggestions. The chapters are packed with recipes (nearly all accompanied by color photographs) which are clear and easy to follow. Each of the recipes include sidebar with ingredients listed bullet point fashion (given in imperial/US standard measurements and metric equivalents), yields, and step-by-step instructions. Nutritional info is not included.

All of the recipes and assorted other information is provided in both English (transliterated), and phonetic Hangul. The book isn't bilingual, but it is well grounded in the traditional Korean names for dishes and ingredients.

All in all, this is a beautifully written and presented Korean cookbook full of delicious food. The photography is top notch, the dishes are appealing and the recipes reflect a love and respect for culture and good food.

Five stars. Loved this one. A good choice for public library acquisition, home use and gift giving.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Oh my gosh, what a book. I bookmarked almost every page. The pictures are mouthwatering and the recipes are even more enticing. Oh, the meals we will have together. I will reach for this book again and again.

This book has created an obsession for me with A(trying new banchan) and B(making my own banchan). The soy sauce pickles were so flavorful and complement just about every dish. The kimchi pancake was more of a challenge, but a welcome one. Very tasty overall. I look foward to making more recipes from this book and expanding our family's palates.

This cookbook contains 60 Korean side-dish recipes, ranging from known, traditional banchan to the author's modern takes on classic banchan recipes. Each recipe includes a personal story and a color photo, which was really helpful. The book includes a list of common pantry and fridge items that are needed to make these recipes. The item descriptions are helpful and the illustrations are cute but actual photos of the food items would be useful to beginners. I tried several of the traditional recipes and they were very easy to follow and very tasty (although I did have to decrease the amount of salt). The modern recipes, such as gochujang chicken salad or the kimchi mac and cheese, look interesting and not too difficult. I would recommend this book to beginners and beyond because the recipes are easy to follow and very accessible. The recipes I tried were delicious and the modern takes on banchan look very intriguing.
* I received this book free of charge from NetGalley

Immediately love this book! The visuals and text are perfect, They explain every banchan and ingredient very well. This book confirmed for me that I like to have a picture for every recipe. Wonderful and will buy and recommend to my cooking bookclub.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. i thought this was a unique cookbook that gave me a few new ideas. the instruction was clear and concise, a beginner cook would be able to figure out how to make things in this book.

This is an absolute must buy! The recipes are incredibly easy to make, and the ingredients aren't difficult to source, especially if you have an Asian Market in your area.

I had everything on hand to make the Sesame Broccoli Salad, and the Sesame Tuna Salad for lunch today. They were simple to make, and tasted fantastic.

The next recipe on my list to make is Sweet and Savory Grilled Kimcheese.

I know I will be working my way through the entire cookbook, and I think this is one I would like to get in print too.

This is a beautiful cookbook, and I learned so much about Banchan! The recipes are great. I made the Shigeumchi Namul (Seasoned Spinach Salad) as that's a favorite from Korean restaurants. It was easy and delicious! The Pa Muchim (Shaved Green Onion Salad) was also sooo good. Finally, I tried the Japchae (Stir-Fried Sweet Potato Noodles). I have a japchae recipe I usually make, which is very similar to the one in this book. I very much appreciated the step-by-step instructions the author uses in this book, so it's my new favorite.

Overall a great introduction to an important part of Korean meals, and not one that is often a major focus in Korean cookbooks. I can't wait to add a hard copy to my shelves!

I have loved eating Korean food for a long time and after having tried many of the recipes in Banchan, I would give this cookbook all the stars! The recipes are quick, have just a few, easy to find ingredients, and taste so good! My family and I loved the spicy cucumber kimchi, japchae, cheesy corn, and tofu recipes.

I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a honest review.

I loved this books pictures and more Americanized recipes. I'm intrigued by so many Korean foods I'd love to try.

So many cultures have a tradition of small shareable plates like tapas throughout Spain, cicchetti in Venice, dim sum in Hong Kong, rijsttafel from Indonesian influence on the Dutch, and of course Banchan in Korea. These foods take eating beyond nourishment and make it a social occasion, something fun to mingle around and be entertained with. Sharing food is sharing a bit of yourself weather at a restaurant bar or a family table. And in the book Banchan, the author shares a bit of herself through her recipes of many sharable dishes. As with many book, the introduction presents the author's personal story and then introduces readers to tools and pantry staples. Recipes are broken down into two types, classics and those created from her own kitchen. The classics are further categorized as fermented & preserved, fresh vegetables, jorim & soy sauce-marinated, stir-fried & steamed, soups & stews, and pancakes; whereas her creations fall into two categories of cold and hot. The recipes themselves are clear with ingredient list, description, photos, yield, clear step-by-step instruction and helpful notes. For someone who loves to cook and has enjoyed banchan in restaurants but has been too intimidated to try producing any of these dishes at home, this book appears to be the panacea and I can't wait to try several recipes in my own kitchen. Furthermore, it looks like a great gift for a number of hobbyist chefs on my list.
I received access to this ebook thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Chronicle Books) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

Gorgeous book, easy to use and read. It's not always easy to make a cookbook that I can follow, but this one hit all the marks. Will look for a physical copy for sure!

For everyone not familiar with Korean Cuisine; Banchan are shared side dishes in every Korean Meal. Not ever has there been a cookbook specially focused on these delicious side dishes, with has something for every taste palate.
In this beautiful book that comes out this October, chef Caroline Choe shows 60 banchan recipes, traditional ones, but mostly Korean-American types, as the author is a true New Yorker with Korean roots. In the introduction she tells about herself and her family and their bond with food.

The book is divided into two parts; part 1 covers the Banchan Classics, which is subdivided into different chapters in which the recipes differ by cooking technique (fermented, stir-fried and steamed, soy sauce-marinated). Part 2 is "Banchan From My Kitchen'', with cold and hot banchan recipes from the author's hand, with recipes as Kimchi Mac and Cheese, Asian pear and green onion kimchi, sesame egg salad and grilled kimcheese sandwiches. And of course the author shares which staple ingredients are not to miss in you pantry for these recipes.

The recipes are truly delicous and the pictures that accompany the recipes are sharp , clear and just beautiful!

To name a few recipes that stood out;Kimchi Avocado Nigiri, smoky gochujang chicken salad, tomato potato miso soup, and a classic bibimbap.

Overall, this book is a must have for everyone who loves Korean/Korean-American food, and for those who are new to it and just for everyone who loves to recreate these delicious side dishes at home!

If you're a fan of Korean food and banchan (all those little dishes that are served alongside the meal), this cookbook is a must have! I found so many recipes in Banchan that I can't wait to try! The recipes aren't overly difficult, and there is a little of everything from homemade kimchi to pancakes, even soups and a mac and cheese recipe (yum). I also loved the beautiful food photography, and I enjoyed reading the author's family stories surrounding the dishes.

A perfect mix of classic and modern, Banchan offers recipes for beloved classic dishes like dubu jorim and modern ones like kimchi corn cheese. Revolutionize your mealprep by trying out three or four of these tasty dishes with rice, for a balanced, never-boring set of meals to enjoy all week. Most of the recipes are one pan wonders that take less than 30 minutes to execute, prep time included.

This book has an excellent collection of banchan recipes! The recipes are well-organized and easy to follow. I think the layout and fonts are somewhat basic, but the photographs are beautiful. There is a wonderful variety of ingredients used throughout. Immediately after reading, I made kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) and am excited to try the results in a few days!

Wonderful selection of Banchan (side dishes). If you love Korean food, you'll love this!
Thanks so much to NetGalley, Chronicle Books and Caroline Choe for giving me an ARC of this wonderful cookbook!

Perfect cookbook for those of us who have fallen in love with Korean cuisine and want to make all the delicious banchan that you get in restaurants!

This book is phenomenal!
If you are new to Korean Banchans or someone who knows most common banchans, like myself, this book is a must grab!
Not only does Choe cover your basic banchans, but then she goes into her own unique banchans she makes at home, such as a Smoky Gochujang Chicken Salad that I'm very excited to try!
Highly recommend for anyone looking for some new recipes to try! :)

Banchan is a perfect addition to your stash of cookbooks. The recipes are easy to follow, and the pictures are beautiful. The author simplified the process of making the recipes without losing any of their original essence. The beginning has a list of what will be needed for the meals, most of which are easily accessible. 5 of 5 stars