Korean-American chef Caroline Choe’s new banchan (side dish) cookbook is receiving wide attention.
On October 30, Northwest Asian Weekly highlighted Choe’s cookbook, “Banchan, 60 Korean American Recipes for Delicious, Shareable Sides”. The book is gaining popularity as an Editor’s Pick in the Best Cookbooks, Food, and Wine category on Amazon.
“I feel like Korean food is still stuck in a traditional frame,” Choe said, “and I want people to break out of that mold.”
The book features Americanized Japanese dishes, such as her father’s favorite avocado kimchi nigiri, traditional side dishes such as fresh kimchi and seafood pancake, and creative dishes such as “hot honey crispy tofu” and “pa muchim pizza”.
The book took Choe about two years to complete. She said she debated whether to include the word “American” in the title because it will be published in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and South Korea.
“The publisher’s suggestion was ’60 Modern Korean Dishes’, but that’s not accurate,” she said, adding, ”This is me, this is my food, and I’m Korean American.”
Choe is a New York-based chef, artist, teacher, and author who created the illustrated series “The Exploratorians” and runs Create & Plate, a business that builds community through art and food education.
BY YOONJAE JUNG, HOONSIK WOO [woo.hoonsik@koreadaily.com]
