Cook Korean! A comic book with recipes

Ha, a professional cartoonist and amateur chef, gained online notoriety for her Tumblr project entitled "Banchan in 2 Pages," a weekly comic with illustrated instructions for various Korean dishes. Ha now transitions to print with this collection of 65 drawn recipes, 50 of which are new for the book. Offerings range from traditional to contemporary, and include six types of kimchi, seafood dishes such as spicy octopus and pan-fried yellow croaker, and separate chapters for stews, porridges, noodles, and street food. Promoted as an "intersection of graphic novel and cookbook," it is a work in need of a traffic light. The illustrations are colorful and charming, full of animated vegetables, a superhero can of Spam, and a winking squid. But her two-page compositions are highly nonlinear and extremely crowded, making the recipes appear more complicated than they actually are. Arrows and dotted lines are employed to give structure, but they further distract the eye. Meanwhile, numerous descriptions and instructions are presented in speech bubbles or crammed onto the page in tight paragraphs. It's an adventure in risky chopping for those who like to read along as they prep. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

On her blog Banchan in Two Pages (banchancomic.tumblr.com), cartoonist Ha publishes comics that illustrate how to prepare Korean foods such as steamed eggplant, pan-fried tofu, and tangy sea kelp salad. These and more than 60 other dishes fill her debut book, which presents culinary, cultural, and autobiographical content in graphic novel form. With supervision, even children and young adults can handle Ha's recipes, many of which are narrated by a sprightly character named Dengki. Readers will also benefit from supplementary spreads appearing throughout (e.g., intro to extreme temperatures in Korean dining, Korean regions & foods, Korean meal guide). VERDICT Like Maangchi's Real Korean Cooking, this highly recommended collection is a solid introduction for readers who feel daunted by Korean cooking and ingredients. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Prologue    6 Introduction   10 7 Key Ingredients in Korean Cooking   11 What is in the Korean Refrigerator?   12 The Korean Pantry: Dried Goods, Spirits & Kitchenware   14 Korean Meal Guide   16 Bap: Cooked Rice   17 Rice & Its Delicious By-Products   18 Korea's Regions & Foods   20 Dengki's Dress   21 Chapter 1: Kimchi and Pickles   22  Intro to Kimchi   23 Easy Kimchi (Mak Kimchi)   26 Radish Cube Kimchi (Kkakdugi)   28 Cool & Spicy Cucumber (Oisobagi)   30 Green Onion Kimchi (Pa Kimchi)   32 Chayote Pickle (Chayote Jangachi)   34 Square-Cut Kimchi Gazpacho (Nabak Kimchi)   36 Chapter 2:  Vegetable Side Dishes   38 Intro to Dosirak   39 Bean Sprout Salad (Kongnamul Muchim)   40 Soy Spinach (Sigeumchi Namul)   42 Steamed Asian Eggplant (Gaji Namul)   44 Pan-Fried Tofu  (Dubu Buchim)   46 Spicy Bok Choy (Cheonggyeongchae Muchim)   48 Mixed Veggies & Rice in a Stone Bowl (Dolsot Bibimbap)   50 Acorn Jelly Salad (Dotorimuk)   53 Chapter 3: Meat and Poultry   54  Intro to Korean Barbecue   55 Just Grill It!   57 Green Onion Salad (Pajeori)   57 Grilled Beef Short Ribs (Galbi)   58 Soy Garlic Beef over Rice (Bulgogi Dupbap)   60 Braised Beef in Soy Sauce with Eggs (Jangjorim)   62 Spicy Pork over Rice (Jeyuk Dupbap)   64 Boiled Pork Belly Wrap (Bossam)   66 Chile Chicken Stew (Dakbokkeumtang)   68 Ginseng Chicken Soup (Samgyetang)   70 Chapter 4: Seafood   72 Intro to Korean Seafood   73 Spicy Octopus over Rice (Nakji Dupbap)   74 Tangy Seaweed Salad (Miyeok Naengchae)     76 Braised Daikon With Saury (Mu Kkongchi Jorim)   78 Shishito Peppers With Dried Anchovies & Fish Cakes (Kkwarigochujjim)   80 Raw Fish Salad Bowl (Hoedupbap)   82 Pan-Fried Yellow Croaker (Jogi Gui)   84 The Legend of Gulbi   85 Chapter 5: Soups and Stews   86 Fire & Ice: Intro to Extreme Temperatures in Korean Dining   87 Soft Tofu Soup (Sundubu Jjigae)   88 Kimchi Stew (Kimchi Jjigae)   90 Soybean Paste Soup with Clams (Jogye Doenjangguk)   92 Seaweed Soup with Beef (Sogogi Miyeokguk)   94 Soybean Sprout Soup (Kongnamulguk)   96 Beef & Daikon Soup (Sogogimuguk)   98 Spicy Fish Stew (Maeuntang)   100 Spicy Beef Soup (Yukgaejang)   102 Chapter 6: Porridges   104 Intro to Juk   105 Pine Nut Porridge (Jatjuk)   106 Black Sesame Porridge (Heukimjajuk)  107 Sweet Red Bean Porridge (Danpatjuk)   108 Sweet Pumpkin Porridge (Hobakjuk)   110 Seafood Mushroom Porridge (Haemul Beoseot Juk)   112 Chapter 7: Noodles and Rice Cakes   114 Intro to Noodles   115 Spicy Cold Noodles (Bibim Guksu)   118 Rice Cake Soup (Tteokguk)   120 Hand-Pulled Dough Soup with Potatoes (Gamja Sujebi)   122 Knife Noodle Soup with Clams (Bajirak Kalguksu)   124 Sweet Potato Noodles (Japchae)   126 Cold Buckwheat Noodles (Mulnaengmyun)   128 Chapter 8: Snacks and Street Food   130 Intro to Bunsik   131 Spicy Rice Cakes (Tteokbokki)   132 Brown Sugar Pancakes (Hotteok)   134 Brown Sugar Sticky Rice (Yaksik)   136 Kimchi Fried Rice (Kimchi Bokkumbap)   138 Pickled Radish (Tongdakmu)   139 Egg in a Bowl (Gyeranjjim)   140 Seaweed Rice Roll (Gimbap)   142 Bbopkki   145 Chapter 9: Cocktails and Anju   146 Intro to Korean Drinking Culture   147 Watermelon Soju (Subak Soju)   148 Persimmon -Red Date Punch (Sujeonggwa)   150 Yogurt Soju  (Yakult Soju)   152 Intro to Anju   153 Army Stew (Budaejjigae)   154 Seafood & Green Onion Pancake (Haemul Pajeon)   156 Kimchi Pancake (Kimchi Buchimgae)   158 Chapter 10: Korean Fusion   160 Intro to Foreign Food In Korea   161 Omelet Fried Rice (Omurice)   162 Sweet & Sour Pork (Tangsuyuk)   164 Black Soybean Noodles (Jjajangmyeon)   166 Spicy Chicken Tacos (Buldak Taco)   168 Korean Burgers (Kimchi Galbi Burger)   170 Spicy Octopus Over Rice (Nakji Dupbap) This is a supersimple, delicious seafood dish to soak up your rice with. I've used frozen octopus in this recipe to cut down the prep time. You can also use squid instead of the octopus.  Cooking time: 20 minutes  Makes: 3 or 4 servings Ingredients: 2 pounds octopus, cleaned and cut into bite-size pieces 1 medium carrot, peeled 1 Korean green or red chile pepper 1 medium onion 3 green onions, white and green parts 1/4 medium green cabbage 3 cloves garlic, peeled 1(1/2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled 2 tablespoons Korean red chile flakes 1 tablespoon soy sauce 2 teaspoons sugar 3 tablespoons olive oil Salt  1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 4 cups freshly cooked rice Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish  Fresh octopus might be hard to find in regular grocery stores, but if you do find it, make sure you get rid of the intestine and clean it before using it.  You can find already cleaned and cut octopus in the frozen seafood section of Korean grocery stores.  Prep the Veggies!  Wash all of the veggies. Cut the carrot and chile into thin pieces and cut the onion, green onions, and cabbage into chunky bite-size pieces.  Slice the ginger, then crush the garlic and ginger.  The Sauce Mix the chile paste, 1 tablespoon of the chile flakes, soy sauce, and sugar. Set aside.  Quickly blanch the octopus in boiling water for a minute, then set it aside.  Octopus loses its delicious juice and becomes tough and rubbery when it's overcooked. So DON'T OVERCOOK IT! Over high heat, heat up the oil with the garlic, ginger, and the remaining 1 tablespoon chile flakes for a few seconds, then add the onion, carrot, and cabbage. Season with a pinch of salt and saute it for a couple of minutes. Add the blanched octopus, chile, green onions, and the sauce. Saute for a couple of minutes, until all the ingredients are cooked. Finally Turn off the heat, drizzle with toasted sesame oil, and mix well. Serve over freshly cooked rice and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds for garnish!   Enjoy Excerpted from Cook Korean!: A Comic Book with Recipes by Robin Ha All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.