It's time for the roundup of Cook the Books' Club October-November edition for which we read Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner.
As I've done in the past, I will present our club members' contributions as a menu organized in courses. For each dish, I will give you the official information (author, blog name and post title) and a quote from it, a taste: follow the link and read the author's take of the book and how the reading inspired the cooking.
Cook the Books Club's Crying in H Mart-Inspired Menu
Soup:
Dak Gomtang (Korean Chicken Soup)
Main:
Makgalbi-jjim (Korean Braised Short Ribs)
Kimchi-jjgae (Korean Stew)
Korean Style Short Ribs (à la Chongmi)
Midnight Kimchi Fried Rice
Side dish:
Green cabbage with honeynut squash and chestnuts
Make yourself comfortable and enjoy the menu.
Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm prepared Dak Gomtang (Korean Chicken Soup)
"This Korean Chicken soup is flavored with garlic, onions, and ginger creating a flavorful broth served over freshly steamed rice... This soup appealed to me because I was having 10 people for dinner and this soup could be made ahead of time. I boiled my chicken and made the broth the day before dinner. I steamed the rice the morning of the dinner but did not refrigerate it. I did enjoy the food descriptions and it made me long for a trip to the Asian Market, an hour's drive from my house, to enjoy food at the little cafe in the corner."
"Lots of great foodie moments and I think many who lose loved ones, especially at a young age can find this memoir relatable. As she writes, the author mentions tons of Korean foods her (sometimes overbearing) mother made for her in childhood and beyond, so there was lots of inspiration... I decided to poke around the inspiration blog [Maangchi] and see what I could find, which were these fantastic short ribs! Flavorful and delicious, this recipe will satisfy the whole family!"
Claudia of Honey from Rock prepared Kimchi-jjigae
"Some parents can be so overbearing even in their love, wanting to direct every aspect of their children's lives... The inspirations for cooking were just too many to list. All Korean food! And I had only recently posted on that. Getting Into Jang, by Mingoo Kong, A Whole New Cuisine. Anyway, I fixed a traditional Korean favorite, and one of mine as well: Kimchi-jjgae. Which is a stew in which you put some aged kimchi [spicy pickled cabbage], pork, tofu, and various seasonings."
"Zauner and her mother [Chongmi] do seem to bond over food. Korean-Chinese food was the first thing they would seek out when they arrived in Seoul for their scheduled family trips. Some of Chongmi’s more gentle lessons seemed to revolve around cuisine... It might have been food that actually kept Zauner sane... I kept coming back to Chongmi’s marinated short ribs. I pieced together a recipe that included green onions, 7-Up, soy sauce, and sesame oil... I put together a couple of recipes and then used the tips from the book on how her mom made them."
Marg of The Intrepid Reader prepared Midnight Kimchi Fried Rice
"One of the things that I enjoyed was when Michelle Zauner started trying to learn to cook more Korean food by watching Youtube videos from a person called Maangchi... I chose to take inspiration from a very popular Korean dish, Kimchi, to make a version of fried rice... did have a Korean workmate who suggested that this recipe was overly complicating things and all you really needed was some rice, some kimchi and some tuna and you had a delicious lunch, but we definitely enjoyed this when we made it, and it is an easy mid-week meal."
"The book inspired me to look at a food from my upbringing, something not only Italian, but from my family traditions. When I was in Italy last month, the smell of roasted chestnuts... reminded me of my mother. Every October, she would buy a large amount of chestnuts from someone in Casperia, the village in central Italy where she grew up. Then, in the following weeks, we would eat them often, as dessert at the end of dinner, alternatively roasted and boiled... The side dish is earthy and sweet (almost dessert-like) and it's vegan."
A great Thank you! to everyone who joined in this edition of Cook the Books.
I believe all the submissions I have received are presented in the roundup. If you find anything missing or in need of amendment anywhere in the roundup, please do let me know.
And now, I’ll pass the baton to Claudia of Honey from Rock who is hosting the December 2024-January 2025 edition in which we are reading the novel Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang.
Arrivederci a presto!
Simona, of briciole
