book review: Gather Around My Table by Kay Chun

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 5/5

Thank you Knopf for providing an ARC for review consideration via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

Gather Around My Table by Kay Chun is exactly what I needed to get my cooking to a whole new level of flavor. 

Lately, I’ve been adding new staples into my pantry and learning how to incorporate them into my routine - fish sauce, soba/udon noodles and broth, miso, anchovies, tinned fish, and seaweed have quickly become favorites. Now that I’ve gotten comfortable with those and am ready for the next level, this book seems like the perfect guide to expand my arsenal of ingredients, flavor profiles, and techniques. Thanks to Chun, my upcoming shopping list now includes clam juice, capers, perilla leaves, bonito flakes, dried fernbrake, and gochujang.

The standout recipes I’m starting with first include:
- Salads: The Everyday Greens Salad with wakame, and a Crunchy Cabbage and Sprout Salad with Tomato Nuoc Cham.
- Dips & Small Plates: A brandade made with smoked whitefish and labneh, a seasonal Smoky Eggplant Dip with Parsley-Dill Oil, and Blistered Beans and Okra.
- Hearty Dishes: Doenjang-Smothered Collards and Cabbage, and Mung Bean Pancakes with sprouts and scallions.
- Drinks: The Green Juice Cucumber Cooler (though I might wait until next summer for this one!).

As a lover of anything fermented and pickled myself, it was interesting to read how a traditional Korean meal uses a spread of these items to complement the main dishes. I walked away from that chapter with some very intriguing recipes so I can offer a spread as well—like caraway and soy pickled garlic, star anise pickled peanuts, soy-glazed seaweed, and smoky, jammy marinated eggs.

Another chapter I was excited to see was devoted entirely to tofu. Chun learned from her grandmother that tofu adds moisture and texture to meat, so she blends it into sausage for meatballs, a breakfast sausage roll, and hamburger sliders. This section also includes an eggless mayo using tofu and detailed instructions on how to make dumplings, which I have always wanted to try my hand at.

If you’re someone who is eager to branch out in the kitchen, I would highly recommend this book. While some of the ingredients might not be as familiar and may require an extra shopping trip or online order, so far in my journey that is half the fun of cooking! And once you’ve got the ingredients, the recipes look to be fairly quick and straightforward. Being in the kitchen with her grandmother, growing up in NYC, and learning French foundations in culinary school all melded into Chun’s unique perspective. That fresh approach, which mixes the familiar with the unfamiliar, is an incredibly approachable way for readers to foray into new territory.