Cook Korean!

A uniquely approachable Korean cookbook that teaches 64 recipes through colorful, step-by-step comic illustrations. Robin Ha grew up in Seoul before moving to the United States, and she combines her love of comics with her knowledge of Korean home cooking in a book that makes the cuisine feel fun and accessible.

Why Start Here

If a 448-page cookbook feels intimidating, this is your entry point. Ha strips Korean cooking down to its essentials and presents each recipe as a one-to-three-page comic with illustrated ingredients, clear steps, and cheerful commentary. It covers the dishes most people want to learn first: kimchi, bulgogi, bibimbap, japchae, Korean fried chicken, and a solid range of soups and stews.

The visual format is genuinely useful, not just a gimmick. Seeing each step drawn out makes it easier to understand techniques like folding dumplings or layering ingredients in a hot stone bowl. The ingredient guides at the front of the book use the same illustrated style, making it simple to identify unfamiliar items at the grocery store.

What to Expect

A compact, colorful book at 176 pages. The recipes are straightforward and most can be made in under an hour. This is not a comprehensive reference like Maangchi’s book. It’s a curated introduction that gives you enough confidence to start cooking Korean food regularly. If you enjoy the visual approach and want to go deeper, it pairs well with a more detailed cookbook for your next step.