Rice Table: Korean Recipes and Stories to Feed the Soul

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I didn’t know that… Washington State reportedly produces almost half of the USA’s apples. Photographs by Alanna Hale. I didn’t know that… Early in his career, Andy Warhol illustrated etiquette expert Amy Vanderbilt’s cookbook (Claire named her book after a set of Warhol’s prints). Photography by Maren Caruso I was too busy and too eager to integrate [and] make a new home for myself in the city that I madly fell in love with," Scott explained. "In the process, I had lost all that makes me Korean, including my ability to speak my mother tongue fluently. It was only through cooking the dishes of my own childhood [that] I was able to reconnect and rebuild my Korean heritage.” To make the glaze, combine the jocheong, ketchup, water, sugar, soy sauce, gochujang and garlic in a bowl. Mix well and set aside. Place the onion and milk in a food processor and blend until smooth. Stir in the garlic powder and salt. Pour over the tenderised pork and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

When I think about my childhood, there's this powerful moment of smell," says Scott. "There's this one specific memory of my father sourcing the good meat bones, and my mother preparing the broth for days on end. Scott was initially too scared to make it herself - in case it tainted her memories - but now she says "it has got another story to it", and she makes it every winter for her daughter. And no, it doesn't taste like her mother's - but she says that's "a good thing in a way". When you talk about Korean food with other people, they talk about bulgogi and bibimbap. Of course, these are wonderful dishes that champion Korean cuisine, but they are only a fraction of what we offer,” she says. Keep one hand for the egg and the other for handling the dry ingredients. Lightly dust the pork with flour, dip into the whisked egg, then push into the breadcrumbs gently but firmly until evenly coated. Repeat with the other piece and set aside. The process has taught me that what appears to be seemingly ordinary and mundane days or our lives and the memories that surrounds the taste, are in fact what sustains and shapes us the way we are. I’ve leant to appreciate the everydayness. What are the components of a fantastic meal for you?As a longtime fermenter, I wondered how much James Read’s illustrated book on its joys and benefits might have for me. I’m delighted to say: a great deal. There are adaptable methods for sauerkraut, kombucha, soy and more, plus lively recipes, such as soy caramel dark chocolate tart, that spring from them. A book to inspire confidence in newcomers and engage the converted. Recipe to make: Pear and panjiri trifle – panjiri is a Punjabi dessert made from flour cooked in ghee, with sugar or jaggery, spices and ground nuts. Sift both flours, the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and salt. The step-by-step tutorials include images numerous enough to guide and few enough not to confuse. The appealing recipes showcase the different pasta forms superbly: gemelli with slow-cooked pork shoulder ragù and saffron lorighittas with blue swimmer crab made me particularly hungry. The subtitle – The Many Shapes Of A Family Tradition – reflects the importance of family food traditions and connections that run through the book. Lower the heat and melt in the butter with the garlic, then add the kimchi, sugar, mirin and gochugaru. Give it a good stir to combine the ingredients, then sauté gently for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Make sure not to burn the gochugaru. We are not here to caramelise the kimchi, rather to soften it slowly in luscious fat.

Once the pork has browned, crank up the heat and add the onions. Stir-fry the onions over a high heat for a couple of minutes to soften and caramelise. The onions should still have a little bite to them and not be completely mushy. Divide the pork cutlets between two individual plates without slicing. Pour the warm brown sauce generously over the top. Serve with shredded cabbage salad. Remove the pork from the fridge. Scrape off as much of the marinade as possible and pat the meat dry with kitchen paper. Have three shallow, rimmed plates or trays ready: one filled with the flour, one with the eggs and one with the panko breadcrumbs. Rice syrup has a softer sweetness than sugar, and a faint butterscotch taste with umami undertones. In the absence of rice syrup, a simple mixture of sugar dissolved in hot water in equal ratio, with a touch of maple syrup to flavour, can make a reasonable substitution. But I do think it is worth trying the recipe with rice syrup, as the substitution will give the dish a different finish (it sets differently). After all, it wouldn’t be a gangjeong without the dominant appearance of traditional syrup, which can easily be found in Korean supermarkets or online.Banchan dishes in the book include tofu with buttered kimchi, stir-fried fishcakes with green peppers, soy sauce-glazed aubergines, and spring onion pancakes. I didn’t know that… The now widespread breadfruit came to West Africa from New Guinea and the Philippines. Photographs by Yuki Sugiura & Dave Brown. Quadrille has snaffled up rights to Rice Table, “an exploration of Korean food culture and identity, through 80 delicious recipes” by début author Su Scott, in a three-way auction.

Perhaps Scott’s words resonates with me so strongly because my own parents emigrated to England a few years before I was born and I, like Scott’s daughter Kiki, was born in London. I am immensely grateful and full of respect for the careful line my parents – especially my mother – walked to keep my sister and I connected to our ancestral motherland, family and culture whilst also robustly encouraging us to grow up comfortable in our British identities. When I think about my childhood, there’s this powerful moment of smell,” says Scott. “There’s this one specific memory of my father sourcing the good meat bones, and my mother preparing the broth for days on end.

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The whole house would smell of bones. It’s not a nasty smell, but it’s not overly pleasant either. It’s the dish I absolutely hated as a child, but it’s also the one I felt so loved with.” Place the dough in a reusable plastic bag or wrap in clingfilm. Rest in the fridge for at least one hour or overnight. Recipe I can’t wait to make: Neri miso, a combination of miso, honey and water or sake, which has “extremes of salt and sweet that are so balanced it’s as if your taste buds have been put into a painful, yet deeply soothing, yoga position” . Harriet Webster, commissioning editor, bought world rights from Emily Sweet Associates. The book will publish in March 2023. Cheese expert Emma Young uses her experience as maker, judge and cheesemonger to create a flavour-led guide to everything from reblochon to caerphilly. The ‘wheel’ refers to the six chapters at the heart of the book: Fresh, Bloomy Rind, Washed Rind, Blue, Soft, Semi Hard, into which over 100 cheeses are allotted based on their dominant character. There are notes about tasting, pairing, origins and creating cheeseboards.