The Korean Vegan Cookbook: Reflections and Recipes from Omma's Kitchen

At first glance, The Korean Vegan Cookbook felt a bit intimidating. I bought it because of the glowing reviews and my growing interest in Korean culture and cuisine—but I hesitated to dive in. The recipes looked complex, the ingredients unfamiliar. But then something magical happened: I tried one. And it was not only delicious—it was easy. Since then, every dish I’ve made from this book has been a hit. I’ve had to tweak the spice levels here and there (easily done), but otherwise, I’ve loved every recipe. What makes this book truly special, though, isn’t just the food. It’s the heart behind it. The author weaves personal stories and thoughtful commentary throughout, turning each section and recipe into something intimate and deeply human. The photography is stunning, the layout inviting, and the guidance crystal clear—even for a home cook like me. I also really appreciate that the author shares her favorite brands for staple Korean pantry items—it made shopping feel a lot less overwhelming. Right now, this book shares top spot on my shelf with the How Not to Die Cookbook series. I can’t wait to get my hands on her second cookbook—if it’s anything like this one, I know it’ll be worth the wait.

As a long-term vegan, it's the cuisine of Southeast Asia and the Indian sub-continent (Vegan Richa) that made this journey 'palatable' for us. Oh how we love our homemade kimchi among other Korean specialties. The entire book is beautiful. The recipes are straightforward. We truly appreciated all of the specialty ingredient explanations in the first chapter of the book. The vegan 'fishy' sauce alone made this cookbook pay for itself. And yes, vegan 'fishy' sauce still has the funk of conventional fish sauce. No one who likes our kimchi noticed the difference, but we're glad to no longer rely on shrimp paste. We also agree with the author on kale vs. spinach. The beautiful kale salad is a taste bud sensation as are all of this well edited book's recipes. Lastly, we truly enjoyed the author's sharing of her childhood remembrances and all of the wonderful adults who brought her to truly embrace her cultural heritage through food. We thank you all.

AMAZING RECIPES!! I didn’t know I needed this until I got it! This is so detailed, down to the tea. It covers the history and includes basic dishes that you can make completely from scratch. I love the variety of recipes included. I do wish it came with a timer or an estimate of how long each dish would take to make, so I’d know whether to start it now or save it for later. Other than that, everything is wonderfully detailed, and now I have a great idea of what I want to make next!a

I’ve been a @Koreanvegan fan on TikTok and listened to Joanne chronicle her family’s journey. Her videos are beautiful and the food looked so tempting. I pre-ordered the book and was really excited when it arrived! I took it to my local Asian market and had the owner help me find all the ingredients I needed and didn’t already have. I’ve made the following: Mushroom Dashi - surprisingly strong flavor. Delicious. Path Bbang -red bean paste bread Sooo good. It’s a sweet press, delicious toasted with butter. Soondooboo Chigae -Silken Tofu Soup Spicy and delicious Kangpoong Tofu - probably my favorite so far. I made it with chicken thighs for my boyfriend, imitation (soy) chicken AND tofu. We taste tested all three and the real chicken was the least favorite. In the book, Joanne explains that even “noobs” to tofu will like this dish and she was right!!! We have a winner!!! Dooboi Jorim -Braised Tofu Of all the dishes I’ve made, I liked this one the least. But because the recipe instructions were so good on the others, I’m going to blame this one on user error. I might prefer this dish cooked with slightly less liquid (I didn’t measure exactly for this one.) but the flavor profile was fantastic nonetheless. If you like Korean Food, whether you are vegan or not, this book is great. I’m looking forward to trying more of them…

Everything in this book is stunning: the author’s personal history peppered throughout, the artistically pleasing food photos, and the recipes. I am a cookbook-aholic and I can confidently say this one is a work of art. I’ve been plant based since 4/18, made my first Korean dish shortly after my transition, and have been in love with the flavors ever since. (I also watch a lot of KDramas and started learning the language but that’s another story.) If you’re interested in upping your Korean-food repertoire this is the book for you.

I am writing this review not just as someone who is an avid cook, eats vegan, and is Korean. I think from the perspective of Korean cuisine I was expecting a completely fresh and innovative take on Korean cuisine. Instead, this is a book on mostly Korean classics sans the meat, fish, or eggs. Honestly there are already a lot of vegan-friendly dishes in Korean cuisine so the recipes were not really a stretch at all. I didn't find it creative or innovative in any way. I found a lot of the bread and dessert recipes irrelevant to Korean cuisine. The dolsot bbang is kind of a cute idea but it's basically a regular rustic bread (instead of baked in a dutch oven) baked in the dolsot pot... not really a clever stretch. I think it's because Koreans like to normally add Korean ingredients or elements pretty regularly when cooking other cuisines so the pasta dish didn't seem like a revelation at all. I didn't know what this cookbook was trying to be--traditional or fusion/modern. Maybe it was the way the book was organized. Honestly, many of the dressings and flavorings are ordinary stuff that Koreans use everyday in their kitchen. There were also missed opportunities for interesting kimchis, muchims, and other dishes that she could have created. However, this book I think might be exciting for someone who isn't as familiar with Korean food. That all being said, the recipes are solid and I like that they're fairly simple for the most part. You should end of up with pretty good food in the end.

I saw a couple of her videos on YouTube, and thought I'd try the book. No surprise, it is well worth it. I literally sat down and read the book cover-to-cover. I'm not vegan, in fact I'm not even vegetarian, but she's a very good cook. Highly recommended.

This book is one of my new favorite cookbooks to refer back to for new and fun recipes. My GF is vegan so we are always looking for new recipes to try. The instructions are clear and the backstory and context to each recipe or ingredient adds a great touch. I would for sure recommend this book for any vegan or non-vegan looking for great recipes