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

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST NEW COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Epicurious • EATER • Stained Page • Infatuation • Spruce Eats • Publisher’s Weekly • Food52 • Toronto Star

The dazzling debut cookbook from Joanne Lee Molinaro, the home cook and spellbinding storyteller behind the online sensation @thekoreanvegan

Joanne Lee Molinaro has captivated millions of fans with her powerfully moving personal tales of love, family, and food. In her debut cookbook, she shares a collection of her favorite Korean dishes, some traditional and some reimagined, as well as poignant narrative snapshots that have shaped her family history.

As Joanne reveals, she’s often asked, “How can you be vegan and Korean?” Korean cooking is, after all, synonymous with fish sauce and barbecue. And although grilled meat is indeed prevalent in some Korean food, the ingredients that filled out bapsangs on Joanne’s table growing up—doenjang (fermented soybean paste), gochujang (chili sauce), dashima (seaweed), and more—are fully plant-based, unbelievably flavorful, and totally Korean. Some of the recipes come straight from her childhood: Jjajangmyun, the rich Korean-Chinese black bean noodles she ate on birthdays, or the humble Gamja Guk, a potato-and-leek soup her father makes. Some pay homage: Chocolate Sweet Potato Cake is an ode to the two foods that saved her mother’s life after she fled North Korea.

The Korean Vegan Cookbook is a rich portrait of the immigrant experience with life lessons that are universal. It celebrates how deeply food and the ones we love shape our identity.

“Stunningly beautiful in every way. This book will make you fall in love with the author, her culture, her family and Korean cuisine instantly. I couldn’t recommend it more.” – Kim-Julie Hansen, founder of Best of Vegan and author of Vegan Reset

“All of Joanne Lee Molinaro’s work reminds us that the best part of any recipe is the story behind it. In her debut cookbook, she shares not only so many wonderful vegan Korean dishes (I want to cook so many things!), she also shares herself and her family with us. We are better for it.” – Julia Turshen, Bestselling Cookbook Author of Simply Julia, Host of Keep Calm & Cook On, and Founder of Equity at The Table

"When you crack open The Korean Vegan Cookbook, you won’t just want to make every one of Joanne’s mouthwatering recipes (and you will!), you’ll want to devour her writing, too. Between her creative, plant-based takes on noodles, banchan, bagels, and more, she shares stories of her family that will move you to laughter and tears by turns." – Jeanine Donofrio, author of The Love and Lemons Cookbook

Joanne Lee Molinaro is a Korean American trial lawyer, born and raised in Chicago. Molinaro adopted a plant-based diet in January 2016 and began The Korean Vegan as a passion project later that year. Her immensely popular TikTok, @thekoreanvegan, incorporates her recipes with personal narration. She has been featured in Salon, Healthyish by Bon Appétit, The Atlantic, The Kitchn, Thrive, and VegWorld, and on Food Network, CNN, BBC, and CNBC.