Rice Table: Korean Recipes and Stories to Feed the Soul

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Toss the cabbage in a bowl with the Worcestershire sauce and olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Divide the pork cutlets between two individual plates without slicing. Pour the warm brown sauce generously over the top. Serve with shredded cabbage salad.

I like simple food that you can relax into; ideally something seasonal with plenty of vegetables, maybe some piece of fish or meat and plenty of carb. I would like to share it with a small group of people I love, and with a good flow of decent wine. What dish do you make most often? I didn’t know that… Iran is the world’s largest producer of pistachios. Photography: Saghar Setareh Su has written a beautiful account of how food can help rebuild culture from treasured memories, how it conveys love and connection, and how it can ground us when we feel untethered. The recipes are totally tantalising – and thanks to Su’s guidance, entirely achievable even for novices." – Tim AndersonAfter the dough has rested, divide it into four equal-sized portions, so you have a more manageable volume to work with. Work one piece at a time, keeping the remaining dough covered. Shape the dough roughly into a log, then divide it into five small golf-ball-sized pieces. The texture of the dough may feel unusual and a little crumbly. Don’t worry if this happens – just squeeze the dough firmly to shape.

I have a real soft spot for my poached pork belly wrap (bossam). It was something that my mother cooked quite often and I still remember the intoxicatingly fragrant smell of cinnamon bark and coffee in my mother’s poaching liquid so vividly. Whilst I wanted to recreate the dish like hers from my memories, I also wanted to embellish it with a little bit of me and my own kitchen in London for my daughter, and I think the dish maintains the good balance. Recipe I can’t wait to make Chestnut flour maltagliati (see Pasta Masterclass review) with porcini sauce. Fill a saucepan suitable for deep-frying with vegetable oil. It should be filled deep enough to submerge the dough balls but no more than three-quarters full. Heat to 160°C. If you don’t have a thermometer, a cube of bread should brown in 12 seconds. When it reaches 160°C, turn off the heat and carefully lower a few of the dough balls into the pan, making sure you don’t overcrowd the pan. Keep the heat off for two minutes. After two minutes, the dough will start to move and float a little.

How do you balance tradition and innovation in your cooking?

Meanwhile, for the sauce, combine the sugar, cider vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, ginger and water in a small mixing bowl. Set aside. Recipe I can’t wait to make: Kankankan cauliflower fritters with yogurt and mayo sauce (photograph: Yuki Sugiura).

A Korean living in the UK, Su Scott was thrown into a crisis of identity when motherhood dawned, one which she only found her way out of by cooking the dishes of her Korean childhood, seeking out the flavors and textures of memories that she hopes to pass on to her daughter. Ursula Ferrigno’s book has a simple proposition – to share the food of the ‘divine coast’ of Italy’s Amalfi in chapters beautifully realised by an author who was born and has lived in the landscapes she writes about. The food of this region is well loved, but expect delightful takes on the familiar – green chicory ravioli is one of many I want to try. Place the vegetable oil and chunjang in a cold wok or sauté pan over a low heat to slowly warm them up together. Stir constantly and fry the paste for about 3 minutes, until bubbles surface on top. You will notice the funky and salty smell of the paste. Once done, separate the fried paste and oil – you should have about 2½ tablespoons of oil. Set both aside. The oil will be used to cook the onions. The synopsis says: “A Korean living in the UK, Su Scott was thrown into a crisis of identity when motherhood dawned, one which she only found her way out of by cooking the dishes of her Korean childhood, seeking out the memories of flavours and textures that she hopes to pass on to her daughter.

What new tips, tricks or ideas have you learned while writing the book?

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. I didn’t know that… Cornish sea salt contains over 60 naturally occurring minerals. Photograph by Paul Gregory A rice table is a typical meal within an ordinary Korean home, and typically consists of rice, soup, a selection o three to five banchan dishes, kimchi, and a main dish of meat or fish. It’s for this simple meal that Scott has named the book, though more elaborate versions are made for special occasions and celebrations. The many recipes throughout the book lend themselves perfectly to rice table meals. 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. 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.”