Rice Table: Korean Recipes and Stories to Feed the Soul

Product Information

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. A book of belonging. Food as a love letter to family. Writing as delicious as the recipes." – Allan Jenkins, Observer Food Monthly 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 Anderson"A book of belonging. Food as a love letter to family. Fun fact… Many Koreans believe the touch of the fingertips can influence the overall harmony of flavour in a dish. Photography: Toby Scott

Meanwhile, to make the sauce, combine the sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and English mustard in a bowl. Mix well and set aside. 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. Keep one hand for the egg and the other hand dry for handling the flour and breadcrumbs. 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. Wipe down the pan and heat the reserved oil. Stir in the sliced spring onion whites and cook for 1-2 minutes over a medium heat until they sizzle and smell fragrant. Add the garlic, ginger, pork and a good pinch of salt, and stir-fry for about 3 minutes to brown the pork, while energetically moving the pan to stop the alliums from burning.I didn’t know that… Scraps left from cutting pasta are known as maltagliati, meaning ‘poorly cut’. Photography by Dave Brown Once the onions are jammy, melt in the butter. Stir in the garlic and spice mix, and cook for a minute or two so the garlic and spices can soften into the caramelised onion. Add the tomatoes, sugar and salt, then cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the drained rice, and water and soy sauce. Put the lid on and simmer for 10 minutes over a low-medium heat. In the follow up to her first book Sea & Shore, chef Emily Scott invites you to share in the recipes that colour her day: chapters such as Rise & Shine are plump with early morning delights. Beautifully photographed, the book is rich in the colours and landscapes of the north Cornwall coast where Scott runs her Watergate Bay restaurant. Short essays – relating to time and place, foraging, and more – punctuate the unfussy, flavour-led recipes, such as monkfish and saffron curry; clotted cream and lemon drizzle bundt cake and gorse-flower fudge.

Scott calls it a “hard” and “lonely” experience, but says it was “very rewarding, because you come out the other side knowing exactly who you are”.Prepare the wet batter by combining the plain flour, 30g (1oz) of the rice flour and the cornflour. Add the water gradually to the mix and whisk to break up any lumps. Step 5

Writing my book, Rice Table was an incredibly emotional experience, mainly because I had to rely on the memories of taste to recreate the dishes and to arrive at final recipes. It really pushed me dig deep to recall the small details, right from the very beginning of my childhood. Scott's food career began after moving to London in 2000 when she was 19, but it really took off after winning an Observer Food Monthly Award in 2019 for a recipe based on her mother's kimchi jjigae. The rustic, spicy stew, typically made with pork belly, tofu and kimchi, was voted Best Readers' Recipe by The Observer's food magazine.

Method

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 flavours and textures of memories that she hopes to pass on to her daughter. Donkkaseu is still served in restaurants around South Korea, but it's also easy to make at home. Scott shares a recipe for her take on the dish, called Old-School Pork Cutlet, in her cookbook. In Rice Table, Scott outlines a series of recipes known commonly as bapsang, representing what she describes as a "very ordinary spread of daily home-cooked meals that sustain us". Scott added, "I wanted to celebrate how food can connect the small pieces together to make us feel whole." She started cobbling together the ingredients for this dish without really thinking about what she was doing, and felt a “moment of euphoria” when it all came together.

This is such a helpful book: the detail and organisation build a sense of understanding, working in confidence-building steps from what you know and like to a broader world of flavour and pleasure. It’s written in a bright, friendly tone, and I loved the mix of personal, historic and culinary. Fun fact… Who knew red leicester cheese would go so well with spice and sweet potatoes? Photography: Jax WalkerA book of belonging. Food as a love letter to family. Writing as delicious as the recipes." - Allan Jenkins, Observer Food Monthly 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.