The Vegan Pantry: Your First Step into Everyday Plant-Based Cooking

Chef Sung Siwoo brings the sophisticated techniques of his Michelin-starred Seoul restaurant to plant-based cooking in this bilingual guide written in both English and Korean.

While positioned as an introduction to everyday vegan cuisine, the book reveals Siwoo's fine-dining background through its emphasis on crafting fundamental components that can be assembled into elegantly presented dishes.

The foundation of Siwoo's approach lies in creating versatile pantry staples: soy milk mayonnaise and yogurt, almond ricotta cheese, and other plant-based alternatives that serve as building blocks for more complex preparations. From these components, he develops dishes that showcase both technical skill and creative vision—curry-coated roasted cauliflower, maitake mushroom steak with balsamic and vegetable reduction sauce, and chamomile-infused pear with granola and soy milk yogurt.

Though Korean influences appear throughout, the cuisine reflects Siwoo's international perspective and culinary ingenuity more than traditional Korean flavors. Dishes like kiwi salad with dill dressing and red potato and rosemary soup demonstrate his ability to draw from global techniques while maintaining the refined presentation standards of fine dining.

This is an ambitious resource for cooks developing vegan menus who want to move beyond simple substitutions toward sophisticated plant-based cuisine.

Hardcover. Color photographs throughout. In English and Korean.