Balli Balli – Cookbook Giveaway and Quick Bites
June 4, 2025 by JennyEnter our US/CA/UK giveaway to win one of two copies of Balli Balli: Quick & Easy Korean Cooking by Da-Hae West. Please note the author’s events coming up at Divertimenti on June 7th (kimchi class) and June 26th (book signing)
Korea is often described as having a balli, balli culture (balli translates as ‘quickly’ in Korean) as it is a nation of people always in a hurry to get things done. Known for its bold flavours, Korean food has a balance of sweet, spicy, sour and umami notes. All of this combines to create this collection of speedy, yet incredibly tasty Korean dishes using all the classic Korean ingredients such as gochujang, kimchi and sesame.
These recipes are simple and achievable to make after a long day’s work but can also be combined to make an impressive spread for when guests come to visit too. The recipes and pages filled with vibrant photography and helpful headnotes makes this a standout title.
I just received this book yesterday and I haven’t had a chance to cook from it but plan on trying the Dumpling fried rice that the author tells us about in the Quick Bites below. Our family loves Bulgogi – so maybe I will combine the Korean soy marinated steak (Bulgogi steak) with the fried rice. Sounds like a perfect meal.
Our 
shares the following
- Addictive seaweed rolls (Goma kimbap)
- Korean soy marinated steak (Bulgogi steak)
- Kimchi noodles (Kimchi bibim guksu)
and Nigella shared the Mandu crisps & kimchi salsa (Mandu chip kimchi salsa) on her site which we have linked to – pictured below.
The author took some time to answer a few questions for our Members:
Da-Hae West is a Korean cookery teacher, consultant and author. Born in Busan, South Korea, Da-Hae moved to England when she was three. Watching her mother in the kitchen inspired a love of Korean food and in 2012, she opened Busan BBQ with her husband – a street food truck selling modern Korean food at pop up restaurants and markets across London. In 2015, Octopus Publishing published her first cookbook K-Food, (later republished in paperback as Eat Korean,) a mixture of the traditional dishes she grew up with, along with ways to use Korean ingredients in a more modern way. (K-Food is a great book!)
Da-Hae has a wealth of experience promoting Korean food, working closely with the Korean Cultural Centre and Korean Tourism Organisation, and has shared her expertise on TV productions, including: Gizzi Erskine’s Seoul Food, John Torode’s Korean Food Tour and the BBC’s One Show.
Q: What first triggered your interest in cooking? Your first cooking memory?
When I was growing up, my mum was always busy in the kitchen recreating the Korean tastes of home, having moved to the UK. My earliest food memories are either of sitting on the floor of the kitchen, licking her homemade gochjang (Korean red pepper paste) from my fingers or watching her make big batches of kimchi – she would stand over the kitchen sink, mixing the kimchi together and would tear a leaf of freshly made kimchi and drop it into my eagerly open mouth.
Q: If you had to describe your cooking style, what would it be?
I think simple and adaptive. My mum was always having to think of ways to recreate Korean flavors using the limited Korean ingredients she had available, so I’ve definitely inherited that from her. My cooking also has to be quick and easy, as I’ve got two young boys so I need to be able to get food on the table quickly!
Q: Are you a cookbook collector? If so, tell us about your collection – number of books, favorite genre, favorite author? What you look for in a cookbook?
Yes definitely! I particularly love reading the stories behind the recipes and the author – then often use the recipes as inspiration rather than always following them exactly. We have a huge collection – I’m not sure how many exactly but pictured is a small selection from our kitchen. My favorites are Smoke & Pickles by Edward Lee and L.A. Son by Roy Choi, as these recipe books are very autobiographical and the recipes are home-style, delicious and easy to recreate.
Q: What is the best part of your job? Do you sometimes feel like working with food all day keeps you from wanting to get creative in the kitchen?
I love the variety of my job and being able to cook and share my love food with others – and whenever I have a spare moment, I’m always looking at recipes, food videos and researching dishes!
Q: What is your go-to for a quick dinner?
The Dumpling fried rice in Balli Balli is one of our go-to meals as we usually have some leftover rice in the fridge and frozen dumplings in the freezer. It takes 10 minutes to throw together and my kids love it, so it’s a real winner!
Q. I am a huge fan of Korean desserts – there have been some incredible cookbooks recently on that subject. I know your previous book had a few dessert recipes. Do you like making dessert and if so – what is your go-to?
I generally prefer cooking savory dishes to desserts – but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a sweet tooth! I often don’t have the patience for elaborate cakes, so if I’m making something sweet, it’s usually some big, chunky cookies (there’s a recipe for Doenjang and white chocolate cookies in Balli Balli which are incredibly addictive!)
Q: Tell us about your new book:
Balli Balli means “quickly quickly,” in Korean and is something that we say in Korea all the time! It felt like the perfect title for the book because it’s a book full of quick and easy Korean recipes – most of which you can get on the table in under 30 minutes (and some in even 10!). Balli Balli: Quick & Easy Korean Cooking has traditional Korean recipes like Kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew), some tips for shortcuts and then some fusion recipes using Korean ingredients like Mandu crisps & kimchi salsa. I’m really proud of how it’s come together and really hope everyone else loves it, too!
Be sure to follow Da-Hae on Facebook and Instagram and sign up for her newsletter!
Special thanks to the publisher for providing two copies of this title in our promotion open to US/CA/UK Members. Entry options include answering the following question in the comments section of this blog post.
Which recipe in the index would you like to try first?
Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won’t be counted. For more information on this process, please see our step-by-step help post. Once you log in and enter your member name you will be directed to the next entry option – the blog comment. After that, there are additional options that you can complete for more entries. Be sure to check your spam filters to receive our email notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on July 15th, 2025.
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