Cooking with the Momofuku cookbook

[bmdaniel]

I made the fried cauliflower and the fried chicken for lunch yesterday - I thought both were spectacular, and pretty easy once your committed to getting a bunch of oil hot.

The only problem I had was the cauliflower getting cold by the time the chicken was done, but it was pretty good that way anyhow.

[rhinopias]

I made the 48 hour Short Ribs last night in my new Sous Vide Supreme. Outstanding for the first use of the machine. Pickled Mustard seeds are a revelation for me. They will used for all kinds of things.rhinopias1@me.comrhinopias1@me.com

[markemorse]

The pickled mustard seeds were the first recipe I made from the book, and I too thought they were awesome, am getting ready to make some more right now to put on a chicken salad.

[Chris Amirault]

Gotta try those pickled mustard seeds.

I have a batch of the paechu (napa) kimchi started, and am asking kimchi questions over here.

[argentinadave]

I made a big Momofuku meal on Friday. This is what I served and how it turned out:

Steamed pork buns - they turned out amazingly well, and, although time consuming, are not that difficult. I had similar problems with the pork belly. It was burnt on the top and the bottom and the salt/sugar curing made it too salty. The middle of the belly was delicious, but the edges a bit too burned and salty. But when you combine all the ingredients together - DELICIOUS!

Mussels - Fantastic, the sauce (I made it with white Miso) is great, I will try to use it for other dishes.

Ginger scallion noodles - It is the 8th time I have made them, they have become a favorite. I do, however, add extra vinegar, oil and also add a bit of sesame oil for more flavor.

Green beans with horseradish - fantastic dish, very easy and quite tasty.

Overall I completely recommend the book, the combination of flavors is brilliant and most recipes are quite straightforward.

[tkassum]

Hello all

So I have been cooking with this book since it came out and I have had mostly great experiences. The only things that have not really worked for me were the cereal milk panna cotta (as I mentioned in an earlier post) and the spicy pork sausage with rice cakes (too spicy, though I may not have had the proper ingredients). Huge victories included the fried chicken with octo vinaigrette, which has become a staple in my house, and the pork belly ssam (mustard seed sauce here is amazing). Also the deep fried apple pie (pictured below) is a massive win.

I just came back from a weeklong business/pleasure trip to Japan, where the attention to detail and execution in even the simplest convenience store take-out meal stunned me. I ate expensive meals and cheap meals, and I liked the cheap meals best of all. I can see very clearly why this was such a formative experience for Chang.

While I was there, I bought some katsuobashi (bonito fish flakes) to make dashi with. But I noticed something in the book: Chang talks about the use of bonito flakes for making dashi and this dashi can be used to make ramen. However, I can't find anything in the book explaining how to make ramen from dashi. In the book, he uses his bacon dashi in some other dishes - clams, as a braise - but not ramen.

Does the group have any ideas on how to use dashi to make ramen? Simmer pork bones in dashi for a few hours? Something else? Any ideas would be helpful.

Before this book I cooked and ate French almost exclusively. Today for breakfast I made myself slow-poached eggs in alkaline noodles with sriacha. Wow.

[KristiB50]

The Bo Ssam is to die for!!!

I didn't even have the book and had seen a rave review of the recipe on a blog.

After that dinner I ran out and bought the book.

Anyway it takes a lot of time but it's well worth it. I probably won't add the oysters again as I didn't think they added much of a wow factor and I'm the only one here who eats them.

[MikeHartnett]

Made the Hanger Steak Ssam last night. Really enjoyed the marinade, and, as always, David Chang's kimchi recipe.

[crowdingthepan]

I'm in the "got the book for Christmas" camp, too. I'd read lots of positive reviews of the Momofuku cookbook that contained the caveat "you'll never actually make any of these recipes." I've been cooking out of it constantly. Here's the Grilled Octo Salad with Kombu, Bamboo shoots, etc.

[Anna N]

I'm in the "got the book for Christmas" camp, too. I'd read lots of positive reviews of the Momofuku cookbook that contained the caveat "you'll never actually make any of these recipes." I've been cooking out of it constantly. Here's the Grilled Octo Salad with Kombu, Bamboo shoots, etc.

Octopus has never especially appealed to me but this photograph is persuading me otherwise! WOW that looks appetizing.

[menuinprogress]

Here's the Grilled Octo Salad with Kombu, Bamboo shoots, etc.

That looks awesome!

[jnash85]

I did the Steak Ssam. Wasn't that impressed with it as a whole. I haven't found anything I love in this book yet. But I haven't attempted the larger scale preparations either.

[slkinsey]

Anyone else feel like the vinegar pickle recipe (calls for 6 T sugar, 2 1/4 t kosher salt, 1 C water, 1/2 C rice vinegar) is too sweet?

Edited July 24, 2010 by slkinsey (log)

[Kent Wang]

I think it's too watery. I do 75% vinegar, 25% water.

[abadoozy]

I made the Bánh mì the other day, and it's right up there as one of the best recipes I've ever made. Perfect combination of salty, sweet, hot, sour, and umami. Even better, the terrines freeze well, so I'll be able to pull some out whenever I want. Definitely something I'm not only going to make again, but will probably keep it around in the freezer for quick dinners.

It was so good we had it three days in a row. On the third day, we did it in lettuce wraps instead of bread, for a lighter version. Husband said he actually liked it better in the lettuce, he felt the crisp of the lettuce added something and (of course) he could eat more of it minus the bread. I'm not sure I agree with him, but given that I kinda try to stay low-carb most of the time, the lettuce wraps are definitely a good alternative.

[ScottyBoy]

Great cook bok! Here are my efforts.

Edited September 10, 2010 by ScottyBoy (log)

[Chris Amirault]

What kind of noodles are those?

[Anna N]

Great cook bok! Here are my efforts.

Thanks for the great photos but could you elaborate on each of the dishes for those of us following along but not lucky enough to have the book? Many thanks.

[ScottyBoy]

The noodles are from a local noodle maker in Oakland's chinatown, just basic chinese egg noodles. The first is the basic ramen broth pork/chicken/kombu/bonito/bacon. Roasted pork shoulder, braised bamboo shoots, pickled carrots and pea shoots. Then the pork buns, I put a little siracha as well has the hoisin sauce. The last is the yakitori chicken ramen, 45 minute soft egg some quick pickles. The noodles in the chicken ramen were the thinner ones and much better.

This is actually the only cookbook I have followed recipes exactly, I usually only flip through them for insperation. I have to say, if you follow the recipes it all comes out great.

Edited September 10, 2010 by ScottyBoy (log)

[Anna N]

Thank you, ScottyBoy. Anna

[Foodietopo]

I really enjoyed the Momofuku cookbook and I used his spicy/kimchi cucumber recipe and used daikon instead with great success.

I will try to cook a few more recipe soon.

Momofuku is a bit far from Japan, but I can't wait to go back to NYC and try it for myself.

[Chris Amirault]

To what ends are people putting their mustard seeds?

[ScottyBoy]

I add mine to a sherry gastrique. A reduction of sherry vinegar, sugar and honey. Then just mix in a couple spoonfuls of the pickled seeds. I use this as the acid to cut through some richer dishes like pork belly on grits. Also you can pour the whole thing, pickling liquid and all into a blender and it makes a nice sweet thin mustard.

[Chris Amirault]

Wow. Nothing for months -- but I definitely use my Momofuku cookbook regularly. This week, for example, I snooped around trying to find ideas for a pork rib marinade (more on that later) and made a few pickles (cuke, daikon, shiitake) using the basic pickle recipe.

But I found the topic in order to report that the watermelon rind pickle is to die for.

[jk1002]

After having the roasted rice cakes with pork sausage at ssam bar i pulled mine out back again as well.

Beautiful book, can't waito get into it ......