First, I need to start this article with some explanations, definitions, and a little background but the recipes will be worth the extra reading.
Momofuku is the name of a restaurant that was founded by David Chang in New York City in the early 2000s. He took the cooking world by storm, and I remember reading about New Yorkers willing to stand in line for hours and wait for weeks to get his roasted pork. Now, Chang has expanded his brand to restaurants and products sold around the world.
In Mississippi, we know the value of a slow cooked pork roast. As a proud P.F.D. (Pig Farmer’s Daughter), I know first-hand about pork meat. A pork roast is tender and juicy, and almost impossible to overcook. Bacon is not the only cut of pork that deserves top billing.
I guess roasted pork was a new delicacy to the Big Apple, and people went crazy for it when Chang first began offering his dishes.
Chang utilized his Korean heritage (both his parents emigrated to the U.S. from Korea) and combined many flavors to give his food an Asian or Far East twist. His food was new, reasonably priced, and innovative. He and his restaurant brand have continued to grow in popularity.
One of Chang’s restaurants won a James Beard Award, received two Michelin stars, and has consistently been voted one of the 50 best restaurants in the world. Needless to say, he is an interesting guy.
However, fair warning, before you sit down to watch any story or interview of David Chang, you might want to put the kids to bed. Chang has a mouth like a sailor and would make any mother blush. He has a spirited personality, and with it, an even more spirited use of the English language.
Let’s judge him on his cooking and leave the rest to his mother.
Chang’s Bo Ssam is basically like a Korean pork burrito. The term ssam means “wrapped” in Korean. He dry-marinates the pork roast with salt and sugar for several days and then slow roasts it until it is tender. Finally, he turns up the heat to give the pork some crispy edges.
I love the combination of his sauces to serve with the roast. He is a master of combining sweet, spicy, salty, and umami all together for a perfect flavor explosion. The other thing I like about this dish is that it feeds a crowd. It is a perfect party food, and I hope that we can kick off the fall season and serve some Bo Ssam.
Momofuku’s Bo Ssam
For the pork butt:
8-to-10-pound bone in pork butt or picnic ham
1 cup white sugar
1 cup +1 tablespoon kosher salt
7 tablespoons brown sugar
Place the pork in a large shallow bowl. Mix the white sugar and one cup of the salt together, and then rub the mixture all over the meat. Cover it with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least six hours or overnight.
When ready to cook: preheat the oven to 300°. Remove pork from the refrigerator and discard any juices. Do not rinse the meat but leave on the salt/sugar rub.
Place the pork in a roasting pan and set it in the oven and cook approximately six to eight hours or until it collapses and the meat yields easily with a fork, basting hourly with the pan juices after the first hour. Bone should be removed easily. Shred pork apart and leave in pan until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, turn oven to 500°. In a small bowl, stir together remaining tablespoon of salt with the brown sugar. Rub or sprinkle the mixture over the cooked pork. Place in oven for about 10 to 15 minutes until a dark caramel crust has developed on the meat. Serve hot with all the accompaniments and allow people to make lettuce wraps or pork tacos with the sauces and flour tortillas.
While pork is baking prepare the sauces:
Ginger Scallion Sauce
2 1/2 cups thinly sliced green onions both green and white part
1/2 cup peeled and minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar or rice wine vinegar if you cannot find sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Add additional salt if needed.
Ssam Sauce
2 tablespoons fermented bean and chili paste or Ssamjang (This is available at most large grocery stores and Asian markets.)
1 tablespoon chili paste or Kochujang (This is available at most large grocery stores and Asian markets.)
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
1/2 cup canola oil
To make the Ssam Sauce mix all ingredients in a medium bowl and allow flavors to mingle.
Accompaniments for the wraps:
2 cups plain white rice, cooked
3 heads bib or butter lettuce leaves, washed and separated
Kimchi, available at most grocery stores
Flour tortillas
When I first made this dish, I was not too sure about the individual sauces but please make them and serve them together with all the different accompaniments. It makes a very special meal. Consider making them both and try them together allowing the flavors to work in harmony.
Ginger Scallion Noodles
This recipe came for one of Chang’s online or virtual cooking demonstrations. Like I said, his products are sold all over the world and his ramen noodles can be found in several grocery stores in the metro area.
When ready to serve, prepare two 10-ounce packages of ramen noodles or about six cups fresh noodles. Fresh ramen noodles can be found at our local Asian market.
Boil the noodles in a pot according to package directions. When ready, drain and toss with a few tablespoons of the ginger scallion sauce from the Bo Ssam recipe above. Top with some quick, pickled cucumbers (recipe to follow) and additional sliced scallions.
Quick Pickled Cucumbers
Combine 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon kosher salt and about two small hothouse cucumbers thinly sliced, or julienned. Combine the vegetables with the sugar in the salt in a small bowl and tossed a coat. Allow to sit for five to 10 minutes. Taste to see if pickles are too salty or sweet and then allow them to drain in a colander. Serve after five to 10 minutes or refrigerate up to four hours.
Korean Caesar Dressing
My brother shared this recipe with me years ago. I love a cold crisp salad to contrast the pork and this version fits with bill. Feel free to use as a slaw dressing on shredded cabbage, if desired.
1 egg yolk
3 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon gochujang
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 lemon (zested and juiced)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Black pepper
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth and well combined.
Christina Tosi‘s Milk Bar Pie or Crack Pie
Christina Tosi‘s was the brilliant pastry chef at several of David Chang’s New York restaurants. She also turned the culinary world on end with her delicious combinations and creative cakes. One of her most famous dishes is something know as Crack Pie that was later changed to Milk Bar Pie. I believe you can purchase this pie and Tosi’s other cakes online, but this is a copycat recipe that my daughter and I have been baking at home with good results. It is basically a gooey butter pie with an oatmeal cookie crust.
For the crust:
6 tablespoons room temperature butter, divided
3 tablespoons light brown sugar, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup old fashion rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
To make the oatmeal cookie crust:
Preheat oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine 4 tablespoon of the softened butter, 2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar, and the granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Cream together on medium high heat until mixture fluffy and is pale yellow, or about two minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg yolk. Mix at medium speed until the sugar granules dissolve and the mixture looks very pale or about two minutes. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Mix just until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated or about one minute.
Dump the mixture onto the parchment paper lined baking pan and flatten it out with your hands until it is about 1/4 inch thick. It is fine to make an irregular shape as long as it is mostly even. (You are basically making a large oatmeal cookie.)
Bake until golden brown at the edges and set in the middle or about 15 minutes.
Cool completely.
When cookie has cooled, break into pieces, and add to the bowl of a food processor. Add the remaining brown sugar and the salt and pulse until the mixture is broken down into fine crumbs. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and pulse into the oatmeal cookie crumbs until the mixture can form a ball.
Press mixture evenly into the bottom and sides of a well-greased pie plate and set aside while you make the filling.
For the filling:
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup +2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk powder
2 tablespoons corn powder (This is optional and it may be purchased at the grocery but we made ours by whirling traditional cornmeal in the food processor, blender, or spice grinder until it forms a powder and then sifting out all the large particles and using only the fine powder.)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup +2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
Powdered sugar and fresh whipped cream for serving
To make the filling and to bake the pie:
Preheat oven to 350°. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add both kinds of the sugar, the milk powder, the corn flour if using, and the salt. Mix on low until combined. Add the melted butter and mix on low until the dry ingredients are just moistened or for about two minutes. Add the heavy cream and the vanilla and mix on low for another two minutes or until mixture looks combined with no streaks.
Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg yolks and mix on low speed for another two to three minutes until the mixture is glossy and thoroughly combined.
Spread the filling over the pie crust and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325° and bake for an additional 15 -20 minutes until the center is set but slightly gooey. The pie should jiggle a little in the middle but look mostly set around the edges.
Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool to room temperature, then wrap tightly and freeze overnight. When ready to serve, allow the pie to sit out for at least one hour before serving or put in the refrigerator a few hours before serving.
Sift powdered sugar over the top and a dollop of unsweetened freshly whipped cream.
