Fried Chicken with Octo Vinaigrette
This is David Chang's recipe for fried chicken from his book, Momofuku. I was particularly inspired by his episode on fried chicken from Ugly Delicious (we rewatched it as I cooked, and if you haven't seen it, queue up your Netflix!). Anyway, here we have fried chicken with no breading, but the process is still lengthy. A whole chicken is brined in salt and sugar for several hours, then steamed (a technique for cooking chicken (and other foods) that is actually quite delicious and sadly underutilized by the Western world), and then after chilling for a few hours—of course—deep fried. The skin gets crisp, the already-cooked meat is very moist and you don't miss the breading. Here, it's tossed in Chang's "octo vin" which reverses the ratio of a traditional vinaigrette (usually two parts oil to one part vinegar) while showcasing Asian flavors like ginger, soy, and sesame oil.
Since this is a study in fried chicken, I feel a responsibility to compare, and I have to say that Morimoto's Japanese fried chicken is my favorite so far, but this Korean take was also stunning. I served four people and we all loved it, and I'd be happy to make it again. More than anything, it proves that it's hard to go wrong with fried chicken!
Cherry Tomato Salad with Soft Tofu + Shiso
Another David Chang recipe—this one, declared by Jean-Georges Vongerichten as one of Chang's best dishes—is a spin on a traditional Caprese salad. Instead of mozzarella there's silken tofu, instead of basil, it's shiso leaf (one of my favorite herbs and hard to find in East Dallas), and it's all tossed in Sherry vinegar, soy, and sesame oil. Half of the tomatoes are painstakingly blanched and peeled, the other half completely raw for texture. I absolutely loved this dish and found it incredibly refreshing, but not only do you have to love tomatoes, you have to be open to tofu, be comfortable with top shelf vinegar, and enjoy the unique flavor of shiso.
Ramen Noodles + Pork Taré
The final part of this meal had to inevitably be ramen. I half-cheated by buying really good refrigerated noodles and used their pre-made taré (a versatile sauce used to flavor many Japanese dishes, from yakitori chicken to ramen—sake, mirin, and soy). But I learned a lesson about how important the broth is, not only for flavor, but most importantly for texture and serving. I've successfully made serious ramen dishes that took days to prepare, so I have an idea of what I'm doing. But I tried to serve ramen noodles with almost no broth and it was weak. It was still a nice subtle component to the meal and I'd do it again too, just a little differently.
