David Chang. Ramen obsessed, quirky, edgy, brash, entrepreneur, rebel – a handful of words that only scratch the surface to describe this Korean-American chef who has become an unlikely superstar in the culinary world. Named in the Times Top 100 Most Influential People in 2010, he’s known for his “bad boy” attitude, like his “no reservations, no vegetarian options” policy and claiming Californian chefs “don’t manipulate food, they just put figs on a plate.” Anyone reading this post surely must laugh at that. What is it about David Chang and his food? I’ve been fortunate enough to have dined at his New York restaurant, Momofuku Noodle Bar and Momofuku Seibo in Sydney. Getting in is a story in itself – I’ll share that another day. The thing with David Chang is the creativity of his food – he, practically single handedly, has catapulted Korean food into the limelight of the western world with his modern and creative takes of classic Korean dishes. Like Ssam – which is meat wrapped in lettuce leaves. His Pork Bo Ssam is epic. His Pork Belly Bun looks innocent enough when it first arrives at the table, then you stick it in your mouth and your eyes will literally roll back in your head with pleasure. His Kimchi Stew is a flavour explosion like no other. His chicken wings look like any other chicken wing until you take a bite, and you can’t help but wonder “Why the hell is this so good???”. Even his sides are stellar. Corn with Miso Butter and Bacon. Without a doubt the best corn I have ever had in my life. Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Fish Sauce Vinaigrette. “I don’t know about that…”, you say. Reserve judgement until you try it. It will blow your mind. Brussel Sprout haters, be warned, you will be converted! I could write pages and pages about David Chang, his restaurants and his food. But getting down to business – his Marinated Skirt Steak Ssam. This is the first recipe I tackled from his cookbook Momofuku. In the cookbook, the two sauces to accompany this are the Ginger Spring Onion Sauce (which I’ve included) and the other is pureed Kimchi (which is Korean pickled chilli cabbage). Though I like the pureed Kimchi (which literally is just pureed kimchi), I really love the Ssam sauce he uses for his Pork Bo Ssam so I’ve used that instead. It has a strong salty, chilli flavour, like a Korean version of miso and chilli paste and matches perfectly with the juicy slices of beef and fresh lettuce. Other than having to track down Kochujang (Korean Chilli Paste) and Ssamjang (Korean fermented bean and chilli paste) at the Asian grocery store , everything else are everyday ingredients you can get from any large grocery store. However, I have also provided directions for the Kimchi puree, in case you can’t track these two ingredients down. This is deceptively simple to make. I think many people assume that famous chefs always create complicated food. Not David Chang. Most of his recipes are actually really easy, it is more about a unique combination of flavours. This is a fantastic classic Korean marinade which is so great for grilling beef, chicken or pork. Hope you consider giving it a try!
More Korean Recipes
Korean Beef Bowl (Bulgogi / Korean BBQ Beef) Spicy Korean Pork Stir Fry Momofuku Bossam – A huge, fall-apart-tender, caramel-crusted pork shoulder to feed a crowd Kimchi Fried Rice Galbi – Korean style barbecued beef ribs
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