Korean chef Roy Choi who made truck food famous with his kogi tacos in southern California is now about to expand his food empire. What started a year ago with a single truck and a bunch of Twitter followers has now become an empire of 4 trucks and a soon to be restaurant in west L.A.
The new, still unnamed restaurant won’t use the Kogi name, Mr. Choi says, and he doesn’t plan to serve the taco. Instead he will try to update the rice bowl. “I see bacon-fat-studded chestnuts and fresh herbs on braised lamb; steak with a soft-poached egg and hand-crushed sesame seeds; organic rice, braised pork-belly, fresh-water spinach in a beautiful broth with sesame leaves,” he says, rattling off ideas. The food, he says, will be inexpensive enough that people who normally eat McDonald’s can afford it.
We named Roy Choi as one of the most influential Korean-Americans in 2009 and his impact was truly evident with new Korean taco trucks popping up everywhere and restauranteurs serving up their version of a Korean taco. Roy Choi embodies the hard working culture of Koreans and many Korean-Americans can relate to his life. He may not be the most eloquent guy but his focus and diligence has brought him this far and his belief in himself has turned the food world upside down. ”There is something very Korean about Roy being Roy,” says David Chang of New York’s Momofuku restaurants, who is also of Korean heritage and who met Mr. Choi last spring. “It’s about working your a— off, and not believing that you’re any good.”
What can’t you do with Kimchi?
Kimchi was a hot topic from the introduction of kimchi donuts from Dunkin Donuts to David Chang making kimchi on The Today Show; the same chef who creates kimchi butter for his restaurant. What else can you make with kimchi? Here are our suggestions: kimchi bagels, kimchi hot dogs, and kimchi gravy.
Chan Ho Park Makes His Appearance in the World Series and Gets Sick
Chan Ho Park made his long awaited appearance in the World Series and gave up a run with the only batter he faced. Then he got sick and was apparently unavailable to pitch game 3 because there’s a flu bug running through the Phillies. Hopefully he’ll get out there again.
Can You Make it RAIN?
Asia was abuzz with Rain’s interview on CNN. And to think, he was a backup dancer once. He’s Korea’s Paula Abdul!
The Braless Hanbok
The readers sure loved the new look hanbok from Seoul’s Fashion Week. Who doesn’t like going braless?
David Chang was making kimchi on national television this week on the Today Show, and we all know that Korea is trying to evangelize the wonders of Korean food. So there’s a lot of news bits about Korean food overall, but are we taking it a little too far with kimchi donuts? Really? I know you all have kimchi on the side next to the turkey at Thanksgiving, but imagine eating kimchi with custard. Well Dunkin Donuts just launched the kimchi donut in South Korea or kimchi croquette.
The Wonder Girls are Trending Up
The Wonder Girls were in the top ten trending topics on Twitter. Say that 5 times real fast. That’s right, the lovable teen Kpop group from South Korea not only made it to the top 100 on the Billboard charts in the U.S., they became a top tenner on Twitter this weekend. We’re going to guess Rain as the next Korean entity to become a Top Ten Trending Twitter Topic (TTTTT).
There are Three Ways to Say “Thank You” in Korean
According to the Korea Times, there are three ways to say “thank you” informally in Korean, depending on where you live. This is a result of the Korean language evolving as Koreans have spread out across the world.
For North Koreans it is “고마와,” for the Koryo-saram in Central Asia it might be “아슴챠이타” and in standard Korean, based on the dialect of Seoul, it is “고마워.” On top of this, the occasional English “thank you,” can be heard.
I wonder if there are three different ways to say “Can I have your number?”
Korean Wave of Plastic Surgery
Do you want to look like Lee Byung Hun or Hyori? Koreans are famous like Brazilians for plastic surgery. Well, Kpop and Korean dramas seem to be the rage lately and all of Asia is enamored with the singers and actors. It also helps that we’ve got some good looking Koreans. Anyway, looks like Asians (that are not Korean) are opting for surgery to look more Korean, this according to the Plastic Surgery Channel.
People from China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore and Hong Kong are flocking to Korea these days for facial bone contouring and cosmetic surgery on their eyes and noses.
The trend was reportedly spawned by what many are calling the “Korean Wave” – the rising popularity of Korean celebrities.
Asians from other territories want to look more like popular Korean actors and musicians. And they’re willing to travel and pay up to three times more for plastic surgery than they would in China.
Currently, the number of foreign patients in Korea is 33 percent higher than it was in 2008, and they reportedly spend twice as much money as regular Japanese tourists.
Kimchi made its morning show debut on the Today Show with Matt Lauer and the famed chef David Chang showing how he makes his version of kimchi. David is out and about promoting his “Momofuku: The Cookbook”, which was published this week. If you would like the Napa Cabbage Kimchi recipe we featured early this week, click here.
David Chang’s “Momofuku: The Cookbook” will be out in bookstores on Tuesday and here’s one of the first recipes shared with the public: Napa Cabbage Kimchi. If you don’t know David Chang, then he’s someone you should get to know because he’s the boy genius that the culinary world has embraced. He’s doing it in the most difficult city to win in and that’s New York with his 4 restaurants: Momofuku Noodle Bar, Momofuku Ssäm Bar, Momofuku Ko and Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar. Try out David’s Napa Cabbage Kimchi from his famed Momofuku restaurants.
At Momofuku, we make three types of kimchi: Napa cabbage (paechu), radish (from long white Korean my dishes or, failing that, Japanese daikon), and Kirby cucumber (oi). Our recipe has changed some since I learned it from my mom, who learned it from her mom. I add more sugar than they would. We let the fermentation happen in the refrigerator instead of starting the kimchi at room temperature and then moving it into the fridge when it starts to get funky. At the restaurant, we let the kimchi ferment for only a couple of weeks, instead of allowing it to get really stinky and soft. There’s a point, after about two weeks, where the bacteria that are fermenting the kimchi start producing CO2 and the kimchi takes on a prickly mouthfeel, like the feeling of letting the bubbles in a soft drink pop on your tongue. It’s right around then that I like it best.
Makes 1 to 1 ½ quarts
INGREDIENTS
• 1 small to medium head Napa cabbage, discolored or loose outer leaves discarded
• 2 tablespoons kosher or coarse sea salt
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 20 garlic cloves, minced
• 20 slices peeled fresh ginger, minced
• 1/2 cup kochukaru (Korean chile powder)
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1/4 cup usukuchi (light soy sauce)
• 2 teaspoons jarred salted shrimp
• 1/2 cup 1-inch pieces scallions (greens and whites)
• 1/2 cup julienned carrots
DIRECTIONS
Cut the cabbage lengthwise in half, then cut the halves crosswise into 1 inch wide pieces. Toss the cabbage with the salt and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a bowl. Let sit overnight in the refrigerator.
Combine the garlic, ginger, kochukaru, fish sauce, soy sauce, shrimp, and remaining ½ cup sugar in a large bowl. If it is very thick, add water 1/3 cup at a time until the brine is just thicker than a creamy salad dressing but no longer a sludge. Stir in the scallions and carrots.
Drain the cabbage and add it to the brine. Cover and refrigerate. Though the kimchi will be tasty after 24 hours, it will be better in a week and at its prime in 2 weeks. It will still be good for another couple weeks after that, though it will grow stronger and funkier.
Is David Chang the wunderkind of the food world? Depends on how early is early for success. It would be safe to say that David Chang is a food genius because he simply cooked what he really wanted. Luckily for us and the many foodies in New York, we’re glad he chose cooking (what he really wanted to do) over golf because that’s what he almost trained to be before he discovered his real calling in life. David Chang didn’t have immediate success but went through some soul searching before arriving at success – all before thirty. He’s coming out with his cookbook which is appropriately titled “Momofuku,” which is the common name in for all of his reataurants: Momofuku Noodle Bar, Momofuku Ssäm Bar, Momofuku Ko and Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar.
Momofuku tells the stories and recipes of your first three restaurants. There’s no real sex, drugs and scandal, but lots of fear, anger, desperation and joy of the Korean-American boy who studied religion, taught English in Japan and fell hard for ramen – “soup with noodles in it, topped with stuff. That’s it. I love ramen but the sanctimony that’s often attached to it is a bit too much.”
I’ve personally eaten at all his restaurants and even had the once great pleasure of eating with David and having him order for us. He is simply a genius! But the genius wasn’t that evident when he first opened up shop not to long ago.
My restaurant bombed after a month. I couldn’t keep my chefs or waiters happy. They constantly demanded food, water and rest. My menu never progressed beyond garden salad, bruschetta, tiger prawn platters, margarita pizza and fruit plates. No dim sum, yakibuta ramen and saffron tea at Buffalo Gal’s – I wasn’t qualified to cook them or buy the ingredients.
I blew too much money on uniforms, pretty stoves, wallpaper and flooring. I didn’t sink every waking hour into my restaurant and it showed. Customers marched out fuming. My restaurant sucked, but at least it sucked in obscurity running a virtual eatery at Restaurant City on Facebook.
David Chang’s book Momofuku will be hitting the store shelves on Wednesday, Oct 28th.
Foodies and Francophiles alike gathered this weekend at P.S.1 Moma for the much anticipated two-day event of affordable haute cuisine hosted by Le Fooding, the provocative French culinary organization from Paris. With 12 chefs, three mixologists, two DJs, and more than 1,000 people in attendance, Le Fooding d’amour marked the organization’s first event ever in the United States.
For the curious reader, Le Fooding (founded in 2000) jumpstarted a culinary movement that elects a more casual approach to food vis-à-vis the strict, egalitarian norms in high-society French dining.
I, for one, was super excited about this event when I first heard about it. Secret codes for purchasing tickets were initially available only on a few sites, and foodies including me were probably scouring the web hourly to track them down. When I did find them, I instantly bought tickets to both nights and started perusing and dreaming about the menu online (click here).
Chefs from Paris like Yves Camdeborde of Le Comptoir du Relais and Inaki Aizpitarte of Le Chateaubriand cooked up a storm of beef dishes that perfumed the air with their smoky fumes. Nevertheless, the food was not strictly limited to French cuisine. Among the NYC representatives was David Chang, featuring his famous Korean dish, Bo Ssam from his restaurant Momofuku Ssam in the East Village.
David Chang, hard at work
Bo Ssam by David Chang, Momofuku Ssam
Despite all the hype, the grand concept behind Le Fooding seemed to have overweighed my actual experience. Long lines formed quickly and traced around endless loops, with guests waiting 30+ minutes (at least!) at each booth. The quality of the food was great, but not mind-blowing, at least for me. Perhaps it has to do with working in a small outdoor kitchen to prepare over a thousand small plates for a crowd of hungry foodies standing in the cold.
Nevertheless, Le Fooding was a fun and hip charity event that really is the first of its kind, and will hopefully return to New York next fall.
Corey Lee, of Thomas Keller’s French Laundry, is causing a lot of curiosity and buzz lately because he’s going to go off on his own to open a restaurant in San Francisco. We all know about the brilliance of David Chang with his Momofuku restaurants in New York, but not many know about Corey Lee. How good is Corey Lee? For starters, he won the Rising Star Chef of the Year award from the James Beard Foundation. Interestingly, he started off his career washing dishes and after stints at New York’s Daniel and Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York, he finally became chef de cuisine at one of the most famous restaurants in the world at French Laundry: a three star restaurant according to the famed Michelin Guide. So what did Corey Lee learn from his time at French Laundry?
I think it really has to do with commitment and the work ethic. Those things go hand in hand. When I started here, Thomas was here working almost every service, and working past every service. It’s that kind of dedication that allowed him to have the success he has now and allowed him the opportunities he has now. It’s that hands-on approach that struck me right away and stayed with me. It’s the kind of chef and operator I want to be.
David Chang is the most heralded Korean-American chef in the U.S. He’s been called one of the great contemporary geniuses of cooking. How many people do you know create their own Kimchi butter? Well David has partnered up with NBC New York for a contest where the winner will win a free lunch prepared by David …. that is if you can find him. Go to NBC New York for more details>
David Chang of Momofuku fame is one of the most inventive chefs I’ve ever met. When I first met David, he took me to his Momofuku Noodle Bar and he ordered things I would not normally order. It was after having devoured the pork steamed buns (the best in NYC), hamachi and slices of steak that I understood his genius. Of course, David also creates his own kimchi in his own eclectic way.
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Korean chef Roy Choi who made truck food famous with his kogi tacos in southern California is now about to expand his food empire. What started a year ago with a single truck and a bunch of Twitter followers has now become an empire of 4 trucks and a soon to be restaurant in west L.A.
