What's For Dinner: Momofuku Pork Buns
If you've ever eaten at Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York City and you live in LA, you're probably praying that David Chang takes pity on us and opens an outpost here. But since that hasn't happened yet, the Momofuku Cookbook offers some consolation. After some hesitation, I picked this cookbook up last weekend so that I could make Momofuku's famous pork buns for my family for our Valentine's Day Dinner (Doug and I hate Valentine's Day and never celebrated it before kids--but they love it so much it's been a great excuse to start a family tradition. Every year, we eat dinner by the fireplace and watch a movie while we eat Valentine's Day candy. Maybe it's not such a bad holiday after all). Why the hesitation? Well, at first glance, many of the recipes in the book seem intimidatingly complicated and some of the ingredient lists are daunting. But upon closer inspection, many of the recipes are also amazingly simple and besides, David Chang is actually a really funny guy--so the cookbook makes good reading too.
So on to the pork buns. The pork buns have several components. The bun, of course. The roasted pork belly. Pickled cucumbers. Sliced scallions. And, finally, Sriracha and hoisin sauce. The buns are one of the more complicated recipes in the book, so instead of making them, I called up Hop Li, a local Chinese restaurant and asked if they'd sell me the buns they serve with their Peking duck. For 60 cents a piece, they were happy to part with their buns. So, now the pork belly. I headed to Mitsuwa Market near Culver City, a local Japanese market where they sell pork belly in every incarnation possible (thinly sliced, whole, marinated, cubed, you name it) for a pittance of what you'd pay at Whole Foods (where you may have to special order it anyway). Cucumbers, scallions, Sriracha and hoisin sauce--no problem--available at almost any grocery store.
So, my culinary adventure had begun. My son helped me marinate the pork belly and we left it to its own devices overnight. The next day, we roasted the pork belly, Doug picked up my buns, I made the quick-pickled cucumbers and set up my pork bun assembly line. Doug said it's one of the best meals I've ever made and the kids were silent for most of the meal aside from the occasional "mmm" and "Can I have another one?"--overall, I'd say it was a success.
Pork Belly
One 3 lb slab of skinless pork belly (I couldn't find a whole 3 lb slab, so I got four 3/4 lb slabs)
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
1. Nestle the belly into a roasting pan or other oven-safe vessel that holds it snugly. Mix together the salt and sugar in a small bowl and rub the mix all over the meat; discard any excess salt-and-sugar mixture. Cover the container with plastic wrap and put it into the fridge for at least 6 hours, but no longer than 24.
2. Heat the oven to 450.
3. Discard any liquid that accumulated in the container. Put the belly in the oven, fat side up, and cook for 45 minutes to an hour (the book says one hour, but since I didn't have one whole slab, the pork browned a lot faster and I lowered the heat after 45 minutes), basting it with the rendered fat at the halfway point, until it's an appetizing golden brown.
4. Turn the oven temperature down to 250 and cook for another hour, until the belly is tender--it shouldn't be falling apart, but it should have a down pillow-like yield to a firm finger poke (it really does feel like a down pillow!). Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the belly to a plate. Allow the belly to cool slightly.
5. When it's cool enough to handle, wrap the belly in foil and put it in the fridge until it's thoroughly chilled and firm. This really is an important step because it allows you to cut the pork belly into neat, nice-looking slices.
6. Cut the pork belly into 1/2 inch thick slices that are about 2 inches long. Warm them for serving in a pan over medium heat, just for a minute or two, until they are jiggly soft and heated through. Use at once.
Quick Pickled Cucumbers
2 meaty japanese or 4 Persian cucumbers, cut into 1/8 inch thick disks (great time to bust out that mandolin)
1 tablespoon sugar, or more to taste
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
Combine the cucumbers with the sugar and salt in a small mixing bowl and toss to coat with the sugar and salt. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes and enjoy. Can be refrigerated for up to 4 hours.
Momofuku Pork Buns
1 steamed bun
about 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
3 or 4 slices Quick-Pickled cucumbers
2 to 3 thick slices Pork Belly
1 scant tablespoon thinly sliced scallion (green and white)
Sriracha, for serving (a hot sauce available in the Asian section of most supermarkets)
1. Heat the bun in a steamer on the stovetop. It should be hot to the touch. With my restaurant bought buns, this took a minute a two--not very long at all.
2. Grab the bun from the steamer and flop it open on a plate. Slather the inside with the hoisin sauce, using the back of a spoon. Arrange pickles on on side of the fold in the bun and the slices of pork belly on the other. Scatter the belly and pickles with sliced scallion, fold closed and voila: pork bun. Serve with sriracha.
Mitsuwa Marketplace: 3760 South Centinela Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90066
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