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Momofuku: A Cookbook Hardcover – October 27, 2009
| David Chang (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
| Peter Meehan (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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With 200,000+ copies in print, this New York Times bestseller shares the story and the recipes behind the chef and cuisine that changed the modern-day culinary landscape.
Never before has there been a phenomenon like Momofuku. A once-unrecognizable word, it's now synonymous with the award-winning restaurants of the same name in New York City (Momofuku Noodle Bar, Ssäm Bar, Ko, Má Pêche, Fuku, Nishi, and Milk Bar), Toronto, and Sydney. Chef David Chang single-handedly revolutionized cooking in America and beyond with his use of bold Asian flavors and impeccable ingredients, his mastery of the humble ramen noodle, and his thorough devotion to pork.
Chang relays with candor the tale of his unwitting rise to superstardom, which, though wracked with mishaps, happened at light speed. And the dishes shared in this book are coveted by all who've dined—or yearned to—at any Momofuku location (yes, the pork buns are here). This is a must-read for anyone who truly enjoys food.
- Print length304 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherClarkson Potter
- Publication dateOctober 27, 2009
- Dimensions8.26 x 0.98 x 10.28 inches
- ISBN-10030745195X
- ISBN-13978-0307451958
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From the Publisher
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| Cooking at Home | Eat a Peach | |
| The founder of Momofuku cooks at home . . . and that means mostly ignoring recipes, using tools like the microwave, and taking inspiration from his mom to get a great dinner done fast. | From the chef behind Momofuku and star of Netflix’s Ugly Delicious—an intimate account of the making of a chef, the story of the modern restaurant world he helped shape, and how he discovered that success can be much harder to understand than failure |
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Our ginger scallion noodles are an homage to/out-and-out rip-off of one of the greatest dishes in New York City: the $4.95 plate of ginger scallion noodles at Great New York Noodletown down on the Bowery in Chinatown.
Ginger scallion sauce is one of the greatest sauces or condiments ever. Ever. It’s definitely a mother sauce at Momofuku, something that we use over and over and over again. If you have ginger scallion sauce in the fridge, you will never go hungry: stir 6 tablespoons into a bowl of hot noodles--lo mein, rice noodles, Shanghai thick noodles--and you’re in business. Or serve over a bowl of rice topped with a fried egg. Or with grilled meat or any kind of seafood. Or almost anything.
At Noodle Bar, we add a few vegetables to the Noodletown dish to appease the vegetarians, add a little sherry vinegar to the sauce to cut the fat, and leave off the squirt of hoisin sauce that Noodletown finishes the noodles with. (Not because it’s a bad idea or anything, just that we’ve got hoisin in our pork buns, and too much hoisin in a meal can be too much of a good thing. Feel free to add it back.)
The dish goes something like this: boil 6 ounces of ramen noodles, drain, toss with 6 tablespoons Ginger Scallion Sauce (below); top the bowl with 1/4 cup each of Bamboo Shoots (page 54 of Momofuku); Quick-Pickled Cucumbers (page 65 of Momofuku); pan-roasted cauliflower (a little oil in a hot wide pan, 8 or so minutes over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the florets are dotted with brown and tender all the way through; season with salt); a pile of sliced scallions; and a sheet of toasted nori. But that’s because we’ve always got all that stuff on hand. Improvise to your needs, but know that you need ginger scallion sauce on your noodles, in your fridge, and in your life. For real.-- David Chang
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups thinly sliced scallions (greens and whites; from 1 to 2 large bunches)
- 1/2 cup finely minced peeled fresh ginger
- 1/4 cup grapeseed or other neutral oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons usukuchi (light soy sauce)
- 3/4 teaspoon sherry vinegar
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
(Makes about three cups)
Directions
Mix together the scallions, ginger, oil, soy, vinegar, and salt in a bowl. Taste and check for salt, adding more if needed. Though it’s best after 15 or 20 minutes of sitting, ginger scallion sauce is good from the minute it’s stirred together up to a day or two in the fridge. Use as directed, or apply as needed.
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
“The breathless hype is true. His food is as good and as exciting as everyone says it is. David Chang has opened up a new direction in dining and cooking. With his troika of Momofukus, he changed the whole game. Scary-smart, funny, and ambitious, the wildly creative Chang is the guy all chefs have got to measure themselves by these days.” —Anthony Bourdain
“As a food professional I am always on the look out for the new, the different, and the delicious. It was with great pleasure that one day I tasted David Chang’s pork buns at Momofuku. Since then, I have sampled almost all of his delectable creations and I am so pleased that I finally have a book of recipes that will allow me to try to emulate them at home.” —Martha Stewart
“[Chang is] at the forefront of the modern pork-meat-rules movement. Some of the recipes are very simple, but even the ones that are too involved for the home cook offer a fascinating window into the mind of Chang.” –Newsday
“One of the most talked-about restaurant books of the season is David Chang’s Momofuku…. It’s exciting to think that thousands of American kitchens will soon be stocked with dashi, kochukaru and fish sauce…. In both food and tone, Momofuku encapsulates an exciting moment in New York dining.” –New York Times Book Review
“Chang’s latest, perfectly timed move is his first cookbook. Like his restaurants, the book’s generosity of spirit and lack of pretension will, I suspect, outwit the hyperpicky bitchery that hype tends to unleash. Useful flavor-amping recipes that range from sensible and easy (scallion oil) to advanced (“ghetto sous vide” steak) are broken up by insightful ingredient histories, how-tos, and vicariously thrilling autobiographical anecdotes…” –Elle magazine
“Broken into three categories from Chang’s three Momofuku restaurants—Noodle Bar, Ssam Bar and Ko—all the good stuff is in the book: from Chang’s famous pork buns to pig’s head torchon to the ramen that started it all.” –New York Daily News
“…Mr. Chang, with assistance from Peter Meehan, who has written for The New York Times, writes about a chef’s life in a way that feels completely fresh. The recipes, including those from the ginger-scallion noodles and roasted pork belly served at Noodle Bar, are almost perks; this would be a great read even without them.” –New York Times
“A recipe for bacon dashi—a basic stock used in several of the book’s recipes—reflects Mr. Chang’s blending of the familiar with the entirely new…. The result is a delicious brew that captures the clean brininess of Japanese cuisine and the finger-licking tastiness of American food.” –Wall Street Journal
“…[T]his book offers something that you can’t get at Chang’s restaurants: a chance to get into the mind of one of America’s most interesting chefs.” –Fine Cooking
“…Momofuku is a must-have, if not only for its faux-wood-paneled cover and signature peach on the front. Inside, it’s what we’ve all been waiting for: some good, solid time with Chang in his element…and a peek into the philosophy that helped make him one of the most sought-after chefs in the country without any help from the Food Network.” –Manhattan magazine
“The most exciting cookbook of the season, to me, is without question, Momofuku, by David Chang and Peter Meehan. Momofuku combines great cooking and restaurant kitchen photography in the journalistic style I love, recipes and techniques I was eager to learn about…and an intense, passionate narrative by Meehan that captures the distinctive nature of this unusual chef.” –Michael Ruhlman
“I read this cookbook with the same exhilarating glee I previously had only experienced with my favorite novels. It’s the whole package: great recipes, great design, great story, great telling. This is going to be the French Laundry Cookbook for the next generation of chefs and cooks.” –EatMeDaily.com, Best Overall Cookbook of 2009
“…[T]his first cookbook from three-time James Beard Award winner David Chang lays bare the talent and obsession that has propelled the New York chef to stardom. Its gorgeous photos, sleek, personable narrative and more than 100 recipes will inspire anyone who loves restaurants—or, just bacon.” –Associated Press
“…the read is as intriguing as the food.” –Charleston Post and Courier
“Let me come right out and say it: David Chang is the best chef this country’s ever produced…. Chang’s collaborator, former New York Times columnist Peter Meehan, has done a superb job of shaping the material and letting Chang be Chang…. But it would be hard for any passionate cook, or artist, or anyone who’s interested in the creative process, not to devour this book.” –Denver Post
About the Author
Peter Meehan has written for the New York Times, Saveur, and Travel + Leisure and has collaborated on several books.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Our ginger scallion noodles are an homage to/out-and-out rip-off of one of the greatest dishes in New York City: the $4.95 plate of ginger scallion noodles at Great New York Noodletown down on the Bowery in Chinatown.
Ginger scallion sauce is one of the greatest sauces or condiments ever. Ever. It's definitely a mother sauce at Momofuku, something that we use over and over and over again. If you have ginger scallion sauce in the fridge, you will never go hungry: stir 6 tablespoons into a bowl of hot noodles—lo mein, rice noodles, Shanghai thick noodles—and you're in business. Or serve over a bowl of rice topped with a fried egg. Or with grilled meat or any kind of seafood. Or almost anything.
At Noodle Bar, we add a few vegetables to the Noodletown dish to appease the vegetarians, add a little sherry vinegar to the sauce to cut the fat, and leave off the squirt of hoisin sauce that Noodletown finishes the noodles with. (Not because it's a bad idea or anything, just that we've got hoisin in our pork buns, and too much hoisin in a meal can be too much of a good thing. Feel free to add it back.)
The dish goes something like this: boil 6 ounces of ramen noodles, drain, toss with 6 tablespoons Ginger Scallion Sauce (below); top the bowl with ¼ cup each of Bamboo Shoots; Quick-Pickled Cucumbers; pan-roasted cauliflower (a little oil in a hot wide pan, 8 or so minutes over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the florets are dotted with brown and tender all the way through; season with salt); a pile of sliced scallions; and a sheet of toasted nori. But that's because we've always got all that stuff on hand. Improvise to your needs, but know that you need ginger scallion sauce on your noodles, in your fridge, and in your life. For real.
ginger scallion sauce
makes about 3 cups
• 2 1/2 cups thinly sliced scallions (greens and whites; from 1 to
2 large bunches)
• 1/2 cup finely minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup grapeseed or other neutral oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons usukuchi (light soy sauce)
• 3/4 teaspoon sherry vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
Mix together the scallions, ginger, oil, soy, vinegar, and salt in a bowl. Taste and check for salt, adding more if needed. Though it's best after 15 or 20 minutes of sitting, ginger scallion sauce is good from the minute it's stirred together up to a day or two in the fridge. Use as directed, or apply as needed.
Product details
- Publisher : Clarkson Potter; NO-VALUE edition (October 27, 2009)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 304 pages
- ISBN-10 : 030745195X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0307451958
- Item Weight : 3.53 ounces
- Dimensions : 8.26 x 0.98 x 10.28 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #8,286 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors

Peter Meehan is a food writer who has written for the New York Times and has collaborated on several books.

David Chang is the chef and founder of Momofuku. Since opening his first restaurant, Momofuku Noodle Bar, in 2004, he has received six James Beard Awards, and has been recognized as GQ’s Man of the Year and a Time 100 honoree. In 2018, David formed Majordomo Media. He is the host of The Dave Chang Show podcast and two Netflix original documentary series, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner and Ugly Delicious. His cookbook, Momofuku, is a New York Times bestseller.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
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The David Chang Podcast with David and Chris Ming and The Recipe Club podcast explore food and eating (and other subjects) but bring Chinese, Indian, even Philippine eaters, chefs, and cuisine to the countries/cultures previously mentioned, the cuisines of the Americans influenced and culturally tied to the Asian and Pacific Islanders mentioned, but also including Southern cuisine, including the key role Black (enslaved or formally enslaved) chefs and cooking defined what is now known to be Southern food (and all the regional variations). In Momofuku: A Cookbook Chang additionally uses Hispanic techniques and dishes (such as his chicharrones recipe) and this is continues on Recipe Club. I really appreciate the exploration beyond European cuisine and European influenced American cuisine. The education on the varying influences of one Asian country on another (usually as the result of invasion/war) is as complex, interesting, and delicious, as any European country and culture's influence due to immigration, migration, or invasion as well as within and out of American cuisine.
David Chang describes his turbulent adolescents and early adulthood as he struggled to find direction, convince himself and his parents that it was the right path and then get the education through the CIA, apprenticeship, and mentors, for his evolving dream. While much is made of Chang's explosive temper and emergence into high stakes culinaria, the voice that comes through in his first book seems to be one with an obsessive drive for if not perfection, improvement from himself, his restaurants, and his staff. From what he relays in the book, Chang's success and accolades seem to be as surprising to him as anyone. I'm not sure if the relentless hours in David Chang's schedule is a result of his competitive nature or of his high standards, likely both play a role.
Being familiar with his second book, podcasts, and the man he is in the future, visiting him at more of his early chef years is certainly interesting. This book is definitely more of an autobiographical impression than a cookbook for all but the most highly skilled home chef with access to an expensive and extensive pantry. The recipes are interesting to read, but certainly above my average ability.
Some reviewers complained that the recipes take too long and make too many servings. If they actually read the book, it says right there that it makes a lot, but that's because he cannot reduce the recipe further down as the results would not be the same and/or why would you take 9+ hours to make (for example) the ramen broth for 4-6 servings? He tells you right there how long it will keep in the fridge and freezer. (For me personally, I have a pressure canner, so I will can the broth to store on a shelf for up to a year.) I think those reviewers are missing the point. This is not a "David Chang Cooks at Home" cookbook. It is a book of recipes from his restaurants, meaning some recipes will take time, and some recipes cannot be reduced down further than the way he published it unless you don't want to experience the recipe as it was intended to come out. His thought process of presenting the recipes as they appear in the book is all there, if you bother to read it. And he also tells you when you might want to skip a recipe altogether and just buy the stuff from the Asian market (like noodles or buns). The recipes are there for the really adventurous home cooks.
Some of my aforementioned friends in my Facebook food group complained that his ramen at the Noodle Bar was not "authentic enough." But now that I have read the book and experienced his thought process into creating his signature ramen, I see that my friends are missing the point too. Ramen (not the instant kind) is a regional soup dish as diverse as American BBQ. So faced with the prospect that he had no access to real katsuobushi bonito that is not the pre-shaved kind that comes in a bag unless he was willing to have it shipped via Fedex from Japan, he had to look for some alternative ingredient to give the broth a smoky flavor. So he came up with using American bacon. THAT is his brilliance as a chef. He made his ramen his own, making a regional American ramen that can stand up equally to Japanese regional varieties. I believe the quality speaks for itself judging by the success of his restaurants in the cutthroat restaurant world that is NY City. I will set aside a Saturday in the near future and make his ramen with all of its' components. Really looking forward to it.
For those who still don't get it, my suggestion is for you to go find yourself a Japanese or a relatively well-stocked Asian grocery store where you will find some three packs of Japanese ramen with fresh noodles and condensed liquid broth that you can stash away in your freezer. They are next best to making your own or eating at a good noodle shop and far superior from the instant kind.
Top reviews from other countries
NOT the case here! I love how this book is written and presented -- great recipes, with clear, detailed descriptions. Measurements in metric (very unusual for a US-based book, but SO appreciated!), carefully laid-out instruction when needed and small tips and tricks throughout so you learn from masters of their craft (for example, a few great tips on how to get the best from your ramen broth and tare as you're making them).
The prose in between recipes has some great self-deprecated humour and is interesting, with good background and explainers without ever drifting into the pretentiousness or self-congratulatory tones that similar books fall into.
Sure, some of the ingredients are tough to get hold of, but there are often easier-sourced alternatives listed. A few of the recipes are long -- but invariably come with the disclaimer up-front, "The is the world's longest recipe for chicken wings. Sorry. But they're very, very good chicken wings." However, there's a great mix of simple recipes to start, more involved recipes and very complex, multi-day affairs.
The photography is great, showing most of the dishes off at their best. A few additional photos showing techniques (deboning, torchon etc.) would have been appreciated, but don't take away from the book itself given the in-depth descriptions.
If I was forced to think of a gripe, it would be the layout. The book is ordered by the different restaurants/bars that make up the Momofuku brand: Noodle, Ssam and Ko. This means that the recipes themselves are ordered in a slightly counterintuitive fashion.
Overall though, I am so impressed with how this book has been written and produced -- it should genuinely serve as a template for similar restaurants looking to produce their own.





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