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59th out of 100 books
—
14 voters
Momofuku
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, and Milk Bar. Chef David Chang has single-handedly revolutionized cooking in America with his use of bold Asian flavors and impeccable ingredients, his mastery of the...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
October 27th 2009
by Clarkson Potter
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This is a good cookbook by a vibrant and kick ass chef if you look at it as a story rather than a list of recipes. Chang is brilliant in his luck in the business and spearheading the dish crafting. However, I just don't get what all the hype and the "Cooking through Momofuku" blogs are all obsessively devoted about.
Yes, it's more "down to earth and hip" than Morimoto's "The New Art of Japanese Cooking". Yes, it's a blend on gastronomical science, local East meets West and hipster food. But, whe...more
Yes, it's more "down to earth and hip" than Morimoto's "The New Art of Japanese Cooking". Yes, it's a blend on gastronomical science, local East meets West and hipster food. But, whe...more
David Chang, you look like the Cheshire Cat and ILOVE(d)YOU. I saw you once, did you know that? Of course you don't, because I promptly hunched over and loud-whispered to my friends "Omigodthat'sDavidChangOmigodMomofukuPorkBunsOmigod". You didn't hear that, right? Good.
David Chang, I have a confession to make. Much to your (and Gordon Ramsay's) horror, there's another vegan in the world. Yup. Me. So anyway, I can't really eat anything at any of your establishments, because, like the culinary sor...more
David Chang, I have a confession to make. Much to your (and Gordon Ramsay's) horror, there's another vegan in the world. Yup. Me. So anyway, I can't really eat anything at any of your establishments, because, like the culinary sor...more
I saw this book at Elliot Bay books which is across the street from the fine dining Mexican restaurant I worked at would kill time before my shift started. I thumbed through the forward and read about the author's obsession with ramen and his time in Japan, eventually landing back in NYC and opening up a noodle shop of his own. I then saw the chef at the Mexican restaurant experiment with making ramen noodles for himself and a few lucky staff and kinda chuckled. That chef told me about the Momof...more
i have always been very fascinated with cooks. i gained a few insights into the their world from reading a lot of memoirs of cooks, like Anthony Bourdain and Gabrielle Hamilton to name a few, and watching all those TLC and AFC cooking programs. they live like rock stars with the attitude to boot . rude, loud, and foul-mouthed (at least that's what they seem like to me reading all those memoirs late at night). but when they make food or talk about food that they are so passionate about,it is real...more
Yes, I just read a cookbook cover to cover. Yes, it's crazy. Yeah, I don't think I have the cooking ability to do all the recipes.
But I think i can do some. I'm going to try, at least. The Momofuku Cookbook is three things, primarily. It's a coffeetable book, for sure. The photos are beautiful, absolutely gorgeous food porn. It's also a cookbook, which, to my eye, seems thorough and comprehensive. I have yet to try to cook out of it, but reading through a lot of recipes it seems that you need on...more
But I think i can do some. I'm going to try, at least. The Momofuku Cookbook is three things, primarily. It's a coffeetable book, for sure. The photos are beautiful, absolutely gorgeous food porn. It's also a cookbook, which, to my eye, seems thorough and comprehensive. I have yet to try to cook out of it, but reading through a lot of recipes it seems that you need on...more
With Momofuku David Chang does for Asian cooking what Julia Child did for French cooking...Asian recipes you can make in your American kitchen.
Chang writes in the smart,edgy, funny and somewhat irreverent style that put him where he sits today, at the head of an Asian cooking dynasty! With four award winning restaurants (of the same name) in New York City, (Chang conquered this city that can take a new chef, chew him up and spit him out) we know that this is more than chef this is a business man...more
Chang writes in the smart,edgy, funny and somewhat irreverent style that put him where he sits today, at the head of an Asian cooking dynasty! With four award winning restaurants (of the same name) in New York City, (Chang conquered this city that can take a new chef, chew him up and spit him out) we know that this is more than chef this is a business man...more
When reading cookbooks I usually read the foreword to get a sense of the author's perspective and philosophy, and then page through the recipes, reading here and there when something strikes me. But, I read David Chang's Momofuku book cover-to-cover, and thought obsessively about it when I wasn't reading it--like I would an engrossing novel. The book is set up that way--it's the story of how the Momofuku empire came into existence, and, more fascinatingly, how the dishes evolved. Chang's love of...more
Not a cookbook for your home kitchen. You simply can't make most of the shit he can, and that's why he's awesome. He has earned his reputation for his uncompromising commitment to food that tastes good, with absolutely no regard for convention. If you want to know how to make a multi-course dinner just like Momofuku Ko, this book will tell you how to do it. You simply have to understand that Momofuku Ko is one of the most respected restaurants in the world because no one else can do it like Chan...more
It’s probably not fair to rate and review a cookbook before making anything from it, but in my mind, this is as much David Chang’s memoir as it is a cookbook. Maybe even more so. Because Chang writes with humour and passion and his is a great story of dedication combined with a bit of luck. As for the recipes, many of them look way too complicated for me to make at home and if that makes me feel better about paying the price Momofuku charges for fried chicken and lettuce wraps, that's probably p...more
Wow. A surprisingly good read. Momofuku reads like a hard-boiled crime thriller meets Wu Tang Clan told from the perspective of a Surokawa samurai/chef. Here's how Momofuku chef David Chang describes his experience at three-star L'Astrance (the inspiration for Ko) during a stop-over in Paris.
"After eating at L'Atstrance, I knew I'd rather be like Barbot [the head chef:] than anyone else...he's like a sniper: one shot, one kill. Superclean, superexact, all about flavors, all about setting you up...more
"After eating at L'Atstrance, I knew I'd rather be like Barbot [the head chef:] than anyone else...he's like a sniper: one shot, one kill. Superclean, superexact, all about flavors, all about setting you up...more
Recipes are a bit too fussy for my liking- especially since many of the ingredients necessitate a trip to a specialty store.
The ginger scallion sauce was pretty tasty and the only recipe I ended up making (compliments of Amazon.com):
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 teas...more
The ginger scallion sauce was pretty tasty and the only recipe I ended up making (compliments of Amazon.com):
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 teas...more
Aw shucks, I'm David Chang and I'm just a humble guy who likes noodles, ya'll. It was so embarrassing getting nominated for all the best awards in the industry before I felt I merited them, really it was! Let me list my awards! What's that? You've heard I'm a dick? Yeah, that's true. Anger in the kitchen! It is like a fire that fuels me to greatness! All those swears and tantrums help me think of more things to gelee and shave! You think foie gras is inhumane? You are a pussy!
I mean, clearly he...more
I mean, clearly he...more
This is a cookbook based from David Chang's hit New York restaurants, mostly Asian. I got it from the library hoping it would make Asian cooking more accessible to me at home. Alas, I found only one recipe that looked doable to me at home. Most of the recipes are either fiddly and time-consuming or call for special equipment or ingredients that I can't get easily. This is why when we go out to eat, it's almost always Asian—I love the food but it's not really my preferred cooking style.
The other...more
The other...more
i first discovered david chang and momofuku by way of his roasted brussel sprout recipe (http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/20...). it's so good that it's become my go-to sprouts recipe. it seems archaic to buy a cookbook now that food bloggers have posted many of the good recipes online, but i broke down last weekend and did it. this book will get you hungry! most of the recipes showcase familiar korean, chinese, and japanese flavors and drastically simplify the process without sacrificing flav...more
Decided this counts as a "real" book as well because it is as much the story of Dave Chang + Momofuku + how the recipes came to be as it is recipes.
Really enjoyed this. Am probably skewed to like David Chang anyway; have liked everything I've had at Noodle Bar & Milk Bar, enjoy swearing, pork, and LOVE noodles, plus we share a surname, but am fully Team Momofuku after reading this. I think it was the use these two phrases: "the rest of the round-eye crew" and "I popped my meat glue cherry"...more
Really enjoyed this. Am probably skewed to like David Chang anyway; have liked everything I've had at Noodle Bar & Milk Bar, enjoy swearing, pork, and LOVE noodles, plus we share a surname, but am fully Team Momofuku after reading this. I think it was the use these two phrases: "the rest of the round-eye crew" and "I popped my meat glue cherry"...more
It is really rare that I sit down and read a cookbook cover to cover. Enter Momofuku and it's matter of fact, brutally honest, hard core love of the food that Chang is creating in his restaurants. Although many of the recipes are labor intensive and not something you might read and make that evening ... still the descriptions and introductions are so detailed that you can't help but wish you were. Did I mention the photography? It's shot in the same style that the writing is done. The imagery no...more
Okay, I just sat down one morning and read this cover to cover. Interesting stories and nice explanations of the recipes. David Chang seems like a brilliant, arrogant, obnoxious, awesome guy. Especially after seeing him on PBS's Mind of a Chef, I'd totally like to get a beer with him. My main problem is that as a cookbook, this was a bit much for me. It's not so much for the casual home cook, and that makes it pretty useless for me. Yeah, it's beautiful, but there were about 2 recipes I could ac...more
Truly awesome book.I was up all night reading it.Some early critiques mentioned that this is not for your average home cook,and it's not.Not many people are going to blow torch hair off a pig's head.(I would).But his story is worth the read about how he built his restaurants.
He said the editors got him to eliminate a lot of the "fucks",but there are are still plenty.He said "That's the way I fucking talk!"I curse a lot in the kitchen,it comes with the territory.
He issued Blackberrys to his chefs...more
He said the editors got him to eliminate a lot of the "fucks",but there are are still plenty.He said "That's the way I fucking talk!"I curse a lot in the kitchen,it comes with the territory.
He issued Blackberrys to his chefs...more
What I like most about this book is the recipes and the stories. It's nice that David Chang is honest about the blood, sweat, and tears, and heart, that have to go into a restaurant. He also gives credit where credit is due to people in his crew. The recipes are fun and the food that I like to eat. Some recipes are hard and time consuming but I like that he doesn't dumb down the recipes for us. He knows some are hard and tells you what you will get out of it and it's up to you if you want to do...more
What got me to sit down for a long read (although I'd only planned to browse through it casually) was that it opens up like a quest story: the quest for a then-English tutor living in Japan, to find a master (shi fu) to teach him the secrets arts of making ramen. Then the usual hurdles he and his growing team faced as they first opened up the Momofuku Noodle Bar... But then-- bam. They're successful and famous. (It happens so fast, but I guess that's real life for you.) Because they'd started co...more
Even if you've never had the opportunity to eat at one of David Chang's restaurants, this book is a must-have. The stories are pretty amazing... and not as self-congratulatory as I'd expect from a Beard Award winning chef; his path was very interesting and he's quite honest about it, albeit brief.
I have to admit that I feel a sense of pride when a Korean-American does good, so part of my support for Chang is blind. I'm not perfect.
The photographs are really gorgeous -- not just the ones about th...more
I have to admit that I feel a sense of pride when a Korean-American does good, so part of my support for Chang is blind. I'm not perfect.
The photographs are really gorgeous -- not just the ones about th...more
David Chang is basically the man. He had an idea, a dream and he went for it. His cookbook is mouthwatering but most surprisingly is his story and how he became a chef in the first place. I loved how he had a goal and worked hard to get it, never settling. He is a genius because although the secret to most of his recipes is pork belly, duh we love fat, he takes things we know and changes them so we sit there thinking, why didn't I think to do that. This is delicious. After eating at Momofuku's N...more
I am having a hard time rating this book with stars. As a cookbook, it gets three, because these recipes are for the most part too time-consuming, difficult and expensive for the home cook. As a book about Momofuku & Chang, it gets 5 stars, because it's beautiful, well written, and includes great stories and recipes, so you appreciate the restaurants even more. If you look at this book to explain "how do they do that magic in the kitchen?" the book will be perfect. If you come at this book t...more
Jul 29, 2011
Catherine Woodman
added it
This is not your mother's Joy of Cooking. Nor is it even Julia Child's. There is a lot of irreverence, alot of story telling, and a lot that has absolutely nothing to do with being a home cook. But in total, it really does add up to more than the sum of it's parts, and it is a cookbook that would be equally at home on the coffee table as it would be on the kitchen counter top. And there is a reverence for noodles that I cannot help but adore--plus some practical recipes that pretty much anyone c...more
Super inspiring story of kicking ass and taking names! David Chang is the bomb. Also the recipes, even if some of them seem complicated (making your own Viet sausage for banh mi???) are super interesting and I'd totally be willing to try them out. It makes me want to go to NYC and eat his food although by LA standards they do seem a bit pricey.
In short, David Chang's story totally got me off my butt and back to drawing again after a hiatus forced by sheer exhaustion. Masochism lives within artis...more
In short, David Chang's story totally got me off my butt and back to drawing again after a hiatus forced by sheer exhaustion. Masochism lives within artis...more
It's not only a really damn fine cookbook, but also a really personal look inside the mind of a chef, specifically David Chang, owner and head chef of Momofuku, Ssam Bar, Co, and many more in recent years. Not only does he take us on a journey of how he came to be the success he's become, but also provides this really incredible look at his mindset in creating the dynamic menus he's shocked the public with. Basically, he's a really bold motherf***** who's fearlessness propelled him into stardom....more
Preliminary Review
I love Chang's story of how the Noodle Bar happened in the first place simply because like Chang I have been on a quest for Ramen for most of my life. I will never forget the first time I saw the commercials on Saturday morning for "Oodles of Noodles" which was how Nissin branded their American packaging of Ramen outside of Japan. I asked my Mom to get them because noodles in soup was pretty much my favorite thing at age six and Campbell's didn't have enough (and they were mush...more
I love Chang's story of how the Noodle Bar happened in the first place simply because like Chang I have been on a quest for Ramen for most of my life. I will never forget the first time I saw the commercials on Saturday morning for "Oodles of Noodles" which was how Nissin branded their American packaging of Ramen outside of Japan. I asked my Mom to get them because noodles in soup was pretty much my favorite thing at age six and Campbell's didn't have enough (and they were mush...more
David Chang is great! I already knew this from Top Chef, Treme, and Fallon's Show, but that was in small spurts, this broadened it.
He's got a similar cooking sensibility to Tom Colicchio, but with a flair toward disrupting conventional thought. He's got an attitude toward life and cooking I can get behind.
This book deals with how three of his restaurants came into being. In between the stories are recipes from each of the restaurants.
Don't worry about trying to make this food. All the meals are...more
He's got a similar cooking sensibility to Tom Colicchio, but with a flair toward disrupting conventional thought. He's got an attitude toward life and cooking I can get behind.
This book deals with how three of his restaurants came into being. In between the stories are recipes from each of the restaurants.
Don't worry about trying to make this food. All the meals are...more
As interesting as the recipes are, it would have been fun to see some more "out there" Korean and Japanese elements utilized in the playful way Chang and his staff use kimchi, for instance. Anyway, that's only a very minor thing - on the whole, the recipes included vary widely and hold some interest for me. Chang's forthright and energetic way of sharing his opinions makes it easy to excuse him for being off at times. It's a good cookbook for an advanced cook without much on-the-ground Asian exp...more
Many of the dishes were pork related so if you aren't a big pork fan than I don't recommend it. There was also difficult ingredients to come by for a typical home cook... half of a pigs head anyone? I thought for such a thick book there would be more recipes than there were. With that said I appreciated that the book was in color with many photos of the dishes and it offered interesting and unique recipes. I think if you do make a recipe you'd be satisfied, for me I'm not a big pork fan and I do...more
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Oct 14, 2012 03:29am