Loading...
55th out of 100 books
—
7 voters
My rating:
add to my books
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 26th 2010
by Clarkson Potter
(first published October 27th 2009)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,037)
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 W...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 W...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...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...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 ...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 ...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...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 ...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 abo...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 abo...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 u...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 u...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.
...more
...more
i first discovered david chang and momofuku by way of his roasted brussel sprout recipe (http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/...). 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...more
view all 5 comments
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 ...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 ...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
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...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...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 -- ...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 -- ...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 ...more
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 anyo...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 ...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 ...more
I love food. I love reading about food and talking about food, and especially cooking food. Eating is OK too.
This book was an inspiration to me. I really like their approach to food, and I've had a lot of success playing with the flavors from some of their dishes in other contexts, too. I love the experimental attitude - this shit is delicious, AND fun to make. Win!
No chickens allowed in this kitchen. And I don't mean the feathered ones..
This book was an inspiration to me. I really like their approach to food, and I've had a lot of success playing with the flavors from some of their dishes in other contexts, too. I love the experimental attitude - this shit is delicious, AND fun to make. Win!
No chickens allowed in this kitchen. And I don't mean the feathered ones..
I've been waiting months to read this book based a brief viewing of the book at B&N and also Anthony Bourdain's recommendation of the chef (and yes, I adore him and his show No Reservations, so I take what he says seriously). Ok I love this book because of David Chang's story about opening his three main restaurants in NYC, and because the photography throughout the book is so well-done and beautiful. I would eat most of the dishes from the pictures alone. To be honest, I'm not equipped financia...more
I've discovered I love cookbooks with narratives.
This starts with Chang's early days and ideas, and interspersing narrative with recipes, and progressing chronologically to his more recent creations. Funny, witty, and vaguely reminiscent of Anthony Bourdain's tone (and that's not a bad thing...), I find myself picking it up over and over.
Plus the recipes are tasty, and ultimately that's what matters.
Highest marks.
This starts with Chang's early days and ideas, and interspersing narrative with recipes, and progressing chronologically to his more recent creations. Funny, witty, and vaguely reminiscent of Anthony Bourdain's tone (and that's not a bad thing...), I find myself picking it up over and over.
Plus the recipes are tasty, and ultimately that's what matters.
Highest marks.
This book is currently changing my life. Some dodo reviewers on amazon claim it's impractical... yeah, if your a complete pussy! It's actually really easy to cook from as long as you have an asian market close, or the internet. The "sources" page is awesome. I found it's actually cheaper, including shipping, to order bacon from the guy momofuku gets their bacon from, than buying whole foods' inferior but still good shit. A revelation!
A fascinating book to just sit down and read. In fact the only recipe I've made out of this book were watermelon pickles- which ended up way too sweet and made my house smell like a diaper factory- BUT I return to it again and again to stare at the photos and read Chang's memoirs of his crazy-meteoric success. Chang is smart, humble and curious and really exposes the triumphs and struggles of his restaurant-making career.
Chang started with a search for the ultimate ramen and followed that passion down the rabbit hole, becoming a chef and mad scientist of Asian fusion cooking. One example: he uses bacon to make his dashi.
A biography of Chang with good stories of the growth and popular and critical recognition of his restaurants. Includes some excellent, mad recipes. A good read, a great, inspirational cookbook.
A biography of Chang with good stories of the growth and popular and critical recognition of his restaurants. Includes some excellent, mad recipes. A good read, a great, inspirational cookbook.
i like many of the recipes in the book, and many seem executable in the home. the ones i've tried worked well, though they didn't BLOW MY MIND!! hm, i guess my greatest issue with the book is the david chang seems like a major conceited dickwad, who just may be in some kind of culinary vanguard, but he just seems like a shitty person. ahem.
I LOVE this book. I read most cookbooks like novels and this is one of my favorite reads. I wrote about this for www.hautepinkbham.com and you can find David Chang's amazing slow-poached egg recipe there as well as his bourbon-tasting video from the Jimmy Fallon TV show. (Both featured with permission).
I didn't expect to read this book cover to cover the same day I discovered it. It is a look into one chefs life in the restaurant world. The story of Momofuku and David Chang is intertwined with recipes and great photos all in a well designed book. I'd recommend this book to those who have worked behind the scenes in a restaurant and enjoy experimenting in their own kitchen at home.
David Chang is funny, irreverent and a complete culinary genius. That said, if you want to try these recipes, you better clear your fucking calendar because he takes labor-intensive cooking to a whole new level. Monstrously complex stuff, but totally worth it.
David Chang is a brilliant chef - have had amazing meals at 2 of his restaurants. Plus he was a regular on season 2 of Treme - as himself, and wicked cute. The book gives a good look at his thought processes and developmental info as well as recipes. Gorgeous photos.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
