Momofuku Cereal Milk with Chocolate-Hazelnut Thing (vegetarian vesion)

So, you know I'm not a great photographer, right?  Sorry about the shadows.

Anyway, I've never made panna cotta before, so this was fun.  I don't think I've ever even had panna cotta.  I modified the Momofuku recipe a little to make this dessert suitable for Niall. 


To make the Cereal Milk vegetarian I used agar flakes instead of gelatin.  I halved the recipe (and also used 2% milk instead of whole) and after straining the cornflakes I had almost two cups of liquid.  I poured the liquid into a pot, added the brown sugar and salt, and sprinkled two heaping tablespoons of agar flakes on top.  I heated the liquid on the lowest heat possible without stirring.  Once the liquid was piping hot (but not boiling) I stirred in the agar flakes and continued stirring until they dissolved.  Then I poured the milk into the molds. 

Niall (who has had panna cotta) said this was a little stiff.  It may be because of the agar but most likely it's because of who was making it.  Maybe the tablespoons shouldn't have been quite so heaping. Overall, this was pretty good.  Niall probably liked it more than me because I'm not a fan of hazelnuts.  The Cereal Milk on its own tasted like milk and cereal.  But adding the chocolate-hazelnut thing with the caramelized corn flakes added sweetness and salt.

The chocolate-hazelnut thing has a praline paste, which is roasted hazelnuts with caramelized sugar.  I poured the caramel into the blender with the nuts and almost broke the blender.  (The sugar hardened right away and stuck to the sides. Luckily Niall got it fixed and cleaned.)  Once we had the paste, I mixed sugar,  powdered milk, salt, butter and cornflakes and then baked them in the oven.  Then mixed together the bittersweet (okay, half semi-sweet half baking chocolate) with the praline paste and other ingredients.  The book calls for gianduja, but I cheated and just used Nutella.  I spread the mix on waxed paper and topped with the caramelized cornflakes.  I didn't do it fast enough and the cornflakes didn't stick. 

I put it in the freezer.  After it was cold, I broke it into pieces and sprinkled it on top of the panna cotta, which had been removed from the mold.  You're supposed to make an avocado puree as well, but I didn't.  We still have half of this left (it's in the freezer) so maybe next time I'll add the avocado.

Momofuku Sour Cream Ice Cream with Miso Butterscotch

Ice cream made from sour cream had me just a bit skeptical.  But it was delicious.  It reminded me of lime ice cream we used to have when I lived in Farmington, Utah.  Niall said the recipe may be in competition with my mom's strawberry ice cream.  (The strawberry recipe is Niall's favorite homemade ice cream.)

Sugar dissolved in water, sour cream, lime zest, lime juice, sour cream and an ice cream maker.  So simple and so good.


The miso butterscotch I didn't try because it has uncooked alcohol in it.  But Niall said it was tasty, it made it seem like there was a biscuit (cookie) with the ice cream.  The shiro (white) miso is baked almost to the point of being burnt, then pureed with equal parts brown sugar, slightly less mirin (that's where the alcohol comes in), some butter and a splash of sherry vinegar.  We have plenty left over if you want any.

Momofuku English Muffins

I live in the UK.  And you know what I miss?  English muffins.  Niall has just informed me that they're in all the shops, only they're just called muffins.  But I've lived here for 3 1/2 years and go to the store all the time and do NOT recall seeing them.  So, maybe English muffins are all over the place, but I was really excited to make these because I haven't had them in ages.

How amazing are the dough recipes in the Momofuku cookbook?  Seriously, the directions are so good for making dough.  The steamed buns recipe made a very stiff dough.  This recipe was one of the stickier doughs I've made.  It wasn't easy to work with, but was manageable.  And the dough really was pillowy and tender and delicate. 

The muffins I made weren't symmetrical.  But I was so proud of them!  I had never griddle baked dough before. 

We were supposed to make Bay Leaf Butter, but didn't get around to it.  I froze more than half the dough and will make these later with the butter.  Once the muffins are made, the cookbook suggested searing the muffins in a hot griddle, which I tried.  But truth be told, we liked them better from the toaster. 

Momofuku Shortcakes with Macerated Strawberries and Whipped Cream

I was in the local food market and English strawberries were on sale.   They looked so perfect and small.   So I bought them and made the Momofuku shortcakes.  I was worried that macerated strawberries would mean adding all these extra ingredients to the beautiful little berries.  But it was only a little sugar, which was divine.  The shortcakes are good and sweet and salty.  But my first attempt did not turn out well.  The shortcakes were flat. 

For the next batch I added more flour and made the shortcakes a little bigger.  The cookbook said to bake for 11 minutes.  But it was closer for 15 for me.  These shortcakes turned out much better!

I wasn't sure about the sour cream whip cream, but a day later...I'm sold.  The dessert is really filling, and less sweet than the strawberry shortcake I'm used to.  But I liked it and I'll have it again.

Momofuku Roasted Sweet Summer Corn

Brigham suggested this recipe as one of the easy-win vegetarian options from the cookbook, and he was right.  It took us a while to find shiro (white) miso paste, but now that we have it I'm pleased.  To make the shiro butter it's one part shiro paste to one part butter.  Easy!  And the corn at the the green grocer was beautiful.  Cut it off the cob, fried in a hot skillet with a little oil.  Then stirred in the butter, Roasted Onions, some Ramen Broth...added salt and pepper and some scallions and dinner's on! 

To keep it vegetarian friendly we skipped the bacon (I can only imagine how tasty this would have been with bacon.)  I added a few dashes of liquid smoke and topped with smoked tofu. 

Momofuku Roasted Cauliflower (and Brussel Sprouts) with Fish Sauce Vinaigrette

We usually make a scaled-back version of this dish.  But I decided to follow the recipe a little closer.  The exception, to make it vegetarian, meant I used veggie fish sauce.  I still couldn't bring myself to deep-fry the vegetables (stayed with the oven roasting-must tidier!) but did fry the cilantro leaves.  I also added the toasted puffed rice, which we've left off in the past.  This version takes longer to make, but Niall said it was worth it.  Every time we make this Niall talks about how it's the one dish that makes him like brussel sprouts.

Momofuku Ramen

Once you've done the hard parts (pickling, making the broth, poaching the eggs, making the pork (or grilling halloumi-which is easier), stewing the Bamboo Shoots)...you're ready to go. 

I'm pretty happy with the stuff that that gets cooked in three minutes and costs about a quarter.  But, this is some good ramen.  Definitely a filling meal.  And we've been going through nori (the dried seaweed used in sushi) like crazy.  It's so good when it gets soggy in the ramen broth!!

Momofuku Taré (and vegetarian version)

This stuff is good.  Supposedly it's a Japanese BBQ sauce and it's used in place of salt for ramen.  And fairly easy (you know, when compared to the Ramen Broth or Roasted Pork Belly).  It has a lot of alcohol, but doesn't it become Word of Wisdom friendly when you cook it out?  I mean, it simmers for about an hour. 

The meat version starts with chicken bones, which are roasted for about an hour.

Then you add 1 part sake to 1 part mirin to 2 parts light soy sauce.  Simmer for about an hour, then strain.

For the vegetarian version, I tried it two ways.  The chicken makes a fond-the fatty liquid caramelized on the bottom of the pan.   My favorite way is to use halloumi fond* (the juice/whey that the halloumi releases as it's frying  The other way is to use browned butter.

Ingredients

Either the "fond" from a package of halloumi or 2 tablespoons of browned butter**
1/2 cup sake
1/2 cup mirin
1 cup light soy sauce
Fresh ground pepper

Pour a splash of sake into the butter (or halloumi "juice") and allow it to bubble.  Stir and then add the sake, miring and soy.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer.  Cook for about an hour then add just a bit of black pepper.  It can be used immediately or refrigerated for a few days. 

*When the halloumi finishes frying remove it from the pan, but don't wash the skillet.  Use the leftover "juice"for the taré.

**Place the butter in a saucepan and heat it until it melts.  Continue stirring the butter, allow it to become nice and dark.

Momofuku Ramen Broth (and vegetarian version)

The Momofuku Ramen Broth has more meat than I've ever used in a broth! For ten servings it has ten pounds of meat (five pounds of meaty pork neck bones, four pounds of chicken...whole, and a pound of bacon). And it takes ages to make. (I think about eight hours total, but it ended up taking me a couple of days.)

Yeah, that's a lot of meat and a lot of broth.  I made the meat version first, to see what it tasted like.  (And then invited anyone who would come to help eat it.)

Making a similar vegetarian version is beyond my culinary abilities, but here's what I came up with.  (I mean, Niall's not going to know the difference, right?)  I used the Momofuku recipe where I could and then modified the broth recipe.  In an attempt to get a smoky flavor without bacon I used a bit of Lapsang Souchong (a smoky Chinese tea) and just a touch of Liquid Smoke. This version takes about six hours, which is still a long time.  But I like the broth enough that I'll do it again.  Plus it makes so much that it's easy to freeze extra. 

Ingredients

2 sheets of konbu (dried kelp)
3 cups dried shiitakes, rinsed

2 medium-size yellow onions, quartered
1 bunch green onions (white and green parts), cut crosswise into several pieces
1 head cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
2 medium-size carrots, cut into chunks
1 head garlic, with the cloves separated and left unpeeled but cut in half
8 thin slices fresh ginger, left unpeeled (about 1 1/2 inches of garlic total)
1 Tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns
1 Tablespoon Lapsang Souchong
Taré
Liquid Smoke (just a few dashes)

Pour six quarts of water in a big stock pot and put it on the stove on high.  Rinse the konbu and put it in the water.  Bring the water to a boil and then turn off the heat.  Let the konbu steep for about ten minutes.  Remove the konbu.  (It can be used in the Grilled Octopus Salad, which I haven't made yet.)

Turn the heat back to high.  Add the shiitakes and bring the water to a boil.  When a rolling boil is reached, turn the heat to low and simmer the shiitakes for 30 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the mushrooms.  (It's okay if you miss a few.  The boiled shiitakes can be pickled.)

Now add the remaining ingredients, except for the Taré and Liquid Smoke.  Gently simmer the broth and vegetables for 3-4 hours.  Add more water as needed.  I stopped adding water after about 2 1/2 hours and let the soup reduce.

Line a strainer with cheesecloth and pass the brother through the strainer.  You can use the broth now, but I put it in a container to store for later.

When you're ready to make the broth, it needs to be seasoned.  This is where the Taré and Liquid Smoke come in.  Heat the broth and add Taré and Liquid Smoke to your taste.  The cookbook recommends 2-3 Tablespoons per quart, but let your tastebuds guide you.  Be very reserved with the Liquid Smoke because a little can go a long way.  Add a dash at a time.  "Taste it and get it right.  I like it so it's not quite too salty, but almost.  Very seasoned.  Under-seasoned broth is a crime."  -David Chang

Momofuku Pork Buns

Assembling the ingredients for the buns is what takes the longest.  But, with the pork belly roasted, the buns made and steamed and the cucumber pickled, all you need is some store-bought hoisin sauce and sriracha sauce. 

Niall's vegetarian version (the lower bun in the photo above) had all the ingredients except the pork belly.  Instead, he had halloumi cheese grilled with maple syrup, which gave the cheese a nice brown and crispy shell.

Momofuku Pork Belly Ssäm with Mustard Seed Sauce

The pork belly ssäm photo didn't turn out, it was too blurry.  But trust me, we did have this recipe with the pork.  However, Niall had it with Halloumi to make it vegetarian.  (And so did I.  I liked the cheese substitute almost as much as the pork.)  What made it for me was the mustard seed sauce.  It's a little pickled cucumber, a few pickled mustard seeds, mayo, two kinds of mustard and green onions.  Fantastic!

Momofuku Ginger Scallion Sauce and Noodles

This was another easy vegetarian recipe.  And who knew a bunch of scallions+ginger+oil, soy sauce, vinegar and salt could be so tasty?  I bought so many green onions I thought I'd never use them all.  I was wrong.

And so much ginger.

But the scallion sauce really does make so many things taste better.  And adding the sauce to pickled cucumbers, bamboo shoots and noodles made a tasty (yet mostly green) meal.

Momofuku Vinegar Pickles

Brigham suggested pickling like crazy in order to start making Momofuku recipes, and he was right.  I started with cucumbers, cabbage and chilies.  Then moved on to mustard seeds and shiitake mushrooms.  The vegetables pickle so quickly and I had no idea how nice they'd make everything taste.

Momofuku Stewed Bamboo Shoots

Canned bamboo shoots + a pickled chili + soy sauce + a few other things=delicious.  I would eat this plain, and have.  Canned bamboo shoots are suddenly becoming a kitchen staple. 

Momofuku Roasted Onions

Did you know that you can cook onions for 50 minutes?  I didn't.  And I had no idea they'd be so delicious. 

Also, since it's just onions, salt and oil it's an easy vegetarian recipe.  And they're so good on so many things!  We've had them in noodles and soup and a sandwich in the last 24 hours!

Momofuku Roasted Rice Cakes (Noodles)

What?  Yeah, these are not rice cakes.  I could not find rice cakes.  I've looked all over Cardiff.  The closest I have been able to find so far is roasted rice noodles.  And they're pretty good.  Niall loved this one.  He kept talking about how it was sweet and savory and salty and so good.  And then wanted more.  It's that Korean Red Dragon Sauce! 

It was easy to make vegetarian.   Rather than using the meat ramen broth, I used a vegetarian one (from an instant ramen packet we got at one of the Asian grocery stores.)  Otherwise it was ready made for Niall!

Momofuku Korean Red Dragon Sauce

This sauce is good.  Good like the kind of sauce I like to eat on its own.  What makes it for me is the ssamjang (the a is supposed to have two dots over it but I'm rubbish at adding those things), the fermented bean and chile sauce.  At least that's what the guy at the Asian grocery store told me that's what this is.  I wish I would have bought another container!

Momofuku Pork Belly

The final product may not look pretty but I did try on this one.  I have no idea about pork belly, whether I got a good piece, how it was supposed to turn out, etc.  I was very surprised at how fatty the cut was.  Maybe that's the nature of the beast?  Also, I have never been good at carving meat.  And this was no exception.  But despite my lack of skills this was really tasty.

Here's the pork belly before I cut it.  The rub was salt and sugar and the result was savory, sweet and salty.  In an effort to make something for Niall to have on his "pork"  bun, we decided to use halloumi cheese.

Halloumi is so delicious and salty.  And when it's fried in a dry pan it crisps up nicely.  To give it a bit of sweet I added a little maple syrup to the cheese as it fried. 

Momofuku Steamed Buns

I've hardly had steamed buns, so it was really fun to make these because I wasn't sure how they were supposed to turn out!  Even when they had finished steaming I wasn't sure they were done.

The recipe made a dough that was very easy (not sticky) work with.  Dividing the dough into 50 different pieces was not hard because the dough was so easy to handle.  I used butter instead of rendered pork fat so Niall could eat as many as he liked.

And rolling out the buns wasn't too hard either.

I tried steaming them in a steamer and on the stove.  The stove steamer worked much better!  We ended up steaming, cooling and freezing most of the buns.

Momofuku Cherry Tomato Salad

The cherry tomato salad was another Momofuku recipe that comes vegetarian friendly.  The local vegetable stand had beautiful red tomatoes, but no other colors so it was straight red.  The cookbook talks about a version using deep-fried tofu, so we threw that in.

I loved how easily the tomatoes peeled after blanching for 10 seconds.  And the peeled tomatoes tasted delicious!  (And leaving a few tomatoes unpeeled was a nice contrast.)