Writing With My Mouth Full

Korea: Jjorim Fish Stew

Simmering meats or fish for a long time is what Koreans call jjorim. Usually a soy sauce-based marinade is used to make jjorim stew. This is Nabi’s mother’s recipe but she’s adapted it to make a vegetarian version with tofu. I copied and used both fish and tofu and it turned out to be the perfect bowl to nurse during a rainy day. I julienned a carrot and a radish while I roasted a small sweet potato. I put them all together in a pot with some firm tofu, poured over the soy sauce marinade and topped them with a beautiful cod fillet. The saltiness of the soy sauce evaporated when I put everything into a low simmer; I turned off the heat when the fish was white enough to look tender.

Ingredients:
1 1-pound black cod fillet
1 package of firm tofu, diced
1 small daikon radish, julienned
1 medium carrot, julienned
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 small sweet potato, roasted, sliced
1/2 cup vegetable stock
5 tbsps soy sauce
2 tbsps white wine
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsps red chili flakes
a small knob of ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
1 garlic, minced

1. Mix and stir all the liquid together with the maple syrup, ginger, garlic and pepper flakes to make marinade.
2. In a Dutch oven, layer all the vegetables and tofu. Pour the marinade into the pot. Add the vegetable stock. Top with the fish.
3. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Top with roasted seaweed.

Yogurt Panna Cotta with Grape Gelée

This didn’t come out as pretty as I had hoped. I forgot to dip the set panna cotta gelÃ©e ramekins in warm water before unmolding for a smoother finish, but at least they came out deliciously purple. This was adapted from Gourmet Magazine. I took advantage of the fresh seedless grapes at Fairway and the leftover gelatin packets in my cupboard. I rarely make desserts but the last couple of summers, I’ve gotten the hang of making gelÃ©e and panna cotta. To test the waters, I only made two of these and excluded the grappa on both the gelÃ©e and the panna cotta–they still turned out yummy.

Ingredients:
For gelÃ©e:
1 tsp of unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup all-natural grape juice
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup seedless grapes, thinly sliced crosswise
oil for greasing ramekins

For panna cotta:
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup plain yogurt
a pinch of salt

1. Make gelÃ©e. Sprinkle gelatin over half of the grape juice in a heavy saucepan and let stand for 1 minute to soften. Bring to a simmer and stir to dissolve gelatin. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining grape juice with the grapes and the lemon juice. Lightly oil the ramekins and put in a shallow baking pan. Divide grape mixture evenly among ramekins and chill in freezer for about 30 minutes or until gelÃ©e is set.
2. Make panna cotta while gelÃ©e sets. Stir in gelatin and half of the cream in another heavy saucepan and let stand for 1 minute to soften. Bring to a simmer and stir to dissolve the gelatin. Add the rest of the cream with sugar and return to a simmer until sugar is dissolved. Whisk together yogurt and salt in a bowl until smooth. Pour in cream mixture and whisk until combined well.
3. Pour mixture into ramekins over set gelÃ©e and chill, covered with Saran wrap, until firm, about 8 hours.
4. To unmold, run a thin sharp knife along the edge of the ramekin to loosen. Dip in a small bowl of very warm water for about 6 seconds. Invert a plate over each ramekin and then invert panna cotta gelÃ©e onto plates, gently lifting off ramekins.

Searching For a Good Taco: Red Hook, Brooklyn

I have to admit that we didn’t drive from Harlem all the way down to Red Hook to look for a good taco. We made the trip to check out the Fairway Supermarket that opened a few months ago and do our grocery shopping for the week. Walking along the waterfront of Red Hook, you’ll be reminded that the city was a port city.

Giant machines, old warehouses, heavy containers, big ships, abandoned piers and the squawking seagulls make up the view. There is no subway close to the water so visitors need to have a car or trek from Carroll Gardens to get to Red Hook. It’s probably this inconvenience that’s stopping Manhattan folks from coming and moving in droves. But when you get there, you can imagine the old-school blue-collar New York way before the cafÃ©s and art galleries–and Fairway–started to open up in the neighborhood. Gentrification is well on its way, but who am I to snort when I live in one of the newest buildings in west Harlem?

The Times featured the tents outside the Red Hook baseball fields last week where all kinds of different foods are sold. We wanted to pass by and look for the pupusas we had in El Salvador and to slurp the vinegar goodness of Ecuadorian ceviche. We thought that if we find a good taco, then it would just be icing on the cake. Little did we know that we’d actually find the best taco. My search this year ends.

We parked our car and walked towards the park along Bay and Clinton Streets where we could already see blue tents set up for the forming lunch crowd. On Henry Street, however, we spotted a lone table with a tarp tied to a tree, so we decided to check the goods there before heading to the busier part of the field.

Large pieces of pork are stewed in a vat of boiling marinade then cut up into smaller portions before filling soft tortillas with finely chopped onions and cilantro. I haven’t tasted every taco sold in New York City but I’m going to have to lay it out there and say that this is the best taco I’ve had so far.

As a comparison, we bought a beef steak taco from the last stand on the far side of Clinton. Although it was good, it wasn’t enough to make us forget about the taco we just had. The Dr., my brother and I all voted for the first taco as the better one.

The secret in the second taco was the chicharron, or pig’s skin deep-fried into crunchy paradise. I think the lady was thrilled that we asked for extra chicharron when she was putting a taco together for us.

Momofuku Ssam Bar

207 2nd Avenue corner of 13th Street
212/254.3500
$9 for one, with a drink, without tip
â™¥ â™¥ ♥

Remember when the Lambs were all over 5th Street opening up to five restaurants in the area? Two of them, a Korean grill, now Degustation, and Makimono, now occupied by Jack Oyster Bar that was around the corner, have since closed. So can the east Village only be conquered by one person–or one couple–at a time? And is it David Chang’s turn this year?

Every time I walk by Momofuku, it’s packed. I like my Berkshire pork as much as everyone else, but spending $13 on a bowl of somen is hard to swallow at times. Besides, when I am in the mood to spend that much for a bowl of noodle soup, any one of my white guy friends are not available to eat with me–a white guy is the accessory-du-jour at Momofuku if you’re an Asian girl. (Look up from your sticky steamed buns when you go.)

I wish Chef David Chang all the luck now that his second restaurant has opened. From bowls of noodles made fancy by adding Berkshire pork and seasonal ingredients come Korean burritos called ssam made fancy by adding, well, Berkshire pork and other seasonal ingredients. To me, though, a burrito is a burrito: a whole mess of rice, beans and meat wrapped in soft tortilla even if there are Asian touches to it. At Momofuku Ssam Bar, edamame, shiitake mushrooms and kimchi are the culprits. I was ready to surrender towards the end of my heavy lunch but I was with three other boys who thought another half would have made the $9 worth it.

Momofuku Ssam is so much better for dinner. After an hour wait in a pub down the street, we returned to be seated at the bar. The warm veal head terrine reminded me of Babbo that I almost forgot David Chang became famous because of his noodle bowls. The sweetbreads were grilled, complete with burnt stripes, and were excellent beer food with pickles. I loved the roasted mushroom salad with crosne, or Chinese artichoke, in a pistachio-based sauce. The grilled lemongrass pork sausage was much better and lighter than its soft tortilla counterpart. The lettuce is fresh and crunchy, and like Korean kalbi, is used to pick up the soft sausages. David Chang just can’t help but go back to his Asian roots and I commend him for that.

fresh.

105 Reade Street between Church and Broadway
212/406.1900
about $55 for one, with two drinks, without tip
♥

For a $28 lunch prix fixe, my shellfish crepe with spinach was very satisfying. It included a scallop, small pieces of lobster and crab plus shrimps sandwiched in a soft crepe swimming in crab broth. I would have been happy without the crepe because it got soggy at the end, but that El Bulli-inspired foam is always interesting to look at. The gazpacho with shrimps had a nice spicy kick to it that I liked. They ran out of the octopus and squid salad and this cold soup was the right choice for a summer starter. I had room for dessert and I thought I made a good choice with the strawberry almond shortcake with sorbet. To me, something tart is always a good ending to a good meal.

The busboy brought bread to the table three times while we waited for our food. Maybe the small flies buzzing around made him nervous because he was keen on spilling water whenever he would give us a refill. One of the flies–a really, really tiny one–dove into one of our wine glasses. To make up for it, the manager brought us an extra bottle of wine–a service totally unnecessary but very much appreciated by our entire group. Sometimes, attentive service makes up for everything else, even small insects. Sometimes.