Once I moved to New York Metropolis in my 20s, one in all my first stops was Momofuku Noodle Bar. At that time, the famed East Village noodle joint had been open for over a decade, and I wanted to know what the pork stomach bao tasted like. I’d seen them featured in No Reservations, Anthony Bourdain cheerfully diving in, his fingertips glistening with rendered pork fats. I’d heard David Chang talk about them at size on NPR. I’d examine them in numerous meals magazines. This was earlier than Momofuku had outposts in Los Angeles and Las Vegas or a shopper packaged items model; visiting felt like a ceremony of passage.
That first chew was jovial; unctuous and wealthy, candy from the hoisin sauce, freshened by sliced cucumbers. The bao was pillowy delicate, holding each factor collectively completely. I understood then why Momofuku had captured the eye of New Yorkers, simply as I perceive why, now — 20 years later — it stays an establishment.
Making the pork stomach at residence isn’t difficult, however does require endurance. For shortcuts, use retailer purchased mantou buns (they’ll usually be discovered within the frozen meals part of Asian grocery shops and are simply steamed). Remember to pair the pork stomach with hoisin sauce and thinly sliced cucumbers to actually replicate that Beijing duck-inspired expertise that put Momofuku on the map.
Momofuku Pork Stomach Recipe
One 3-pound slab skinless pork stomach
¼ cup kosher salt
¼ cup sugar
Step 1: Nestle the stomach right into a roasting pan or different oven-safe vessel that holds it snugly. Combine collectively the salt and sugar in a small bowl and rub the combination all around the meat; discard any extra salt-and-sugar combination. Cowl the container with plastic wrap and put it into the fridge for at the very least 6 hours, however now not than 24.
Step 2: Warmth the oven to 450 levels.
Step 3: Discard any liquid that gathered within the container. Put the stomach within the oven, fats aspect up, and cook dinner for 1 hour, basting it with the rendered fats on the midway level, till it’s an appetizing golden brown.
Step 4: Flip the oven temperature all the way down to 250 levels and cook dinner for one more 1 hour to 1 hour quarter-hour, till the stomach is tender — it shouldn’t be falling aside, however it ought to have a down pillow–like yield to a agency finger poke. Take away the pan from the oven and switch the stomach to a plate. Decant the fats and the meat juices from the pan and reserve. Permit the stomach to chill barely.
Step 5: When it’s cool sufficient to deal with, wrap the stomach in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and put it within the fridge till it’s completely chilled and agency. (You’ll be able to skip this step when you’re pressed for time, however the one option to get neat, nice-looking slices is to sit back the stomach completely earlier than slicing it.)
Step 6: Lower the pork stomach into ½-inch-thick slices which might be about 2 inches lengthy. Heat them for serving in a pan over medium warmth, only for a minute or two, till they’re jiggly delicate and heated by. Use without delay.
Reprinted with permission from Momofuku: A Cookbook by David Chang and Peter Meehan. Images by Gabriele Stabile © 2009. Printed by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random Home.
Dina Ávila is a photographer residing in Portland, Oregon.
Recipe examined by Ivy Manning
