L.A. Son
By Roy Choi, Tien Nguyen, and Natasha Phan.
Copyright © 2013
Library of congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.
ISBN 978-0-06-22020263-5
An Anthony Bourdain Book, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Cover design by Jorge Oswaldo
Designed by Suet Yee Chong
Photographs by © Bobby Fisher
Pages: 340
Korean Stained-Glass Fried Chicken
Brine
1 ½ gallons water
½ cup kosher salt
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
¼ cup sugar
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
¼ cup chopped peeled fresh ginger
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lime
Juice of 1 orange
½ cup natural rice vinegar (not seasoned)
4 cups beer- whatever’s in your fridge
1 cup whole milk
Chicken
1whole chicken, approximately 4 pounds
2 quarts vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a pot large enough to hold 1 ½ gallons of liquid and all the chicken pieces, combine the ingredients for the brine and cook over high heat for 20 minutes. Drain the brine through a sieve, discarding the solids, return the brine to the pot, and chill it for several hours until cold.
Add the chicken to the chilled brine and soak it overnight.
The next day, remove the chicken from the brine, rinse it in cold water to discard any milk solids, and place on a rack over a sheet pan to dry on your counter for 2 hours, or until it’s completely dry.
When you’re ready, add the oil to a large, deep pot and heat it to 350˚F, or dip a piece of the chicken in the oil- if the oil sizzles, it’s ready.
Fry the chicken until each piece is golden brown all over and cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.
Transfer the chicken to a paper-towel-lined plate or baking sheet to drain, then season with salt and pepper. The skin should crackle and pop.
Enjoy immediately with some Kimchi
Brussels Sprouts and Kimchi
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 ounces Brussels sprouts, halved
1 cup minced kimchi
1 tablespoon butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon
2 tablespoons minced shiso leaves
Heat a pan over medium heat until it’s smiking. Add the oil and the brussels sprouts.
Move the pan around, caramelizing the sprouts, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the kimhi and toss.
Get some good color on everything, about 7 to 10 minutes, then add the butter. Swirl and season everything with salt, pepper, a squeeze of the lemon, and a sprinkle of the shiso leaves.
Enjoy immediately.
Ghetto Pillsbury Fried Doughnuts
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons roasted and crushed sesame seeds
1 tube Pillsbury original biscuit dough
2 cups Crisco shortening
Mix the sugar, cinnamon, and sesame seeds in a medium-size bowl.
Pop open the tube of dough and pull apart the biscuits- they come proportioned, so this will be easy. In a big, heavy pot, heat the shortening over high heat; you’ll know it’s ready when a tiny piece of biscuit dough sizzles when added to the oil. Fry the biscuit dough until each piece becomes puffy and brown on all sides, about 2 minutes. Flip the pieces over and fry them for 2 minutes more.
Pull out the doughnuts and rest them on paper towels for a minute or two, then toss them immediately in the sugar mixture.
Seared Scallops with Chive Beurre Blanc
4 large scallops, connective muscle removed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced shallot
¼ cup white wine
¼ cup natural rice wine vinegar (not seasoned)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter cut into pieces
Splash of heavy cream
Juice of ½ lemon
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
Season the scallops on both sides with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and, once it begins to smoke a bit, add the scallops, searing them on each side until golden brown crust forms, about 1 minute per side. Remove the scallops from the pan and rest them on a wire rack.
Lower the heat and add the shallot to the same pan. Cook gently, lightly stirring the shallot constantly so it doesn’t color. After about 2 minutes, deglaze the pan with the wine and vinegar and reduce until the liquids have nearly evaporated. Turn off the heat and whisk in one piece of the cold butter until it’s melted. Repeat for the remaining pieces of butter.
Finish by whisking in a tiny splash of cream, the lemon juice, and a sprinkle of the chives. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Spoon the sauce onto the plate and place the scallops on top. Garnish with the remaining chives.
Potatoes Anna Banana
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
¼ cup vegetable poil
2 medium-size Idaho potatoes (about 8 ounces), peeled, thinly sliced into disks, and held in water
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Couple of sprigs of fresh thyme
Couple of garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Preheat oven to 400˚F.
Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over very low heat and add the butter and oil to the pan. When the butter has melted, drain and pat dry the potatoes and begin to layer them in the pan in concentric circles, overlapping them a bit. Generously season the first layer with salt and pepper and continue to layer the potatoes, being sure to season the potatoes between layers. The layers don’t have to be perfect – they can be a little sloppy, even, so long as they cover the bottom of the pan. And it’s okay if the butter and stuff bleeds into everything.
Turn up the heat to medium-high and start to get some action in the skillet. The potatoes on the bottom of the pan will start to brown, and that’s what you want. Cook until they’re nice and crispy, about 10 minutes (check to see how they’re doing by grabbing a spatula and lifting up the edge to take a peek). Then place a plate large enough to cover the pan, or a cookie sheet if you don’t have a plate that’s big enough, over the pan and flip the skillet to the potatoes are crispy side up on the plate. Being careful, slide the potatoes, crispy side up, back into your pan and return it to the heat.
Cook the potatoes just a little more, then place the thyme sprigs and crushed garlic cloves all over the potatoes. Pop it all into the oven for 5 minutes.
Out of the oven, transfer the potatoes to a plate, remove the thyme and garlic, and enjoy with some Jufran (store-bought banana ketchup) or, if you wish, something fancier.
