Dining in NY - Kung Fu Little Steamed Buns Ramen

Mr Minx and I were in NY recently to celebrate our 15th anniversary and my impending birthday. We ate at a number of interesting and less-expensive-than-usual places, just about all of them of some ethnic persuasion. We also saw a terrific Broadway show, An American in Paris. While looking for a place to have lunch before our matinee, I found Kung Fu Little Steamed Buns Ramen.

While restaurants in the Theater District/Times Square are not particularly known for their haute cuisine (think Olive Garden), this little restaurant with the big name was awarded a Bib Gourmand by Michelin for 2016. The Bib Gourmand is defined as serving "two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less." Basically cheap eats. But there are some notable restaurants on the 2016 list, including both Momofuku Noodle Bar and Ssam Bar, Frankies 457 Spuntino, Kesté Pizza & Vino, Prune, and Tertulia. I figured a restaurant in such good company can't be bad. And it wasn't.

Service is prompt and efficient in Kung Fu Little Steamed Buns Ramen's no-frills dining room. There is barely need for a menu, as the restaurant's name pretty much sums it up, but it was nice to receive one with photos of every dish, so we knew what we were getting into. The bulk of the choices are for dim sum-type snacks, with bigger dishes involving ramen or hand cut noodles in soup or stir fries. We had eaten ramen the day before (and several times in the week before our trip), so opted for dim sum in the form of pan-fried Peking duck buns, scallion pancakes with beef, pork and crab-filled soup dumplings, and a cold dish of sliced beef and tripe in chili oil.

It was all good. The meat in both the buns and scallion pancakes was slightly sweet, which balanced the spice of the beef and tripe. The tripe was cut a bit more thickly than we are used to in similar dishes served at Grace Garden and Hunan Taste, which made it a bit more chewy, but the lightly peanutty chili sauce with the distinct piney-citrus-floral flavor of Sichuan peppercorns had the perfect amount of ma-la (spicy and numbing) heat.

After having scalded myself at my first attempt at eating soup dumplings, I was very aware of the proper method of consuming these heat bombs: using the tongs provided, place a dumpling on the soup spoon; take a tiny nibble of the dumpling skin; suck out the broth before consuming the rest of the dumpling. These dumplings weren't as incendiary as those at Joe's Shanghai, so we emerged unscathed.

I think I liked the scallion pancakes most, for their crisp flaky exterior and the sweet bite of tender beef inside. It was a nice textural contrast. But everything else was quite tasty as well. It would be nice to have these slightly different options available at dim sum here in Baltimore, but who am I kidding? We're lucky to have any dim sum options at all.

Kung Fu Little Steamed Buns Ramen
811 8th Ave
New York, NY 10019



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Pig from Neck to Tail

Potentially NSFW dish of red braised pig tails

Where have pig's tails been all my life?

These bony pig parts - featured in the third course of my New Year's Eve dinner at B&O American Brasserie - are right up my culinary alley. Full of bones, tendon, and gelatinous skin, pig's tails are something that my Polish, offal-loving mother and grandmother would have adored; I am surprised that they were never on our dinner table.

I checked out a couple of recipes online and decided that pig's tail was easy enough to cook that I could wing it. Chichi Wang's soy-braised and fried pig's tails inspired me to use an Asian flavor palette and a vinegary dipping sauce to cut the fatty lusciousness of the meat. Red-braising, with it's star anise sweetness, seemed perfect.

While I love the succulent meat and other goodies that hang around the boniest parts of animals, Mr Minx is not as big a fan. For him, I bought a package of neck bones, which have much more meat and fewer gelatinous bits. And are shockingly delicious. Where have neck bones been all my life?

Served with some white rice and a simple stir-fry of sliced Brussels sprouts (because that's what we had), these pig parts were finger-lickin' good, if a bit obscene looking.

Red-braised Pig

3 pounds pig's tails or tails and necks combined
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon Chinese chili bean paste or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 whole star anise
1 teaspoon salt
soy sauce
sherry wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Place the pig parts in a large stock pot, and fill with enough cold water to cover. Cover the pot, and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes. (Watch carefully, because it might boil over.)

Remove pot from the heat, remove and rinse pig parts, drain liquid, clean the pot of any debris, then return the tails to the pot. Cover with cold water. Add garlic, brown sugar, soy, chili paste or red pepper flakes, and star anise and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for between 2-3 hours, or until the tails are very tender. Remove from heat. Can refrigerate in the braising liquid up to overnight until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil. Remove pig parts from braising liquid, pat dry, and place them in the roasting pan. Roast the parts for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tails pop and sizzle and the skin browns.

While pig is roasting, strain braising liquid and place in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until reduced to about one cup.

In small bowls or ramekins, mix equal parts of soy sauce and vinegar (about 1 T each per diner). Stir in a couple tablespoons of reduced braising liquid. Use as a dip for the meat.

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Chicken Liver Paté

The Bolognese sauce I whipped up the other day required the addition of four ounces of chicken livers. I could only find 20-oz containers at the Safeway, so I had the option of skipping the livers altogether, or finding something to do with a spare pound of them. Opting to buy the livers, I decided to make a paté, inspired by the lovely rye whiskey- and honey-flavored version we ate at Clementine, substituting bourbon for the rye and adding leftover fresh sage as well.

Chicken Liver Paté with Bourbon, Honey, and Sage

4 tablespoons butter
3 large shallots, sliced
1 lb chicken livers, trimmed
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoonground allspice
1/4 teaspoonfresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves
1/4 cup bourbon
1 teaspoon honey or to taste
2 tablespoons melted butter

In a large sauté pan, heat the butter over medium-high heat until melted. Add the shallots and cook until translucent. Add the livers, sprinkle with salt, allspice, and pepper. Add sage leaves. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, turning livers occasionally. Add bourbon and increase heat to high. Cook until liquid in pan is almost evaporated, except for about 3 tablespoons. Remove liver mixture from heat and place in food processor bowl. Add honey. Pulse until smooth. Pack paté into 2 cup mold or individual ramekins. Pour melted butter over top. Cover and refrigerate for up to three days. Flavor improves as it sits.

Serve with crusty bread.

So it's not pretty - but it was DELICIOUS, particularly when schmeared on freshly-baked rye bread and accompanied by cornichons and giardiniere (pickled vegetables).