Momofuku’s New Jarred Sauces

Making this tender Asian pork dish is as easy as opening up a jar. Well, almost...

Think of this as David Chang in a jar.

But when you unscrew the lid, there won’t be curse words galore spilling out of it.

Instead, you’ll find easy-to-use cooking sauces from the famed chef who created the mini empire of Momofuku restaurants in New York.

The sauces, sold exclusively online at Williams-Sonoma, come in two varieties: Momofuku Asian Braising Sauce and Momofuku Clay Pot Cooking Sauce.

Chef David Chang has bottled his sauces to making cooking his cuisine a snap at home.

The former is a savory-sweet blend of soy, mirin, pear, dark brown sugar, rice vinegar, apple juice and sesame oil that comes with a recipe for “Asian Braised Short Ribs” on the back of the jar. The latter is a sweet-tangy combination of soy, mirin, lemongrass, fish sauce, shallots, ginger, cinnamon and star anise that comes with a recipe for “Clay Pot Pork.”

And the latter is what I made first, when I recently received samples of the sauces.

After browning a boneless pork shoulder roast in a Dutch oven, carrots, shallots and daikon radish were added, along with the contents of the 16-ounce jar of Clay Pot Cooking Sauce and two cups of water.  Put a lid on and allow to braise in the oven for three hours. Then, serve with bowls of fluffy, steamed rice.

The meat is so tender you can eat it with a spoon, which isn’t a bad idea since the sauce is so flavorful you’ll want to enjoy every drop with those pearly grains.

The claypot sauce is $16; the braising one is $14. Or purchase the two as a set for $24.

Now, there is a short ribs recipe in the “Momofuku” cookbook (Clarkson Potter, by Chang and Peter Meehan. It’s very similar to the one on the back of the jar. Only, you’ll need — ahem– a sous vide setup in order to make the one in the book.  Alas, there is no claypot pork shoulder recipe in the cookbook. Ahh, more incentive to buy the sauces then. Chang’s clever like that.

More Tastes of Momofuku: David Chang’s Cherry Tomato and Tofu Salad

Plus: Learn How to Make Momofuku’s Famous Pork Belly Buns

And: My Q&A with David Chang

And: David Chang’s Visit to Kepler’s Book Store

Finally: Eating My Way Through the Momofuku Restaurants

Print This Post



14 comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *