Sasha's Kitchen: Asian-Style Scallion Cilantro Pancakes

My mom recently sent me a wonderful new cookbook, but a women whose gardening books she had read, Sarah Raven, called Fresh From the Garden. The book focuses on fresh uses of seasonal, garden fresh ingredients and their uses in delicious seasonal recipes. So far, I have read the recipes for spring and winter and there's so many I want to try. The scallion/cilantro pancakes and rhubarb cardamom chutney were both delicious, and my husband and mom (cooking together for me) also tried a summer vegetable risotto that was a loose variation on the recipe in her book. Each of these three recipes were spectacular. This might just be my favorite new cookbook that I have tried in a long time! Don't skip out on Sarah's dipping sauce either - its the perfect match as I love sesame oil!

Scallion Cilantro Pancakes (from Sarah Raven)
makes 12 five inch pancakes or six eight inch pancakes - I doubled the recipe below for more because they were so good!

1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 small red chile, thinly sliced (i used 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes instead)
pinch of ground black pepper
4 drops of sesame oil
canola oil for frying
5-6 scallions diced (green parts only)
small bunch of cilantro, freshly chopped

Dipping sauce
3 T soy sauce
2 T rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 T freshly chopped fresh cilantro

Put the flours, salt, egg and egg yolk and 1/4 cup of water, red pepper flakes, and sesame oil in a bowl and whisk together.  Allow to stand for thirty minutes at room temperature. Chop the scallions and cilantro and set aside.

combine the soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil for the sauce and stir in the sesame seeds. Also add the reserved white parts of the scallions left over from the pancake recipe.

Heat a teaspoon of canola oil in an eight inch nonstick pan over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Spoon in 1/2 T of the batter, tilting the pan to spread it over the bottom. Scatter the scallions and cilantro over the top, gently pressing them with a spatula. Fry until the underside is pale golden, about two minutes. Turn over and cook another minute or so. Transfer to a piece of parchment paper while you prepare the other pancakes. Serve right away with dipping sauce.

Sasha's Kitchen: Asian-Style Scallion Cilantro Pancakes

Sasha's Kitchen: Strawberry-Blueberry Popsicles

Popsicles are the perfect summer treat. I had never made my own before, but really why not? It's easy enough to do if you have the right molds, and nothing could be a more refreshing summer treat than making your own with fresh local fruits and berries. I came across some basic recipes in Bon Appetit  and decided to give it a try using some popsicle molds that I bought at the Brooklyn Kitchen in Williamsburg. The molds are from a company called Tovolo than makes great freezer pop and ice cream sandwich molds. The key to making good popsicles from fresh fruit is balancing the fruit with a bit of citrus. I can't wait to use the molds again to make these banana pudding and chocolate sea salt pops next time!

Strawberry-Blueberry Popsicles (from Bon Appetit)
strawberry portion
1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

blueberry portion
12 oz fresh blueberries
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp fresh lime juice

Puree the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a food processor with 1/4 cup of water until smooth. Strain using a wire mesh strainer, pressing on solids to extract the puree. Set aside. Puree the blueberries, sugar and lime juice with 3 T of water in a food processor, and once again, strain.

Pour some of the strawberry puree into the popsicle molds and freeze until just firm, about 30 minutes. Then, pour some of the blueberry puree on top and freeze for 30 minutes, alternating layers as you choose to. I just made bi-color strawberry-blueberry ice pops. One done, add caps and freeze until firm. To eat, dip bottoms of molds in hot water for 20-30 seconds to loosen the pops.

Sasha's Kitchen: Strawberry-Blueberry Popsicles

Sasha's Kitchen: Homemade Ravioli with Ramps in Sage Butter Sauce

Ramps (also know as wild leeks) are one of my favorite vegetables of the spring. They're gone now, sadly, as the season has passed, but before they were, I tried them out in some delicious ravioli. I learned how to make ravioli and pasta at a wonderful pasta making class that I took at the Brooklyn Kitchen in Williamsburg, which is a wonderful place to take cooking classes. After the class, I bought a pasta machine and a ravioli press, very reasonably, both of which are needed to make ravioli. This was the first recipe I tried, which was a winner. The recipe made plenty, so I froze half of the raviolis rather than cooking them all.

Sasha's Homemade Ravioli with Ramps in Sage Butter Sauce 
pasta dough (see below)
2 15oz containers of ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese
1/2 to 1 tsp red pepper flakes
bunch of ramps, diced
4 T butter
4 T olive oil
7-8 sage leaves

Pasta Dough (recipe from the Brooklyn Kitchen class i took)
4 cups flour
4 large eggs
4 T extra virgin olive oil
4 tsp Kosher salt

To prepare the dough, beat the eggs, extra virgin olive oil and salt in your mixer until smooth. Then add all of the flour, and beat until it forms a dough. You may need to add some additional water (I added about 3 T) to bring it all together. Take the dough out of the stand mixer once it is coming together, and form int four balls. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling with the two cheeses, red pepper flakes and ramps.

Then roll the first ball of dough in your pasta machine, starting at the widest setting, following the manufacturers instructions.  Flour the machine before using it and roll several times at the first setting to form a nice, even sheet. Then roll two times at each setting, getting progressively thinner. I stopped after setting number 7. Cut the sheets into sheets the length of the ravioli press and press one into the ravioli press, using the top to mold it into form. Fill each with a teaspoon of the filling. Lay a second pasta sheet neatly on top and roll over both as hard as possible with a rolling pin to press the ravioli and cut it into shape. Remove the ravioli carefully from the press and separate. The  dry for about 20-30 minutes on a drying rack before cooking. Continue with the rest of the dough - the recipe makes about four dozen ravioli. It's like magic, isn't it? To cook, place in salted water brought to a boil and cook for about five minutes.

Serve in a butter/sage sauce. I browned the butter in the pan, then added the sage and olive oil and cooked for a few minutes, before mixing in the cooked ravioli. Serve with a bit of grated cheese.

Sasha's Kitchen: Homemade Ravioli with Ramps in Sage Butter Sauce

Sasha's Kitchen: Hot Lips Cinnamon Cupcakes

I am so behind in posting stuff. I swear I have been cooking and baking, but there's so much stuff in my back-log of things to post - raspberry frozen souffles, dark chocolate lava cakes, scallion pancakes, and my fabulous homemade ravioli with ramps. I'll catch up, but how about sharing some cupcakes first.

The inspiration for these cupcakes was to create a cinnamon cupcake with a delicious honey-cinnamon frosting. I decided to give them a sexy "hot lips" theme that seemed to go with cinnamon well, so I piped red lips on each cupcakes using a fine tip on my frosting bag. They are intended to be finished by placing a perimeter of red hots around the border of each cupcake. But, alas, I forgot to pick them up. But, use your imagination, or add them if you make this recipe at home. Pucker up and enjoy!

Sasha's "Pucker-Up" Cinnamon Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Sasha's Honey-Cinnamon Frosting
1 stick of unsalted butter
4 oz cream cheese
3 cups confectioner's sugar
2 T freshly made, organic honey
1 tsp cinnamon
drop of gel food coloring

To prepare the cupcakes, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Beat the butter for about three minutes with the granulated sugar in the basin of your stand mixer. Beat in the three eggs. Alternate adding and mixing in the dry ingredients and the milk on medium speed and combine until smooth. Fill lined silicon cupcake molds 3/4 of the way to the top. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, beat the confectioners's sugar, honey, butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer on high speed for several minutes until smooth. Beat in the cinnamon. Add a drop of gel food coloring if you want any color different from the color the cinnamon gives which is very natural. I used an Ivory gel based food color, which is actually very similar.

Pipe on the frosting using a wide tip, fluted frosting bag. Using a very small tip, pipe the lips to have nice puckered shapes.

Sasha's Kitchen: Hot Lips Cinnamon Cupcakes

Sasha's Kitchen: Beef Sauerbraten with Sweet and Sour Cabbage and Pretzel Dumplings

I've been meaning to post this recipe I made with my mom when she was visiting for awhile now, but it's just so complex, that it's quite a lengthy write up. The meal was really, really good - absolutely fantastic though. This is not a tuesday night dinner. This is a weekend meal, that you need to prepare in advance for and should probably cook for company and not "just for fun." But it truly was fantastic. The recipe is one of the signature dishes at Prime Meats, a fabulous farm to table restaurant right here in Brooklyn, and I came across the recipe in the New Brooklyn Cookbook.


Prime Meats' Beef Sauerbraten with Red Cabbage and Pretzel Dumplings
Beef
2 lb beef brisket (I used a three pound cut)
2 cups dry red wine
1 cup red wine vinegar
4 juniper berries
2 tsp white peppercorns
1 celery stalk, sliced
2 carrots, diced
1 leek, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, halved
3 yellow onions, 1 diced and three cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/4 cup canola oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 granny smith apples, peeled and diced
1 cup raisons
1 bay leaf
1 tsp fresh thyme
3/4 cup low sodium beef or chicken stock

Pretzel Dumplings
1 cup while milk
six day of soft pretzels (I cheated and used store bought ones rather than making my own)
salt and pepper
3-4 T buter
1 medium spanish onion, diced
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1 large egg, beaten

Sweet and Sour Cabbage
4 T unsalted butter
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 medium white onion, diced
2 granny smith apples, peeled and diced
1 large red cabbage (three pounds) cored and sliced thin
2/3 cup dried cherries (I used frozen cherries, instead)
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
juice of 1/2 of a lemon

Whew! It just took forever and that's just the stuff you need to buy to make this monster of a meal! First, place the beef in a large bowl and combine the wine, vinegar, juniper berries, peppercorns, celery, carrot, leek, garlic and one of the sliced onions for the marinade. Marinade the brisket for 3-4 days. If the brisket is not completely submerged, turn the meat a couple of times a day (which you should do anyhow).

Strain the marinade and reserve. Preheat the oven to 275. Heat the canola oil in a dutch oven and brown the brisket on all sides, about ten minutes. Remove the meat and season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining two onions to the dutch oven, and cook the onions about 15 minutes in the remaining oil until caramelized. Add the reserved marinade to the pan and scrape the bottom. Add the apples, raisins, bay leaf, thyme and stir to combine. Return the meat to the dutch oven and bring to a summer over medium heat. Place in the oven and braise for two and a half hours until tender, turning the meat every hour or so.

To prepare the dumplings, do so while the meat is in the oven. Warm the milk over low heat and pour the milk in a bowl over the pretzels. Allow to soak for thirty minutes after seasoning with salt and pepper. In a saute pan, melt one T of butter and saute the onion until translucent. Add the parsley and the onion mix to the dumpling mix and mix well with your hands to combine.

Add the egg to the dumpling mix and incorporate well, again using your hands. Form three logs out of the mix that are two inches across and wrap each log in plastic wrap top secure. Wrap in aluminum foil and secure the ends. Drop the logs in a pot of boiling water, then reduce to a summer and simmer partially covered for thirty minutes. Remove the logs, unwrap and allow to cool.

Next, prepare the cabbage, which is a wonderful pickled cabbage. I wasn't expecting to LOVE this part of the dish as much as I did. Who knew that I liked pickled cabbage? In a dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apples and onions and saute until translucent, about five minutes. Add the cabbage, cherries, red wine, cloves, brown sugar and bay leaf, stirring to combine. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Cover the pan, reduce heat and summer for an hour. Then stir in the apple cider vinegar and lemon juice and cook for one minute.

When the brisket is tender, transfer to a cutting board and cut with a meat knife against the grain. Add the stock to the dutch oven and reduce by half over medium heat with the marinade for twenty minutes.

To finish the dumplings, discard the foil and plastic wrap and slice into half inch slices. Saute for a few minutes in one T of melted butter.

Sasha's Kitchen: Beef Sauerbraten with Sweet and Sour Cabbage and Pretzel Dumplings

Sasha's Kitchen: Bucatini with Ramps and Fiddlehead Ferns

I will share my much awaited recipe for beef sauerbraten with sweet and sour cabbage and pretzel dumplings tomorrow - just don't have time to write it up today, as we are headed off to spend the day with family. But, in the meantime, I wanted to share a fantastic spring pasta dish that uses the fabulous, hollow tubular bucatini, and one of my favorite spring vegetables - ramps, or wild leeks. Nothing could be better than that little bit of garden fresh onion green with your bucatini, trust me. My mom also has been talking up fiddlehead ferns, another delicious green vegetable that you can only get this time of year, so I threw those in as well. The first time I tried making them, I seasoned them badly and they looked like fried insects, but not this time - everything was sautéed in butter and olive oil, with some panko breadcrumbs for a delicious, garden fresh, spring dinner!

Sasha's Spring Garden Pasta with Ramps and Fiddlehead Ferns
1 12oz package of bucatini
1 large bunch of ramps, finely chopped, bulbs removed
4 oz fiddlehead ferns
3 T butter
3 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup panko breadcrumbs

First, sauté the ramps and fiddlehead ferns in the butter in a large saute pan. Saute the fiddlehead ferns first, for about 3-4 minutes, then add the ramps and saute another five minutes, until the ramps are well cooked and wilted and the fiddlehead ferns are soft. When adding the ramps, add a half teaspoon (less or more to taste) of red pepper flakes.

In the meantime, prepare the bucatini in a pot of salted boiling water. Toast the breadcrumbs on a frying/saute pan for a few minutes until lightly browned.  When the pasta is cooked, add it to the pan with the butter/ramps/fiddlehead ferns. Add a tablespoon or two of the leftover pasta water (a trick I learned from watching the Food Network), and two to three tablespoons of olive oil, and sauté the pasta for a minute or so, until everything is evenly mixed. Mix in the toasted panko and serve.

Sasha's Kitchen: Bucatini with Ramps and Fiddlehead Ferns

Sasha's Kitchen: Rhubarb Raspberry Crostata and Wolfgang Puck Soups Giveaway

After making my strawberry rhubarb pie a couple of times recently (has to be the BEST dessert of the Spring), I could't resist trying another rhubarb dessert recipe. I came across a recipe for a rhubarb raspberry crostata in Bon Appetit, and I couldn't resist. I love the idea of a crostata - its kind of a cross between a pizza and a pie, if that makes any sense. I made this recipe last week with a candle for my husband Brad's birthday, and it was a winner.

In addition, I wanted to share an exciting giveaway with my readers. I had the chance to try several of Wolfgang Puck's soups courtesy of the company and got the chance to do a giveaway of a whole goodie basket of his soups and stocks with my readers! The soups are organic, gluten free and delicious - perfect for those non-cooking nights that we all have. I tried hearty garden vegetable and tomato basil bisque and both were delicious. To enter the giveaway to win the gift basket below, leave a comment on this post with your e-mail address (so I can contact the winner) as well as fanning A Kitchen In Brooklyn on Facebook and/or as a blogger follower. My deadline is midnight on Monday May 30 to enter. A delicious giveaway for a lovely Memorial Day weekend!

So, enter the giveaway and have a happy spring with another delicious and fruity dessert. This raspberry rhubarb crostata is nice and tart (as one would expect), but oh so good. It's hard to just have one slice! I'm not done with those spring fruits yet either, as I have devised a new recipe for a strawberry balsamic pie that I am looking forward to trying soon.

Raspberry Rhubarb Crostata (adapted from this recipe)
Crust
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 T sugar
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (chilled and cubed)
1 large egg
1 T milk

Filling
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 cups of 1/2 inch thick slices of fresh rhubarb (from the Union Square Farmers' Market)
1 6oz container of fresh raspberries
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
sugar for dusting

To make the crust, I followed the recipe and did this in my mixer. It came out great, but really you can do this all by hand, with fabulous results as well, just like I explain in my stepwise pie crust recipe.  Don't worry if the butter is only half blended or so if you do it that way, as it will only make your crust crisper and more delicious. Below, though are the directions for doing so in a stand mixer.

Combine the flours, sugar and salt for the crust. Add butter and pulse for about two minutes. Whisk egg and milk in a separate bowl, and add to the mixer. Pulse until moist clumps form and bring dough into a ball with your hands. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill for one hour.

While the dough is chilling, make the filling for the crostata. Dissolve the cornstarch in three tablespoons of water and set aside. Combine the fruit and the sugar in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugars are dissolved and juices are released, about four minutes. The rhubarb will not yet be tender. Stir in the cornstarch and transfer to a bowl, and allow to cool for thirty minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 F and roll out the dough on a floured surface, rotating with each turn so it does not stick to the surface. Mound the filling in the center of the crust and leave a one and a half inch border. Gently fold in the edges of the dough over the filling. Brush the border with an egg glaze and sprinkle with a bit of sugar. Bake until golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 40-45 minutes. Cut into wedges (like pizza!) to serve.

Sasha's Kitchen: Rhubarb Raspberry Crostata and Wolfgang Puck Soups Giveaway

Sasha's Kitchen: Goat Cheese Tomato & Onion Tart

I've been searching for the perfect goat cheese, tomato and onion tart for what seems like forever. I've tried a couple of things and haven't really been happy with any of them. My mom was visiting us recently, and she often comes bringing wonderful new cookbooks for me to try out. This time she brought Barefoot Contessa's Back to Basics, which I was excited to try since I love Ina Garten. The first recipe I tried from this cookbook was my adaption of her tomato & goat cheese tarts on pages 92 and 93, which are made using a puff pastry crust. Why didn't I think of that as the base for the perfect tart - especially considering that I love puff pastry?

Tomato & Goat Cheese Tarts (adapted from Barefoot Contessa)
1 package (17.3 oz) puff pastry, defrosted (two sheets)
4 cups thinly sliced onions (about two large onions)
3 large cloves garlic, cut into slices (I love garlic so I used five)
3 T dry white wine
2 tsp minced fresh thyme
4 T freshly grated parmesan (I used a bit more, maybe 6, in total), plus 2 oz for top
8 oz goat cheese (I used about twice as much as the original recipe called for), crumbled
1 large tomato cut into 4 slices ( I made smaller tarts, so i used two tomatoes cut into eight slices)
3 T julienned basil leaves

Unfold the puff pastry sheets.  Ina suggests tracing and cutting the rectangles into circles, but I found it much easier to cut them into squares, for a total of eight. Place the pastry circles or squares in two sheet pans lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 425. Heat 3 T of olive oil in a skilled and add the onions and garlic. Saute for 15 to 20 minutes until the onions are limp and there is little moisture remaining in the skilled. Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and the white wine and thyme and cool for another 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned. This gives the onions an absolutely fabulous flavor, and they are my favorite part of this recipe.

Score a /14 inch border around each pastry square or circle. Sprinkle a tablespoon of parmesan on each pastry round, staying inside the border. Divide the onion mixture evenly between each round, again staying inside the border. Crumble the goat cheese (I used 8 oz rather than 4) on each tart and place a slice of tomato in the center of each. Brush the tomato lightly with oil and season with basil, salt and pepper on top. Top with some freshly grated parmesan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and nice and puffy. Serve warm or hot.

Sasha's Kitchen: Goat Cheese Tomato & Onion Tart

Sasha's Kitchen: Frozen Strawberry Souffle

So, a frozen souffle really isn't a souffle at all - its much more like a frozen custard, like ice cream but so much better, lighter and creamier. If you have ever made Italian Semifreddo (I plan to make a tri-colored one next week), then a frozen souffle is really the same substance, just made in smaller, individual portions,  in souffle dishes. I used a bit of parchment paper on the rim of each souffle dish so I could pour up the custard higher and give this the look of an actual souffle after removing the parchment paper. I adapted this recipe from one that I found online, with several changes (my way is better!). It was amazing - light and creamy, a perfect fresh strawberry frozen custard! This is a fabulous recipe for using those fresh, local strawberries that are in season right now.

Frozen Strawberry Souffle
1 lb fresh strawberries, stemmed and hulled
1 cup sugar plus 3 T
5 egg whites
1/4 tsp orange zest
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
2 T amaretto (I used my homemade amaretto)
1/4 cup slivered almonds
3-4 T of sugar

First, make a praline by caramelizing the almonds in the 3-4 T of granulated sugar. Once caramelized, allow to cool completely on a piece of foil, before pulverizing in a nut chopper or food processor. Put about a tablespoon of this praline in the bottom of each souffle dish, for the bottom of each dessert.

Using parchment paper, create a rim, or collar of parchment paper on each of four souffle dishes, so you will be able to pour the mixture about an inch or an inch and a half above where the dish ends. You will remove this after the souffle is frozen.

Slice the strawberries (all of them) and allow to sit in a bowl with 3 T of sugar for about 20 minutes to macerate. Puree the strawberries in a food processor. Whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer. Continue to whip, while gradually adding the cup of sugar, until an Italian meringue forms. Fold in the orange zest and strawberry puree. Once again, using the stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the cream until stiff. Fold in the strawberry meringue and the amaretto and gently combine. Ladle the mixture into the prepared souffle dishes, filling up to the top of the parchment paper collars. Freeze overnight (will keep for a week) and enjoy!

Sasha's Kitchen: Frozen Strawberry Souffle

Sasha's Kitchen: David Chang's Momofuku Fried Chicken with Octo Vinaigrette

I confess, I have not yet been to any of David Chang's Momofuku restaurants (my husband has though!) but I've been dying to get to Momofuku noodle bar and try out the fried chicken and other dishes there.  It's pretty high up on my list of pricy New York restaurants to try, or to fucking try, as Chang would say (he swears quite a bit as noted in this humorous Huffington Post article). Anyhow, I decided to try making Chang's Fried Chicken with Octo Vinaigrette, from the Momofuku cookbook to see how it stacks up next to Thomas Keller's buttermilk fried chicken from Ad Hoc at Home.  I've got to say, this might be my new favorite fried chicken recipe ever. They way I followed the recipe, it is fried, but not as deeply fried, which is just perfect. Plus, the octo vinaigrette that goes on top of Chang's chicken might just be the most delicious chicken dressing ever! The brine here is key with both recipes - it gives the chicken the most moist, succulent flavor ever. This was a winner with my whole family and I plan to make it again next week.

One thing i should note that I did differently. Chang calls for steaming the chicken then deep frying. I really wanted to do this, but my steamer was too small and I would have been cooking the chicken in batches until about midnight the night I made this. So, we would up baking at a low temperature, and then frying the chicken. I was worried it would not be as juicy if I did this, but my husband insisted because he was hungary and low and behold it was still amazing. So read on for the full recipe!

David Chang's Momofuku Fried Chicken with Octo Vinagirette

4 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup kosher salt
One 3- to 3 1/2-pound chicken, cut into 4 pieces - (I used a four pound whole chicken cut into eight pieces, but you can also use all wings and legs if you prefer)

4 cups grapeseed or other neutral cooking oilOcto Vinaigrette

David Chang's Octo Vinaigrette

2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 tbsp chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 fresh bird's eye-chili, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup usukuchi (light soy sauce) - I substituted light soy sauce
2 tbsp grapeseed or other neutral oil
1/4 tsp Asian sesame oil (this makes the dressing what it is!)
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
Fresh ground black pepper

First, brine the chicken. Combine the water, kosher salt and sugar in a large pot with a lid and dissolve the ingredients in the pot. Add the chicken pieces and brine in a refrigerator for at least one and no more than six hours. I found that 4 hours was perfect. 

Set up a steamer on the stove. Drain the chicken and discard the brine. Put the chicken in the steamer basket. Turn the heat to medium and set the lid of the steamer ever so slightly ajar. Steam the chicken for 40 minutes, then remove it from the steamer and put it on a cooling rack to cool. Chill it in the refrigerator, preferably on the rack, for at least 2 hours or overnight. I must add that I instead baked the chicken at 300 degrees instead of steaming, and it worked out just fine, so don't be afraid to do this if you need to. 

Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and allow to set for thirty minutes before frying.In a deep skillet, heat enough oil for the chicken to be submerged to 375 degrees. Fry the chicken in batches, turning once, until the skin is deep drown and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain the excess oil. I fried the chicken in grapeseed oil, as recommended, which was lovely!

Combine the ingredients for the Octo Vinaigrette in a bowl. Make sure the garlic and ginger are chopped or pureed finely (I bought them pre-chopped).  Top the chicken with this delicious vinaigrette and enjoy!

Sasha's Kitchen: David Chang's Momofuku Fried Chicken with Octo Vinaigrette