Ramen revisited: Interview with chef David Chang

You may think the only place to get true Asian cuisine is here in Asia. And you would be right. But there are a few small-but-growing Asian-inspired restaurants cropping up in the United States that take the best of what we have here and give it a Western twist. 

Momofuku, a growing chain of restaurants in New York City, is one of these and David Chang, owner and head chef, makes no apologies for fusing Asian and Western, as he explains here. 

It was ramen that first pulled the Korean American chef into the culinary world. After growing up in the States, Chang traveled east to teach English in Wakayama, Japan. There, he was mesmerized by the ramenyas of the 1980s, stopping in every shop he could find a seat in. He studied the textures, flavors and toppings, and before long Chang's first restaurant was established, an Americanized ramen shop called Momofuku Noodle Bar, which shares a name with Momofuku Ando, the founder of Nissin Foods and the inventor of Top Ramen. (“I owed him for a thousand meals-in-minutes and besides, it's a f-cking killer name,” Chang writes in his book.) 


The restaurateur, who's been showered with accolades for his wildly innovative fare (he's won three James Beard Awards and was named Bon Appétit's Chef of the Year), recently released his first cookbook, Momofuku, and opened latest restaurant, Ma Pêche (in Midtown New York, NY,) serving quasi-Vietnamese cuisine. 



Today, Chang, 32, whips up much more than noodles (he's also famous for his Asian burritos, kimchi stew, pork buns and fried chicken, among other tantalizing creations). He chats with CNNGo about his early influences and his thoughts on the past year.

CNNGo: What types of noodles did you eat while growing up? 


David Chang: Jjajangmyun, naengmyeon. Hand-pulled noodles -- basically, any type of Asian noodle that you could get in the States. 



CNNGo: What was it about ramen that you found fascinating? 


Chang: I don't know. Ramen just became a weird esoteric hobby of mine. I wanted to learn everything possible about it. It's like, why do people collect stamps? 



CNNGo: What makes the perfect noodle, in your opinion?


Chang: I don't think there is such thing as the perfect noodle. I'm still learning. There's a lot to be discovered still. 


CNNGo: Your dishes have been labeled by many as “Asian fusion.”  What are your thoughts on that descriptor? 


Chang: I say it's American. If they say anything's fusion, I say, what isn't? Give me one food that isn't fusion.

CNNGo: Let's talk about the past year. What word best sums up 2009 for you?


 Chang: Hectic. There has been a lot of change. That's just the restaurant business. 



CNNGo: What was your biggest accomplishment?

Chang: 
I don't look at it like that. Accomplishments are in the past. I look to the future. 



CNNGo: Where did you have the best meals in 2009? 


Chang: Per Se and wd~50 in New York City, French Laundry and Ubuntu in Napa Valley (California), The Fat Duck and St John in the UK, Noma in Copenhagen, and all the great restaurants in San Sebastian. There are so many. 



CNNGo: What ingredient are you obsessed with right now?


Chang: Buttermilk. The kind made with real cultured milk -- not the fake shit. It's an ingredient I've never played around with. We're deep frying it and making salads and stuff with it. It's a wonderful application and it's great to know that it's local. It also goes really well with soy sauce.

CNNGo: What ingredients would you like to use more of in 2010?


Chang: I'm looking forward to trying out more local ingredients like mushrooms and stuff like that. I've been talking to local farmers and seeing what we can do. 

CNNGo: What are your food trend predictions for 2010? 


Chang: We'll probably see more comfort food, more boring stuff. Hopefully, there'll be more diversity, more experimentation. 



CNNGo: Any New Year's resolutions?


Chang: I'm just trying to get better every day, just like everyone else.