Cathy found this recipe for Mapo Ragù in The New York Times. It is excellent. We will make it again.
Mapo Ragù
New York Times
This is my
simple, everyday take on a dish developed at Momofuku Ssam Bar in Manhattan
many years ago by the chefs David Chang and Tien Ho and their band of
collaborators. It is almost literally a mashup: a meal that is kind of Korean,
kind of Chinese, kind of Italian. If you don’t like spicy food, use miso
instead of the gochujang and don’t use Sichuan peppercorns. (If you like really
spicy food, add dried chiles or hot pepper flakes to the recipe at the point
you add the gochujang.) And if you want to make it even more luxe than it is
already, follow the lead of Chang’s crew and stir 6 ounces of silken tofu into
the sauce at the end.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons neutral oil, like canola
2 large onions, peeled and sliced
Pinch of
kosher salt, or to taste
pound ground pork
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
10-15
frozen cylindrical rice cakes (optional), or rice noodles, or pasta, or steamed
rice
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons gochujang (Korean chili-bean
paste)
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns (optional)
1 bunch kale or any hearty cooking greens,
roughly chopped
4 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish
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Preparation
1. Heat the oil in a wok set over
medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add the onions and the pinch of salt. Cook,
stirring occasionally, until the onions have released their moisture and are
starting to brown, approximately 10 minutes. Then turn the heat down to low,
and continue to cook, stirring every few minutes, until they have turned golden
brown and sweet, an additional 20 minutes or so.
2. Tip the onions into a bowl, and
return the wok to high heat over the stove. Add remaining tablespoon of oil,
then the pork, and cook, breaking the meat up with a spoon, until it is just
cooked, but not yet browning, approximately 10 minutes. Add the cooked meat to
the reserved onions.
3. If using the rice cakes, put a large
pot of salted water over high heat, and bring to a boil.
4. Return wok to stove over medium heat
and cook the garlic and ginger in fat remaining from pork (add an extra splash
of neutral oil if necessary). When the garlic and ginger soften, add gochujang,
soy sauce, brown sugar and, if using, the Sichuan peppercorns. Add 1/2 cup to 1
cup of water, enough to loosen the gochujang and make a sauce, then return pork
and onions to the wok and stir to combine. Adjust seasonings.
5. Bring sauce to a simmer, and add the
chopped greens, then stir to combine and cook until they have started to
soften, approximately 5 minutes.
6. If using rice cakes, place them in
the boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes to soften, then drain and add to the
sauce. (If not, serve the ragù with steamed rice, rice noodles or pasta.)
Garnish with the sliced scallions.
