Recipe of the week: Korean home cooking: Steak from New York’s noodle king

Chef David Chang first gained fame for raising ramen noodles to a fine art at his East Village New York noodle bar, Momofuku. But when he opened his second restaurant (he now owns four in all), Chang drew more directly on his own Korean heritage. Momofuku Ssäm Bar is named for the Korean method of eating meat wrapped in lettuce leaves. “The marinade on this steak is almost exactly what my mom uses when she makes kalbi (marinated short ribs),” Chang writes, with Peter Meehan, in his new cookbook Momofuku (Clarkson Potter). “So, like her, we use Mott’s apple juice.”

Chang likes to use hanger steak because it’s good and cheap. But there’s only one hanger cut in any cow, so it might take time to round up enough of them. You can always, he says, “substitute New York strips if you’re feeling fancy.” Serve the steak and lettuce accompanied by ginger scallion sauce and Napa cabbage kimchi—Chang’s recipe for the latter is in the book, though jarred versions are available online and at specialty grocery stores.

Recipe of the week

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Hanger Steak Ssäm

2 cups apple juice

½ cup usukuchi (light soy sauce)

½ yellow onion, thinly sliced

5 to 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 tsp Asian sesame oil

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Four 8-ounce hanger steaks

1 cup Napa cabbage kimchi, puréed

1 cup Ginger Scallion Sauce (see recipe)

2 cups short-grain rice

2 to 3 heads Bibb lettuce, leaves separated, well washed, and spun dry

Maldon or other high-quality coarse sea salt

Make the marinade: Combine the apple juice, soy, onion, garlic, sesame oil, and pepper in a large freezer bag (or another container that will snugly accommodate the steaks and marinade), and seal and shake (or stir or whisk) to combine. Add the steaks, seal or cover tightly, and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Light a good hot fire in your grill.

Remove the steaks from the marinade (discard the marinade). Grill for 6 to 10 minutes total for medium-rare, taking care to first char the two flattest sides of the steaks, which should take about 2 minutes per side. Monitor the doneness closely after that—depending on how hot your fire is, they could be cooked in 6 to 8 minutes. When they’re ready, remove the steaks to a platter and let them rest for at least 5 minutes. More resting time won’t hurt: You can’t over-rest steak.

When ready to serve—sauces are made, lettuce is washed, etc.—cut the steaks into ¼-inch-thick slices, cutting on a slight bias (i.e., your knife at a 15- to 30-angle to the cutting board). Serve the steaks flanked by the accompaniments. Serves 4 to 6

Ginger Scallion Sauce

2½ cups thinly sliced scallions (greens and whites; from 1–2 large bunches)

½ cup finely minced peeled fresh ginger

¼ cup grapeseed or other neutral oil

1½ tsp usukuchi (light soy sauce)

¾ tsp sherry vinegar

¾ tsp kosher salt, or more to taste

Mix together the scallions, ginger, oil, soy, vinegar, and salt in a bowl. Taste and check for salt, adding more if needed.