Mission Chinese Circus-Foodcation for the holiday

The last few holidays the kids complain "we don't go any where or do anything interesting." That's true. I'm an introvert and don't like to travel. For this winter holiday, I asked myself, "How do I make traveling fun?"

My solution is to go some place where there is fantastic food. Luckily, NYC had both: Big apple circus and great food. This season's Mind of a Chef was about Danny Bowien. Watching this season, made me want to drive down to NYC to experience his cooking. Our travel was book-ended by Ivan Ramen and Mission Chinese.

ChongQing Chicken Wings

The first bite felt like someone punched me in the mouth, but it wasn't just a jab. It felt like simultaneously being punched from every side with every possible combination. Once the initial shock settles down, I wanted to taste more. I couldn't figure out what the flavor was and it wasn't just sichuan peppercorns and red chilis. There was cilantro, hint of cumin, salt, lime and sweetness. I'm looking at the recipe in Danny's book and honestly I didn't notice the star anise, cloves, fennel or mushroom powder. Star anise, cinnamon, cumin, fennel and clove are used in Chinese five spice. The way Danny combined these spices hinted at five spice without yelling "yeah it's five spice." Any chef can take the standard five spice and add it to a dish. Danny created his own version.

I've probably had hundreds of dishes flavored with a variety of five spices, but I've never tasted these flavors. It's clear this is Danny's version of buffalo wings, but it's way beyond monday night football snacks. These wings have soul, warmth and power.

Mapo Tofu

Danny's version of this classic chinese dish is like no other Mapo Tofu I've had. I've made hundreds of variations on Mapo Tofu for the kids and I've eaten this dish a thousand times since I was a kid. Mapo Tofu wasn't nearly as hot as the wings, they were just right for me. I really love this dish. The pork had a deep flavor and the tofu provided the balance. The sichuan chili oil was familiar, but still different. There was a bit of bitterness behind the salty, spicy and sweet. The traditional Mapo usually doesn't highlight the bitterness. The Americanized version tends to be way sweeter than I like. After the third bite, my brain was still trying to understand the sensation. It wasn't until I got home and hacked together Shin ramen with Danny's Mapo that I realized "this is another side of Danny's soul." As I grow older, I get a better understanding of how pain and sorrow play an integral part of life. That swing between joy and pain is what makes life worth living. Danny's Mapo is the embodiment of that dance between the heat of numbing spice to the sweetness, but all of it floating on a delicate river of bitterness. It's not bitter like Chinese bitter melon, which I don't like. It's not like bitter chinese herbs. The bitterness is a warm embrace that tells you "this is the love of living".

When I got home, I was too tired to cook, so I hacked together Shin ramen with Mapo.

Smoked Mushroom "jerky" Fried Rice
On my facebook, I have dozens of pictures of fried rice. I make it regularly and change it up every time. On the surface, it looks a little weird and sacrilegious. But my advice is "get over it". Fried rice in the US is a mish-mash of "stuff" invented by Chinese chefs for Caucasians. It wasn't invented in China, but there are dishes that look like fried rice. Growing up in Taipei, my mom used to make Zongzi.

Danny's fried rice was a complete opposite of ChongQing chicken and Mapo. It was light, fluffy and smoky. The potato chips added a great contrast to the rice. Being Taiwanese, I like having weird texture combinations in my dishes. Bobba Tea was invented in Taipei. There are numerous dishes in Taiwanese cuisine that come weird textures. Potato chips on fried made perfect sense. The most striking thing about the rice is the mushrooms. It reminded me of shitake, but it wasn't shitake. I honestly couldn't figure out which mushroom he used. I kept eating. It felt so comforting yet still so different. I tend to overload my fried rice with carrots, peas, pork and other stuff. My wife and daughter both loved the fried rice. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say no other fried rice is like Danny's.

Lamb Dan Dan Mian
The traditional dan dan mian I'm familiar with is dry.

There's some variations, but they tend to have the same flavor profile. Danny's version tastes very different than any I've cooked or had in the past. I'm still trying to figure out what he did. It tastes familiar, but somehow transformed. Even now I'm thinking about how to reproduce his flavors and my brain is drawing a blank. From watching Mind of a Chef, I know he used Tobanjan. It's not just that he is using ingredients I know and love. Danny has rearranged them in ways I never thought of. I do some weird combinations in my cooking. Honestly I wouldn't have ever created these flavor combinations. His creativity is on another level.

 As you can see from the picture, Danny's Dan dan mian is a noodle soup.


Pea Greens & Yuba in Kabocha Broth
My wife ordered the soup and boy I am soooo happy she did. It provided the perfect remedy to my burning mouth. Of all the dishes we got, this might be my favorite. If someone asked me "what dish do you think you'll like the most?" I wouldn't have said Pea Greens & Yuba. I'm trying remember exactly how it tastes, but I can't put my finger on it. It reminded me of a great winter melon soup or a great wonton soup. I wish Mission Chinese was closer, because I really want to figure out that flavor. Like every other dish, it takes flavors I know and love and transforms them into something new.