Recipes Fried Cauliflower with Tangy Dipping Sauce Be the first to rate & review! In Vietnam, cauliflower is traditionally eaten dipped in fish sauce. Bryant Ng, too, creates a fish sauce for dipping, but he fries the cauliflower in a spicy beer batter until the florets are tender and the crust is crispy. Slideshow: Fantastic Fried FoodRecipe from Food & Wine America's Greatest New Cooks By Bryant Ng Bryant Ng Won Best New Chef at: The Spice Table, Los Angeles Born: 1977; Los Angeles. Education: Le Cordon Bleu, Paris. Experience: La Folie, San Francisco; Campanile and Pizzeria Mozza, Los Angeles; Restaurant Daniel, New York City. Previous career: “Like a good Asian boy, I studied molecular-cell and developmental biology and graduated from UCLA with a degree in business administration. After college, I worked in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry.” How he got into cooking: “When I was growing up, my parents owned a typical Chinese-American restaurant in Los Angeles. I washed dishes and helped in the kitchen. When I realized that I didn’t want to stay in biotech for the rest of my life, I decided to explore cooking. The Paris Le Cordon Bleu had one of the shortest courses, which is what I was looking for. When I walked into the kitchen, it made sense—it came naturally.” Memorable cooking experience: Cooking eggs for his grandparents. “When I was young, they’d stay with us on weekends. The first time I cooked eggs for them, I put the eggs in the pan, then the onions afterward: Of course, the onions were crunchy. So I learned to cook the onions first—it was my first learning experience in the kitchen.” Biggest influences: Chef Nancy Silverton of Pizzeria Mozza. “She has incredible dedication to everything she does and the people she works with. She’s hands-on. She was right next to us when Pizzeria Mozza opened, slicing pizzas.” Pet peeve: Dirty, unfolded kitchen towels. “I don’t know what it is—maybe I’m neurotic. When I see a dirty unfolded towel, it gets to my core. It irks me and grosses me out.” Ingredient obsession: All things lamb. “I’ve been obsessed with lamb recently—the liver, the shoulder, even the head. I’m cooking it whole, making terrines, pâtés. I like lamb that tastes like lamb—when its good, it’s delicate, almost like veal.” Most memorable meal: The Satay Club in Singapore. “Two of my grandparents lived in Singapore; the Satay Club is a hawker center. When I visited as a kid, it had a street-level grimy soulfulness you could only get from eating on the street. All the vendors cooking different foods—the Indian guy making roti, the Malaysian guy making satay—it all still sticks in my mind. Singapore has a crazy-intense humidity, which carries the aromas. It’s a visceral experience that still influences me.” Essential tool: “I have a satay grill. It’s about six feet wide, three feet deep. “When you walk into the restaurant, it’s the first thing you see, which is very intentional. I use almond wood and charcoal—it’s a chef’s dream.” Fantasy splurge: Vietnam. “My wife, Kim, is from Vietnam. She talks about eating in the countryside. In the States, we talk about farm-to-table; in Vietnam, they don’t use that term, but the food is ground-to-table, and they call it dinner. It’s such a different experience than you have in a more developed nation.” Cheap eat: Bonano’s Chicken, a Peruvian restaurant in L.A. “They do pollo a la brasa—a traditional dish of spit-roasted chicken over wood. It’s seasoned and cooked so perfectly, and it’s got the right amount of smoke—not too much or too little. It’s perfect. And the blood-clam ceviche is sweet and briny.” Favorite beer: Anything from Craftsman Brewing Company in Pasadena, California. “Mark Jilg opened Craftsman about 20 years ago. He had worked at jet-propulsion laboratories. Anything he brews is so thoughtful, intelligent and technically sound.” What his next restaurant would be: “I’d open a kind of B&B and just serve lunch. I’d still cook and be creative, but I wouldn’t have to serve hundreds of people a day. Maybe five, and maybe just lunch. It would be nice and comforting.” Food trend he most dislikes: Overuse of the term farm-to-table. “Philosophically, I love it. I practice it, the majority of my colleagues believe in it and practice it. What concerns me is when people just pay lip service to it, or a PR firm gives someone that label.” Favorite cookbook: The Zuni Cafe Cookbook. “I don’t cook this kind of cuisine, but the recipes are so well researched. Some of the techniques are so simple, so intelligent. Judy Rogers is not afraid to go against convention. She talks about stocks and how it’s blasphemous to add salt—then she sprinkles in salt. Now I add salt to my stock.” Twitter hero: Jonathan Gold ( @thejgold). Favorite food-related app: “Recently, Food & Wine’s Best New Chef app. And Chefs Feed [an app that chronicles the places top chefs eat]. It’s a combination of high- and low-end cuisine and you get to see what everyone else is eating.” Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 3, 2016 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Christina Holmes Total Time: 45 mins Yield: 8 1-course servings Ingredients 3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 tablespoon sugar 1 garlic clove, minced 1 to 2 Thai chiles, thinly sliced 1 1/2 cups cornstarch 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon baking powder Salt 12 ounces pale lager 1 large egg white Canola oil, for frying 1 head of cauliflower—halved, cored and cut into 1-inch florets 2 tablespoons chopped mint 2 tablespoons very thinly sliced jalapeño Directions In a small bowl, whisk the fish sauce with the lime juice, sugar, garlic, Thai chile and 3 tablespoons of water until the sugar dissolves. In a large bowl, whisk the cornstarch with the flour, cayenne, baking powder and 2 teaspoons of salt. Whisk in the beer. In a medium bowl, beat the egg white until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold the beaten egg white into the batter. In a large saucepan, heat 2 inches of canola oil over moderately high heat until it registers 350° on a deep-fry thermometer. Set a rack on a baking sheet. Working in 3 batches, dip the cauliflower florets in the batter and fry until golden, 3 to 5 minutes per batch. Transfer the cauliflower to the rack to drain. In a large serving bowl, toss the fried cauliflower with the mint, jalapeño and a pinch of salt. Serve right away, with the dipping sauce on the side. Suggested Pairing Crisp sparkling cava: NV German Gilabert Rate it Print