Spicy Pork Sausage & Rice Cakes (Momofuku)

• 1/2 cup grapeseed or other neutral oil
• 3 large yellow onions, cut in half and thinly sliced
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 very loosely packed cups (1 1/2 ounces) dried red chiles
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons toban djan (jarred Chinese fermented bean and chile sauce) or ssamjang (the Korean analogue to toban djan)
• 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon kochukaru (Korean chile powder)
• 6 tablespoons waters
• 1 tablespoon usukuchi (light soy sauce)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 cups sliced or coarsely chopped Chinese vegetables, such as Chines broccoli or bok choy
• 8 long cylindrical rice sticks, cut into 1-inch lengths [I found these rice cake at about that size already, but they were cinched in the middle.  I remember actually having it at Momofuku and their way is definitely an improvement]
• 8 ounces silken tofu, drained
• 1 cup sliced scallions, greens and whites
• 1/2 cup packaged Chinese fried shallots [All the varieties at C-Mart were labelled as "Red Onions"

Mise en place.

Caramelize onions for 30 minutes.

Raw ground pork over medium-high heat.

Jab at meat with edge of spoon just until it loses its pinkness.

Heat chiles and dried garlic until fragrant.

Stir in chile bean sauce, Sichuan peppercorns, and kochukaru.

Stir in chopped greens and cooked until stem are just tender.

Whisk silken tofu until creamy.

 

I don't quite remember having this at Momofuku being quite as big a pain to eat with pulling out the fragments of chile and accidentally chewing on one way too often.

I've found that processed rice noodles really do not hold up as leftovers and the dish was basically inedible by the third day.   I admit the dish has personality but its not suited to my needs.