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A few years ago, eating at Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York was a totally new dining experience. These days, the restaurant's communal wood tables and blaring rock 'n' roll playlist have been widely copied, but its intensely flavoured Korean-inspired dishes are still unique enough to knock you out of your seat. This fall, owner and head chef David Chang brings his Asian-fusion cooking to Canada, opening a Momofuku outpost in Toronto's Shangri-La Hotel.

For those who can't wait, the beef ribs featured here are classic Chang: craveably sweet and tangy with surprising depth.

Servings: 4 to 6

Ready Time: 6 hours, 10 minutes

Ingredients

3 cups water

½ cup soy sauce

½ cup pear or Fuji apple juice

1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil

10 grinds black pepper

4 bunches roughly chopped scallions (all but top 2 inches, to be saved for garnish)

¼ cup mirin

4 garlic cloves

3 to 5 pounds bone-in short ribs

1 cup baby carrots

1 cup sliced daikon or mu (white Korean radish)

½ cup chestnuts, roasted and shelled

6 eggs

2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Red chili pepper threads (optional)

Method

In a large saucepan, combine water, soy, juice, sesame oil, pepper, scallions, mirin and garlic. Bring to a boil on stovetop. Add ribs, submerging completely.

Cover and simmer over low heat for 4 to 6 hours or until meat offers no resistance to finger pressure. Remove meat from braising liquid and set aside. Add vegetables and chestnuts to liquid; cook for a few minutes until tender.

Remove vegetables and set aside. Simmer braising liquid for 20 to 30 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly, making sure flavour does not become overly concentrated.

Finish ribs by browning on a hot grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until nicely charred.

Brush with reduced liquid.

To prepare garnish, separate eggs. Whisk both whites and yolks well and pour each separately into hot non-stick pans. Cook into thin crepelike omelettes. Cool and cut both into fine ribbons. Serve short ribs on a large platter  with carrots and daikon.

Garnish with egg, pine nuts and scallion tips. Serve with chili threads and reduced braising liquid as a sauce if desired as well as sides of rice and grilled onions or summer squash.

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