David Chang's Favorite Meal Is A Home-Cooked Classic

David Chang is a Michelin-starred chef who is best known for his Momofuku brand, which includes various restaurants and prepared foods. Chang's Korean roots impact his cooking, with Momofuku known for its Asian-American cuisine. But he isn't the only one in his family who loves to cook. Chang's mother, Sherri Chang, whom he affectionately referred to as Momma Chang on social media, passed away in 2022 after a lengthy cancer battle. But Chang has highlighted their close-knit relationship in the past — and has even credited her as being the "best cook in the family" on Instagram.

It's no secret that Chang inherited his mother's love for cooking, but as it turns out, even his own Michelin-starred restaurant dishes don't compare to Momma Chang's galbi-jjim, or braised short ribs. Speaking to Penta about his favorite dish in 2021, Chang answered that Mama Chang's "galbi-jjim with a giant bowl of steamed rice and some kimchi is a perfect, delicious meal."

David Chang once joked on Instagram that his mother "won't give [him] any of her recipes," but he has revealed what's in her beloved short ribs. "It's short rib braised with soy, fruit juices, sesame, carrots, potatoes, and onions, and it's delicious," he told Penta. Chang also published his mother's galbi-jjim recipe in GQ back in 2014, and it reveals just how much detail goes into the dish.

The braising liquid is a blend of flavor-packed ingredients including pear juice (you can also use apple juice), sake, sweet Japanese rice wine aka mirin, and sesame oil. It's enhanced with garlic and black pepper, and the ribs are browned in grapeseed oil before they're cooking in the braising liquid. The meat takes over five hours in total — four hours baking in the oven (and oven is a great way to make hands-off short ribs in general), plus another hour resting in the liquid to cool. But according to Chang, it's worth every minute. Enjoy it the way he does, with a little rice and kimchi, for a well-rounded meal — or perhaps with Chang's favorite liquor to finish things off.