#win son

RECIPE: Mochi Doughnuts (From Win Son Presents A Taiwanese American Cookbook by Josh Ku, Trigg Brown, and Cathy Erway)

Taiwan is famous for Q or QQ textures, which may be best translated as “Bouncy” or “Springy.” Think boba, gummy bears, and mochi, a sticky rice treat popular throughout East Asia. These doughnuts are made with sticky rice flour for a chewy bite that stretches in a very Q way. Mochi doughnuts are definitely a thing in Taiwan, and Danielle really gravitated to the ones she sampled throughout Taiwan, having made many fried doughnuts fresh to order in her time at Craft, working under doughnut and overall pastry legend Karen DeMasco.

In Tainan, we also sampled mochi doughnuts made with millet flour in addition to sticky rice flour, and Danielle was eager to start recipe-testing as soon as she returned. She landed on this formula that’s satisfyingly QQ, delicious, and also completely gluten-free. Once they’re out of the fryer, they can be coated with sugar and your choice of additional seasonings—at Win Son Bakery, we love a classic sugar and cinnamon topping, but you can add to yours some toasted and ground black sesame seeds, ground black cardamom, ground ginger, and any other spices you love. Or just toss them with sugar—sometimes that’s all you need.

Makes about 12

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BATTER:

5 cups (800 g) glutinous rice flour

1½ cups (165 g) millet flour

12⁄3 cups (335 g) sugar

1⁄3 cup (65 g) baking powder

3 tablespoons salt

3 cups (720 ml) whole milk

1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

6 eggs

FOR SHAPING AND FRYING:

2 quarts (2 L) neutral oil for frying, such as soybean

1/4 cup (40 g) glutinous rice flour, plus more for cutting out the donuts

TO FINISH:

1 cup (200 g) sugar

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon (optional)

MAKE THE BATTER: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all of the ingredients for the batter and mix with the paddle attachment until a smooth dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.

SHAPE AND FRY THE DOUGH: In a fryer or Dutch oven, preheat the oil to 325°F (165°C), when measured with a candy thermometer.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup (40 g) rice flour on a flat surface and on top of the dough and roll it out until it’s about ½ inch (12 mm) thick. Cut doughnuts about 3 inches (7.5 cm) in diameter using a doughnut cutter, concentric cookie cutters, or a drinking glass and a shot glass, flouring the cutters to avoid sticking. Combine the leftover pieces and roll out the dough again into a ½-inch-thick (12 mm) layer as many times as possible, to create as many doughnuts as you can.

Work in batches so as not to overcrowd the fryer. Once the oil is up to temperature, gently place as many doughnuts as will comfortably fit into the oil and allow to fry for 3 minutes before carefully turning them over. Fry the other side for 3 minutes and drain on a cooling rack with something underneath to catch any excess oil.

To finish, on a plate, mix the sugar and cinnamon, if using. Toss the doughnuts with the mixture and serve immediately.

A modern, brashly flavorful guide to cooking Taiwanese-American food, from Brooklyn’s lauded Win Son, Win Son Bakery, and Cathy Erway, celebrated writer and expert on the cuisine.

Josh Ku, born in Queens to parents from southern Taiwan, and Trigg Brown, a native Virginian whose mentor was a Taiwanese-American chef, forged a friendship over food—specifically, excellent tsang ying tou, or "flies’ head," a dish of chopped budding chives kissed with pork fat. Their obsession with Taiwanese food and culture propelled them to open Win Son together in 2016. The East Williamsburg restaurant quickly established itself as a destination and often incurs long waits for their vibrant and flavorful Taiwanese-American cuisine.

Ku and Brown have teamed up with Cathy Erway, Taiwanese food expert and celebrated writer, to create this book which explores and celebrates the cuisine of Taiwan and its ever-simmering pot of creative influences. Told through the eyes, taste buds, travels, and busy lives of Ku, Brown, and Erway, this book brings the cuisine of this misunderstood island nation into the spotlight. With 100 creative, yet accessible recipes, this book will unravel the history of this diaspora cuisine. While featuring classic dishes and well-known favorites, this cookbook also stretches this cuisine's definition, introducing new dishes with brazen twists that are fun, flavorful, and decidedly American-born in style.

recipe to follow if this link does not work:

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INGREDIENTS

2 pounds Japanese eggplants (about 3)

¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more

½ cup cashews

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

⅓ cup sugar

⅓ cup black (Chinkiang) vinegar

Vegetable oil (for frying; about 6 cups)

1½ cups rice flour

1 cup labneh (Lebanese strained yogurt) or full-fat Greek yogurt

Chopped cilantro (for serving)

RECIPE PREPARATION

Slice eggplants crosswise into 2½"-thick pieces. Cut pieces lengthwise into quarters. Toss eggplants in a large bowl with a five-finger pinch of salt. Let sit at room temperature 2 hours, or chill (uncovered) up to 12 hours.

Pulse cashews in a food processor until you have some bigger bits and some finely ground sandy bits. Toss in a small bowl with cayenne, five-spice powder, and ¼ tsp. salt.

Evenly scatter sugar into a small saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a heatproof rubber spatula to help it melt evenly, until melted and light amber. While stirring, gradually add vinegar; the caramel will sputter and seize up, but keep stirring until it smooths back out. Let cool (it will thicken as it cools).

Fit a medium saucepan with thermometer and pour in oil to come 2" up sides. Heat over medium-high until thermometer registers 350°.

While oil is heating, drain eggplants and pat dry. Dredge in rice flour in a large bowl, shaking off excess.

Working in 2 batches, fry eggplants, turning occasionally and adjusting heat as needed to maintain temperature, until cooked through, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels to let drain; season lightly with salt while still hot.

Spread some labneh on each plate and divide eggplants over top. Drizzle with black vinegar caramel, spiced cashews, and cilantro.

RECIPE: Lamb Wontons (from Win Son Presents A Taiwanese American Cookbook by Josh Ku, Trigg Brown and Cathy Erway)

One time Trigg’s friend Julia Sung was in the kitchen at Win Son and she shared this game her family plays every Lunar New Year. They make wontons and stash a whole peanut inside one wonton. The person who finds the wonton with the peanut gets an extra fat hongbao, or red envelope stuffed with money. The catch? If you accidentally eat the peanut, you get nothing.

We once held this contest in our restaurant where we put a peanut in one of our wontons and would buy the dinner for the winning customer. It’s tricky, though, since people have peanut allergies, so we had to warn everyone who ordered wontons and anyone with the allergy was obviously disqualified. We forget who won, but it was hilarious.

Though wontons are most commonly filled with pork, or a combo of pork and shrimp, these are made with an unconventional lamb filling, which is spiced up with cumin and coriander. It’s served on a bed of labneh and you can add chili oil at your own discretion. This makes for a fun twist on a familiar dish that never gets old.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound (455 g) ground lamb

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon grated garlic

2 teaspoons red chile flakes, such as gochugaru or Sichuan chile flakes

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

2 teaspoons rice wine, preferably Taiwanese, or use Shaoxing rice wine as a substitute

1 heaping cup (45 g) packed flat chives or 4 large scallions, chopped

1 pack square yellow wonton wrappers (about 50)

2 teaspoons cumin seeds, for dusting (optional)

1 cup (240 ml) labneh

1 cup (240 ml) Sweet Soy Dipping Sauce (as featured in the book)

House Chili Oil (as featured in the book) or your favorite chili oil, such as Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp (optional)

1 cup (16 g) chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems (optional)

2 teaspoons “Lamb” Spice Mix (as featured in the book)

Fold together the lamb, ginger, garlic, chile flakes, salt, sesame seeds, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine, and chives (do not overmix). Marinate in the refrigerator overnight, or for up to 2 days.

To make a wonton, place a wrapper in a diamond shape on your palm. Place about 1 teaspoon of the filling horizontally along the lower half of a wrapper. Dip your finger in water and trace the sides of the wrapper to wet it; wet a line just above the center of the wrapper. Fold the bottom edge over the filling and seal along the sides, and at the top, leaving about ½ inch (12 mm) of the wrapper at the top edge. Be sure to seal the edges securely shut, and try to squeeze out any air pockets. Wet the corners of both bottom edges of the wrapper, and twist them backward to meet. Pinch where they meet to seal the wrapper there. Repeat with the rest of the filling and wrappers.

As you fold the wontons, place them on a lightly floured surface such as a sheet pan. Freeze if not using immediately; the wontons can be boiled from frozen without thawing.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop in the wontons in batches (according to however many you’re serving) so as not to overcrowd the pot. Cook for about 6 minutes, until they float and the skins are translucent. Carefully remove the wontons with a slotted spoon or spider and transfer to a bowl.

Using the back of a spoon, spread the labneh on a platter to serve family-style. Arrange the boiled wontons on top. Sprinkle with the cumin seeds, Sweet Soy Dipping Sauce, and the chili oil, if using, and finish with the chopped cilantro and “Lamb” Spice Mix.

A modern, brashly flavorful guide to cooking Taiwanese-American food, from Brooklyn’s lauded Win Son, Win Son Bakery, and Cathy Erway, celebrated writer and expert on the cuisine

Josh Ku, born in Queens to parents from southern Taiwan, and Trigg Brown, a native Virginian whose mentor was a Taiwanese-American chef, forged a friendship over food—specifically, excellent tsang ying tou, or "flies’ head," a dish of chopped budding chives kissed with pork fat. Their obsession with Taiwanese food and culture propelled them to open Win Son together in 2016. The East Williamsburg restaurant quickly established itself as a destination and often incurs long waits for their vibrant and flavorful Taiwanese-American cuisine.

Ku and Brown have teamed up with Cathy Erway, Taiwanese food expert and celebrated writer, to create this book which explores and celebrates the cuisine of Taiwan and its ever-simmering pot of creative influences. Told through the eyes, taste buds, travels, and busy lives of Ku, Brown, and Erway, this book brings the cuisine of this misunderstood island nation into the spotlight. With 100 creative, yet accessible recipes, this book will unravel the history of this diaspora cuisine. While featuring classic dishes and well-known favorites, this cookbook also stretches this cuisine's definition, introducing new dishes with brazen twists that are fun, flavorful, and decidedly American-born in style.

i love the concept of this website - whimsical recipe cards of dishes/drinks from awesome brooklyn restaurants that you can download for a donation (you choose the amount).

my bro took me to win son for my bday and all the dishes were so yummy! i will def try their recipe and make a donation!