The Dish: Chef George Azar shares his signature recipes
George Azar was born in Detroit, as the son of Palestinian immigrants. He's worked at some of the best restaurants in the world, including Noma in Copenhagen and Alinea in Chicago.
But through his travels, he developed a love for Vietnamese food – and on a whim, he opened Flowers of Vietnam in Detroit. The restaurant was a huge hit, and has been named one of America's best new restaurants by Bon Appetit and GQ.
Now he's working on his next project, featuring regional specialties of Mexico. And on Saturday night, he's one of the honorees at the annual "iconoclast dinner" at the James Beard House here in New York.
Here are some of his signature recipes:
"Shakey" Beef
Ingredients:
Marinade:
1 cup Golden mountain
4 cups sugar
1 cup Red Boat fish sauce
1 bunch scallion
2 lemongrass stalks, white part
1 head garlic
Shakey sauce:
2 oz golden mountain
2 oz sake
2 oz rice wine vinegar
4 tbsp red boat fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
Compound butter:
1 oz ginger
1 oz garlic
1 oz lemongrass
4 oz butter
Beef:
1 rib eye cap, sinew removed and diced into medium chunks
Pickled shallots
¼ oz scallion
1 oz butter
2 oz shakey sauce
2 tbsp sugar
Methods:
1. For the marinade: Puree all ingredients until well incorporated
2. For the butter: Puree ginger, garlic, and lemongrass with a little water. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, whip mixture with butter until well incorporated
3. Sear beef in a hot season wok. Shake wok to release and flip beef to sear again. Remove beef. Add sauce, shallots, and sugar. Caramelize in wok. Return beef and finish with butter and scallions
Papaya salad
Ingredients:
1 unripe papaya, julienned
1 cucumber, julienned
1 carrot, julienned
2 shallots, sliced thin
1 cup rice wine vinegar
1 cup sugar
3 lime leaves
1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, bruised
1 oz peppermint, torn
1 oz Vietnamese mint, torn
1 oz perilla, torn
1 oz Ngo Om
1 oz Thai basil, torn
1 oz cilantro, rough chopped
1 oz rau räum
Fried shallots and sliced jalapeño for garnish
Methods:
1. Heat sugar and rice vinegar until dissolved. Place brine in vacuum chamber bag with sliced shallot, lime leaves, and lemongrass. Seal in vacuum chamber sealer.
2. Layer pickled papaya, carrot and cucumber, and then another layer of papaya. Garnish with all herbs, fried shallots, and sliced jalapeno
Taishan cauliflower
Ingredients:
Puree:
1 head taishan cauliflower, processed into florets
2 cups coconut cream
¼ tsp xanthan gum
salt
Horseradish leaf oil:
1 lb horseradish leaves
1 cup grapeseed oil
Wok cooked cauliflower:
1 head taishan cauliflower
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp lemongrass, minced
2 oz sake
2 oz palm sugar
2 oz rice vinegar
2oz Golden Mountain
1 tsp thai chili flakes
Methods:
1. For the puree: In a sauce pot with a lid, cook cauliflower on medium heat with coconut cream. When cooked all the way through, puree for 5 minutes or until completely smooth. Finish with xanthan gum and salt. Pass through fine sieve
2. For the horseradish oil: Vacuum seal oil and leaves together. Cook in a water bath at 165 °F for 5 hours. Cool in bag overnight
3. For the cauliflower: Heat wok and season with high smoke point oil for cooking, Add cauliflower and cook only slightly. Add remaining ingredients and let liquid reduce
4. Assembly: Spoon puree over plate. Place wok cooked cauliflower on top of puree, finish with horseradish leaf oil drizzle and garnish with baby mint, perilla, and rau raum
Cà Ri Gá
Ingredients:
Curry powder:
8g bay leaf
4g clove
35g star anise
30g cumin
30 g fennel
20g cinnamon
33g turmeric
15g paprika
80g salt
80g coconut sugar (granulated)
Curry paste:
5 stalks lemongrass (white parts only)
230g galangal
1 bulb garlic
20 whole bulbs shallots
5 whole green thai chilis
5 bunches cilantro (whole with stem)
5 bunches rau räum (leaves only)
60g fresh turmeric
160g palm sugar
160g lime juice
50g coconut oil
fish sauce (Red Boat) to taste
.5g ascorbic acid
Chicken brine:
50g Vietnamese peppercorn
250g palm sugar
250g Vietnamese ocean salt
1 lime, cut in half
25 bay leaves
1 whole bulb garlic, cut at equator
1 bunch cilantro
5 stalks lemongrass, white part only
2 gallons water
Yam:
1 okinawin yam
Young purple carrot:
300g carrots
50g water
45g butter
6g palm sugar
3g Vietnamese ocean salt
Forbidden rice:
Forbidden rice
Methods:
1. For the curry powder: Toast spice and spin in spice grinder until fine
2. For the curry paste: Blanch cilantro and Rau räum (Vietnamese coriander). Blend all ingredients in a Vitamix. Transfer to spice grinder to finish for smoother consistency. Do not over heat during process.
3. For the brine: Toast spices and add remaining ingredients. Let boil for one minute and brine chicken overnight
4. For the yam: Cut into 1-inch planks. Vacuum seal with scallion oil and cook in water bath 85°C for 1 1/2 hours. Shock in ice bath
5. For the carrot: Vacuum seal and cook in a 85°C water bath. Strain cooking juices from bag and reduce liquid until syrupy. Reintroduce carrots and season to taste
6. For the rice: Wash rice three times. Cook with a ratio of 3:1 in a conventional rice cooker
7. Assembly: Butcher leg/thigh portions from each chicken. Make brine and cool. Brine chicken over night.
8. Remove from brine and pat dry. Rub curry powder generously and vacuum seal with 10 grams of butter. Cook in a water bath for one hour and fifteen minutes at 150°F and chill in ice bath when done
9. Heat up curry paste with enough oil to coat a sauce pot, and fry paste. Add coconut milk and heat to a simmer. Re-season with fish sauce and palm sugar if needed
10. Start a medium heat BBQ (not a gas grill, use hardwood and charcoal) and barbecue chicken skin side up, basting it with coconut caramel for about 5 minutes or until it's heated all the way through
Crème carmel flan
Ingredients:
Coconut galangal crème caramel custard:
8 egg yolks
375g sweetened condensed milk
400g coconut cream
Caramel:
500g palm sugar
200g water
2 tbsp galangal powder
Galangal tuille:
1.5 cups sugar
6 egg whites
1/2 lb butter; melted and cooled
1 cup flour
1 tbsp galangal powder
Methods:
1. For the caramel: Combine palm sugar and water in a sauce pot and bring to a bowl. Bowl until it reaches 300°F, remove from heat and whisk in the galangal powder. Ladle 2 oz. into each flan bowl and set aside.
2. For the custard: Whisk together all ingredients and strain to remove any yolk lumps. Ladle 8 oz into each flan bowl. Place in the CVap at 200°F for 1 hour.
3. For the tuille: Whisk the egg whites and sugar together; add melted cooled butter and mix until smooth. Combine the flour and galangal powder together and add to the wet mixture. Mix until a smooth paste forms.
Parts Unknown (homage to Anthony Bourdain)
Ingredients:
2.0 oz Domaine de Canton
.5 oz lime juice
2 cucumber slices
5 mint leaves
2 slices of jalapeño
3 oz tonic water
Methods:
1. In a mixing glass muddle mint, cucumber, jalapeño and lime juice.
2. Add Domain de Canton and ice. Shake until well chilled.
3. Fill a Collins glass with ice, strain cocktail into glass and too with tonic water. Gently stir.
4. Garnish with a fresh spring of mint.
