Don’t get me wrong, I love a good, classic Caesar Salad. Lemon, parmesan, anchovies (that I tend to pretend aren’t there because I’m nominally a vegetarian) are one fantastic combo. But it could use an update, no? Mission Chinese has got us covered.
Danny Bowien, the chef-lebrity owner of Mission Chinese, has got some new ideas for a “Chinese Caesar Salad” there he shares today in The New York Times. Not surprising for the chef known for his use of uncommon ingredients, Bowien’s version includes things like hijiki seaweed, candy-stripped beet, and salted kombu. The New York Times waxes poetically about its culture mashing sensibilities:
The dish that he and Angela Dimayuga, his executive chef, came up with is not Chinese in the least. Nor does it owe anything to Caesar save for a tin of anchovies. It is instead a Japanese ode to umami, the mysterious fifth flavor beyond sweet and salty, bitter and sour.
Yum.
You can find out how to make Bowien’s take on Caesar here.
