L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food by Roy Choi and Tien Nguyen and Natasha Phan

  • Kimchi

    Kimchi

    from L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food L.A. Son by Roy Choi and Tien Nguyen and Natasha Phan

    • Categories: Chutneys, pickles & relishes; Cooking ahead; Korean; Mexican; American
    • Ingredients: kochukaru; onions; garlic; fresh ginger; fish sauce; rice vinegar; soy sauce; napa cabbage; chives; oysters; Korean salted shrimp
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Notes about this book

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Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Chili spaghetti

    • MmeFleiss on October 22, 2016

      This was nothing to write home about.

  • Carne asada

    • MmeFleiss on October 25, 2016

      Everyone though this was just okay. Despite marinating for 2 days, the flavors didn't really penetrate the meat.

  • Pork and beans

    • Popisdead on January 26, 2021

      Super easy recipe to follow. Has a cassoulet vibe but way less hassle. Few notes for changes below. Served with garlic and ginger spinach. The pork and beans could also be a side to something though. Tempted to reduce the amount of beans a bit. A good squirt of hot sauce or similar would help, maybe left over barbecue pork to add the extra flavour too.

  • Salsa verde

    • MmeFleiss on October 25, 2016

      This was great, although I omitted the canola oil and used a light olive oil instead. I made a half recipe and it was close to two cups.

  • Perfect instant ramen

    • hbakke on May 03, 2019

      I've made this a ton of times with Velveeta cheese. So good...the best really.

  • Pho for dem hos

    • imaluckyducky on September 19, 2020

      5 Stars. Ok, so I love trying different methods of making pho broth. I'm comparing this one to Andrea Nguyen's instant pot beef pho (which I loved). I much, MUCH prefer this one if I have some time on my hands to skim gunk off the top. First, this broth is powerfully scented and flavored by the star anise - using a whole cup's worth compared to the 4-6 in Andrea's recipe. There is also a half cup each of black peppercorn and coriander seeds, which round the broth out for a deep, subtle spice. Choi uses a "short cut" that I appreciate, adding a cup's worth (!!!) of beef broth base, which drastically cuts the cook time of the broth down to 3 hours instead of the 8-10 for traditional pho broth. Find a beef base you love, and perhaps one that isn't overly salty. Definitely need at least 3 gallons of water to have the broth not be inundated with salt. I used a mix of marrow bones and neck bones I had lying around, which rounded out the broth with a wonderfully addicting mouthfeel.

  • Seared scallops with chive beurre blanc

    • Berkeley_SM on May 26, 2026

      Delicious! And easy. My whole family gobbled this up—I’ll definitely make it again.

  • Birria

    • chezlarios on October 16, 2022

      I used lamb instead of goat and only half the amount of meat (while keeping all other ingredient amounts the same). I also used normal whole canned tomatoes instead of fire-roasted as I cannot find that here. I cooked it in a pressure cooker to speed it up (20 min vs 1.5 hours) - once it was done I added two cans of drained kidney beans and shredded the meat chunks before putting back in. As birria is my favorite dish ever and I live somewhere now where it's not available, this recipe and its flavors really made me so happy. Next time I would add less water to make the flavors more intense - I ended up adding more than the recipe stated because I knew I'd be adding beans, which diluted the flavors a bit. Also, you'll need to add salt as the recipe hardly calls for any!

  • Simple club sandwich

    • chezlarios on April 22, 2025

      Simple, good. Made this with whole-wheat sandwich bread and some other type of sliced cheese, and added avo.

  • Easy de Anza Cobb salad

    • chezlarios on May 12, 2021

      I skipped on the blue cheese (don't like it) and the fried shallots (didn't have them). Still pretty tasty, but we ended up using a greater ratio of bacon, cucumbers, and tomatoes - more like 1/2 cup for 2 servings.

  • Simple chicken piccata

    • chezlarios on June 24, 2021

      Solid. Served on top of linguine w/carrot top pesto.

  • Caesar salad

    • Hoodywho on May 18, 2026

      Cut back on the mayo. It really overpowered the flavor on the day of. If you can, make the day before and use the whole tin of anchovies. Next day was excellent

  • Mushroom quesadilla

    • chezlarios on November 05, 2022

      I forgot to add salt and pepper to the mushrooms - don't forget this step! I was also surprised that the recipes says the yield is 4-6 quesadillas but for us it was 3 max - maybe because of the size of our tortillas? I used a combination of Gruyere and "tex-mex" cheddar cheese.

  • L.A. dirty dog

    • chezlarios on July 19, 2025

      Made a Swiss version of this, with chipolata lardée, and added some sliced jalapeños to the bell pepper and onion mix. So good - tasted like home!

  • Baby bok choy

    • meggan on June 16, 2021

      Added fresh rice noodles to the stir fry to make this the whole package.

    • chezlarios on February 21, 2022

      Excellent! Served this with brown rice and mandu (gyoza) for dinner one night.

  • Quick spinach soup

    • chezlarios on April 30, 2021

      According to the BF, the flavor was very strong, much more than your average miso soup.

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Reviews about this book

  • Serious Eats

    The mix of recipes—some come from his mother, some are his own—provides a fun glimpse into Choi's background, and his brash, expletive-laced writing style is woven throughout the directions.

    Full review

Reviews about Recipes in this Book

  • Carne asada

    • Serious Eats

      This recipe couldn't be easier, and the complexity of the marinade really pays off in the final taco—you don't need more than a pinch of chopped onion and a handful of cilantro to finish the dish.

      Full review

  • Brussels sprouts and kimchi

    • Serious Eats

      Brussels sprouts are a staple....and cooking them with kimchi offered a nice break from more typical preparations. I loved the fact that this flavor-packed side dish was so easy and fast to prepare.

      Full review
  • ISBN 10 0062202642
  • ISBN 13 9780062202642
  • Published Nov 05 2013
  • Format eBook
  • Page Count 320
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Anthony Bourdain/Ecco
  • Imprint Anthony Bourdain/Ecco

Publishers Text

Los Angeles: A patchwork megalopolis defined by its unlikely cultural collisions; the city that raised and shaped Roy Choi, the boundary-breaking chef who decided to leave behind fine dining to feed the city he loved—and, with the creation of the Korean taco, reinvented street food along the way.

Abounding with both the food and the stories that gave rise to Choi's inspired cooking, L.A. Son takes us through the neighborhoods and streets most tourists never see, from the hidden casinos where gamblers slurp fragrant bowls of pho to Downtown's Jewelry District, where a ten-year-old Choi wolfed down Jewish deli classics between diamond deliveries; from the kitchen of his parents' Korean restaurant and his mother's pungent kimchi to the boulevards of East L.A. and the best taquerias in the country, to, at last, the curbside view from one of his emblematic Kogi taco trucks, where people from all walks of life line up for a revolutionary meal.

Filled with over 85 inspired recipes that meld the overlapping traditions and flavors of L.A.—including Korean fried chicken, tempura potato pancakes, homemade chorizo, and Kimchi and Pork Belly Stuffed Pupusas—L.A. Son embodies the sense of invention, resourcefulness, and hybrid attitude of the city from which it takes its name, as it tells the transporting, unlikely story of how a Korean American kid went from lowriding in the streets of L.A. to becoming an acclaimed chef.

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