Anthony Bourdain recipes you can make at home

From Macau to Korea to New York City, tastes created by the chef, world traveler, and subject of the new documentary by Morgan Neville, ROADRUNNER.

WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? and 50 FEET FROM STARDOM documentarian Morgan Neville’s new film ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN is the closest many of us may ever come to knowing the man. Richly detailed, joyfully funny, and devastatingly sad, the film utilizes Tony’s words and narration, behind the scenes footage from his television productions, and interviews with Bourdain’s friends, collaborators, and confidants. It presents a portrait of Bourdain’s innate curiosity, thoughtfulness, and darkness, and celebrates the passions and legacy of a fascinating man who is deeply, deeply missed.

Bourdain’s long career as a trained French chef informed and guided his travels, and with him as our guide, we sampled the cuisine of hundreds of places both faraway and in his backyard.

Thankfully, he took notes.

In his 2016 cookbook Appetites, Bourdain talks us through several dozen of his favorite recipes – many of them his own customizations or translations of dishes he came across while traveling. Thanks to Focus Features and Appetites publisher Ecco, we’re proud to bring you five incredible recipes from the book – in Bourdain’s words – that you can try in your home tonight: Korean Fried Chicken, Macau-Style Fried Pork Chop Sandwich, Meat Loaf with Mushroom Gravy, a Bodega Sandwich, and Sunday Gravy with Sausage and Rigatoni. Scroll down and get started.

ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN opens Friday, July 16th at Alamo Drafthouse locations across the country. When you purchase your ticket to ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN, you’ll be presented with an option to donate $1, $3, or $5 to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Alamo Drafthouse will match up to $5,000 of guest donations. The Lifeline can be reached at 1-800-273-8255, and provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources, and best practices for professionals.

CREDIT: Recipes from Appetites by Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever. Copyright 2016 by Anthony Bourdain and and Laurie Woolever. Excerpted by permission of Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins. Image credit: Bobby Fisher.

Korean Fried Chicken
There are many ways to make tasty fried chicken, and I like them all, but I’m particularly enamored of the Korean way, which requires some planning ahead but is extremely satisfying. The blanching and freezing technique was lifted from Danny Bowien at Mission Chinese, who does this with his chicken wings. The freezing step makes this dish into a two-day affair, and you’ll need to clear some room in your freezer, but it’s essential for extra-crisp results.

Ingredients [serves 6 to 8]

FOR THE MARINADE
1 cup roasted chili oil
¼ cup kosher salt
1 tablespoon medium/fine gochugaru (ground Korean red pepper)

FOR THE CHICKEN
4 pounds chicken legs, separated into thighs and drumsticks
About 4 quarts peanut or soy oil, for frying
1 cup potato starch or tapioca starch

FOR THE SAUCE
1 cup gochujang (fermented Korean pepper paste)
8 garlic cloves
½ cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce
¼ cup cheongju (Korean rice wine)
¼ cup Frank’s RedHot sauce
2 teaspoons MSG (optional but recommended)

TO SERVE
Korean-Style Radish Pickles

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
Deep-fry or candy thermometer
2 sheet pans lined with newspaper
2 cooling racks, each approximately the same size as the sheet pans
Food processor or immersion blender

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the chili oil, salt, and gochugaru. Add the chicken and toss to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour.

Add frying oil to a large, deep, straight-sided frying pan (or other vessel suited to frying chicken) so that it is no more than half full. Bring to 300˚F over medium heat, monitoring the temperature with a deep-fry thermometer.

Place the potato starch in a shallow bowl. Working in batches, remove the chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip off, then toss into the potato starch to coat.

Set the cooling racks over each lined sheet pan.

Working in batches, carefully transfer the chicken to the hot oil. Blanch in the oil for 6 to 8 minutes per side, turning the chicken as necessary. The chicken should be opaque looking, and about 75 percent cooked through. (If you’re unsure, cut into a piece of chicken to inspect the doneness from the inside.) Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the chicken to the cooling rack, and continue until all of the chicken has been blanched.