MING’S ASIAN STREET FOOD

Usually, when I go to restaurants, I spend a lot of time deliberating over the ingredients in a dish. I know what I like, and what I don’t like, and that always informs what I order. When I arrived at our first Culinary Club meeting I was graciously handed many different dishes, made out of unknown ingredients, and so I tried unfamiliar dishes. It was an adventure!! I took a leap and tried everything--it was all so amazing! It was almost like a mystery figuring out all the elements of the dishes, and as I watched the video I was able to piece together what the stunning flavors and textures were. I think that if I had gone to Ming’s by myself I probably wouldn’t have ordered anything with ​pâté, but it was incredible and I’m so glad that I did. My favorite dish was the side salad; it was so crisp and fresh-tasting, with all the vegetables’ textures coming through. That was a theme throughout all the dishes: layers of flavors, soft and crunchy textures, and especially the combination of cultures. I really enjoyed Ming’s!!!!!! —Augusta Ambrose ‘21

I would like to start off by saying that I cannot handle spicy food, usually barbecue sauce is as crazy as it gets for. When I walked in and found out we were having Vietnamese/Cambodian food I was worried that it would be too spicy for me. I was pleasantly surprised as I began to eat, that the food, although flavorful and hot, did not have an overwhelming amount of heat. It hit the sweet spot when it came to spiciness and I was overjoyed with this. I recognized the Bahn Mi right away as my father has always wanted to try one and was curious to taste the sandwich I had heard so much about. I was not let down by the umami of the pâté and the fresh sweetness of the pickled dikon and carrots. I also absolutely loved the beef, rice, vegetables, and lemon sauce all combined into one bite. I even found myself wishing I knew how to make that sauce so I could enjoy it at home with my family. This week was all about relationships through food and honoring chefs through this. I feel that eating this meal allowed me to understand Josh and Korn’s mission in sharing Korn’s culture through home cooked food. I can now say that I have enjoyed wonderful food made by wonderful people who want to share their passion for cuisine with everyone. —Delia Fillippone ‘21

Our first culinary club meeting of 2021 involved delicious food as always! We were able to try three different foods from Mings Asian Street Food. While eating the delicious Cambodian food we learned about the business behind it and how Josh Burgoyne and Korn Suom began the business, how they run it today, and how they cook the food we tried. They wanted to share other cultures food in a way that Americans would enjoy it too which was through barbecue. Korn Suom shared that most of her inspiration was from her parents and Josh Burgoyne got his inspiration through his wife. Konr Suom shares how her mother prepared a barbecue dish which was magnolia chicken beef. We ate magnolia chicken beef served with a side of rice and a delicious lemon pepper sauce, when all three are eaten together it was amazing and mouthwatering. I’d never had a lemon dipping sauce before and I found that it complimented the beef really well. Josh Burgoyne talked about a few different types of chicken sandwiches they serve which included the Katsu chicken, and for people that enjoy spice the Korean hot chicken sando sandwich. The sandwich I tried was the chicken bacon kimchi sandwich, this delicious sandwich consisted of fried chicken, bacon, American cheese, and kimchi all inside perfectly toasted buns. This was my favorite, the chicken was cooked to perfection and had an amazing crunch on the outside and all of the components went perfectly together. For the last dish, we had Banh Mi, a Vietnamese dish, and watched Korn Suom explain how it was made. She started by toasting the bread to the point where it had a perfect crispy and flaky outside with a pillowy inside. Inside the bread is a liver spread, ground pork with lots of seasoning, jalapeños, spicy mayo, and the sweetest pickles I’ve ever tasted. Overall an extremely delicious sandwich. It was a great night and one of the best dinners i’ve had in a while! Loved learning about different cultures food and the backstory of not only the food but the cooks behind the food! — Ellie Richard ‘21

Tonight the Culinary Arts Club gathered for a wonderful socially distanced meal in the student center provided by Mings Asian Street Food. Here we not only indulged in a few of the menu offerings but also watched a video about the local business. Some of the offerings that we had were Mongolian-style beef with white rice, vegetables, and lemon sauce, the Banh Mi Sandwich, the Kick’N Chicken Sandwich, and a side salad with vegetables and fish sauce. This was definitely a very flavorful meal that I was no used to but am so happy that I jumped out of my comfort zone and try some new things such as the house pate in the banh mi sandwich and the kimchi sauce. Mrs. Bonin and Mr. Calisto were lucky enough to show us some behind the scene footage of the food truck and see the attention and care that is put into each dish. I was amazed to see the number of ingredients that were added to just one piece of bread, but the combing of meats, vegetables, and sauces is what makes Ming’s so special. We form relationships through food and it's the combing of cultures that makes dishes so unique and appealing to all. Before Mings, I have never tried southeast asian food and will definitely be eating it again! —Julia Sisk ‘21

I greatly enjoyed the Cambodian salad because of its light fish sauce dressing and the sweet peppers rather than heavy greens. The kimchi chicken sandwich was perfectly crispy, and I quite enjoyed the bun paired with it as well. I liked how complimentary the other parts of the Banh Mi were paired with the meat, the cucumbers and the cilantro and the sauce all working together to create a great sandwich. Learning about Ming's Asian Street Food was just as interesting as eating their food was, from their struggles balancing accessible prices with purchasing local food to the historical background behind the creation of the dishes. I learned that Banh Mi uses the French baguette due to occupying Vietnam and that when making jjigae (kimchi soup), it is very common to use a combination of processed meats, such as hotdog or spam, due to historically not having access to animal meat. What struck me most about Ming's was how they describe their approach to food as "injecting their own culture into something everyone craves." —Jamie Shipman ‘21

What my experience from tasting food from Ming’s food truck taught me was that when food is cooked with intention, creativity and passion, you can quite literally taste it (and smell it too). From its strong aroma and freshness of the ingredients to the balance of sweet, sour and spicy, I found myself enjoying every bite for its uniqueness in taste. Every flavor stood out but most importantly they were able to stand together. In a typical buffet style American restaurant, anything you want is placed out in front of you for the taking, to be eaten in whatever order that you may choose. One of the most interesting things that I learned about Cambodian food is that similar to a well thought out playlist, there’s an intended order in which you should enjoy it. The meat portion of our meal was meant to be dipped into a tangy lemon sauce then once eaten, it should altogether be washed down with a white rice that served as a palette cleanser. Learning all of this as well as the rich history that even the bread of our Banh mi sandwich carried filled me with so much respect and appreciation for what Ming’s chefs, Josh and Korn, have done. From watching the cooking and preparation process, I was able to witness the artistry behind each carefully prepared dish and how much thought they put into it. As someone who comes from a first generation household, it was truly inspiring to see how Korn found a way to honor her Cambodian culture with its traditional recipes while also making it her own by combining new flavors from other cultures such as America and Korea. It was also amazing to see how her husband Josh, who prior to meeting her had never explored Cambodian food before, had become so immersed in its food culture, language and history. They are prime examples of how food can bring people together. —Tibi Zabasajja ‘21