Spirit of collaboration has never been so delicious

Chanchaleune's monthly Monday night events are not to be missed

Editor’s Note: Ben Krodel is a young chef fresh out of culinary school and beginning his career as a chef and writer. For this essay, he went to Ma Der Lao Kitchen for its September collaboration.

When I sat down at Ma Der Lao Kitchen for the latest chef's collaboration, I read through the menu three times, intrigue growing with each pass. My eyes darted frequently toward chef Jeff Chanchaleune’s kitchen that Monday night in Oklahoma City; not a night you’d expect to be served a meal of this caliber. And from an outsider's perspective, not a city you'd expect a meal like this to be served in. But it was. And I'm grateful to chefs Chanchaleune and Brandon Jew for believing in this city enough to feed it such an inspired meal.

Chef Brandon Jew runs Mister Jiu’s, in San Francisco. Although I have yet to eat there, based on his collaborative meal with Ma der Lao and Chef Jeff, I can tell it's no joke. And he has a Michelin star to prove it. That’s right, Mister Jiu’s has become one of America’s most important Chinese American restaurants, by elevating classic Chinese American dishes in the heart of San Francisco’s Chinatown and earning that star. The Peking-style duck is apparently a specialty, which I didn’t know beforehand. After trying the variation he presented later that night, I understood completely.

Course One: Japanese Fluke Crudo

The first course was light and refreshing like every first course should be. The pear vinaigrette was acidic and complemented by the occasional spicy kick of a thinly sliced serrano pepper. Stray leaves of mint and chives adorned the perfectly sliced fluke. A lot  of crudos are decorated with things to make the dish look prettier and some are simple and dressed with only the necessary ingredients to elevate the fish instead of overshadowing it. This crudo was the latter. Simple, fresh, and delicious.

Course Two: Gently Steamed Catfish 

Some people might bat an eye at steamed catfish. Here in catfish country fried is king and blackened on a grill is adventurous. Steamed catfish is not something most Oklahomans would gravitate towards. However, gently steaming this fish does it justice like you wouldn’t believe. The texture was perfect. Steam lets the natural flavor of the fish shine, and despite how some might feel about catfish it was delicious. The clam gravy that was generously spooned over the fish tempted me to lick my plate clean, but dropped the notion recognizing the public setting. The Sweet hokkien style corn scattered about the plate was delicious, complementing the rich gravy. This dish was extremely balanced with every component playing well together.

Course Three: King Crab Chawanmushi

Chawanmushi, for those who don’t know, is a Japanese egg custard. It was sweet and savory, kind of reminiscent of these little chinese egg tarts I used to get in New York City. They are much sweeter than you’d expect, nothing like a Quiche (I'm sorry but quiches are horrible). The sweetness of the crab paired really well with the egg custard. I don’t want to know how hard it was to cook all those little chawanmushi and to the chef in the kitchen who did so, my props to you. They were absolutely delicious with a perfectly soft and bouncy consistency. 

Course Four: Grilled Xinjiang Rabbit Skewer

I live for things like rabbit skewers. Seeing dishes like that on a menu always draws my eyes like the focal point of a painting. This dish was full of powerful flavors. The sauce was acidic, contrasted by palate-numbing green Szechuan peppercorns. Most people either hate or love Szechuan peppercorns, and I fall on the love side. There's something fun about the unique side effects only certain foods provide, like a handful of Pop Rocks popping in your mouth.

Rabbit is criminally underutilized by the restaurant community. Especially a community rich with hunting and fishing like Oklahoma. It’s nice to see a protein that’s not just chicken, steak, or salmon for a change!

Course Five: Peking Squab

The decadent mahogany skin of this Peking squab still haunts me. The dark rich colors of the plate perfectly foreshadowed the savory blend of dissonant and fruity flavors this dish conveyed. I love the way the claw was left on the plate, hiding nothing from what it once was. The dude next to me ate the toes, claws and all, and…. I’m not going to lie to you, it was so good I considered eating them, too. I mentioned previously that at Mister Jiu’s their Peking style duck is popular, I can tell why. It's clear that he has mastered this technique, so much so that he is able to perfectly execute it with a whole different bird. A squab having much less fat than a duck does not give the chef much wiggle room for error, like over cooking one part of the bird and undercooking another. 

Course Six: American Wagyu Tenderloin

This was truly one of the best pieces of American Wagyu I’ve ever had. I'm kind of on the side that thinks most American Wagyu is just a marketing ploy to sell more expensive beef because the quality is pretty much the same as USDA Prime. This wasn’t the case at Ma Der. The beef was extremely tender and of a high quality. Being great at sourcing ingredients is an underrated attribute of most great chefs. It's not something most people dining think about, and I think it's important to acknowledge.

The celeriac puree was delicious and a creative way to add starch to the dish. It played well with the black garlic jus that coated the beef like molten chocolate. The texture of the jus was unbelievable. I was shocked by its glassy, velvet viscosity. 

All in all I loved this dish, however, I was slightly confused by its place on this menu. It seemed out of the ordinary because of how ordinary it was. Not ordinary in quality and definitely not flavor. It seemed ordinary in concept compared to the rest of the menu.

Course Seven: Mungbean Sakoo

I love earthy desserts and a sweet mung bean sakoo is a great way to go about that. The cashew foam was fluffy and played well with its earthy friend, a tapioca dumpling.

It's not only exciting when chefs like chef Jew arrive for fun collaborative dinners, it’s inspiring. For that, I am not only thankful to chef Brandon for coming, but I am thankful to chef Chanchaleune for bringing this kind of talent to Oklahoma City. The Monday events are finished for 2024, but look for them to return in January. Get on the Ma Der Lao newsletter for immediate details, or check in often with The Food Dood & Friends.