Roy Choi. The name alone conjures up a vibrant mix of LA street-food swagger and playfully tweaked culinary creations. Redefining mobile eats with the seismic launch of his Kogi BBQ truck was just the beginning for Choi. Since then, he has climbed the culinary ranks to become a Michelin star chef and New York Times bestselling author, as well as the captivating co-host of Netflix’s “The Chef Show.”
The cherry on top? He does it all while consistently shattering expectations and blurring the lines between high and low, healthy and hedonistic.
Now, after a decade-long hiatus from the cookbook world, Choi is back with “The Choi of Cooking: Flavor-Packed, Rule-Breaking Recipes for a Delicious Life” (Clarkson Potter, 272 pages). Don’t expect pristine, fussy fare. This isn’t about deprivation; it’s about deliciousness with a wink and a nod toward well-being. Think craveable dishes that sneak in more veggies, lighten up your go-to comfort foods, and empower you to navigate the kitchen with confidence, no matter your skill level.
Inside, you’ll find chapters with names like “Veg Head” and “Salads for People Who Don’t Eat Salads,” hinting at the playful yet practical approach Choi and his collaborators, Tien Nguyen and Natasha Phan, have taken.
Expect the unexpected: a Tuna Salad Niçoise reimagined as bibimbap, or a “Not Shrimp Toast, But Think Shrimp Toast, Okay? OK!” recipe that takes less time to prepare than it does to pronounce. Collectively, these recipes — and the thoughtful essays that complement them — are more than a series of steps; they’re a road map to a more mindful, yet still wildly flavorful, way of eating.
So, what’s cooking in the mind of this culinary icon? What are the secrets behind his flavor bombs, and what wisdom does he have to share with the home cook looking to level up their game? Choi took some time to let Mercury News grill him on some burning questions regarding “The Choi of Cooking,” graciously offering his insightful perspective as a down-to-earth chef who’s always kept it real.
Q: Taking steps, not leaps’ is a powerful mantra. In a culinary world often fixated on radical transformations, how do you balance the patience required for incremental change with the urgency of addressing our collective food habits?
A: That’s where the subtitle, “a cookbook that meets you where you are” comes into play. Many times the messaging around health and eating healthy is an all or nothing ultimatum. If we really want change, we have to start where we are and be understanding and sensitive to people’s
state of mind and abilities. Isn’t adding one carrot to a meal better than adding none? Then that becomes two, then three. It’s the power of slow erosion — but in reverse.
Q: Your book emphasizes ‘balance and compassion.’ How does this translate into the practicalities of recipe development? For example, when creating the ‘Meat Me Here’ chapter, how did you navigate the tension between satisfying cravings and maintaining a mindful approach to consumption?
A: The key is to not deny your cravings. Step by step. Keep your cravings in the food but balance it with some veggies or fruits and use less of the empty, unhealthy element. But don’t neglect it! Still make a burger — but use less meat and great butter, buy better non-processed bread, add an extra leaf of lettuce or real cheese. Make a greasy burger, just change the ratios so your mouth still feels the fun and only your body feels the change.
Q: In the ‘Veg Head’ chapter, you aim to make vegetables irresistible, even to skeptics. What are some of the unexpected flavor pairings or cooking techniques you found most effective in achieving this goal?
A: Treat veggies like you would meat. And disrespect them in the most loving way. Take ‘em to the max. Overwhelm them with flavor and spices. Make them super tasty, so you don’t miss the meat. Or, make sure that it accompanies the meat as an equal — not a must-eat simply because
it’s healthy.
Q: These days, groceries can be almost as expensive as DoorDash. On top of that, people seem to be experiencing more daily fatigue, without much spare time or energy to dedicate to cooking. Given these trends, what would you say to motivate people to put down the phone and put on their chef’s hat?
A: It’s such a messed-up phenomenon that the most important things in our lives — food and water — are either neglected, inflated or exploited. Yet we make candy, soda and chips so accessible and mainstream in the sphere of pop culture. We need a shift in marketing and demand. Brand the groceries just like drugs and get people addicted, but to something good! Take down the barriers of entry and use the language of the youth to make cooking relatable. Cooking is not a chore. It’s a pleasure.
Q: Many people certainly find it a pleasure, but also, everyone loves to have someone cook for them. Have you ever feared that people only become friends with you or endear themselves to your so that you will make them food?
A. I’ll take it. Friends are hard to come by.
Q: Your book lays out all the ingredients to prepare the perfect dish, but what ingredients go into making the perfect chef?
A: Love, compassion, dedication, ethics, hard work, detail, muscle memory, taste, style and hospitality.
Q: You studied at the Culinary Institute of America. Were there any rules of cooking that you found yourself questioning or challenging?
A: Not really. I was too young and green. In culinary school it’s all about absorbing, learning, practicing and repeating. Then, you can question later. But it’s all “yes, chef!” at first.
Q: The essays woven throughout the recipes seem to be as integral as the ingredients. Did you conceive of the recipes and essays as separate entities that later merged, or was there a more interwoven creation process, with each informing the other?
A: It all came as one thought cloud. It’s all the dime-store philosophy of how I cook and what I’ve learned throughout life, and I finally found the courage and strength to share that, without worrying if it was right or correct. So the essays are an important way to convey the nuance of
those teachings, and I wanted to bookend them with recipes that bring those insights to life.
Q: Many people nowadays listen to podcasts, audiobooks or music while cooking, and find that it helps the process along in different ways. Is there anything you do to occupy your mind while cooking, or do you just prefer to dial in and focus on the food?
A: Music and jokes. Being silly is a huge part of cooking. It is a dance, an expression. You gotta let yourself go!