The Dish: A Warm, Buttery Hug from Philly's James Beard Winner
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- In this edition of The Dish, we're getting something warm and buttery-like a culinary hug-from Philadelphia's only James Beard Award winner this year.
Phila Lorn, owner of the critically acclaimed Mawn and now Sao, both in South Philly, is sharing the secrets behind a dish he calls Hoe Cakes.
"It's like if a corn muffin fell in love with a pancake and made a baby," Lorn laughs. "Some people call it a Johnny Cake. It's a pancake that tastes like a corn muffin, topped with trout salad, trout roe, and everything steeped in honey butter."
We're inside Sao on East Passyunk, which opened its doors in September. It's Lorn's second restaurant, a Cambodian/Southeast Asian crudo and oyster bar.
"We're also doing super homey, comfy food out of the back - stir-fries and noodles," he says.
Lorn is having quite the year. In June, he won the James Beard Award for Emerging Chef.
"It's a fly thing to see a Cambodian name on a big stage like that," he says.
He also made Food & Wine's Best New Chefs list, and Mawn, his first restaurant, earned a spot on the New York Times' Best Restaurants list.
"It's not about me or my ego," Lorn says. "It's about the kid who's looking up and thinking: 'There's a seat for me too.' That's worth it."
Lorn is so Philly, he was named after his birthplace.
"Phila is broken English for Philadelphia," he explains.
He channeled that same energy when naming Sao.
"'Sao' is broken English for 'south,'" says Lorn. "That's how my mother says it. South Philly is now Sao Philly, by way of a Southeast Asian accent."
The hoe cake is a fusion dish, where his Cambodian roots meet his wife and business partner Rachel's Jewish heritage.
"I'm Buddhist," he says. "My wife's Jewish. You can see that on this plate - trout salad, whitefish salad, and caviar."
Sao's Hoe Cakes Recipe
Ingredients
-1 cup yellow cornmeal
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 cup dashi stock
-1 large egg
-2-3 tbsp vegetable oil (for frying)
Instructions
-Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.
-Add Wet Ingredients: Gradually pour in warm dashi stock and beaten egg. Stir until just combined - the batter should resemble thick pancake batter.
-Heat Skillet: Warm oil in a pan over medium heat.
-Fry Hoe Cakes: Drop 2-3 tablespoons of batter into the skillet for each hoecake. Flatten slightly with the back of a spoon to form rounds. Fry one side, then transfer to a 350F degree oven for a few minutes to warm through. Return to the pan to brown the other side.
-Serve with Honey Butter: Melt butter and honey in a pan, whisk until emulsified and frothy. Pour over hoe cakes before serving.
