From my table to yours: Kimchi tacos

Korean BBQ and kimchi wrapped in a tortilla? Now that's a no-brainer.

These days, everything is about fusion. Blends are in, homogeneousness is out. Whether it's art, fashion, or food-- it's about taking that adage, "The best of both worlds," to heart.

In our house, fusion is embraced (after all, we've got little ones who are the best fusion of all-- Korean, Russian, Jewish, and Chilean!). We love green tea ice cream with Belgian chocolate syrup on top. French cheese washed down with Japanese sake? No eyebrows raised here. And there's always a jar of kimchi in the fridge to go with whatever is for dinner that night (steak, curry, spaghetti). 

Kimchi is the national dish of Korea. It's also the national dish of delicious! 

Speaking of kimchi, this traditional Korean dish with origins dating as far back as 900 BC is becoming one of those hipster veggies (right up there with kale and wheatgrass). There's the famed Kogi taco truck, the popular travelogue/documentary series "Kimchi Chronicles," and over 17,000 YouTube videos on how to make your own kimchi. Wow.

One of my favorite ways to eat kimchi is by putting it in Mexican dishes. Give me kimchi in my tacos, quesadillas, and tortas. There's just something so right about Korean BBQ wrapped up in a hot-off-the-grill tortilla, garnished with spicy kimchi, and topped off with chopped cilantro and fresh sour cream. Que rico!

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kimchi tacos


What you'll need:

• Korean BBQ meat (pre-marinated beef, chicken or pork; click here for an easy bulgogi recipe from my favorite Korean food cooking blog, Maangchi)
• kimchi (also found at Asian markets, but I've seen it in mainstream grocery stores, too!)
• corn tortillas
• shredded cheese (Mexican blend is best)
• sour cream
• cilantro

What to do:

• You can grill the meat on an outdoor barbecue or simply cook in a shallow frying pan. I like to add minced garlic and chopped green onions to the meat (when cooking on the pan). Set aside. 
• Warm the tortillas in the microwave (wrap them in damp paper towels) for 1 minute; or spread just a tiny bit of butter on both sides and fry on the pan, 2 minutes each side. 
• Chop the kimchi into smaller pieces. Chop cilantro. 

To assemble: Add meat to your tortilla. Top with shredded cheese, kimchi, cilantro and a dollop of sour cream. Ma-shi-soh!

If your mouth isn't watering then something's wrong with you.