Kimchi tacos are popular all over Southern California, particularly in Los Angeles, where they were invented by Chef Roy Choi and sold from his fleet of Korean taco trucks. The filling is marinated in a sweet and salty pear juice sauce, then quickly seared and topped with kimchi and fresh cabbage. You can think of this taco as cabbage two ways, but I like to just think of it as good eats.
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Fusion
Keyword
Kimchi Tacos
Servings8tacos
AuthorJason Wyrick
Ingredients
The Filling (choose either the shiitakes or the seitan or half of each)
1cuppear juice
3tablespoonssoy sauce
3tablespoonssake
2teaspoonsagave nectar
4clovesgarlic, minced
1tablespoongrated fresh ginger
8dried shiitake caps or 1 1/2 cups chopped seitan strips
1tablespoonsesame oil
2teaspoonssesame seeds
3/4teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
2cupsshredded cabbage
1 1/2cupskimchi
The Tortillas
85 to 6-inch corn or flour tortillas
The Toppings
Sliced cucumber
Instructions
Combine the pear juice, soy sauce, sake, agave, garlic, and ginger in a bowl. Add the dried shiitakes or the seitan. If using shiitakes, they will be ready to cook in about 20 minutes. If using seitan, wait a full hour before working with it. If you are using both shiitakes and seitan, you can leave the shiitakes in the marinade along with the seitan for the full hour without any adverse effect.
Remove the shiitakes and/or seitan from the marinade and cut into 1/4-inch wide strips. Heat the sesame oil in a sauté pan over high heat. Add the shiitakes or seitan and sauté for about 3 minutes. Toss in sesame seeds and black pepper, give this a quick stir, and get the pan off the heat right away.
Warm the tortillas. Fill them with about 3 tablespoons of the fresh cabbage, then 3 tablespoons of the kimchi, and finally the seared shiitakes or seitan. Top with thinly sliced cucumber.
Recipe Notes
MAKE IT LOW-FAT: Once you marinate the shiitakes or seitan, add them to a pan over medium heat and warm them for about 5 minutes. No liquid should be added to the pan.