marketman and I had been wondering when Korean food would officially become a food fad. For a while it appeared there was no hope: sushi, dim sum and Vietnamese spring rolls were destined for food trendiness given their cute packaging and exotic ingredients, but there's something about walking out of a restaurant smelling like charcoal and beef (not to mention the garlic breath) that's not so American-friendly...or sexy.
But it happened, and suddenly there's Korean food coming to a food festival or street corner near you in the form of a "Korean taco." ??!?!?!?!?! Typically involving some form of delicious Korean grilled meat, some greenery (dressed cabbage or kimchi) and other fixings, iterations I have seen come wrapped in kim (seasoned, dried seaweed and a very traditional Korean ingredient) or tortillas (corn or flour flatbread and not at all a traditional Korean ingredient). All look very tasty (have to admit, I haven't tried either yet), but in talking with Sabs today I was reminded of the food that I consider to be the original Korean taco since it was the first thing I ate in Korea that involved many different flavors bundled into one nice, neat little envelope. To see the ingredients,
The first time I had this was at marketman's folks' house in Gongju, so I was lucky to have it as a home-cooked meal. But it's really very simple as long as you have the right ingredients (which can be found at any Korean market/supermarket).
Ingredients:
Sesame leaves (your tortilla, as it were), washed, patted dry and stacked flat
1/2 onion, chopped into 1/2"-to-1" pieces
Saewoojut (tiny, briny shrimp)
Ssam gyub sal (Korean "bacon" - uncured black pork belly)
Grill up the bacon like you would the cured version, but don't let it get crunchy - just fried until it's cooked through and the fat is just starting to crisp on the edges. Cut each piece in half or in thirds. Take one piece of pork and place it in the center of a sesame leaf, top with a few briny shrimp (don't go overboard - those suckers are SALTY) and a slice of onion. Wrap up the edges, and pop the whole thing in your mouth. As always, it's best when eaten with an assortment of goodies like kimchi, sigumchi namul (seasoned spinach), other banchan (side dishes) and a side of rice.
It's an odd combination . . . certainly nothing I would think to throw together on my own. But my mother-in-law made a good point (by the way, she has many good points, so this is just one I'll share for now): since the bacon isn't cured, the saltiness of the brined shrimp, the sourness of the onion and the herbal flavor of the sesame leaf cut the "pig" flavor. Eat an underseasoned pork chop and you know what I'm talking about. I believe it's the same reason why pork tends to go nicely with fruits and/or mustards.
