Sweet Onion Kimchi Tacos with Pulled Pork | Nik Snacks
This Southern Onion Comfort Food post is a part of a paid promotion with the National Onion Association. I was compensated for this post, but all photos, words and opinions are my mine.
Kimchi is one of those things I have never pictured myself making.
Kimchi is one of those things that I really don't care for in restaurants.
Kimchi is ALSO one of those things that is more technique than recipe. You can mix, match and substitute ingredients and use trial and error to produce a pretty stellar recipe.
After doing a little research, I realized I have dabbled in the art of fermentation based on the basics of the sweet sriracha butter I made to slather on ham-stuffed biscuits. And since I am a Southern lady and this is the Southern Onion Comfort Food Series, I had to come through and make this Korean side dish and condiment with a little twang as well.
Essentially, kimchi is made from salted and fermented vegetables. A paste or sauce is made from a variety of spices, a little fruit, a little miso and a little time. Cabbage kimchi is the most popular, bu it can be made out of ANYTHING. According to Food52, 'kimchi' is a term that encompasses a whole genre of food—like "sandwich." Along with the sweet onion, I added carrots (for color and crunch) and okra (for Southern authenticity). My kimchi "sandwich" is a taco piled with pulled pork, crispy wonton strips and diced jalapenos. It's a whole mood, y'all.
The onions are sliced thinly, julienne style and it's the easiest way to cut an onion. Just follow the lines in the onion with your knife. But to get some live action shots of an onion being cut, please visit National Onion Association's site to see it in all its allium glory.
I think this is probably a good time to tell you that making tacos is easy and if you need some guidance, feel free to look here:
Spicy Marinated Steak Tacos
Curried Fish Tacos
Mushroom, Shallot & Wilted Arugula Tacos
Walking Tacos
Kimchi is one of those things I have never pictured myself making.
Kimchi is one of those things that I really don't care for in restaurants.
Kimchi is ALSO one of those things that is more technique than recipe. You can mix, match and substitute ingredients and use trial and error to produce a pretty stellar recipe.
After doing a little research, I realized I have dabbled in the art of fermentation based on the basics of the sweet sriracha butter I made to slather on ham-stuffed biscuits. And since I am a Southern lady and this is the Southern Onion Comfort Food Series, I had to come through and make this Korean side dish and condiment with a little twang as well.
Essentially, kimchi is made from salted and fermented vegetables. A paste or sauce is made from a variety of spices, a little fruit, a little miso and a little time. Cabbage kimchi is the most popular, bu it can be made out of ANYTHING. According to Food52, 'kimchi' is a term that encompasses a whole genre of food—like "sandwich." Along with the sweet onion, I added carrots (for color and crunch) and okra (for Southern authenticity). My kimchi "sandwich" is a taco piled with pulled pork, crispy wonton strips and diced jalapenos. It's a whole mood, y'all.
The onions are sliced thinly, julienne style and it's the easiest way to cut an onion. Just follow the lines in the onion with your knife. But to get some live action shots of an onion being cut, please visit National Onion Association's site to see it in all its allium glory.
Sweet Onion Kimchi Tacos with Pulled Pork
Yield: 8 tacos, 2 per person
Kimchi is one of those things I have never pictured myself making.
Kimchi is one of those things that I really don't care for in restaurants. Kimchi is ALSO one of those things that is more technique than recipe. You can mix, match and substitute ingredients and use trial and error to produce a pretty stellar recipe. After doing a little research, I realized I have dabbled in the art of fermentation based on the basics of the sweet sriracha butter I made to slather on ham-stuffed biscuits. And since I am a Southern lady and this is the Southern Onion Comfort Food Series, I had to come through and make this Korean side dish and condiment with a little twang as well.
Ingredients
Sweet Onion Kimchi
- Coarse salt
- 2 lbs. Sweet onions (Vidalia, White or Sweet onion varieties are acceptable)
- Carrots (peeled, shredded and/or sliced)
- Fresh whole okra pods
- Miso paste (red or yellow)
- Dried shrimp
- Korean chili flakes (gochutgaru)
- 2 apples or pears
- 20 cloves of garlic, peeled
- Fresh ginger root, peeled
Sweet Onion Kimchi Tacos with Pulled Pork
- 2 cups leftover smoked pulled pork
- 8 flour or corn tortillas, 2 per person
- Suggested toppings:
- Sweet Onion Kimchi
- Diced tomatoes
- Sliced avocado
- BBQ sauce
- Crème fraîche or sour cream
- Cilantro
- Sliced scallions
Instructions
Sweet Onion Kimchi
- Create a single layer of julienne strips of onion, carrots and okra into a large container.
- Sprinkle vegetables with coarse salt and repeat until you’ve layered in and salted all of your vegetables. Use enough to remove some moisture and clean the vegetables. Let the salted vegetables sit for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature.
- In a food processor of blender, add apples and a couple of tablespoons of miso, fresh ginger, about the size of two thumbs and 10 or more peeled garlic cloves. Process. Add a little bit of water if the mixture is too pasty (1 Tablespoon at a time). When finished, your mixture should be about the consistency of applesauce.
- Add 1 or 2 cups of gochutgaru. Let the kimchi sauce sit and marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours—the longer the better—at room temperature.
- Rinse the salted vegetables to remove the excess salt and pat dry. In an additional container, jar or other vessel, layer vegetables in the bottom and then cover generously with the sauce. Mix, stir or use your hands to gently massage the sauce into the vegetables, if need be. Rubber gloves will be handy here.
- Repeat until you’ve used up all of your marinade. Cover the jar’s opening with a layer of plastic wrap (it helps to contain the odor) and place the lid tightly on top.
- Leave your kimchi outside of the refrigerator overnight to kickstart fermentation. And then transfer to your refrigerator.
- Pro tip: After a few days, flip the jar upside-down and to distribute the goodness; just make sure the lid is secured tightly to prevent kimchi juice from spilling. Flip back to right-side up a day or two later.
- Some people believe kimchi never goes bad, but if you taste it and there’s an unpleasant “fizz,” you might want to skip that part.
Sweet Onion Kimchi Tacos with Pulled Pork
- Warm up your leftover pulled pork in a skillet. If dry add some water or apple cider vinegar to help re-hydrate (about 1 tablespoon at a time).
- Heat up your tortillas. Brush the tortillas with olive oil, drape them over the side of a baking dish, bake at 350°F for 5 minutes
- Load the tortilla with as much pulled pork and other toppings as you can possibly fit into it. Squeeze some fresh lemon or lime over the top. Enjoy!
Notes:
This Southern Onion Comfort Food post is a part of a paid promotion with the National Onion Association. I was compensated for this post, but all photos, words and opinions are my mine.
Calories
760.14Fat (grams)
11.03Sat. Fat (grams)
3.06Carbs (grams)
140.56Fiber (grams)
12.41Net carbs
128.15Sugar (grams)
27.79Protein (grams)
27.01Sodium (milligrams)
870.58Cholesterol (grams)
48.49Please consult a healthcare professional or dietician about nutritional needs for your diet. I am a communications professional, not a physician.
I think this is probably a good time to tell you that making tacos is easy and if you need some guidance, feel free to look here:
Spicy Marinated Steak Tacos
Curried Fish Tacos
Mushroom, Shallot & Wilted Arugula Tacos
Walking Tacos
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