Uploaded September 2018 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In our new food diplomacy video series, we introduce Korean tacos, which have grown in popularity from California to Texas and beyond through food trucks.
During her stay in Singapore, American diplomat Rachael Chen prepared the dish and shared the recipe with Singaporean chef Kiran Charles as they exchanged ideas on immigrants’ influence on food in the U.S. and Singapore. What American or Singaporean fusion dishes have you tried? #TastyTuesday
RECIPE
======
Korean Tacos by Rachael Chen
Napa Cabbage Kim Chi:
1 small head of napa cabbage
2 tbsp salt
1-2 tsp sugar
1-2 tsp fish sauce or soy sauce
2-3 tbsp gochujiang
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2-3 green onions, cut into 1-inch lengths
1-2 carrots, julienned
Separate and wash the cabbage leaves. Cut into 2-inch pieces. Mix with salt in a large bowl, ensuring that the salt is spread across all the leaves. Refrigerate overnight in a covered, non-reactive bowl, or for at least 8 hours.
Drain the water that seeped out of the cabbage overnight. Toss in the green onions and carrots. Add the sugar, fish or soy sauce, gochujiang, garlic, and ginger. Thoroughly mix everything so that all the vegetables are covered uniformly in the sauce. Place in a covered container, preferable an air-tight glass jar, and let it sit on the counter for a few days. Be sure to “burp” or open the container once a day to release gases. Test the kim chi—once it’s reached your preferred level of funkiness, it’s ready. Keep in the fridge, where the fermentation will continue, but much slower.
Tortillas:
2 cups of all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
½ tsp baking powder
2 tbsp butter
½ cup hot water
Mix the flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and drop into the flour mixture. Using a fork, press the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is all worked in and the mix looks a bit like sand. Add the hot water a little at a time, mixing until you have a solid, but slightly sticky dough. Divide the dough into about 10 pieces and use your hands to roll each piece into a ball. Using a flat, clean, floured surface, roll each ball into a flat circle with a rolling pin. Be sure to use enough flour so that the dough doesn’t stick to your surface or your rolling pin.
Heat a pan big enough to fit one tortilla. One at a time, place rolled dough into the pan. The tortilla will start to puff a bit—using a spatula, flip the tortilla. Cook until each side has brown parts, but is not black at all. As they come off of the pan, stack the tortillas in a foil packet, which will soften and keep them warm.
Pork:
8-lb pork shoulder (or “Boston Butt”), preferably bone-in, with a nice layer of fat on one side
½ cup salt
½ cup sugar
Place the pork in a bowl. Mix the sugar and salt, and then coat the pork with the sugar-salt mix. Be sure to cover the entire cut of pork. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least for 8 hours.
Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F/150C. Brush off excess salt/sugar, drain the juices and place the pork in a roasting pan, fat-side up. Bake for 6 hours at 300F/150C, basting once every hour. For best results, bake covered for first 4 hours, uncovered last 2. Pork should reach an internal temp of 160F/75C and be fork-tender. Let pork sit at room-temp for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Assembly:
Place a bit of pork, kim chi, and gochujiang in a tortilla. Top with fresh coriander leaves and a squeeze a bit of fresh lime. Enjoy.
In our new food diplomacy video series, we introduce Korean tacos, which have grown in popularity from California to Texas and beyond through food trucks.
During her stay in Singapore, American diplomat Rachael Chen prepared the dish and shared the recipe with Singaporean chef Kiran Charles as they exchanged ideas on immigrants’ influence on food in the U.S. and Singapore. What American or Singaporean fusion dishes have you tried? #TastyTuesday
RECIPE
======
Korean Tacos by Rachael Chen
Napa Cabbage Kim Chi:
1 small head of napa cabbage
2 tbsp salt
1-2 tsp sugar
1-2 tsp fish sauce or soy sauce
2-3 tbsp gochujiang
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2-3 green onions, cut into 1-inch lengths
1-2 carrots, julienned
Separate and wash the cabbage leaves. Cut into 2-inch pieces. Mix with salt in a large bowl, ensuring that the salt is spread across all the leaves. Refrigerate overnight in a covered, non-reactive bowl, or for at least 8 hours.
Drain the water that seeped out of the cabbage overnight. Toss in the green onions and carrots. Add the sugar, fish or soy sauce, gochujiang, garlic, and ginger. Thoroughly mix everything so that all the vegetables are covered uniformly in the sauce. Place in a covered container, preferable an air-tight glass jar, and let it sit on the counter for a few days. Be sure to “burp” or open the container once a day to release gases. Test the kim chi—once it’s reached your preferred level of funkiness, it’s ready. Keep in the fridge, where the fermentation will continue, but much slower.
Tortillas:
2 cups of all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
½ tsp baking powder
2 tbsp butter
½ cup hot water
Mix the flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and drop into the flour mixture. Using a fork, press the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is all worked in and the mix looks a bit like sand. Add the hot water a little at a time, mixing until you have a solid, but slightly sticky dough. Divide the dough into about 10 pieces and use your hands to roll each piece into a ball. Using a flat, clean, floured surface, roll each ball into a flat circle with a rolling pin. Be sure to use enough flour so that the dough doesn’t stick to your surface or your rolling pin.
Heat a pan big enough to fit one tortilla. One at a time, place rolled dough into the pan. The tortilla will start to puff a bit—using a spatula, flip the tortilla. Cook until each side has brown parts, but is not black at all. As they come off of the pan, stack the tortillas in a foil packet, which will soften and keep them warm.
Pork:
8-lb pork shoulder (or “Boston Butt”), preferably bone-in, with a nice layer of fat on one side
½ cup salt
½ cup sugar
Place the pork in a bowl. Mix the sugar and salt, and then coat the pork with the sugar-salt mix. Be sure to cover the entire cut of pork. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least for 8 hours.
Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F/150C. Brush off excess salt/sugar, drain the juices and place the pork in a roasting pan, fat-side up. Bake for 6 hours at 300F/150C, basting once every hour. For best results, bake covered for first 4 hours, uncovered last 2. Pork should reach an internal temp of 160F/75C and be fork-tender. Let pork sit at room-temp for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Assembly:
Place a bit of pork, kim chi, and gochujiang in a tortilla. Top with fresh coriander leaves and a squeeze a bit of fresh lime. Enjoy.
