Korean-Inspired Street Food Craze- Food Trends 2011
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One food trend that I can clearly see as the new street food craze this coming 2011 is the Korean-inspired street foods, particularly the Korean taco. Simply put, this is the marriage between Korean fillings and the Mexican taco. But how did this come about and, most especially, what can we chefs do to go with the trend?
The Origin of the Korean Taco
When kimchi, a Korean side dish, first entered the Los Angeles culinary scene, it became an instant hit. This then led to the Korean food craze wave wherein people just cannot get enough of Korean-inspired dishes.
Two chefs, owners of the Kogi Korean BBQ-To-Go, have taken this craze to the next level and created the Korean Taco. Of course, their Korean taco became the talk of the town that people would line up just so they could be one of the firsts to get a taste of this new dish. Through social media like Twitter, they announced where they would park their food truck next, and people would line up just to be the first in line to buy the spicy food marriage between two cultures – Korea and Mexico.
Their success at the Korean taco led to more chefs, professionals or otherwise, offering Korean-inspired dishes just to join the bandwagon of this Korean food craze.
Upscale Restaurants Embracing the Korean-Inspired Street Food Craze
Not one to be left behind in this new food trend, more and more upscale restaurants and chefs are beginning to offer new dishes inspired by Korean ingredients. There are also some restaurants that have wholly embraced the global street food idea, so it is no longer surprising to see pushcart-inspired dishes such as Vietnamese spring rolls as well as Indian-inspired samosas in their menus.
Celebrity chefs have also embraced the Korean street food craze phenomenon. They have recreated pushcart dishes, too, like salad rolls wrapped in paper into high-end meals and began offering them in their own restaurants. They have also become bolder when it comes to using global ingredients for their dishes.
Capitalize on the Trend
As stated above, if what I predict is true, then we should start capitalizing on the trend, too, as what others have already been doing. Here are some Korean-inspired dishes that you can incorporate in your menus.
There is, of course, the ever-popular Korean taco. Simply put, you have the Mexican taco (you can also make use of corn tortillas) and the Korean fillings like spicy pork, short ribs, or Chadol beef. You could also add in some tofu or chicken that has been soaking in vinaigrette with red chili flakes to add more spiciness to the Korean taco. Just remember though to always use fresh ingredients that are of good quality if you want to serve high-end Korean taco.
Another Korean street food that you might be interested in making is the Gimbap or Kimbap. Simply put, this is a roll made of rice, a variety of meat ingredients like ham and sausage, some veggies like spinach as well as carrots and cucumber, and crab meat. The roll is then sliced into bite sizes. You can also season it with sesame seeds.
You could also try another Korean and Mexican food marriage like the kimchi sesame quesadillas, or you could also upgrade the most popular street food, hotdog, with a Korean twist. Instead of using the regular ketchup, why not make use of a Korean ketchup and then spice it up with a kimchi sauerkraut. These two dishes came from the same chefs who invented the Mexican taco.
Another popular street food in Korea that you can reinvent is the buttered squid. Be sure though to give a generous helping of butter as this is what will make the dried squid soft, buttery, sweet, and salty all at the same time.
There are more that you can do with Korean ingredients, but the most important thing is that you make it your own. Although it would be “okay” to go with the trend and offer the usual Korean dishes, why not make it innovative and marry two cultures together like the Mexican taco? The more creative you get, the more innovative your dish might be.
Image Credit: cookiesbeautyblog.wordpress.com
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Australian Chef- Matthew J. Goudge is the mastermind behind the formation of the ProChef360 platform.
I love Korean food… and love mexican. It can’t really go wrong can it.
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Chef Matthew J.G Reply:
January 21st, 2011 at 4:52 pm
We have someone in common
cuisine preferences.
Both Korean and Mexican cuisines have many wonderful dishes housed within.
Matthew
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Kimchi is a perfect match for almost any kind of meat: kimchi reubens sandwiches, steak and kimchi, kimchi hot dogs. The sky is the limit, only limited by your own ingenuity.
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Chef Matthew J.G Reply:
January 22nd, 2011 at 8:25 am
Greetings Tamar,
You have a point there. Endless opportunities from such a versatile condiment.
Matthew
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Great post! Korean-inspired tofu tacos are a huge hit around here — and the only way my carnivore hubby will touch tofu! Kalbi beef ones aren’t bad either…;) Theresa
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Chef Matthew J.G Reply:
January 23rd, 2011 at 12:23 am
Thanks for the thumbs up.
I sincerely appreciate your gratification.
Matthew
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“The Times Square Alliance on Tuesday issued a request for proposals from area restaurants and vendors to take orders and serve food to people seated at the 100 tables and chairs in the car-free zone.”
Please read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/AP07f1cfca8a104478bd6c3ab90808c70b.html
I was inspired by this article so I am sharing this link.
Thanks.
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