If I were in a fantasy world and I had all the money in the world, I would open a Asian fusion brunch place. I don’t know if this will ever happen, but if I were to open it tomorrow, this Korean Pork Belly Nachos dish would be on my menu.
One of my biggest food obsessions is the fusion of Asian and American dishes. I think the casual-ness of American food and the in-your-face flavors of Asian food mix together well. A good number of my favorite food places in the Bay area are Asian fusion places. Some are – Belly in Oakland, Koja Kitchen in the Inner Richmond, and The Chairman in the Tenderloin. This type of food is also a good representation of my story.
I was an Asian kid growing up in the melting pot that is the United States. Growing up, I was exposed to so many different types of cultures and as a result a diverse collection of cuisines. Persian. Thai. Mexican. American. Italian. You name it. I’ve had it. Every culture had their own special dishes, and it made me realize that while we are all different, food was something that we all had in common. And it was something that I loved about growing up in LA.
Making this dish this week made me think about the idea of how we have more in common than we think. All of us bring our own respective culture to this country, and we each add something different to American culture. It’s what I love about living here. This idea was something I needed to be reminded of, especially when there is so much negativity and divisive rhetoric out there right now.
How do you celebrate your culture through food? Lemme know in the comments below!
Korean Pork Belly Nachos
Ingredients
Korean Pork Belly
- ¼ lb pork belly cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tsp gochujang
Nacho Cheese
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 6 oz mild cheddar cheese shredded
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp chili powder
Wonton Chips
- 12 wonton wrappers
- 2 cups vegetable oil
Other Ingredients
- 1 cup salsa store bought
- 1 stalk green onions minced
Instructions
- Korean Pork Belly: Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and marinate for half an hour. Saute in a pan with 1 tablespoon of oil until the pork is cooked through (about 3 minutes).
- Wonton Chips: Heat 2 cups of vegetable oil over medium high heat until the temperature of the oil reaches 220 degrees F. Add the wonton wrappers to the oil and fry them until they are a light brown color (about 15 seconds). Remove them from the heat and let them cool on paper towels. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the wonton chips.
- Nacho Cheese: Heat a sauce pan over medium high heat. Add in the flour and butter and whisk until the butter is melted. Slowly whisk in the milk and heat the mixture to a simmer. Add in the shredded cheese, salt, and chili powder. Whisk until everything is mixes well. Set aside.
- Now it’s time to assemble your nachos. Put the wonton chips onto a plate or shallow bowl. Top with the salsa, pork belly, and cheese. Garnish with green onions for that something extra.
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