But no.

And why ever not? Korean food has so much potential to be transformed into so many different outstanding dishes. Unfortunately, even Korean fusion food seems to be limited and restricted to tacos. I’m seeing these Korean fusion food trucks popping along the streets, and they are all imitators of the Kogi food truck.

That makes me mad. Korean food deserves to be treated with more respect and creativity than just following the latest fad. It’s been cast into the backstage for far too long, and it’s time for it to shine for all its amazing qualities. I’ve always wondered why there is such a lack of Korean fusion food when I visit Pan-Asian restaurants. You see a creative take on Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese cuisine, but rarely Korean.

So here was my proposal: I’ll make a multi-course meal, with the theme being Korean Fusion Street Food. All the dishes will be my own creations, and they will certainly be more than tacos and burritos. Now, it’s time for Korean food to truly take center stage…so back away, Mr Sushi and Ms General Tsao Chicken!

It didn’t take me long to come up with the dishes. I had so many ideas whirling around my head that I had to be strict and limit myself to only six courses.

The lucky guests would be my dear friends in my weekly Bible Study group: Valerie, Christina, Jessica #1, Jessica #2 (we’ve got a lot of Jessicas in my fellowship), and Halim. I had only one request for them: Bring an empty stomach, because there’s gonna be tons and tons of food.

Oh, and BYOB:
“Bring Your Own Bible”, of course. What did you think? This is a Bible group.

This was a take on the traditional Korean dumplings called Mandoo. the filling was a similar filling to Korean mandoos, but baked into a Chinese-style Eggroll.
People get confused over the difference between Korean, Chinese, and Japanese dumplings. After all, they all look the same with a filling and wrappers. But they are different.
For starters, Korean dumplings are more vegetable-heavy than Chinese dumplings (jiaozi). They usually include tofu, shitake mushrooms, and cellophane noodles, and the dumpling skin is usually thinner. And of course, the Chinese dumplings don’t come stuffed with kimchi.
I served these eggrolls with a traditional Korean dipping sauce:
Personally, these eggrolls were my favorite. I just could not stop eating them! It was crunchy and crispy outside, but so moist and flavorful inside…even if you’re a meat-lover, you won’t ever miss the meat in these eggrolls. My recipe churned out 20 eggrolls. I have no leftovers.

   2.   Korean + Italian: Gnocchi-bokki

I’ve made this once before here, and I thought it would fit my theme perfectly. Tteokbokki is a popular Korean street food. It’s sold in the carts by the street, and served in a Styrofoam cup. You can smell its spicy-sweet aroma a mile away, and kids rush to these carts to get their after-school snack. For my dish, I used spinach gnocchi instead of the traditional rice cake, and added feta cheese and raisins.
I made a two-serving size. I regret to say I didn’t get the chance to take a good shot at it. It smelled so good that my friends zoomed in to this at once. And it was all gone before I could take a decent picture.

  3.   Korean + Mexico: Spicy Pork Tostadas with Apple Salsa

You knew this would be coming. I have to admit, Korean and Mexican food just go really well together. They both have a passion for spicy, bold flavors. This one is with the traditional spicy Korean pork called Dwaejikogi, on top of a baked tostada with a sweet and sour green apple salsa.
I had so many things cooking all at once, I lost track of monitoring the tortillas baking in the oven. So as you can see, the tostada is…uh, extra crispy. And I had no more corn tortillas left, but my friends like it kind of burnt and crunchy anyway. I was sad, though, because a more yellow base would have made for a nicer picture. Plus, it was the good kind of tortillas…organic ones from Whole Foods!
I thought the apple salsa was the best s**t ever. Seriously. SO refreshing and mouth-watering!
It went perfectly with the spicy pork…just an amazing contrast of sweet, tangy, spicy, and sour flavors.

4.    Korean + Greek: Bulgogi Gyros with Asian Pear Slaw

I’ve been craving gyros for months. Bulgogi isn’t really a street food in Korea…but Gyros sure are! This is a play on the gyros that are sold by the streets of New York City…but instead of the Greek lamb, it’s with the Korean BBQ beef called Bulgogi…and instead of the tzatziki sauce, with a creamy, crunchy Asian Pear slaw:
I loved this. To be honest, I’ve never been a fan of bulgogi. I always found it boring, and too…beefy. I like bold, spicy flavors like Dwaejikogi, and the soy sauce-based bulgogi is mellow compared to Dwaejikogi.
But this one rocked, if only because of the fantastic Asian pear slaw. I got the idea for this slaw because my mom uses Asian pears to marinate her bulgogi…so I thought fresh pears would go well with the meat, and they did.
Oh and did you know? Bulgogi is fabulous—fabulous I tell you!—with mayonnaise. You’ve got to try it sometime. So I knew I had to pair it with something creamy, and this Asian Pear slaw was perfect without being too cloying by using yogurt and feta cheese.
I did not make my own pita, by the way. That would be pushing it. I used a store-bought whole wheat pita.

5.   Korean + Italian: Tuna Melt Kimbap Pizza

Kimbap is Korean for sushi, and this one was a last-minute stroke of genius. I was originally going to just make a traditional Korean Kimbap roll with tuna melt on top…but realized the idea might not work because the rice would get all crunchy inside, and the nori might burn. And then it hit me that I could use crunchy rice as an advantage! Thus I decided to deconstruct the traditional Kimbap into a pizza…with the crunchy rice forming a crust, and a tuna melt as the topping. It was gorgeous. And unintentionally gluten-free!
And did you know that Koreans eat crunchy scorched rice as a snack? It’s called nurungji, and it is usually the thin crust that comes at the bottom of a traditional Korean rice pot. But since Koreans don’t use those old-fashioned pots nowadays, they make commercials ones too that comes in packages. Not as fun, but still crunchily toasty and tasty.
There is actually a HUGE difference between Kimbap and Sushi. In Korea, we call sushi “Chobap”. “Cho” for vinegar, and “bap” for rice, because while the Japanese use rice vinegar to season their sushi rice, we use sesame seed oil. In addition, Kimbap is low-key picnic fare, not the high-class expensive Japanese sushi that comes meticulously crafted. While the Japanese sushi keeps its ingredients to the minimum, Koreans like to get crazy with their ingredients. The traditional Korean Kimbap comes with at least about 5-6 fillings of spinach, beef, pickled radish, hotdogs, egg, carrots, crabmeat, cucumbers, burdock roots, etc.
For the tuna salad, I added one of the traditional Kimbap filling:
This is the pickled radish we use, called Danmuji. It is sweet and sour and crunchy and utterly delightful. You should be able to find it in all Korean stores in the refrigerated section. As for the red sauce, it’s Korean red pepper vinegar paste. It comes in a squeeze bottle like this:
My dad likes to eat this with boiled squid, but you can use it the way you use ketchup: on fries, eggs, pizza, pasta, whatever.
6.  Korean + American: Sweet Potato Walnut Crumble Muffins with Red Bean Paste
 I’m just guessing that muffins and cupcakes are really an American thing. Do correct me if I’m wrong. In Korea, there is this delightful snack called Hodukwaja…literally, “Walnut Cookie”. It’s not actually what you would think a cookie is like; it’s shaped into a ball: a cake-like exterior with walnut pieces, stuffed with a sweetened aduzki bean paste. In fact, it looks very much like an aebleskiver. I decided to turn it into a sweet potato walnut crumble muffin instead, because Koreans love flavoring their baked goods with sweet potato.
As for the adzuki bean filling, it’s really actually a Japanese thing, but the Koreans have fun with it, too. Go to a Korean bakery and you’ll find this paste being used in myriads of baked goods. You can buy them canned, but what for, when it’s so easy to make it yourself?
I barely spent more than 10 minutes and $2 making my own red bean paste. The secret? Rice cooker.
  I added the walnut crumble on top because it reminds me of one of my favorite Korean sweet breads called Soboro bun, which is a rich brioche-like bread topped with a crumbly nutty cookie-like topping. These muffins were a huge hit. My friends literally forced themselves to eat at least two despite the fact that their stomachs were bursting. Quote: “The best freaking muffin I’ve ever had!”

Are you hungry now? Because I’m stuffed to the brim. I was expecting leftovers, but my friends polished off all this food!

Dang, I was impressed. Especially because they aren’t particularly adventurous with their food. They’re the ones who got Pad Thai at a Latino market because that was the only thing they recognized after all.
In fact, my dear friend Jessica #1 grew up in a farm in rural Florida, and has never ventured outside cheese pizza and pulled pork. Anything other than cheese and pepperoni on her pizza freaks her out. She doesn’t eat fish, vegetables, and any weird combinations and ingredients she does not recognize.
And here she is, happily munching on the weirdest combination of food. I was a proud cook! One day I’ll have her eating live octopus with chopsticks, and Korean silkworm pupae.

My other friend Valerie also doesn’t know much about food. She once tried to cook beans by soaking them in hot water, and wondered why they are still crunchy and raw. Ah, love this girl:
Hopefully, one day she’ll not only be cooking beans the correct way, but incorporating them into a fabulous dish. And maybe I can learn some Romanian dishes from her (She’s from Romania).

But you know, it doesn’t really matter. We all have our different passions and interests. I’m just so glad that I know what my passion is…and so relieved to realize that cooking is a passion for me, not an obsession. And I felt awesome to be able to share my passion with my dear friends. Thank you, guys, for enjoying my food. And thank you, Foodbuzz, for more reasons than simply providing me the opportunity to host this event.

Oh, and before I forget, here are the recipes. I don’t have exact measurements…If you’re a regular reader you know I just cook by taste-and-testing. So take this with a grain of salt, and adjust to your own taste:

Kimchi-Tofu Eggrolls

• handful of shitake mushrooms, diced
• 1 cup kimchi, chopped and drained
• 1 cup cooked mung bean sprouts
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1/2 block extra-firm tofu, liquid squeezed out and drained
• small bunch scallions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• spoonful sesame oil
• a few drops of soy sauce
• Korean red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper
• eggroll wrappers

Mix together all the ingredients except the wrappers. Try to keep the filling as dry as possible. Then preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, make the eggrolls like so:
Spray a cookie sheet pan with oil, assemble all the eggrolls, spray the eggrolls again, and bake until crunchy, flipping them over once.

Gnocchi-bokki:

Recipe can be found here. The only thing I omitted was the egg and zucchini, and I used feta cheese instead of cheddar cheese.

Spicy Pork Tostadas with Apple Salsa

Dwaejikogi:

• about 1 lb sliced pork loin, thinly sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey (or sugar)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 inch ginger root, minced
• big heaping spoonful gochujang
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• Korean red pepper flakes
• black pepper

Apple Salsa:

• 1/2 large green apple, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• squeeze of lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1 small bunch cilantro, chopped

Tostadas:

• corn tortillas

Mix all the pork ingredients together in a large bowl. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Cook in a pan over medium heat until cooked through.

For the apple salsa, just mix everything together.

For the tostadas, spray corn tortillas with oil, and bake in a 350 degree oven until golden and toasted. Watch them, don’t let it burn like I did.

Bulgogi Gyros with Asian Pear Slaw

Bulgogi:

• 1 lb thinly-sliced rib-eye steak
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 grated Asian pear
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• small spoonful sugar
• a pinch of fresh grated ginger root
• Korean red pepper flakes
• black pepper

Asian Pear Slaw:

• 1/2 large Asian pear, julienned
• 1/4 red onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 pinch of fresh grated ginger root
• fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• small spoonful rice vinegar
• 1 scallion, chopped
• small bunch of fresh chives, chopped
• big spoonful plain yogurt
• big spoonful feta cheese
• Korean red pepper flakes

Mix all the ingredients except the steak together. Then add the steak in and coat with marinade. Marinate overnight in the fridge. Cook on medium heat until done.

For the pear slaw, toss everything together lightly until coated.

To assemble, place cooked bulgogi on top of whole wheat pita. Top with the Asian pear slaw.

Tuna Melt Kimbap Pizza

Rice Pizza Crust:

• about 1-2 cups cooked white rice
• 2 sheets nori, shredded
• 1 spoonful sesame seed oil
• salt

Tuna Salad:

• 1 can tuna, drained
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1/4 red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup pickled radish, diced
• big spoonful mayonnaise
• squeeze of dijon mustard
• small spoonful of sugar
• salt and pepper

Other Ingredients:

• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Korean Vinegared Red Pepper Paste

Mix all the tuna salad ingredients together. Leave in the fridge overnight to let the flavors meld together.

For the pizza crust, mix all the crust ingredients together. Press it down into an oven-proof skillet. Cook over the stove on high heat. The rice will crackle and spit somewhat, but that’s okay. Cook until the bottom is kind of crunchy:
Spoon the tuna salad over the middle of the crust. Sprinkle with lots and lots of cheese. Broil in the oven until the cheese is melted and toasted:
Drizzle with the red pepper paste. Serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Walnut Crumble Muffins with Red Bean Paste:

Adzuki bean paste:

• 1 cup uncooked adzuki beans
• 1 cup sugar
• salt
• water

Sweet Potato muffins:

• 3 medium sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed (without skin)
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup half-and-half

Walnut Crumble:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons softened butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped

Soak the beans in water for about 8-10 hours. Drain, then pour into rice cooker with more fresh water, and cook the way you would cook rice. When the beans are cooked, leaving the rice cooker in warm setting, mash up the beans with a wooden spoon with the sugar and salt. Store in a container in the fridge.

For the muffins, just mix everything together. Yup, that’s it. Spray 2 muffin tins with oil. Then preheat the oven to 350 degrees while you prepare the crumble.

For the crumble, just mix everything together make sure everything’s combined properly.

Fill each muffin hole half-way through with the sweet potato batter. Plop a spoonful of red bean paste into it. Top with another spoonful of batter. Then top with the crumble. Bake for about 20-30 minutes until done.

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I hope you enjoyed this post as much I did, and remember: Korean food is awesome, especially when blended with other cuisines. Don’t be afraid to venture out of the norm! For some brainstorming ideas, check out my list of traditional (and non-traditional) Korean recipes in My Korean Kitchen page. Oh, and eating out in Korean restaurants helps, too.