On this episode of Plateworthy, chef Nyesha Arrington visits chef Ki Kim at LA’s Korean fine-dining spot Kinn as they test out kimchi tacos. Together, they go through every step in the process from cooking rice to braising the pork belly to testing out a new concept: a taco shell made of seaweed.
Kim said that even though the dish looks untraditional, the goal is to create something that tastes like his grandmother made it — with his own little twist.
“Our grandmas use instant coffee mix to braise the pork belly,” says Kim. “So I was like, ‘What can I use without stealing my grandma’s jam?’” His answer: braising the pork not in coffee, but in a mixture that contains cocoa powder, bay leaf, and black pepper.
The swap worked. “Essentially, the cocoa powder is offsetting that sort of like, really upfront flavor of the pork,” Arrington says in approval.
Watch the full video to see more on the kimchi taco making process, and how Kim and Arrington make other dishes at Kinn.