Fusion cuisine is responsible for many unique ingredient and flavor pairings that are hard to replicate outside of the United States. One of my favorite finds as an adult was the realization that in certain neighborhoods in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area blends of Asian and Mexican cuisine were taking place in the form of Tacos. Certainly some of the most well known experiments happen to be Korean Tacos. Made with bulgogi (thin sliced marinated beef), galbi (marinated beef short ribs), kimchi, and tortillas, the Korean version of tacos bring many new flavors and compositions that I see as an addition to Mexican cuisine.
Further expanding the fusion, I had the opportunity for yet another culinary experiment recently. While picking up a bottle of Yuho sake not too long ago, I asked the store attendant what would be a cuisine worthy of the pairing. There was no hesitation in her voice when she replied “Tacos!” With the suggestion in mind I embarked in a journey to marry Mexican cuisine with sake. However, there was a problem. Countless restaurants had delectable food that was true to Mexican cuisine’s roots, but–while the pairing generally worked–there was something missing from the pairing that didn’t sit right.
The missing elements in my mind were the unique flavors of umami that Asian cuisine incorporates into their own gastronomic creations. My eureka moment came when I realized I could expand beyond the current fusion trends and come up with a taco that not only makes a nod to Mexican recipes, but also incorporates the distinct flavors from Chinese spices.
The recipe that I came up with is quite simple, but delivers a satisfying and balanced marriage of flavors that are worthy of being paired with a sake like Yuho.
For those of you following at home, the ingredients for Mexican/Chinese fusion Carnitas tacos are listed below:
marinade ingredients:
star anise 1
bay leaf 1
garlic 3 cloves
cinnamon stick 1
ginger 3 thinly sliced pieces
green onions (white part only) 2
soy sauce 1/2 cup
dark soy sauce ¼ cup
mandarin or tangelo juice 1/2 cup
other ingredients:
canola oil to pan fry
sea salt a pinch
pork shoulder 1-1.5 lb
corn tortillas as needed
recommended garnishes:
red radishes 1-2
daikon 1
Persian cucumber 1
purple shallot 1
cilantro (chopped) to taste
limes to taste
vinegar to taste
hot sauce to taste
The Method
Making the marinade is the most important part of the whole process as the meat is going to rest roughly 12-16 hours in the sauce. This sauce will not only give the pork the primary flavor, but will also help create a bit of a glaze on the outer part of the meat. Starting with the soy sauce, put the cinnamon, star anise, and mandarin or tangelo juice into a bowl. Make sure the marinade is mixed and stirred. Using your knife, thinly slice your ginger; with the green onions, split them down the middle to allow more flavor to come out. It is important that both of these ingredients are thinly sliced because the increased surface area will allow the flavor to become imparted in the marinade. Finally, crush the cloves of garlic with your knife and add them to the marinade.
Once the marinade is prepared, it’s time to begin preparing the pork shoulder. Ensure that the meat is patted dry prior to introducing it into the marinade. Then, using a food safe brush or Ziploc bag, make sure that the pork is glazed thoroughly on all sides and repeat until the exterior of the protein begins to absorb some of the color of the soy sauce. Place in the fridge and rotate the meat every 3-4 hour to ensure an even marinade if you are able.
When the day to eat has arrived, the cooking process is actually not too difficult. Remove the cinnamon from the marinade and place the pork shoulder along with the remaining marinade and ingredients into a pot that will be roomy enough to fit the protein. Next, add enough water to the marinade until the pork shoulder is fully covered and place the pot on high heat until the liquid begins to boil.
Patience is key here since all meat is not created equal. Typically 1-2 lbs of meat takes about 1 hour or so in the boil until the meat becomes tender enough to eat. After 30-40 minutes you can begin probing the protein with a knife to see the consistency and ensure that you’re not over cooking the meat. You’ll know that the meat is done when small strips of meat begin to break or pull apart easily.
While the meat is cooking in the boil, this is a perfect opportunity to create the taco garnishes. I really like creating different textures in my cooking and for this one I decided that including some crunchy vegetables would give it the feel of so many street tacos that I’ve had exploring the neighborhoods of Mexico City. Using a mandolin, thinly slice the radishes, cucumber, and daikon. In a separate dish with ice water, add the daikon and the cucumber, this will crisp up the vegetables and prevent them from drying up before the meat is done. For the cucumber, you can put it in a small bowl with a bit of sea salt and cover the slices in vinegar for a quick pickling.
Now comes the most crucial step in making the carnitas more authentic and that is the frying of the meat once the boil is done. Start by removing the meat from the boil and then draining the meat until it is relatively dry on the outside. Usually I like to use paper towels to make the process a little quicker, but allowing it to cool and drain naturally will also work. Also, removing the surface moisture will also reduce the amount of oil splatter when the meat is fried.
Prepare a pan with a decent coating of canola oil. Typically you want to have about ¼ of an inch covering the pan so that you can thoroughly fry and heat the pork. As the oil is heating up, cube the pork into smaller taco meat sized pieces and fry the pork with a small pinch of sea salt to taste. The port will be done when the meat is heated and slightly golden brown.
As you’re nearing the end of the fry, heat up your tortillas. Any method can be used here, but I like to heat them on a separate pan at medium heat to get a slightly toasted consistency. I love eating my tacos with separate mixes of garnishes, but adding all of the ingredients onto a taco gives the boldest and freshest flavor. I hope you enjoy it!
