kimchi pork enchiladas with queso fresco

I’m about to kimchi this Wednesday.

And when I say kimchi, I am not referring to a particular fight scene in a Jackie Chan movie. Which is strange because I actually watched Rush Hour randomly the other day. Remember Chris Tucker? Is he alive still? I swear he was all over the Hollywood movie scene back in the late 90’s and then, poof! Vanished. No more, “do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?”

I digress.

Even though kimchi sounds like you will karate chop the next fool who crosses your path, it’s actually a mixture of a variety of different veggies, from cucumbers to radishes to the most famous, Napa cabbage. The veggies are then fermented in jars underground for months at a time. While we were in Tokyo, I think I ate my weight in kimchi. It’s sooooooo good.

Since I am HANGRY this morning, I thought we would stick to the lovely convenience of Whole Foods and purchase a bottle of kimchi. Side note: I didn’t actually read the bottle before opening and wouldn’t you know it, I opened that fermented bottle and kimchi went flying all over my kitchen. Gersh Nabbit. So, before you open any bottle of kimchi, open it slightly to let the air out. K?

Anyways, once you’ve safely opened the bottle of kimchi, add it to this simple enchilada mixture. I know it sounds weird….even Mr. B gave me the stink-eye. But trust me, it works. The kimchi gives the enchiladas a little zing with the spice and crunch. Hey, I could have stuffed the enchiladas with ramen, but that just seemed wrong. Or is it?

Definitely dive into these enchiladas and karate, I mean kimchi chop this Wednesday.

Print Recipe

Kimchi Pork Enchiladas with Queso Fresco

Yield: Serves 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

8 large flour tortillas
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
3/4 cup Kimichi, chopped
2 1/4 cups red enchilada sauce
4 oz plain cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Queso fresco, garnish
Cilantro, garnish
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet preheated to medium-high heat, add olive oil, pork, red pepper, red onion, salt and pepper. Sauté until the veggies are tender and the pork is no longer pink. Pour pork and veggies into a large bowl. Toss with Kimchi, cream cheese, and 1 cup enchilada sauce.

Spray a 9X13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Next, fill the tortillas with the pork/veggie mixture, roll and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat process until all tortillas or mixture has been used. Top the tortillas with the remaining enchilada sauce, both cheeses, and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and garnish with queso fresco and cilantro!

All images and text ©Lauren Grier for The Curious Plate