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Fact: you can wrap just about anything in a flour tortilla.  But, who would’ve ever thought about kimchi? Go ahead, turn your nose up or plug it. I used to.  That is, until I tried my first kimchi burrito at John’s Snack and Deli.  Loaded with tangy sautéed  kimchi, lettuce, salsa, onions, and your choice of chicken, pork of beef, John slings Korean burrito goodness from a 200 sq ft hole-in-the-wall on Battery St.  An instant fan after the first bite, I’ve been hooked ever since. Unfortunately, my office moved and John’s is out of lunch hour striking range.  But, that hasn’t stopped me from continuing my kimchi burrito journey.

As with  many of my food predilections, I decided that I would try to recreate a kimchi burrito at home.  And, fortunately for me, I happen to  have a line to some fine homemade kimchi.  My kimchi dealers are a husband and wife operation out of Sausalito.  She, the Korean-born kimchi genius, and he, the sous chef and mule, provide me with a bi-weekly supply of different varieties of spicy, pickled Korean-seasoned veggies.

Like John, I anchored the kimchi with chicken bulgogi, a common Korean meat preparation that’s on the sweeter side.  I wasn’t sold on the notion of Mexican salsa for my burrito. I invented my own Korean salsa, a bright blend of pickled carrots, radish, shallots, sesame oil, and rice wine vinegar.  I rolled up my burritos with some white rice, cilantro, bulgogi,  kimchi, Korean salsa, and a squirt of fiery Sriracha. Blam!