blissful eats with tina jeffers: Korean bulgogi tacos

I’ve mentioned before my families obsession with any kind of Mexican food.  My husband would be happy eating some combination of burritos, tacos and quesadillas for breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week and never get bored.  I on the other hand get a little tired of serving up the same dishes day in and day out.  We’ve come up with a compromise, Korean taco night.  

Growing up I loved Korean bulgogi beef.  My mom would make it for us and serve it up with lots of white rice.  By cutting back on the meat and loading up on the veggies the dish that I once thought was off limits has made it's way into our weekly rotation. 

This is my interpretation of an Asian style taco.  Ultra thin slices of rib-eye marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil and spicy chili garlic sauce grilled up and then served on corn tortillas with lots of fresh herbs and vegetables.  The taco recipe isn’t so much a recipe as a suggestion of ways to put them together.  Sometimes I throw in some grilled asparagus or eggplant, my son likes to add rice and grated cheese on his.  If you are looking for a spicy finish top them with a little sriracha mixed with some Greek yogurt or sour cream.  I wouldn’t skip the herbs, they help cut through the richness of the beef and add a nice bright finish.  If you aren’t into tacos, skip the tortillas and wrap everything up in a lettuce wrap or spring roll!  However you decide to eat it, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!  If you’d like to make your own kimchee you can find a recipe here at my blog www.scalingbackblog.com! 

 

Korean bulgogi tacos

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

For the beef:

1 ½ pounds thinly sliced rib-eye steak purchased from an Asian market.  Alternatively you can slice your own rib eye across the grain in paper-thin slices.  Wrap the beef in plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes before cutting. 

         1/3 cup soy sauce

         1 tablespoon sesame oil

         1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce

         1 tablespoon grated ginger

         3 cloves of garlic finely chopped

         3 tablespoons sugar

         ½ medium onion

         2 tablespoons sesame seeds

         2 green onions finely sliced

For serving:

         corn tortillas

         lettuce

         thinly sliced cucumber

         avocados

         fresh herbs (mint, Thai basil, cilantro)

         radish sprouts

         kimchee finely diced

         sriracha

         Greek yogurt

         lime wedges

Method:

Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium bowl except beef and onions.  Add the beef and onions to the marinade and work the marinade into the meat with your hands.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or up to 24 hours.  Pre-heat a grill pan or barbecue to medium heat and cook 1-2 minutes per side until the beef is cooked through and slightly caramelized.  

To serve; prepare the tortillas by holding tortillas with tongs over an open flame until lightly toasted about 30 seconds per side.  Fill tortillas with a spoonful of beef and top with the lettuce, cucumbers, herbs, kimchee, sriracha and yogurt.