Korean Bulgogi Tacos

6.29.10

It's Korean style again. I just love Korean food so much! It's also a new trend for mobile trucks. If you've been to LA, you have probably heard about Kogi Taco Truck for Korean tacos. Too bad I haven't tried it myself, but I can bring it to my kitchen!

If your 4th of July weekend seems to be nice and bright out your way, try to include this dish in the menu and see what your guests say!

4th of July and fireworks are good ol' buddies. It's a way to celebrate freedom. How many people know the budget a big city spends for the show? The city of Seattle has struggled with their budget because of a lack of corporate sponsorship. There was a rumor that we might not have in-city fireworks this year. Oh, no! That would be a bummer!! My girlfriend told me this the other day and I insisted that we were having fireworks. The city wouldn't let us down, would they? Later that night I came across the topic in Seattle Magazine.

Tom Douglas, Dave Ross, and countless local citizens have saved the city by their initiative and donations. We're having fireworks this year - yay! A round of applause to them and a woo hoo scream from me. In case you don't know who Tom Douglas is, he is a legendary Northwest Pacific Chef. He is an American chef, restaurateur, and writer who won the 1994 James Beard Award for Best Northwest Chef.  He owns several famous restaurants such as Dahlia Lounge. That is where part of Sleepless in Seattle was filmed.

All toppings

Anyway, back to the tacos. The marinade I used is for Bulgogi (grilled beef) and the sauce is the Korean dragon sauce from the previous post: this and that. Since it's Korean, we wouldn't miss including kimchi! I know right? The tangy of kimchi, sweet and salty of pickled cucumber, and flavorful meat topped with a few accessories, are wrapped in a grilled tortilla.  It's worth it a try. I promise.

I got a beautiful piece of grass-fed flank steak from Whole Foods. It tasted better than non-grass-fed steak. It's firmer and sweeter, at least to me. The pickled cucumber is super quick and easy. It's actually a quick version of pickled cucumber and is a less stinky taste if you don't like fermented vegetables.

Korean Bulgogi Tacos

Yield: 10-12

Ingredients:

1 lb marinated flak steak (recipe below)

1/2 cup Korean dragon sauce (recipe here)

1/2 English cucumber, sliced for pickling (recipe below)

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 cup store-bought organic kimchi

1 big red chile, trimmed, seeded, minced

3 limes, cut half, and into quarter

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

10-12 tortillas or corn tortillas

Cut into a bite size

Ingredients for bulgogi:

1 lb flank steak

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/6 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp sake

1 tbsp sesame oil

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 scallions, both white and green parts, trimmed and minced

1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

• Combine everything in a bowl and whisk until sugar dissolves
• Pour the marinade over the meat in a zip-lock bag and toss thoroughly to coat
• Marinate it in a fridge for at least 3 hrs or over night; turning the bag once 
• When ready to grill, preheat to high
• Grill it for about 7 mins on each side or to your desire of doneness; turning once with tong
• When it's done, let it sit for 5 mins
• Cut in diagonal against the grain, and cut into bite size

Pour 1 tsp of Korean dragon sauce

Ingredients for quick salt pickled cucumber

1/2 English cucumber, sliced

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp kosher salt or more to taste

Directions:

• Place cucumber in a bowl, add salt and sugar
• Use hands to mix and make sure they are coated evenly
• Let it sit in a fridge for at least 15 mins for flavor to develop

To assemble:

• Grill tortillas 30 sec. on each side, and wrap them with towel; put them aside
• On a tortilla, add meat (the amount depends on your preference)
• Pour 1 tsp of Korean dragon sauce over the meat
• Add all the accessories: red onions, kimchi (a few pieces), cucumber (3 slices or more), red chile, cilantro, and lime (optional)
• Wrap and enjoy!

Little the Bella