Korean Tacos

Tacos are awesome. They are one of those great foods that are totally open to interpretation and experimentation. Like burgers, it is so much fun to try them in new and interesting ways with different toppings and flavors. And I love different flavor combinations! It is particularly enjoyable when it’s a flavor that you aren’t expecting from a certain dish.

When I say to my sister, “we’re having tacos this week” she makes this face. It’s the face of every child who isn’t thrilled about what mom put on their plate or packed them for lunch... only she’s 18. For some reason, she has a problem with traditional smoky seasoned ground beef tacos. (But she loves ordering a Crunchwrap Supreme at Taco Bell – literally Rachel, it’s the same thing in a different shape with more carbs. Once I made the closest thing to a Crunchwrap Supreme that I can at home just to get her to eat regular taco meat. I love you, Rach but C’MON!)

What she really does love though, are tacos with fruity salsas on top and a couple excellent fish taco recipes I have saved from Cooking Light. I’ll get around to sharing those someday, don’t worry. But this time we tried something that took the taco out of the realm of Mexican and into the Korean kingdom. (I like alliteration). :D Most excellent.

I found this recipe in an issue of Eating Well. I’m constantly searching for magazine recipes and then saving them in binders so we have lots of options for meal planning. This one was for Korean Steak and Mushroom Tacos with Kimchi. You can find the magazine recipe here. I made a few minor adjustments which included making my own fast kimchi since my grocery store doesn’t sell it prepared.

Kimchi is like a Korean version of sauerkraut or coleslaw. It is very versatile and can be eaten as a side dish or as a topping for various sandwiches. Caution: you will have to enjoy a zing in the back of your throat because while it’s certainly cool from being chilled, the heat of the spices is sure to turn you into a fire-breathing dragon. (I happen to like that.) After looking up various recipes, and realizing that most called for allowing the kimchi to sit in the fridge for days, I pulled together the basics to create my own quick and easy kimchi with what I already had at hand.

Renée’s Kimchi

4 cups thinly sliced cabbage (Savoy or Napa – I used what we had on hand).

½ cup chopped scallions

2 tbsps rice wine vinegar

1 heaping tbsp Sriracha

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

Salt and pepper

Mix everything together in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 5 hours. This will keep in your fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Korean Steak and Mushroom Tacos with Kimchi  

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon mirin or Sake with a small amount of sugar added

1 tablespoon Korean chile paste

2 cloves garlic, minced

12 ounces skirt steak, trimmed and cut into 3 pieces (I used strip steak because our butcher doesn’t have skirt steak)

8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed

1 cup prepared kimchi, drained and chopped

1 cup shredded carrot

2 scallions, chopped

8 corn tortillas, warmed

I have divided the ingredients list into sections to make it easier to process the instructions. The first section is for the sauce which I honestly suggest doubling. I felt like there wasn’t enough sauce for all of the steak and mushrooms so I just drizzled it over the finished tacos to use less of it. You may prefer to do it this way rather than mixing the steak and mushrooms into the sauce to coat.

Preheat grill to medium-high.

   

Mix all the ingredients from the first section in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer (small bubbles every few seconds) over medium heat and cook until slightly thickened for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, set aside, and cover to keep warm.

   

Grill steak 1½ - 3 minutes per side for medium if you used skirt steak. If you’re like me and can’t find skirt steak, adjust your cooking time to be slightly longer. You can also use flank steak for this recipe (we don’t because my father finds it too chewy, what a baby). Transfer to a clean cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Grill mushroom caps until soft and charred around the edges, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Thinly slice the steak across the grain. Slice the mushrooms. Add the steak and mushrooms to the sauce and stir to combine OR drizzle sauce over tacos once put together.

   

To assemble tacos, warm or toast your tortillas then divide the steak and mushrooms among them. Top with kimchi, carrot and scallions.

The sauce is really what MAKES this dish. Its sweet but its spicy too and the soy sauce gives it that umami punch. I really loved the sauce. Next time I make this, I’m definitely doubling the sauce, maybe tripling…or quadrupling. It’s just that delicious. :)