Peace, Love, & Tacos

By DENISE SHAVANDY

Who loves tacos?
Who loves Korean Food?
Have you actually eaten Korean food?
Everyone knows and loves the taco! Not everyone knows and loves Korean food.  So think about this… if I put some Korean food inside a tortilla and call it a taco, I bet you’ll try it, because after all, it’s just a taco!
So I decided to try out my theory at the Texas State Fair. For the past ten years I have had the opportunity to cook at the Celebrity Cooking Stage at the State Fair and I always try to cook something different and a little adventurous.  After all, folks are out there eating fried butter, fried coke, and who knows what else.  This year it was Korean Bulgogi Beef Tacos with Gochujang Aioli, Queso Cotija, and Quick Pickled Vegetables.  Very few in the audience had ever tasted Korean food, but after a bulgogi taco bursting with flavor we had over 150 new converts that now like Korean food.  That doesn’t mean they are ready to go toe to toe with Andrew Zimmern, but they tried and enjoyed something out of their comfort zone!
I can’t take credit for uniting these two cuisines.  The Kogi Taco truck in LA got this thing started, I just think we can put darn near anything in a taco and it is the ultimate “beginners introduction” to foreign foods.
If you are ready to break out of the mold, try my recipe below…

Korean Style Bulgogi Tacos

With Quick Pickled Veggies, Cotija Cheese, and Smokey Spicy Aioli

Bulgogi is Korean BBQ beef.  Traditionally bulgogi is eaten wrapped in a lettuce leaf with gochujang (bean paste hot sauce), or served over a bowl of steamed rice.  Today we will be making a modern fusion dish of Korean style tacos with bulgogi as the meat.  Your imagination is the only thing limiting your topping options.  Try your Korean taco on corn or flour tortillas, with kim chi, pickled cucumbers, avocado.  You can also add your favorite fruit salsa, spinach, shredded cabbage, micro greens, or just about anything else you can dream up!  Serve with a side of steamed rice, Asian cole slaw, noodle salad, cucumber salad or an Asian style potato salad.

To Make Tacos prepare all ingredients below and allow each diner to build their own!

8 flour tortillas

1# cooked Bulgogi beef  *recipe below

6 ounces cotija cheese (queso Chihuahua or Monterrey Jack would also be good!)

8 Tablespoons Gouchajaun Aioli   *recipe below

2 cup quick pickled vegetables   *recipe below

¼ cup sliced hot peppers, jalapenos, serranos, or habaneros depending on how hot you like it!

Bulgogi Meat and Marinade

½ cup Asian pear, peeled, cored, and grated

2 Tbsp Onion, minced

¼ cup Green onion, thin sliced on bias

2 Tbsp Mirin (Japanese cooking wine) If not available, you can substitute dry sherry or white wine

1 Tbsp Garlic, minced

2 Tbsp Sesame oil

2 tsp Sesame seeds

1 tsp Black pepper, freshly ground

2 Tbsp honey (or granulated sugar)

1# Beef top round, partially frozen and sliced very thin

Combine all ingredients except the beef and stir well to combine.    Add beef to marinade and toss to coat completely.  Marinate for 1- 3 hours.  Drain meat and cook on a hot grill pan, or grill over charcoal.

Daikon and Carrot Quick Pickle (Vietnamese Do Chua)

Try this daikon and carrot pickle recipe once and then tweak the recipe to your liking. You can make it sweeter, or add some chili paste to make it spicy.  It is a great condiment, or can even be served as a salad on the side.   Makes about 3 cups

2 large carrot, peeled and julienne
1 pound daikon, peeled and julienne
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
½ cup rice wine vinegar
½ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

¼ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped

Prepare carrot and daikon.  In a separate bowl, combine salt, sugar, and vinegar to make dressing.  Add carrots and daikon to dressing mixture.  Just before serving, add cilantro and mint.

Smoky Spicy Aioli

1 Egg Yolk
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
Pinch of Salt
1/2 to 1 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup Gochujang
1 TBS Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Corn Syrup

Put the egg yolk, garlic, lemon juice and salt in a bowl and blend with a beater.

Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while blending.  The goal is to make it thick like a mayonnaise.

Gently fold in the gochujang.  Add the smoked paprika. Taste and adjust.

Add the corn syrup. In the end you want something sweet and smoky with some good spicy bite with some brightness from the lemon and a hint of garlic.