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CINCO DE MAYO BEEF BULGOGI TACOS

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Feliz Cinco de Mayo everyone!

I couldn’t let the day go by without throwing a good one at you. Before I get down to it–a little history lesson. Cinco de Mayo is sometimes mistaken to be Mexico’s Independence Day. It is an independence day of sorts.  The date actually commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The Mexicans were horribly outnumbered, yet persevered to victory. It’s what we all dream about and root for. The victorious underdog. (Did you all watch The Fight?) Eventually, the French reconquered Mexico. And then the Spaniards came back. The true Mexican Independence day is celebrated in September, commemorating independence from Spain after two disparate and decisive battles.

I think Cinco de Mayo is so popular because it stirs something in us other than spicy margaritas. It represents the fight. For freedom, for time, for whatever is important and precious. To some, these things are a surfeit, but to most these intangibles are the glowing puddle you carry in your hands. Like all good things in life, you should spend all of your energy protecting it. Fighting for it. Working hard not to spill one single drop. Puebla and its beautiful colonial streets brought this notion to life for me in the lattice of dumbfounding complexity that comprises Mexican history.

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I’ve been obsessed with Korean food lately when Mexico lets hold its spell. I recently got Roy Choi’s L.A. Son from the library and have been obsessing about Korean Mexican fusion. They don’t seem like an intuitive pair, but this recipe proves otherwise. These tacos are GOOD! Like a shot to the arm. The marinade and the kimchi-esque slaw add an umami flavor to these tacos. The toppings round out the profile. This will not be my last fusion experiment. I’d even venture to add some jalapenos next time.

Cinco de Mayo is about one country ridding itself of another and yet these tacos are what happened in California when Korean immigrants from the East met Mexican immigrants from the South. Simply perfection.

bulgogi tacos marinade

CINCO DE MAYO BEEF BULGOGI TACOS

Ingredients:

For the Bulgogi:

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon mirin
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1.5 pounds flank beef or sirloin, sliced thinly across the grain on a diagonal bias
  • 1 onion, sliced thinly
  • 2 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)

For the Slaw:

  • 1 pound kale, brussels sprout, cabbage salad mix or just napa cabbage sliced thinly
  • 1/2 daikon radish, grated
  • 1/2 carrot, grated
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Korean chile flakes or hot red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 scallion, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Assembly:

  • flour tortillas
  • 1 bunch cilantro
  • 2 limes, cut into wedges
  • sriracha sauce for drizzling (optional)
  • mayo or sour cream or greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

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Directions:

For the Slaw:

Sprinkle the salt on the cabbage and toss. Let stand for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the fish sauce, vinegar, chile flakes, garlic, ginger, sugar, scallions and sesame seeds in a bowl.

After the 20 minutes are up, rinse the cabbage under cold water, then squeeze the excess water out. In a bowl, toss the cabbage with the radish, carrots and fish sauce mixture until well-coated.

For the Bulgogi Beef:

With the back of a knife, lightly pound each slice of beef to tenderize.

In a large mixing bowl, add the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, brown sugar, mirin and black pepper, gochujang and whisk. Add the beef, onions and scallions then mix gently until the sauce is incorporated into the meat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more if possible. I’ve done it without marinating it for too long and it’s still phenomenal, but if you can let it soak up the juices…just, yum.

Put a large skillet over medium-high heat and get it nice and hot. Add the beef and the marinade and cook approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.

Assemble:

Warm the tortillas for 30 seconds in the microwave or using a skillet, heat each tortilla for a few seconds on each side.

On one or two tortillas per taco, add the bulgogi (excess liquid drained), slaw, sour cream/yogurt, Sriracha, toasted sesame seeds, cilantro, and a little lime juice. Serve warm.

Buen provecho!

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Comments

  1. Mad Dog

    That sounds like a marriage made in heaven (or hell with lots of chilli). Wouldn’t I love to see a food truck park on the corner selling these at 1pm! Time to listen to Tequilla, which always makes me think of Pee Wee Herman 😉

  2. Darya

    Wow, Amanda, these Korean tacos look amazing. I love all those spices, herbs, veggies, the flavorful meat and the lovely presentation. Korean ingredients are easier to come by than Mexican ones, so perhaps I might even be able to make this some day, unlike most of your Mexican-Latin American recipes! 😀

    • Amanda

      Thank you, Darya! I hope you do make them. I almost linked to your tortilla recipe as I looked it up again to try to do them, but the recipe has just enough components that asking for a homemade tortilla might have been pushing it. I definitely need to try that again. Xo

  3. tinywhitecottage

    I get your obsession with Korean food Amanda So spicy and flavorful. I taught Tae Kwon Do for years and was very involved in Korean culture and spent many unforgettable evenings around the dinner tables of students and parents. I have a couple of very interesting, but laughable stories of how one family made their kimchi by burying it in their backyard and how another family marinaded the bulgogi in their bathtub for a large picnic gathering. (and I was at the picnic too!) I love how you are infusing the two together and I know I would love your taco’s. Beautifully plated.

    • Amanda

      Omg that’s awesome re tae kwon do. Im all about fitness and discipline with your workouts but not without some flexibility. I know traditional kimchi is brief, but I’ve never had it that way! The bathtub is outrageous, but my husband be up in a mostly Korean neighborhood and i know those picnics. I even started trying to compete. I bought a little hibachi grill and invited my mother in law and all of her friends. It was fab, but no comparison. Bi was tempted to infiltrate the churchv just to snag an invite. So cool. Thanks for your thoughtful comments as always. I love them. Xo

  4. Dana Fashina

    Oh yay!!
    I was hoping you’d post something for Cinco de Mayo and you didn’t disappoint Amanda!
    This is such an awesome post, kudos kudos kudos 🙂

  5. love in the kitchen

    Yes, I can completely imagine this combination but would never have thought of it. Well done! I can imagine making this soon and perhaps there will be a Margarita to go along with it. Feliz Cinco de Mayo! xo

  6. The Gourmet Gourmand

    Omg i LOVE this idea. I live in San Diego where there is a plethora of taco options, but for some reason I find myself always avoiding mexican restaurants and going down the street to my favorite asian restaurants… this seems like the perfect taco for me!! Love it!

    • Amanda

      I hear you. I will say, Mexican food in the US is completely different than Mexican food in Mexico and I’m not sure why. Only recently in really good “gourmet” Mexican restaurants am I seeing similarities. The Asian food here, if you know where to go tends to be authentic, especially the Korean. This is your taco. Thanks so much for commenting 🙂

  7. Michelle

    I hadn’t thought of it before, but with your love of Korean + Mexican, you are the female East Coast version of Roy Choi! Looks absolutely delicious. Are you still traveling back and forth?

    • Amanda

      Thanks, Michelle. He’s way cooler than i am. I did my last trip in april and I’m here until end of June. I pulled on some help. Maybe i should start a food truck! Xo

  9. thejameskitchen

    Fantastic, Amanda, an absolutely wonderful combination of Korean & Mexican and I can’t wait to have one or two or three of these tacos. I’ll throw my kimchi in (still have a lot here in the fridge from the Korean cooking weekend, loved your pancakes with a passion by the way). Nicole

  10. coconutcraze

    I love fusion food because it brings together what we love in different food cultures.This taco is amazing! Coincidentally, I made tacos yesterday. I wanted to add some Indian flavours to it but my daughter totally objected it. Seeing this is making me happy! Good to know about Cinco de Mayo and its history. This is a great information I got from your blog post!. Nice pictures too!

    • Amanda

      Thanks so much! So cool that you made tacos too. I think Indian flavors in a taco would be amazing, ie. the cumin in mac and cheese. I”m a fan of fusion. Sometimes it just works. Thanks for your lovely comment. xo

  13. milkandbun

    You are very creative! Well done, girl! 🙂 I’d love to eat these aromatic tacos, but not to cook. Most of the time I buy required sauces and paste and make such dish just once, and all those bottles just stand in the fridge almost unused..
    I wish I could take some from the pics! 😀

    • Amanda

      Thank you! I hear you. The same happens to me except that I’ve been all about korean food lately and I’ve made my way through the bottles little by little. I wish i could send you one or start a food truck near you! Xo

    • Amanda

      There is a lot of fusion in Los angeles. This is a dish I think you in particular might like. I hope you’re well,Sofia! Thanks for stopping by. Xoxo

    • Amanda

      The great thing about it is that once you stock up on the ingredients, you’ll have them for every other Korean dish! It’s all so good!

    • Amanda

      Thanks so much, Justine! These are really good. I hope you do make them. It has me thinking about other really cool fusions i could make. Xo

  20. annascuisine

    Bulgogi is my favorite Korean sauce. Combining beef and bulgogi is out of this world. Great Korean-Mexican fusion, Amanda. The tacos looks absolutely delicious!

    • Amanda

      Thanks, Anna. I find what makes it so good is the hint of brown sugar in it. SO good. 🙂 I love that this is your fave.