My husband and son share an insatiable appetite for Korean barbeque--and an equally strong dislike of the lettuce leaves traditionally used to wrap the beef. One night, inspired by Korean food trucks, we decided to experiment with our own version, wrapping marinated Korean bulgogi in hot corn tortillas--they were an instant hit, filled with crisp, spicy sweet cucumber, creamy avocado, crunchy scallion, and a punch of gochujang, a Korean hot pepper paste.
Ingredients
- rib-eye steaks: 2 pound
- yellow onion, cut into chunks: 0.5 piece
- Asian pear, peeled and: 0.5 piece (chopped)
- garlic: 4 clove (peeled)
- ginger root: 1 piece (1/2 inch piece, peeled)
- sake: 0.25 cup
- soy sauce: 0.25 cup
- dark brown sugar: 0.25 cup
- sesame oil: 1 Tbsp
- ground black pepper: 1 tsp
- rice vinegar: 1 Tbsp
- white sugar: 1 Tbsp
- garlic: 1 Tbsp (minced)
- gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes): 2 tsp (to taste)
- sesame oil: 1 tsp
- salt: 1 tsp
- cucumbers, cut into 1/8-inch slices: 5 piece
- green onions: 2 piece (sliced)
- canola oil: 1 Tbsp
- sesame seeds: 1 tsp (toasted)
- white corn tortillas: 12 piece (6 inch)
- avocado: 1 piece (sliced)
- green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal: 5 piece
- fresh cilantro: 0.5 cup (chopped)
- gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste): 2 Tbsp (to taste)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Trim excess fat from beef and slice very thinly across the grain. Transfer beef to a container.
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Place onion, pear, garlic, ginger, and sake in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and black pepper. Pulse until marinade is well mixed.
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Pour marinade over beef. Gently massage beef for a minute or two. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
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Mix vinegar, sugar, garlic, gochugaru, sesame oil, and salt together in a large bowl. Add cucumbers and green onions and mix gently by hand. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
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Remove beef from refrigerator about 20 minutes before cooking.
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Heat canola oil in a cast iron pan over high heat. Cook beef in batches, one layer at a time, stirring until nicely browned, about 3 minutes. Avoid overcrowding beef, or it will end up steaming instead of browning. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
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Heat tortillas in another skillet, about 1 minute. Transfer to a serving platter and cover to keep warm. Serve beef bulgogi with the tortillas, cucumber salad, and avocado, green onions, and cilantro as garnishes. Drizzle gochujang over tacos, mixing it with a little water if too thick.
