My dad lived in Korea for a couple years when he was a young adult. Growing up he would occasionally make bulgogi and kimchi so it has always been a familiar thing to me (long before food trucks and trendy fusion). My friend Megan was coming to visit and I knew that she loved buying the pre-marinated bulgogi from Trader Joe's. I figured I could show her just how easy it is to make bulgogi at home. The list of ingredients may be long, but it is mostly spices and flavorings. It is so simple to make, and so delicious. Eating it in a taco form is perfect. No need to live in LA or other food truck hot spots. You can create that trendy food truck fusion right in your own kitchen!
Ingredients
Meat
1 flank steak (1 to 1.5 lbs)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp oyster sauce
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Quick Kimchi Slaw
1/2 head of cabbage, thinly sliced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup green onion, sliced
1 carrot, julienned (or just use a peeler and make it into a pile of peelings)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp sriracha
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
Sriracha Sour Cream
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons sriracha
12 corn tortillas, warmed
Cilantro for garnish, chopped
Instructions
1. In a small bowl combing the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, ginger, oyster sauce and sesame seeds. Stir to combine. Slice the meat into thin strips, being sure to slice against the grain of the meat. Put the meat into the marinade and refrigerate at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
2. Make the slaw by combining all ingredients in a large tupperware or bowl with a lid. Give it a good shake to make sure everything is well combined. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
3. Stir the sriracha into the sour cream.
4. Cook the meat just before serving. Heat a skillet over high heat until it is piping hot. Pour the meat and marinade into the hot pan and cook, stirring things around constantly until all the meat is cooked. This will only take 3-5 minutes. If you want to be more authentic then cook it on an outdoor grill.
5. Serve by placing meat onto a warmed corn tortilla, topping with a strained, heaping spoonful of the kimchi slaw, and a dash of the sriracha sour cream. Garnish with a little cilantro.
