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Mexico, Americas · Tacos with Guacamole

Bulgogi Tacos with Kimchi Slaw

Korean-Mexican tacos: sweet-savoury bulgogi marinated with grated pear, piled into tortillas with crunchy kimchi slaw and gochujang mayo.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time28 min
Marinating the meat+ 30 min
DifficultyEasy

Method

  1. Slice the beef 3 mm thin across the grain; 20–30 minutes in the freezer makes this much easier. In a bowl, mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, grated pear, garlic, sesame oil and pepper, add the beef, massage it in and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

    Add in this stepBeef sirloin (sliced 3 mm thin) 240 gSoy sauce 2 tbspBrown sugar 1 tbspAsian pear (grated) 60 gMinced garlic 1½ tspToasted sesame oil 1½ tspGround black pepper 1 pinch

  2. Shred the cabbage as thinly as you can. Lightly squeeze the kimchi and chop it finely. Toss both with the rice vinegar and coriander to make the kimchi slaw.

    Add in this stepCabbage (shredded very thinly) 80 gWell-fermented napa cabbage kimchi (chopped) 60 gRice vinegar 1½ tspFresh coriander (roughly chopped) 8 g

  3. Stir the mayonnaise, gochujang and lime juice together until smooth to make the gochujang mayo.

    Add in this stepMayonnaise 2 tbspGochujang (Korean chili paste) 1½ tspLime juice 1 tsp

  4. Heat the oil in a pan over high heat until very hot. Shake off excess marinade, spread the beef out and leave it untouched for 1 minute, then toss until the edges caramelise and any liquid has cooked off. You cook up to 250 g at a time, so this amount takes 1 batch(es), in total.

    Add in this stepCooking oil 1 tbsp

    high heat

  5. Warm the tortillas in a dry pan over medium heat for 20–30 seconds per side until soft. This takes in total; keep them covered with a cloth.

    Add in this stepFlour tortillas (15 cm) 6

    medium heat

  6. Spread gochujang mayo on each tortilla, add bulgogi and kimchi slaw, sprinkle with spring onion and sesame seeds, and squeeze lime over.

    Add in this stepSpring onions (thinly sliced) 1Toasted sesame seeds 1 tspLime (in wedges) 1

Cook's tip

No Asian pear? Use a little apple or kiwi instead, but kiwi tenderises fast, so marinate only 15 minutes. Do not dump all the beef in at once: it releases water and stews instead of browning.

Cooking it at camp

Marinate the beef at home in a zip bag and carry it in the cooler; cooking it in a grill pan or cast iron over charcoal adds lovely smoke. Make the slaw and sauce ahead too, so at camp you only cook and wrap.