A full flavor experience – these Bulgogi Beef Korean Tacos with umami rich beef, spicy kimchi, cool sour cream, and smoky Sriracha, will have you craving this dish constantly!
One of the first recipes I ever posted on Hapa Nom Nom was my Bulgogi Beef Korean Tacos. It was back when I was lucky if I had 5 views to my site in a single day. And comments…. forget about it – it long before I received any of those! So I always felt like this dish kind of got buried and was never seen by anyone. That’s why I’ve decided to use upcoming Cinco de Mayo to dust off this post, breath some new life into it with fresh photos and share it with you, my wonderful readers (which I have now). 🙂
The first time I had a Korean taco, was when my husband and I lived in Washington, DC. We stopped by TaKorean – a well established food truck serving…well, Korean Tacos. I ordered the Beef Bulgogi Tacos with Kimchi and all the toppings. With my first bite, I finally understood what all the hype was about! It was such a full flavor experience – the beef was rich with umami, the kimchi was spicy, and the toppings rounded out the profiles. I became immediately hooked and I began craving it constantly!
Since we’ve moved, I have been without my fix. I know I could go out and find Korean tacos in the Bay Area, but I figured why not make my own…the way I remember them. The result was like a shot to the arm, and once again all seemed right with the world. They were delicious and just how I remembered them tasting.
- [b]Quick Kimchi[/b]*
- 1 Napa Cabbage (heavy for its size), sliced into 1/4 inch strips
- water
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 cup of [url href=”http://hapanom.com/gochugaru/” target=”_blank”]gochugaru[/url]
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1/2 bulb of garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
- 3 scallions, sliced
- 2 carrots, julienned
- [b]Bulgogi Beef[/b]
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1/2 yellow onion, grated
- 1/2 pear, grated
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon [url href=”http://hapanom.com/miso/” target=”_blank”]gochujang[/url]
- 1 pound sirloin, sliced very thinly across the grain on a diagonal bias
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- [b]Other Ingredients [/b]
- 24 – 6-inch corn tortillas
- 8 ounces sour cream
- Sriracha, for drizzling
- 4 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 4 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
- 2 limes
- For the Kimchi, place the sliced Napa Cabbage into a large bowl. Add enough water to cover the cabbage and add the salt, stir to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes. Combine the remaining ingredients of the Quick Kimchi in a smaller bowl to make a paste. Rinse the salted cabbage well and pat dry. Add the paste to the sliced cabbage and mix well with your hands. Store the mixture in a jar or plastic container. Press the contents down to protect the kimchi from being exposed to too much air. You may use the kimchi right away, or you can keep it at room temperature to ferment for a few of days – the flavor will intensify if allowed to ferment.
- In a large bowl, combine the garlic, onion, pear, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, and gochujang. Add the meat to the the marinade and mix well, making sure that each piece is throughly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8.
- Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. In a single layer, add the beef drained from the marinade (work in batches if needed). Cook for 1 minute (do not move the beef). Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, then begin to stir and toss the beef for 1-2 minutes, until just cooked. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Warm the tortillas in a grill pan or other heavy-bottomed skillet. Heat the pan to medium-high heat and warm each tortilla 1 to 2 minutes per side – you want to heat the tortillas just enough to slightly char and add a bit of crispness, but not so much that when you fold it, it cracks. Wrap the tortillas in a clean tea towel to keep warm and set aside.
- To each taco, add the bulgogi (excess liquid drained), kimchi, sour cream, Sriracha, toasted sesame seeds, cilantro, and a little fresh lime juice. Serve warm.
I gotta make these ..I’m getting hungry looking at it. Being part Korean I want to learn more Korean inspired meals..BTW are you from Hawaii??
Hi Chalay! Korean tacos are so addictive – I think you’re really going to like them! I am not from Hawaii, but my Grandfather was born there. As far as I know, the Hawaiian word ‘hapa’ is the only one that describes someone who is half Asian – so much easier to say then trying to explain your background when someone asks, ‘what are you’? And nicer I think than just thinking of yourself as ‘other’ 🙂
If you’re interested in learning more about Korean or Korean inspired food – check out my good friend Seung Hee. She’s classically trained in Royal Korean cuisine and her food is absolutely incredible! She doesn’t have a blog, but she does have an Instagram account and is currently working on a cookbook. You can follow her here, if you like.
I’m visiting my adult kids in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and we made these last night for dinner… Everyone loved them! The quick kimchi was a hit 🙂 I’ve only made the “slow” kind, and I’m excited to have a recipe that tastes this good without a 1-2 week wait…Delicious!
That’s fantastic, Tamara! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them and that quick kimchi is a wonderful topper on all sorts of things: burger, hot dogs, etc! Hope you have a wonderful weekend with your kids 🙂
How perfectly delicious this must be, Kathleen! I’m just loving all these amazing flavors. You always bring a dish to new levels and this one truly shines. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hope your week has been fabulous, friend. ox
Thanks Robyn! Your thoughtful comments always make me smile 🙂 Hope you have a great weekend!
Only way to make bulgogi any better would be to throw it in some tacos (and obviously to pair with a beer). Making my mouth water way too much with this one.
Lol! Of course! You can’t forget the beer 😉
I remember the first time I had Bulgogi! My friends mom made it and I sat in front of it and ate it like pop corn it was so good. Perfect for tacos!!
Isn’t it SO good! I just love bulgogi. And it’s great in so many dishes too!
Asian fusion tacos are such a wonderful idea, especially because I’m a big fan of KBBQ but can usually never finish (mainly when I go out with friends for AYCE KBBQ). I still have yet to visit a KBBQ area in my place, but I was able to visit a Korean taco place up in NorCal and it was pretty good!
Omg… the last time I did an AYCE KBBQ I practically had to be rolled out the door and into my car! I don’t usually over-eat, but it was SO good! And they kept bring more food! Eh no, I take that back. I do that at dim sum too 😉
What’s the name of the Korean taco place you found in NorCal? I’d love to go check it out!
Gorgeous photos Kathleen! I’m so glad you decided to repost this recipe, because it looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it! And the quick kimchi sounds so easy to make!
The kimchi is actually very easy to make! And I think it’s still great when eaten right away too!
Kathleen, your delicious pictures are speaking to me. Happy that you brought these tacos back, because I am craving tacos for breakfast now. Beautiful texture and flavors. 🙂
Thank you my dear! I know how you feel – it’s hard getting up in the morning to see your inbox full of of glorious food 😛
Never had Beef Bulgogi Tacos and I think it is time to change that! Especially after seeing yours – they look soo good!
Oh my goodness – you have to give them a try! You’re tastebuds will do their happy dance 🙂
You always know the way straight to my heart, Kathleen (which is of course through mouthwatering food!). These look so fabulous – thank you for dusting this one off and bringing it back because I think I missed it the first time! xo
We’re in complete agreement! Food is like a direct shot of adrenaline to the heart! Now there’s a funny Pulp Fiction imagine 😛
These tacos sound amazing! Thank goodness you were able to recreate them! There are so many recipes at BGC that I want to go back and do over because of so many reasons and you’ve inspired me to maybe get started! 🙂
I think it’s a common food blogger thing – we all start out with some of our all-time favorite recipes, but it’s before anyone has found us! I think it’s totally worth it to rehash those favs!
So happy this recipe got a little CPR action Kathleen because it is right up my hubby’s alley. He loves Mexican food and is still talking about all the amazing food he had when he visited Korea (that food was the highlight of his first trip to Asia). So a Korean/Mexican mashup can only make his tummy happy.
Yay! They really do make a wonderful pairing in so many different ways 🙂
Love these!! I really want to try your recipe 🙂
Thanks Sabrina! I hope you give them a try!
You are the Asian fusion guru Kathleen!!!. Korean food is hot now and I bet these are so delicious, can’t wait to try.
Thanks Bobbi! Isn’t Korean food amazing! I love the complex flavors!
There are so many recipes back in the first few months of NSN that I want to revive and I have done it to a couple. SOOO glad you are bringing these tacos back, girlfriend, because these look AMAZING!!! Loving all the contrasting, yet complimentary flavors! I want to make Cinco de Mayo or Taco Tuesday a daily thing with these flavor bomb bad boys! Nom Nom Nom for suuuure! Cheers, dear – to a fabulous weekend!
I would love to see you do that on NSN! And making Cinco de Mayo or Taco Tuesday a daily event… you’ll hear no complaints from me 😛
So happy you dusted this one off! Perfect timing, of course…and gorgeous flavors! I have a feeling I’ll be immediately hooked on this glorious taco, too!
An oldie, but always a goodie 🙂
I’m already craving these and I haven’t tried them yet. This is a delicious fusion dish.
Oh just wait until you try them… then you’ll really be craving them 😉