A guaranteed crowd pleaser with friends, my easy BBQ Beef Korean tacos are packed full of delicious Asian ingredients that will keep your guests coming back for seconds and thirds. Marinating the beef overnight tenderises the beef and gives it maximum flavour. My quick pickled cucumbers, Asian slaw and easy gochujang aioli gives this dish texture, colour and zing.
Skill: Easy
Prep time: 35 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
Beef Marinade:
40ml/1.5 fl. oz. of light soy sauce
2 teaspoons of sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon of caster sugar
Pinch of black pepper
450g of beef steak, I used sirloin
1 teaspoon of gochujang chilli sauce
20ml/¾ fl. oz. rice wine vinegar
Olive oil, to cook the beef.
Pickled Cucumber:
50ml/2 fl. oz. rice wine vinegar
50g/2 oz. caster sugar
50ml/2 fl. oz. water
1 tablespoon of salt
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of toasted black sesame seeds
Half a Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced (on a mandolin is preferable)
Gochujang Aioli:
120g/4.5 oz. of good quality store-bought mayonnaise
2 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon of gochujang chilli sauce (or more, to taste)
1.5 teaspoons of honey
Water to loosen, as required
Asian Slaw:
2 tablespoons of light soy sauce
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp of grated ginger
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of gochujang chilli sauce
2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
½ small red cabbage or ¼ large red cabbage, shredded
1 fennel, finely sliced
1 carrot, julienned (cut into matchsticks)
2 tablespoons of toasted black sesame seeds to garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
To serve:
Soft tortilla or soft taco wraps
To garnish:
Black and white sesame seeds, toasted
Small handful of coriander leaves
Small handful of mint leaves
1 spring onion, finely sliced
Red chilli, finely sliced
Lime wedges
Prep:
1.Crush the garlic for the marinade and then combine all ingredients for the beef marinade together. Massage these into the beef and place into a bag or bowl to marinate. Marinate the beef in the fridge overnight for the best results or a minimum of 4 hours.
2.Toast the sesame seeds for the garnish, the pickle and the slaw. They will smell nutty and aromatic when they are ready. Set aside.
3.Thinly slice half of the cucumber with a mandolin. Place the cucumber into a bowl with the chopped chilli and toasted sesame seeds. Gently dissolve the sugar for the pickle in a saucepan on a low heat with the vinegar, water and salt. Once the sugar has fully dissolved, turn the heat up and boil for one minute.
4.Pour the mixture over the cucumber bowl and allow the mixture to cool a little before refrigerating. The cucumbers will need a minimum of 2 hours to pickle.
5.For the slaw, crush the garlic and grate the ginger. Julienne the carrot (cutting them into matchstick shapes), shred the cabbage by thinly slicing it or using a grater, and thinly slice the fennel. Place the fennel, cabbage, carrot, garlic and ginger into a bowl. Combine the soy, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil and gochujang in a separate bowl and mix together. Add the dressing to the slaw and combine, adding the toasted sesame seeds. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set the slaw aside and allow the flavours to develop while you prepare the beef, aioli and garnish.
6.To make the aioli, crush the garlic and then combine all the ingredients. If the aioli feels too thick, add a little water to loosen until you reach the right consistency. Add more gochujang to taste, depending on your heat preference.
7.Prepare the garnish by picking the coriander and mint leaves, slicing the spring onion and chilli and setting them aside.
Cook:
1.To cook the Korean beef, heat a pan on a medium high heat with a drizzle of olive oil.
2.When the pan is hot but not smoking, add the steak. You should hear a sizzle. Brown the steak on both sides and cook the beef to medium rare or to your liking. For medium rare, press down on the top of the beef with your index finger. It should have the same tenderness as the flesh below your thumb when you press the tip of your thumb against your middle finger.
3.Allow the steak to rest for 5 minutes.
4.Meanwhile, to heat the tacos, place them in the microwave on a plate uncovered for 10 seconds, or according to the instructions on the packet.
Plate:
1.To serve, slice the beef into thin strips.
2.Fill a taco with the dressed slaw and then layer it with the beef and pickled cucumber. Drizzle some aioli on top and garnish with the sliced spring onions, chilli, coriander, mint and sesame seeds. Serve with a wedge of lime.