Crazy Good Korean Beef Tacos

KoreanMain CourseMedium

Prep

35 min

Cook

12 min

Total

287 min

Serves

✦

Ingredients

korean beef

0.5 cuplow-sodium soy sauce
0.25 cupunseasoned rice vinegar
0.25 cupbrown sugar, light or dark
1.5 tsptoasted or regular sesame oil
1 tbspfresh ginger or ginger paste
1 tbspminced fresh garlic (about 4–5 cloves)
2 lbsflank or skirt steak, cut into thin 1/4-inch slices across the grain
1.5 tbspoil, for cooking

quick slaw

4 cupsshredded napa, red, or green cabbage
1 cupshredded or grated carrots
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsplime juice
2 tbspsoy sauce
2 tbspoil (avocado or olive oil)
salt and pepper, to taste
Sriracha, to taste

sauce to end all sauces

0.5 cupsour cream
0.5 cupmayonnaise
3 tbspfresh lime juice
1 tspSriracha sauce
1 tspgarlic powder

for serving

corn or flour tortillas
avocado slices
fresh lime wedges

Method

1FOR THE BEEF: Whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Place the sliced beef in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over, tossing to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
2When ready to cook, heat the oil in a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot and rippling. Add the steak and marinade and cook, turning the beef, until sizzling and cooked through. For more caramelized beef, cook in a single layer in batches. Remove beef to a plate; simmer any remaining sauce in the pan until caramelized and slightly thickened. Pour the sauce over the beef.
3FOR THE SLAW: In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, and cilantro. In a small bowl whisk together the lime juice, soy sauce, oil, salt, and pepper. Pour the dressing over the slaw and toss to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve (can be made 4–6 hours in advance).
4FOR THE SAUCE: Stir together all sauce ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve (can be made several days in advance).
5FOR SERVING: Place cooked steak in tortillas and top with slaw and sauce. Add avocado slices and fresh lime wedges as desired.

Notes

Grilling option: leave the steak whole and marinate. Grill to desired doneness, rest 10–15 minutes, slice thinly across the grain. Simmer marinade in a pan 10–15 minutes (add a couple teaspoons of cornstarch for a thicker sauce). Serve sliced steak with sauce. Slaw: recipe makes a generous amount — halve the slaw ingredients if you prefer less.