Dak Bulgogi Street Tacos

Bursting at the seams with flavor, these Dak Bulgogi Street Tacos hit all the right notes for a perfect bite - soft tortillas, juicy chicken, crunchy slaw - and TONS of heat, acidity, sweetness, and umami.  

Roots and traditions, nurtured so lovingly, maintain the classic comfort of history while evolving to modern times.  This past week was spent with family, and while they are now situated in the Midwest, the small town feeling and charm of the place was eerily reminiscent of the towns surrounding my childhood home.  Two story houses with siding, shutters, and stretches of expansive fields and trees had me rechecking my phone every so often to have Siri reassure me we had not, in fact, overshot the Midwest to New England. Though all our faces are a bit more mature, the comfort and familiarity of family is a constant.

The flavors and foods we created this past week were both familiar old recipes, to dishes that I have created in my Southwest kitchen.  The Faux Thanksgiving dinner, while missing my mother’s ever present mashed turnips (which the rest of us studiously ignore during the holiday meal), brought back flashbacks of the holiday dinners at first my Babcia and Jadju’s, then hosted in our home.  New spins on old traditions were also present, as I finally learned my Babcia’s way of creating Kielbasa and Sauerkraut, a time consuming process that gave me new appreciation as an adult to how often my grandmother made that dish.  Taking that iconic dish from my childhood, I updated it by serving it as a sandwich, with Mayo, Spicy Brown Mustard, and on a crusty French Bread.  Since I do not eat Beef, I put a fried egg on top of mine - it was sort of a strangely delicious take on a polish hot dog with kraut sans meat add egg.  :P

Up close and personal with these Dak Bulgogi Street Tacos, which are overflowing with Korean Coleslaw, the messy and totally delicious Dak Bulgogi Chicken, and those Pickled Red Onions.

Having lived in the Southwest for quite some time now (8 years and counting?!?!) the food I tend to make now is a hodge podge of old school favorites mixed with influences of my surrounding culture.  Expanding into the Korean cuisine was only natural as we live very close to a fantastic Asian market so I could truly explore my Korean background, and living in a city rather than the more remote country I have access to a multitude of ingredients I did not as a child.  One of my great loves from childhood was family taco night, those little taco kits with slightly stale, crunchy taco shells and dripping mild sauces.  Here in the Southwest, I got a true education on fresh tortillas, and the traditions that spawned a million crunch wrap humdinger tacos.  Combining this love of street tacos naturally led me to integrate my budding Dak Bulgogi recipe with them into some unbelievable street tacos at home.

Each element of the Dak Bulgogi Street Tacos, ready to assemble.

Bulgogi is probably one of the most well known dishes outside of Kimchi to Americans at this point.  Traditionally made with either beef or pork, this simple grilled meat has a plethora of flavors - spicy heat, sweetness, tang, char, and earthiness.  Very often it is paired with rice and Kimchi (a spicy, fermented cabbage) - it is a dish that you can use a little meat to feed a large family with all the add ins and smaller traditional side dishes.  Dak Bulgogi, which is a chicken version of this dish, is often made if the price of chicken was cheaper.  It is a dish that is incredibly flexible in how it is served or what it is served with.

My version strays a tiny bit from traditional recipes, as most you will find call for a portion of Asian Pear to be part of the marinade.  This ingredient is not added for flavor, as the lightly sweet fruit gets lost in the bolder flavors of the Gochujang paste and Sesame Oil, but rather acts as a tenderizer for the tougher proteins like beef. I typically do not have pears in my pantry, so I use Rice Wine Vinegar to help tenderize the meat and I prefer the slightly sweet tang from the vinegar in the marinade.  I always use chicken thigh meat when making this, as the natural fat content is higher in that cut of meat and it is more forgiving when grilling or pan searing the chicken.  Lastly, while Bulgogi is typically grilled, I tend to sear mine on very high heat in a Wok.  I have made it on my grill pan at home as well, but for the way the meat is sliced (very thin, flat strips) I find it is easier for me to monitor the cooking process in the Wok.

I make my Simple Flour Tortillas recipe into 16 little Street Taco sized Flour Tortillas for these Dak Bulgogi Street Tacos.

Putting all the elements together, first making my Simple Flour Tortillas, the Pickled Red Onions, the Korean Coleslaw, and this Dak Bulgogi chicken is mind-bogglingly good.  First, you bite into a soft, warm, perfect flour tortilla, which has fluff and that perfect chew that only a homemade tortilla has.  Then, you have the heat and spice from the Dak Bulgogi chicken, juicy as all get out, ridiculously flavorful from the Gochujang in the marinade.  The heat of the spicy chicken is then tempered by the cool, silky, dressing in the Korean Coleslaw, which adds extra crunch from the fresh cabbage and slight sweetness from the carrots and red pepper.  Then, out of left field, the Pickled Red Onions add extra crunch and a quick, sharp bite of sweetly vinegary tang.  Each of these elements of the Das Bulgogi Street Tacos are delicious on their own, but when eaten together you truly end up with a perfect bite.

That perfect little bite is a pretty great way to combine all my experiences and influences from childhood to now.  The cabbage in the slaw is a nod to the Kielbasa and Sauerkraut my Babcia made, the Taco inspiration is both from a beloved childhood favorite and the city that I have come to know as home.  The Dak Bulgogi is a more American Korean take on such an iconic Korean dish, but I do think that is the perfect embodiment of someone who was adopted and raised in the US.  It is a perfect way to embody my experiences and traditions and blended cultures thus far.  

Savory, with a hint of sweetness and pops of tang and heat, these Dak Bulgogi Street Tacos are insanely good.  Like, eat 6 in one sitting then almost regret your life choices good.

Dak Bulgogi Street Tacos

Author:  Iris Anna Gohn

Servings: About 12 to 14 Street Tacos

The marinade for the Dak Bulgogi Chicken is super simple to throw together - I highly recommend grating both the fresh ginger and garlic rather than mincing it as it will help the aromatics meld into the marinade and release the flavor a bit better.  A garlic press would also work well, but if you do not have that or a box grater I think blending it for about 30 seconds in a blender or food processor will get the smooth consistency you are looking for with the marinade.

I have marinaded the chicken as little as 2 hours to a day and a half.  The shorter marinade time will yield a delicious, flavorful chicken, but I do think that the longer marinade time gives the chicken time to develop more nuances and deepen the flavor.  If you choose to grill the chicken, that does add an additional element of flavor but I have found a *slight* cheat by cooking the meat at very high temperatures in a Wok will also create a bit of char and crust on the meat.  I also always choose the Chicken Thigh Meat as it is more forgiving than Chicken Breast in terms of retaining the juiciness and moisture of the meat, seeing as you cut it so thin and then cook it over such high heat.  

If you choose to make the Dak Bulgogi and wish to serve it in a more traditional manner, it is completely delicious over a simple Jasmine Rice.  You can add a soft boiled egg on top, Kimchi, sliced Cucumbers, Carrots, etc.  Often, a Gochujang sauce (Gochujang spices, rice wine vinegar, a bit of sesame oil, garlic and ginger, depending on the recipe) is served with this rice bowl.

Ingredients

For the Dak Bulgogi Chicken:

• 1 1/2 pounds Chicken Thighs, sliced thin
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Gochujang Paste (I use this brand)
• 1 1/2 Tsp Rice Wine Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar
• 2 Garlic Cloves, grated (1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp)
• 2 Inches Fresh Ginger, grated (1 Tbsp)
• 2 Tbsp Flavorless Oil (such as Grapeseed or Canola), divided
• Chopped Scallions, for garnish
• Sesame Seeds, for garnish

For the Street Tacos:

• Street Taco Size Flour Tortillas (I use my Simple Flour Tortillas recipe, but store bought will do)
• Dak Bulgogi Chicken
• Korean Coleslaw
• Pickled Red Onions
• Chopped Scallions, for garnish
• Sesame Seeds, for garnish

Directions

For the Dak Bulgogi:

1. In a Medium Bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, Gochujang paste, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger together.  Set aside.
2. Trim the fat off the boneless, skinless chicken thighs and slice into long, thin flat strips.  Mine end up being about 1/8 inch thick and about 1 inch wide and 3 to 4 inches long, for reference.
3. Add chicken to the bowl with the marinade and gently massage the marinade into each piece of chicken until everything is thoroughly covered. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate a minimum of 2 hours, up to 36.
4. When ready to cook, heat 1 Tbsp flavorless oil in a Wok or Nonstick skillet over high heat.  Oil will begin to smoke and if you flick a drop of water in the skillet it will sizzle immediately.
5. Using Tongs or a long handled Fork, place half of the chicken into the wok, taking care to try and lay it flat.  The oil will sputter.  Cook for 2 to 3 minutes (you may have to adjust the heat down just a tiny bit, but the cold chicken should drop the temp of the pan enough) then flip the chicken to the other side so it cooks evenly for another 2 minutes until cooked through.  The high heat should sear the meat  and create a nice little brown crust on the chicken.  Because the chicken is sliced so thin, it should cook very quickly.
6. Remove chicken to a serving platter and sprinkle with some sesame seeds and scallions, then cover with aluminum foil while you cook the rest of the chicken. Use the Remaining Tbsp of oil to cook the chicken. 

For the Dak Bulgogi Taco Assembly:

1. Heat your flour tortilla in a pan, or over an open flame, to get them nice and flexible for maybe 30 seconds each side.
2. Layer some Korean Coleslaw down the center of the tortilla, top with some Dak Bulgogi Chicken slices, and a few Pickled Red Onions.
3. Garnish with extra Scallions and Sesame Seeds, if desired.