Let's be clear: I have never eaten a taco off an LA taco truck. When I was 'eating Los Angeles' in May, I thought about trying to track one down, but most aren't that veggie friendly. And if you were following, it was obvious I didnt have trouble finding something to eat in California. But, I have read about them. And the Twitter phenomenon that has been their making. But, I haven't eaten a taco off an LA taco truck.
We barely even have tacos in Indiana!
But, I wanted to try one of those delicious Korean BBQ tacos, spicy and sweet with a cool crisp pickle or kimchee to balance the filling. Solution? Make it! There are recipes floating all over the web, so I read a couple and went from there.
Step one: I made my own seitan. I've been working on this recipe for a while and variations on it. For this version, I made it a little softer so in could pull it apart with a fork after it cooked and it would be ready for the sauce. I also used Asian flavorings so it would be suited for the BBQ.*
Step two: make the sauce. The key ingredient to the sauce is gochujang, which is one of the classic Korean condiments. It's a red pepper sauce that is fermented, so it brings a depth and sweetness to the dish that other hot sauces would not. And the heat is in the back! Whew. Other than finding the red pepper sauce, the ingredients are pretty simple, but the together...something out of this world.
Recipe: Korean BBQ Sauce
2 tablespoons Korean fermented hot pepper paste (gochujang)
2 tablespoons agave nectar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons Asian toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar (unseasoned)
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
Combine all ingredients in a small measuring cup, whisk to combine. You can use sugar instead of the agave, but make sure it dissolves completely. The agave does add a slightly richer dimension, in my opinion, Or you might try brown sugar?
Step three: make the pickle. Or you could buy it. Maybe a jar of kimchee? But, I just combined one English cucumber, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced with a shredded Napa cabbage. Add enough rice vinegar (unseasoned), a little sugar and some salt. Stir to combine and let chill for about an hour. This is a Mildred type of recipe, but you really can't go wrong. You just want something cool and crisp to contrast with the BBQ.
Step four: cook the BBQ. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium-high heat with about two tablespoons of oil. Add about 12 ounces of shredded seitan and cook until it begins to brown and turn crispy. Remove from the heat and turn down the stove, add the BBQ sauce and return to the heat, stirring until all the pieces are coated and gooey. Deliciously gooey.
Step five: warm up the corn tortillas, fill with the BBQ and top with the pickle, Enjoy!
*I'll get a recipe written for this eventually, but it is still kind of in development.
We barely even have tacos in Indiana!
But, I wanted to try one of those delicious Korean BBQ tacos, spicy and sweet with a cool crisp pickle or kimchee to balance the filling. Solution? Make it! There are recipes floating all over the web, so I read a couple and went from there.
Step one: I made my own seitan. I've been working on this recipe for a while and variations on it. For this version, I made it a little softer so in could pull it apart with a fork after it cooked and it would be ready for the sauce. I also used Asian flavorings so it would be suited for the BBQ.*
Step two: make the sauce. The key ingredient to the sauce is gochujang, which is one of the classic Korean condiments. It's a red pepper sauce that is fermented, so it brings a depth and sweetness to the dish that other hot sauces would not. And the heat is in the back! Whew. Other than finding the red pepper sauce, the ingredients are pretty simple, but the together...something out of this world.
Recipe: Korean BBQ Sauce
2 tablespoons Korean fermented hot pepper paste (gochujang)
2 tablespoons agave nectar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons Asian toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar (unseasoned)
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
Combine all ingredients in a small measuring cup, whisk to combine. You can use sugar instead of the agave, but make sure it dissolves completely. The agave does add a slightly richer dimension, in my opinion, Or you might try brown sugar?
Step three: make the pickle. Or you could buy it. Maybe a jar of kimchee? But, I just combined one English cucumber, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced with a shredded Napa cabbage. Add enough rice vinegar (unseasoned), a little sugar and some salt. Stir to combine and let chill for about an hour. This is a Mildred type of recipe, but you really can't go wrong. You just want something cool and crisp to contrast with the BBQ.
Step four: cook the BBQ. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium-high heat with about two tablespoons of oil. Add about 12 ounces of shredded seitan and cook until it begins to brown and turn crispy. Remove from the heat and turn down the stove, add the BBQ sauce and return to the heat, stirring until all the pieces are coated and gooey. Deliciously gooey.
Step five: warm up the corn tortillas, fill with the BBQ and top with the pickle, Enjoy!
*I'll get a recipe written for this eventually, but it is still kind of in development.