THE FOOD

Squid Tacos w/ Goat Cheese & Roasted Red Peppers

We know.  This sounds really, really weird - which it is.  However, it's also spectacularly delicious.  For this version of our Korean Tacos, we used fresh squid sautéed in sea salt and lemon, leftover Spanish Korean Rice, goat cheese, roasted red peppers in olive oil and garlic, and topped with fresh pico de gallo.  For a little extra kick add the hot sauce or kimchi.

THE QUANDARIES

So how did we come up with this?  We had some fresh squid burning a whole in our pocket and a tiny amount of leftovers for our Spanish Table dinner on the Han River.  Seemed like a great time to try something wild and crazy.  This post is not so much about building exactly the same type of tacos, but inspiring you to "think outside the taco shell" when you are looking in your fridge.  You don't have to do what everyone else does with your food.  Nothing is set in stone.  Think about the flavors you love and bring them together in new was.

THE SOLUTION

Sautéed Squid

2 medium sized squid cleaned and sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil or pine nut oil or Vegetable oil

1 teaspoon lemon juice

pinch of sea salt

In a saute pan heat olive oil. Toss in the squid, lemon juice and pinch of salt.  Move regular in the pan until cooked.  Takes 3-5 minutes.

First it looks like this.

Then it looks like this

Now layer into a soft or crunch taco shell:

Spanish Korean Rice

Sautéed Squid

Pico De Gallo

Goat Cheese

Roasted Red Peppers

Dash of Hot Sauce

The flavor is very light but the meal is hearty.  There is substance and kick without the heaviness many associate with Mexican cooking.  It's very Baja, if you will.

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THE FOOD

Bibimbap Tacos

In our kitchen, we are fans of the never endless meal.  We like to make something special on Sunday that will turn into many more magical things as the week rolls out.  This week we started with Spanish Korean rice, which became Spanish Bibimbap which evolved into Bibimbap Tacos.

To be honest, these were 100% more delicious than we could have dreamed.  The first words heard at the table after the first bite was, "These are possibly the best tacos I've ever had."  And the opinion didn't change much after that.  In fact, we were craving them for the rest of the day.  They are flat out addictive and delicious.

THE QUANDARIES

You might want to make your own taco seasoning.  Seriously, don't import this stuff.  Just make your own and delight in the deliciousness.  Use this recipe from All Recipes to get you started.  Once you have finished that, it's time to get down to business.

THE RECIPE

2 cups leftover Spanish Babimbap

1/4 cup taco seasoned ground beef, chicken or shrimp.

Korean Salsa or Salsa of your choice

4 crunchy or soft taco shells

Optional Ingredients:

Grated Cheese

Sour cream 

Goat Yogurt

Sliced Avocado

Diced Tomatoes

Shredded Lettuce 

Fresh Cilantro
Kimchi

Layer in the following order:

Bibimbap

Seasoned meat

Salsa

Finish with option ingredients of your choice.  We recommend having fun with your ingredients and trying different flavor combinations in each taco. 

Cooking Notes: It's always lovely to heat up your shells before you make your tacos.  You can do so on a range, in an over or with a microwave.

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THE FOOD

Korean Chilaquiles

If you have spent some time down in Mexico you might have tried the brilliant breakfast - Chilaquiles.  This is also the perfect way to use all the chips at the bottom of your chip bag that aren't good for salsa, or the last of some veggies you don't know what to do with.  It's an excellent recipe to reduce food waste.  It's also just a super easy way to reclaim a little of that south-of-the-boarder feeling.
(It's also an excellent recipe if you were out a little late last night hitting the soju.)

THE QUANDARIES

1. Hot sauce

We use either Tobasco right now while we work on a modified Korean sauce.

2. Tortilla Chips

Since the free trade agreement chips are everywhere.  Before that we made our own tortillas.  You can do this and freeze them for later.

THE SOLUTION

Main Ingredients

Tortilla chips

2 Eggs

Chili Oil

Veggie Oil

Onion

Garlic

Hot sauce

Suggested Ingredients

Pick 2 -3

(Pick Your Favorites)

Cheese

Sour Cream
Salsa

Chopped cilantro

Green onions

Spinach

Tomatoes

Leftover Fried chicken

Left over onion rings
Tofu

Anything else you have sitting around :)

STEP ONE:  Heat 2-3 tablespoons of veggie oil until hot and sauté up your tortilla chips until they are a little brown.  Put on a plate or in a bowl.  Sometimes we cover with foil so they stay hot.

STEP TWO: Heat 1-2 tablespoon chili oil.  Put in your onion and sliced garlic in the pan first and let them lightly brown.  Then add veggies, meat or left overs until they are warm and happy.  Put on top of your chips.  Cooking it this way will give the ingredients that wonderful Korean feeling.

STEP THREE: Fry two eggs but leave them as runny as you are willing to eat them.  When you break the yoke they will mix with everything to make a delicious sauce.  Put them on top of your piled up ingredients.

STEP FIVE: Over the top drizzle hot sauce, salsa, cheese or sour cream to taste.

Now hurry up and eat.  This is meant to be eaten hot and steaming! Enjoy

An example where we used leftover fried chicken and onion rings from BBQ Chicken.  Ya Korea!

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THE FOOD

Korean Salsa

Alright, straight up, I'm in love with Mexico and I feel a little bit like I'm cheating on her by living in Korea.  To make it more complicated.  Mexican food can become a bit, shall we say, misunderstood when it makes the jump across the ocean.  Now, I haven't figured out why this is but I'm determined to set it right without importing everything from home... because that's already been imported from Mexico.  Bad carbon usage, bad.  On the other hand, if it's not "authentic" I'm not eating it.
So, first things first, we've got to master the basics: Salsa

THE QUANDARIES

1. Cilantro is limited.

2. Korean's don't always like cilantro.

3. Korean garlic and onions are different from Mexico and need to be "toned down" in order to translate into a successful salsa.

THE SOLUTION

6 - 8 large ripe tomatoes

3 medium onions

6 green onions

3 cloves of garlic

1 table spoon whole coriander seeds

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro

4 spicy Korean Peppers

1 tablespoon apple vinager

3 tablespoons lime or lemon juice

Sea salt to taste

1 tablespoon Korean chili powder (optional)

1/4 cup jalapenos (optional)

 

PREPARE THE TOMATOES

• FIRST: Bring a big pot of water to a boil.
• SECOND: Cut out where the tomato vine attaches and cut an X on the bottom.  Put the tomatoes into the boiling water and blanch until the skin starts to come off.  
• THIRD: Take tomatoes out and peel, putting into a bowl.  I use a spoon and tongs so that I don't burn my self.
• FOURTH:  Smash/Mash the tomatoes and drain off extra liquid, but not tomato juices until you like the texture.  

PREPARE THE WHITE OR YELLOW ONIONS:

• FIRST: Cut the onion up into small pieces, but not as small as you would do for Pico De Gallo.  
• SECOND: Lightly saute the onions in oil.  Don't cook through, we are just softening them up a little so that their flavor mellows.  It is better to cook them less than more.
• THIRD: Add onions to Tomatoes.

PREPARE THE GARLIC

• FIRST: Peel and mince into small pieces.
• SECOND: In the same pan as the onion, add a table spoon or two of oil to a pan and brown the garlic.  This soften the flavor of Korean garlic so that it enriches the salsa instead of overpowering it.
• THIRD: Add the garlic to the tomatoes. 

PREPARE CILANTRO/CORIANDER

• FIRST:  Grind coriander the seeds well however you can.  There are many solutions to this.  I have found that people who are unfamiliar with cilantro leaves are often still ok with ground cilantro/coriander seeds.  On the same note, if you love fresh cilantro and can't find it, freshly ground coriander seeds will help fill that void in your life.
• SECOND: If you find cilantro (it's usually carried in any "world" market).  Chop it up into VERY fine pieces.  The smaller they are the easier it is for folks new to the flavor to enjoy it.  I've had success with very picky local eaters LOVING cilantro as long as I didn't go cray cray with it.
• THIRD: Add to salsa and mix well.  

FINAL TOUCHES:

• FIRST: Dice up the green onion and toss it it in.  We like the fresh, light "crunch" of it.
• SECOND: Add lemon or lime to taste.  (you can get limes grown on Jeju if you are particular like we are :)
• THIRD: Add sea salt to taste.  (We believe sea salt is a critical part of the flavor, but if you only have basic salt we are sure you will still be happy.)
• FOURTH: Optional ingredients.  Sometimes we want to take it to the next level and add a bit of Korean chili powder and about 1/4 cup of jalapenos which are imported.

COOKING NOTE:  Cilantro and coriander are the same plant.  The Korean palate understands cilantro/coriander seeds better than cilantro leaves.  I have found that substituting ground coriander.  Also, this salsa can be easily frozen for later. 

TASTING NOTES: This recipe is a little more complex than most we make.  It has been carefully designed to meet the needs of both the Korean palate and the palate of those in love with traditional Mexican food.  We took the time to taste test it with both groups and both were very excited about it.  In fact, the ate the bowl dry.  Those in love with Mexican food called  it, "Spot on".  And Korean's asked, "Do you have special ingredients because this is better than any salsa we have had."  No complaints at all about the coriander/cilantro.  

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