[Recipe] "Not Quite Korean" Short Rib Tacos

Growing up, I could sometimes feel like two different people.  On the one hand, I am, by heritage, Taiwanese.  On the other hand, I am American.  This dichotomy plays out in different areas of my life, and my parents made sure to expose me to both American and Taiwanese everything, from language to music to dance.  But there wasn't necessarily a lot of overlap.

In the last ten years or so, though, things have started to change with the onset of "Asian fusion."  It's a trend that blends East with West, and it's happening across all different platforms.  Musically, for example, Taiwanese artists such as 王力宏 Wang LeeHom, 周杰倫 Jay Chou JieLun, and 林俊傑 JJ Lin JunJie have been experimenting and yielding phenomenal hits.  On the food front, it seems like every major city has a slew of "modern Asian dining" restaurants that boost traditional Asian dishes with modern Western twists.

Korean tacos were originally the brainchild of Kogi Korean BBQ, a food truck based in L.A.  They rank among the most successful and certainly the most recognizable of the Asian fusion foods.  They've been making their way slowly across the U.S., but a surprising number of East Coasters have never even heard of them, let alone had them.  I myself have only had them once at a house party in California.

So what's a girl to do when she's craving this crazy comfort food and can't get any?  Make it herself, of course.

And so my latest food adventure with KiKi was a long time in coming, at least for me.  It was a relatively short wait for her (just two weeks), but I'm happy I was able to introduce her (and you, dear readers) to this food.

"Not Quite Korean" Short Rib Tacos
an original recipe by tammiest (the Passionfruit Fashionista)

First, the "Not Quite Korean" Short Ribs: 

The traditional Korean taco uses Korean barbecue meat.  But I didn't want to barbecue the meat—it can dry out if it's not eaten right away (though it is amazing in the moment), and KiKi and I are partial to braising our short ribs.  So I had to improvise a braising recipe instead and couldn't fall back on the storebought Korean barbecue sauce.

The resulting sauce probably isn't all that Korean.  Most of the base draws from a marinade my Taiwanese mother passed on to me, and then I added hoisin (to give it that sweet taste Korean short ribs have) and Sriracha, which is Vietnamese, not Korean.  So these are clearly "Not Quite Korean" Short Rib Tacos, so fusion they draw from all parts of the East.

Ingredients
4 lbs. beef short ribs
1 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup mirin
1/3 cup rice wine
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 quart water
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 cup diced green onions, white part only
(at least) 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1-1/2 tablespoons Sriracha hot sauce

Directions
In a wide stockpot or Dutch oven, combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake, brown sugar, water, garlic, gingergreen onion bottoms, hoisin sauce, and Sriracha, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then add the short ribs, cover, and turn down the heat to a low simmer for 3 hours, checking and turning the ribs every 45 minutes or so.  At the end of 3 hours, the meat should be falling off the bone.

Then, the Asian Salsa: 

The way I understand it, Korean tacos are typically accompanied by a sour and spicy pickled vegetable salsa.  I wanted our salsa, though, to be more subdued-- a little more similar in flavor profile to a Mexican-style vegetable (non-tomato) salsa but with an Asian twist.  I thought this recipe, courtesy of The Year in Food, was exactly what I was looking for.  I took it and tweaked it for my purposes.

Ingredients
1 large avocado, diced
1 small bunch radishes, sliced into thin strips
1/2 cup Asian mung bean sprouts, each cut in two or three pieces to match the size of the radish strips
1/2 small yellow onion, minced
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1 jalapeno, minced
juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 tablespoons sesame oil
(at least) 2 tablespoons Sriracha hot sauce

Directions
Slice and mince all the vegetables, as applicable, then combine with the lime juice, minced cilantro, salt, sesame oil, and Sriracha.  Adjust taste as necessary.

Finally, put it all together: 

Additional Ingredients
Queso Fresco, crumbled
Mini corn tortillas
Sriracha hot sauce (optional)

Directions
1.  Crumble the queso fresco.
2.  Shred the beef short ribs with a knife or a fork.
3.  Heat the tortillas in a pan.
4.  Once all the components have been prepared, assemble the tacos to your liking (we recommend adding a touch of Sriracha), and enjoy.