By August in Boston is a hostage situation negotiated by humidity. The air is so thick you could slice it, the T smells like a crime scene, and every conversation begins with "Can you believe this heat?" followed by a detailed analysis of the forecast that rivals any sports commentary. I walk from the T to Mass General drenched in sweat and arrive on the oncology floor looking like I swam to work. Maria hands me coffee without comment. Maria is a saint.
The floor was busy this week — summer admits, which happen when people who've been ignoring symptoms through spring finally can't ignore them anymore. A new patient, Mr. Kowalski, sixty-eight, colon cancer, stage III. His daughter brings him pierogies from a place in the Polish Triangle in Dorchester — handmade, stuffed with potato and cheese, and I can smell them from three rooms away. She brings enough for the nurses, too. I ate two on Wednesday and they were perfect — crispy on the outside, soft inside, the kind of simple food that carries a whole culture in a dumpling.
Wedding planning has consumed every non-work hour. Meghan is my maid of honor, which she accepted by saying, "Obviously, who else would you ask?" in her lawyerly way. Patrick and Danny will be groomsmen with Sean D.'s college friends. The date is set: June 2017. St. Brigid's is booked. Father McKenna, who baptized me and gave me my first communion, will officiate. Maureen has opinions about flowers (carnations, obviously), about the reception venue (the Knights of Columbus hall in Southie, obviously), and about the menu (everything she cooks, obviously). I have opinions about the dress. We're dividing labor along our respective areas of expertise.
Sean D. and I went to a food truck festival on the Greenway Saturday. We ate Korean BBQ tacos and lobster mac and cheese and something called a "Boston cream donut burger" that was either genius or an abomination. Sean D. voted genius. I voted abomination. We agreed to disagree, which is how we handle most things and which is, I think, a promising sign for a marriage.
Sunday dinner. Maureen's baked haddock, because August is too hot for pot roast and Maureen adapts, reluctantly, to the seasons. Da asked about wedding plans and then immediately fell asleep, which tracks.
Those Korean BBQ tacos from the Greenway have been living rent-free in my head ever since Saturday—Sean D.’s “genius” verdict may have been the correct one, not that I’m ready to admit that out loud. When I got home Sunday night still thinking about them, I figured I’d take a crack at a weeknight version instead of waiting for the next food truck festival. Here’s what I landed on.
Crazy Good Korean Beef Tacos
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 4 (2–3 tacos each)
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (85/15)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste), or more to taste
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 8–10 small flour or corn tortillas, warmed
- 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- Sriracha mayo or plain sriracha, for drizzling
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Brown the beef. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 7–8 minutes. Drain excess fat.
- Build the sauce. While the beef cooks, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, gochujang, rice vinegar, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.
- Add aromatics. Push the beef to one side of the pan. Add the garlic and ginger to the empty side and cook for 30–60 seconds until fragrant, then stir everything together.
- Glaze the beef. Pour the sauce over the beef and stir to coat. Cook for 2–3 minutes over medium heat, letting the sauce reduce slightly and caramelize onto the meat.
- Warm the tortillas. Heat tortillas directly over a gas burner for 20–30 seconds per side, or wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave for 45 seconds.
- Assemble and top. Spoon the Korean beef into each tortilla. Top with shredded cabbage, green onions, cilantro, and sesame seeds. Drizzle with sriracha mayo and finish with a squeeze of lime.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 420 | Protein: 26g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 890mg