Korean BBQ Tofu Tacos

Last summer, I stayed in the Pacific Northwest for the first time, and was able to visit Kate at her home in Portland, Oregon. When I arrived, I was treated to a wonderful tour of the city which involved multiple surprise stops, including the rose gardens, Powell's City of Books, and, my personal favorite, the food carts in downtown Portland. It all played out a bit like a romantic movie montage - Kate and I shared food from almost every cart, and sat by some fountains watching a wedding and multiple adorable children splashing around, all while the sun was shining brightly and downtown was bursting with Portlanders starving for sun. We both remember the day fondly and fervently hope that we will one day experience a real romantic date that fulfills this level of awesomeness. One of the things we most vividly remember, however, is a Korean BBQ fusion food cart, where we bought some of the most fabulous tacos of our existence - Korean BBQ tofu tacos. While at first they sounded a bit odd, the combination of corn tortillas and the sweet-savory Asian-inspired barbeque sauce was so good that we practically licked the cardboard container they came in, despite having already eaten enough to qualify about three meals.

The infamous food cart tacos

Fast forward a year, and I am again staying in the Pacific Northwest for the summer. Today, while visiting Kate in Portland, we decided to stop downtown for some Korean BBQ tofu tacos, assuming that we would find them with ease. However, while downtown searching around the food carts, we realized several important details we had missed. Firstly, we don't know the name of the food cart. Also, food carts, as their name might imply, move. We ran across two carts selling fusion Korean food, and while only one was open, they had tofu tacos, and we got some. No luck - they were not the warm, messy goodness we were expecting. They were good, but not great. 

Kimberly enjoying said tacos on the best date of her life.

Undeterred, we ate several other lovely things at the food carts and spent the rest of the afternoon happily watching the dragon boat races on the waterfront. But after a year spent thinking about how wonderful those tacos had been, it was still something of a let-down to not find them. While we fully intend to find that food cart again, Kate and I decided on an even more expedient solution: We would attempt to make them ourselves!

After searching the internet for likely-looking recipes (surprisingly, there are several Korean BBQ tofu taco recipes out there), none of which looked at all like the tacos in our hearts, we decided to just make up the recipe ourselves based on the one picture we have of that fateful day. We wanted lightly seasoned tofu smothered with a rich, smoky sauce, and completed with some salty roasted seaweed (nori), which had given the tofu tacos a more Asian flavor. 

Our attempt wasn't actually that far off. In fact, it was a lot closer to the original tacos than the tacos we ate at the food carts today. We only put things we could see in the picture (and what we could remember) on the tacos, so the assembly is really simple. The avocado is an added bonus which we don't think was originally there, but we firmly believe avocados make everything better. Best of all, these tacos are as messy and saucy as we remember the originals being, and there is no greater sign of good food than having to lick it off your fingers and face. You've been warned - bring a napkin.

Korean BBQ Sauce

1 cup ketchup

3/4 cup soy sauce*

2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

3 Tbs honey

4 Tbsp brown sugar (or to taste, depending on how sweet you want your sauce)

2 tsp fresh ginger, minced

2 tsp garlic, minced

1 shallot, diced

1 tsp cayenne

2 Tbsp water

1. Combine all ingredients.

*We might recommend slightly less soy sauce, as the final product was a bit salty.

Tofu Marinade

2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

2 tsp garlic, minced

Equal parts soy sauce and rice wine vinegar - enough to cover at least half of the tofu while marinating.

1. Combine all ingredients.

Korean BBQ Tofu Taco Assembly

1 Tbsp canola oil
corn tortillas
sliced cabbage
diced avocado
nori slices
cilantro
limes (optional)
sriracha (optional)

1. Drain tofu by placing between two paper towels and weighting the top with plate or bowl. Wait about fifteen to twenty minutes.

2. Place tofu in a plastic bag with the marinade. Marinate for at least half an hour in the refrigerator, making sure to turn the tofu so that all sides get covered.

3. Heat canola oil in large skillet. Cut tofu into thin slices, and fry in oil for about 4 minutes on each side.

4. Lay out corn tortillas. Put on cooked tofu, sliced cabbage, avocado, nori, and drizzle with Korean BBQ sauce. Top with cilantro, lime, and sriracha if desired.