Tyler Wright | Special to the 51暗网
Street tacos have been a favourite fare on the culinary scene for the latter half of the 2010s and early 2020s. What are street tacos? Mexican Street tacos are small tacos usually double shelled with corn tortillas and stacked mile high with whatever toppings you fancy. This Mexican dish has been a very popular trend in many restaurants and pubs here in Canada for several years. Everyone loves tacos and you can do so much with them.
Street tacos are smaller and meant to be enjoyed while holding in one hand when you are on the go. While you might not find a street taco stand curb side on Patricia Street, many local establishments here in Jasper have them on the menu. They are also quite easy to execute at home. With some creativity, street tacos are a tasty and diverse addition to your dinner menu at home.
My take on street tacos for this issue was Korean-fusion inspired. Everything for this recipe was bought at the local grocers and easy to execute at home regardless of culinary skill set.
Starting with our taco veg, I went with a bok choy, carrot, white onion and bamboo shoot slaw. Start by julienning the onion, bok choy and carrot. Strain the bamboo shoots and add to the mix. Toss in sesame oil and salt.
For the protein, I used beef strips and a honey ginger garlic soy sauce glaze. In a pot, take one cup of water and half cup of soy sauce. Add two tablespoons of pureed garlic and ginger. This can be purchased at the grocery store premade. Reduce for about 10 minutes then add honey to counter the saltiness of the soy sauce. While still at a simmer, add a cornstarch slurry to thicken the mixture. A slurry is a mixture used to thicken a sauce or soup. To make a slurry, take two tablespoons of cornstarch and one and a half tablespoons of cold water. Mix into a paste and then add to the still hot soy sauce mixture. The sauce will thicken up almost instantly. Once this happens, remove from heat.
The beef strips should be sauteed in a hot frying pan. We are only doing a quick sear on them. If overcooked, the strips will become tough. By doing a light sear, you will keep the beef strips tender and flavourful without being chewy. Once seared, remove the strips from the heat, let stand for a minute before tossing in the soy sauce glaze.
To top the tacos off, I added a kimchi crema drizzle and garnished with roasted sesame seeds and torn pieces of seaweed sheets.
For the crema, use one cup of sour cream and two cups of kim chi. Combine in a food processor or blender.
Assemble the taco starting with the vegetable slaw, followed by a few beef strips. Drizzle the crema over the tacos with a few pinches of the seaweed chunks and toasted sesame seeds to finish the taco.
Pair the tacos with steamed gyoza and some soju for the drink with green tea or peach lemongrass ice cream for dessert.For the full recipe and more pictures, visit fitzhugh.ca or @tasteofjasper on Instagram.
