1. 10 November 2009 · 05:18 PM · 3 notes

    Taco 008: Kogi-Inspired Tofu Tacos


    photo: 140/365 kogi bbq truck by Joits

    On the occasion of my most recent Kogi visit, it was a bit late in the evening and I was by myself. A cute guy ahead of me in line was carefully packing his order in a sack and trying to secure it to his bicycle. I offered him a ride to wherever he was taking them (I am nothing if not concerned with taco security!) and was totally surprised and confused when he accepted. We tossed his pretty vintage road bike in the boot of my car and I drove him to his friend’s house where a small group of people sat on a patio and ate tacos and drank Pabst from cans.

    That I love Kogi tacos is no secret - and is hardly unique. Every time I have had occasion to visit the famous truck, I eat the tofu tacos. These may be my most favorite taco. I have tried a few times now to approximate the Kogi tofu taco at home and it never comes out right. For this experiment I used a recipe I found for the Korean BBQ sauce they use for other tacos at Kogi and improvised from there.

    Maybe someday I will move to the Southland and taste-test Kogi frequently and intensely enough to reverse engineer them better. Maybe I will move to the Southland for other reasons altogether. As a dyed-in-the-wool East Coaster, it is hard to admit, but Los Angeles is really pretty ok and has things going for it.

    Korean BBQ Style Tofu Tacos (Inspired by Kogi via Steamy Kitchen)

    INGREDIENTS
    2 tablespoons Korean fermented hot pepper paste (gochujang)
    2 tablespoons brown sugar
    2 tablespoons soy sauce
    1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
    2 teaspoons sesame oil
    1 teaspoon sriracha
    1 block extra-firm tofu
    4 spoonfuls of plain yogurt
    1 lime, juiced
    2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
    1 cup shredded cabbage
    tortillas

    PROCEDURE
    1. Drain and press your tofu. Once it is pressed, chop into bite-sized cubes.
    2. In a bowl, whisk up the gochujang, sugar, soy, vinegar, oil, and sriracha until smooth and saucy.
    3. Toss the tofu chunks in the sauce to coat and set aside to marinate for about 30 minutes.
    4. While tofu is marinating, mix yogurt, lime juice, and cilantro in a small bowl. Set this crema aside.
    5. To cook tofu, put a small amount of oil in a hot frying pan. Place the cubes carefully and after they have had a minute to cook on the first side, flip them over with tongs. Continue moving and cooking until tofu is fully cooked and slightly darkened in color. Remove from heat and put in a bowl for serving. If you have extra sauce that was left in the marinading bowl, feel free to add it back in - this is tofu after all, not raw meat.
    6. For taco assembly, smear some yogurt crema, top with tofu chunks, and finish with cabbage crunchies. Probably dash more sriracha on top.

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