I’ve made these Vegan Korean Beef Tacos w/ Kimchi Mayo way too many times this week. Sweet and savory vegan beef made from soy curls, lots of cilantro, minced red onion, and the most delicious kimchi mayo all served on mini flour tortillas with an extra squeeze of fresh lime juice. You’ve gotta make this!
This recipe for Vegan Korean Beef Tacos w/ Kimchi Mayo is based off of the Korean dish called beef bulgogi. Beef bulgogi is traditionally marinated grilled beef cooked in a sweet and savory sauce made from sugar, soy sauce, and sometimes Korean pear juice. The typical way to serve beef bulgogi is with rice and vegetables but I took the very non-traditional route and served it in a flour tortilla with kimchi mayo. It turned out amazing! I hope you enjoy.
What are soy curls?
Soy curls are dehydrated soy that are meaty in texture which makes them great to mimic chicken or beef in recipes. I love using them because they are truly a sponge for flavor.
Let’s Break it Down:
First, rehydrate the soy curls. Then, simply whisk together a flavorful and delicious sauce and cook the soy curls in the liquid until absorbed. The vegan beef is finished off by slightly browning the outside on the stovetop to create a nice crisp texture. It’s served on a charred mini flour tortilla with cilantro, red onion, and extra lime juice but the real star of the show is the kimchi mayo. Kimchi, mayo, lime juice, salt and pepper are whisked together to create a creamy yet slightly spicy amazing sauce! It’s the perfect finishing touch.
What You Will Need These Vegan Korean Beef Tacos w/ Kimchi Mayo
Main Ingredients
- Soy Curls
- Soy Sauce
- Vegan Mayo
- Vegan Kimchi
- Flour Tortillas
What I Used:
In this recipe we use soy curls as the protein. I love using soy curls because they really are just a sponge for flavor. It soaks up anything you put on it! Soy curls can be ordered on their website or on amazon. Sometimes they are hard to find in stores.
A lot of kimchi you find at the store are not vegan because it can have added fish sauce or shrimp paste. Be sure to find that vegan label! Whole Foods carries at least 2 vegan brands.
How To Make The Best Vegan Korean Beef Tacos w/ Kimchi Mayo
I find rehydrating the soy curls in vegetable broth brings out more flavor but since the sauce is made from soy sauce, it’s not needed when making this recipe. The sauce itself is flavorful enough so rehydrating in water is just fine!
Chop the kimchi up in to small pieces before mixing in the mayo.
More Taco Recipes You Might Like:
- BBQ Tofu Tacos with Cucumber Mango Salsa
- Vegan Carne Asada Tacos
- Crispy Cheesy Black Bean & Potato Tacos
- Crispy Jackfruit Tacos
If you make this recipe:
Tag me on Instagram! I’d love to see your delicious re-creations and feature them! As always, I would greatly appreciate if you share your review in the comments below. Don’t forget to add if you made any fun substitutions. Thank you!
Vegan Korean Beef Tacos w/ Kimchi Mayo
Ingredients
Vegan Korean Beef:
- 2 cups Soy Curls rehydrated in water
- 1 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
- 2 tablespoons Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Water
- 1 tablespoons Lime Juice
- 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 2 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1/4 teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
Kimchi Mayo:
- 6 tablespoons Vegan Mayo
- 2-3 tablespoons Vegan Kimchi see note
- 1 tablespoon Lime Juice
- Pinch of Salt & Black Pepper
For Serving:
- 8-10 Mini Flour Tortillas
- Red Onion minced
- Cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- Place the soy curls in a large bowl and cover with water. Let soak for 15-20 minutes. Drain and squeeze out as much water as possible.
- Add the vegetable oil to a large pan on medium high heat. Toss in the soy curls and cook until starting to brown, about 4-5 minutes.
- Whisk together soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, lime juice, brown sugar, garlic cloves, crushed red peppers and ground ginger. Add to the pan with the soy curls. Cook until soy curls have absorbed the sauce and are slightly brown and crisp, about 5 minutes.
- Finely chop the kimchi. Add the kimchi to a small bowl along with the lime juice, mayo, salt and pepper. Whisk until combined.
- If you have a gas stove, char the tortillas on the open flame. If not, char them on a pan. Finely chop the red onion and cilantro. And cut up extra lime wedges, if desired.
- Add the vegan Korean beef to the tortillas and top with red onion, cilantro, kimchi mayo, and a fresh squeeze of lime. Enjoy!
I made these for supper tonight. Very delicious! My whole family enjoyed them. We added cucumbers and radishes. I doubled the recipe, hoping for leftovers, there were none.
Thank you for a quick, easy and tasty meal
Trina
So good to hear! The addition of cucumbers and radishes sounds so delicious! I’ll have to try that next time. So happy you and your family enjoyed this recipe 🙂