Spicy Korean Tacos, L.A. Taco Truck Style, for the International Incident Taco Party

At this point, if you have a tortilla press,  individually place the balls between sheets of wax paper and simply ... press. Instead, I pressed down with a skillet (though still with the dough between wax).  I didn't have much luck getting the dough to form 6 inch discs until I enlisted Poppa Trix as my human tortilla press.  He decided to be camera shy that day, so you don't get to see his awesome feats of strength! But here's how it works:





Now gently peel back the wax from the uncooked tortilla, and cook on a hot skillet for about 30 seconds on each side:

Before you know it, you've got yourself a gorgeous stack of fresh corn tortillas:

To keep them warm while you make your taco filling, just cover and keep in a 200 degree oven. I strongly suggest you eat one when they're piping hot! Poppa Trix and I certainly couldn't resist. ... Besides, poor Poppa needed sustenance after mashing all those tortillas. A tortilla press purchase is definitely in my future!



Now for the filling.  Chef Choi's recipe for spicy tofu tacos has been reprinted and adapted many times;  I went with the one I found here, though I did make a few changes - mainly substituting jicama for Asian pear and hot paprika for Korean pepper powder.



The recipe calls for gochujang, a Korean pepper paste, and rather than run all the way to Asian superstore H-Mart (which I love, don't get me wrong) , I decided to see if I could find an independent Korean grocer closer to my neighborhood. While I failed at that task, I did find Nak Won, an awesome Korean restaurant that I plan to try soon ...

... and they gave me a free container of gochujang. Score!



To prepare the sauce for the tofu, you'll need 1 tbsp hot paprika, 1 tbsp gochujang (I used more) 1 tbsp grated garlic, 1 tbsp grated ginger, 1 tbsp sesame oil and a sprinkle of salt:



I decided this was the perfect opportunity to use the sole Hungarian pepper from a plant I bought at the farmers market, and I chopped it up and threw that in the mix as well:



Next, fold in 14 oz. of cubed tofu that's been drained and pressed in a clean cloth for an hour or so:





In another bowl, combine 3/4 cup cornstarch and 2 tbsp of hot paprika. Carefully add the tofu and tap off  the excess in a colander:



Now it's time to get frying. Heat 2 cups of canola oil to 355 degrees F, and fry for about 4 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.



Now, as much as I loved these crunchy bites of tofu, I did feel that a good bit of the rich spicy flavor of the sauce was lost in the frying process. In the future, I would saute the tofu without the sauce until crunchy , and then toss it in the sauce while it's still piping hot. I realize this wouldn't be for everyone because you're going to get some serious heat in your tofu this way - but that's definitely the way I'd do it next time.



Once the tofu is drained, it's time for the really fun part - assembling the tacos! On a warm tortilla, place some of the tofu, julienned slices of jicama or Asian pear, kim chee, 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce, and sliced scallions. Heaven on a plate:

 



And of course you want some ice cold Korean beer or soju to wash it all down! Now go check out what everyone else has brought to the taco party!