The other night we started trying to come up with a good appetizer idea. Of course we immediately started thinking of Mexican food. But... we also started thinking of one of our other favorite cuisines, Asian.
After a few jokes about lawn mowing and crustaceans, we decided that we might just have to have 2 appetizers. But.. time was getting short, so we had to make a quick decision between the two... or did we?
What happens when you blend Mexican and Asian food? Well I am sure that many things can happen, but tonight Korean Beef Quesadillas happened. An incredible blend between the cheesy goodness of the quesadilla and the sweet, tangy, salty Korean flavors in the beef, make a perfect combination.
Ingredients:
8 medium flour tortillas
1 lb ground beef (80/20)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbs sesame seeds
2 tbs fresh ginger, grated
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tbs sriracha
2 cups Queso Chihuahua (mozzarella works as well), shredded
6 green onions, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Directions:
Brown the beef in a large skillet over med-low heat. Add a 1/4 cup of water to the meat. This will help keep the texture of the meat soft. Continually stir and break apart the meat into small pieces.
Tip - browning the meat slowly will allow you to get smaller pieces of meat. If you brown the meat too quickly, you will get larger, dryer pieces of meat.
While the meat is browning, make the sauce by adding the brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, sesame seeds, ginger, red pepper & sriracha. Whisk to combine well.
Once the meat is browned, drain a little of the fat off, then add the sauce to the meat and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
In another skillet or grill pan, over medium to medium-high heat, spray the surface with cooking spray.
Lay one tortilla down. Add an even layer of beef then cover with a thick covering of shredded cheese. Add a sprinkling of green onions and a very light sprinkle of salt. Top with another tortilla and press down with a bowl or small weight.
After 2-3 minutes check the bottom of the tortilla to see if it is browned. Once browned, flip it over and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes. Keep checking to make sure the tortilla doesn't burn.
Transfer to a cutting board and repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Cut the quesadillas into 1/4's or 1/8''s. Once plated, sprinkle with cilantro and any remaining green onions.
Notes:
Original recipe - Korean Beef Quesadilla Recipe | Mantitlement
Servings = 8 (for a main dish)