Korean Beef and Kimchi Quesadillas

When I was looking through foodgawker couple weeks ago, I saw these Korean beef quesadillas from Mantitlement. What caught my eyes wasn’t only the stunning picture, but also the name “Korean beef”. A few years ago, I have posted a Korean beef recipe. It is a simple meat dish with the sweet and savory Korean flavors. To this day, I still cook that all the time. That was why I was really shocked to see them in quesadilla form. Brilliant idea! Why haven’t I thought of that before?

The flavors of these quesadillas were spectacular! No dipping sauce is needed. Cheesy, garlicky, little sweet, meaty and crispy… I wouldn’t have known that soy sauce and ginger could go well with mozzarella cheese. The first time, we ate these quesadillas with some kimchi. It was heavenly! Love that sourness and spicy kick. Second time around, I added some kimchi in it. The kimchi helps to refresh the taste bud and cut the heaviness. I highly recommend using kimchi. Even if don’t like it, use a little less. If you happen to love it, serve with extra on the side. This is such a tasty dish that push all other quesadillas to aside! Ready to for some now?

P.S. My wrist is much better! I can type with both hands now. 🙂

Korean Beef and Kimchi Quesadillas

3 servings

Ingredients:

–   5 tablespoons light brown sugar

–   3½ tablespoons soy sauce

–   1 teaspoon ginger (minced)

–   dash of red pepper flakes

–   2 teaspoons sesame oil

–   ¾ pound lean ground beef

–   3 cloves garlic (minced)

–   3 extra large flour tortillas (10-inch)

–   1½ cup shredded mozzarella

–   ¼ cup kimchi (cut into bite size pieces), plus more for serving

–   3 green onions (finely chopped)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, drizzle the sesame oil. Cook the beef and garlic until cooked through. Drain everything with a sieve. Return the beef to the pan. Stir in the brown sugar mixture. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook for 4 – 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl.
3. In another large pan over medium-high heat. Add the tortilla to the pan and cook until lightly browned. Using a tong or spatula, turn the tortilla over and cook the other side. On half of the tortilla, add ¼ cup of cheese. Add ¼ cup ground beef, 2 tablespoons green onions, and 1½ tablespoon kimchi. Top with another ¼ cup cheese. Fold the tortilla in half over the ingredients to make a half-moon. Cook until browned on both sides. Transfer to a clean chopping board. Cut the quesadilla into 4 portions. Repeat with the other two quesadillas.
4. Serve immediately with extra kimchi.

Tips:

1. I used extra large tortillas. You can use regular large ones.

(Adapted from Mantitlement)