Korean-Inspired Sloppy Joes and Quick Pickles
- Level: Easy
- Total: 30 min
- Active: 30 min
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
Pickles:
1 seedless English cucumber or 4 small Persian or Kirby cucumbers
About 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons superfine sugar
1 tablespoon gochugaru Korean chili flakes or chili paste
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Sloppy Joes:
1 Asian pear or Bosc pear
1 onion, red or yellow
4 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger root
Neutral oil, such as peanut or safflower
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, Lea and Perrins preferred brand
1/3 cup gochujang Korean paste, Mother in Law's preferred brand
1 cup beef or chicken stock
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
4 to 6 soft large hamburger rolls, Big Marty's preferred brand
4 scallions, whites and greens, chopped
2 green chilies, fresh finger or jalapeno, or pickled jalapeno peppers
Directions
- Gather your ingredients.
- For the pickles: Thinly slice the cucumber 1/4 to 1/8-inch thick. In a bowl, whisk up rice wine vinegar, sugar, chili flakes, salt and sesame oil. Add sliced cucumbers and toss.
- For sloppy joes: Peel and grate the pear on a wide tooth of box grater. Peel and chop the onion and slice or grate the garlic and ginger.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high to high heat. Add the oil, 2 turns of the pan, then add the meats and brown and crumble. Season with salt and pepper. Add pear, onions, garlic and ginger and stir a couple of minutes to soften. Add soy sauce, Worcestershire, chili paste, stock, sugar and sesame oil. Bring to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Serve beef on rolls with scallions and fresh or pickled chili peppers and quick pickles.
Cook’s Note
You can also serve sloppy lettuce wraps with same recipe.
