Taco night

My favorite food is by far Asian style cuisine. Chinese, Thai, Korean; whatever just give it to me. My husband on the other hand loves Mexican food above all. As with any good marriage, we must compromise and thus the coconut curry pork taco with peanut cilantro slaw came about. This recipe is a little time consuming because of all the knife work. This is by no means difficult, it just takes some time. Look at it as an opportunity to practice your skills on a day when you are feeling a bit bored. This dish is light, flavorful, and nice twist on the old taco routine. All of the Asian ingredients can be easily found in the international section of your local grocery store. No need for a trip to a specialty shop.

What She did

2 Tbsp Olive Oi
1 lb ground pork
Corn tortillas, seriously, use corn not flour
2 tbsp vegetable oil for cooking tortillas
3 stems of bok choy chopped, leaves removed and set aside
½ a white onion, chopped
1 tbsp cumin
½ teaspoon white pepper½ tablespoon Goya
salt and pepper½ teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
2 dashes fish sauce
¼-½ can coconut milk
1 teaspoon green curry paste
1 clove garlic, mincee
2 tablespoons pad thai sauce. I used Annie Chungs because I like that it does not have a super strong peanut flavor, but brings a savory depth to the meat.

Chop the white parts of the bok choy and the onion, sauté in in a large pan for about 5 minuets.
Add the pork, breaking it into small pieces. Add the garlic, cumin, Goya, salt and pepper, chili flakes, fish sauce, and white pepper.
When the pork is almost done and the veggies are soft add the coconut milk, pad thai sauce and the green curry paste. Stir to combine, cooking until the coconut milk has reduced.

For the Slaw

½ a nappa cabbage, julienned ( sliced long and thin, like match sticks)
4 green onions, chopped
½ a red bell pepper, julienned
1 fist full of cilantro, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
2 radishes, sliced thins and quartered

Mix all the colorful and beautiful veggies, except the cilantro, in a bowl. I did it in a Tupperware so that I could just put a lid on the leftovers and call it a day.
After you dress the slaw add the cilantro so that it distributes properly.

For the Dressing

½ inch of ginger, peeled and mined finely
½ teaspoon honey
A pinch of salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Juice of half a lime
1 teaspoon pad thai sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil ( or any other neutral flavored oil)

Now here is where you can feel free to make adjustments according to your taste. If you want your dressing thicker, add more of the pad thai sauce and maybe cut back on the lime juice. Your looking for this multi-layerd flavor of salty, sweet, tangy umami goodness that Asian food is known for. This slaw gets better as it sets, make this before the meat and let it marry in the fridge while you cook the meat and tortillas.

Speaking of cooking the tortillas…well let’s speak about it. You don’t HAVE to do this but if you don’t the tortilla will fall apart and not cooking the tortilla is just wrong. Like not toasting the bread on a BLT. Or like not leaving a note on someone’s windshield when you hit their car. Just cook them. Use a marinade brush or even your fingers to spread a tiny bit of veggie oil on both sides and cook them on each side in a dry pan for a few minuets. You WILL thank me.