Banh Mi Pork Tacos with Quick-Pickled Veggies & Sriracha-Lime Mayo

These 20-minute, one-pan banh mi-inspired pork tacos might just be the easiest and most delicious thing you’ll make all week. The key to crispy, caramelized pork is to allow it to sit undisturbed, both before and after adding the sauce. The sugars in the sauce caramelize to form sticky, lacy edges that are seriously delicious.

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients: 

  • 2 medium carrots

  • 2 persian cucumbers

  • 3 TBSP rice wine vinegar

  • 2 tsp granulated sugar

  • 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced

  • 3 TBSP mayonnaise

  • 1 lime, quartered

  • Sriracha, to taste

  • 12 oz ground pork

  • ¼ cup fish sauce

  • 3 TBSP sweet chili sauce

  • 6 6-inch flour tortillas

  • Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

Directions: 

  1. Trim and peel carrot and cucumber. Using your peeler, shave veggies lengthwise into ribbons (stop when you reach the seedy center of the cucumbers and discard). 

  2. In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, sugar, and 2 TBSP water. Whisk until sugar is mostly dissolved. Place veggie ribbons and sliced jalapeno in bowl with vinegar mixture and set aside, tossing occasionally, until ready to serve. In a separate small bowl, combine mayo and sriracha to taste. 

  3. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat until oil is nearly smoking. Add pork and spread into a single layer. Allow to sear undisturbed until a crust begins to form, 2-3 minutes. While pork sears, combine fish sauce, sweet chili sauce, and a squeeze of lime juice in a small bowl. Once pork has formed a crust, add sauce and continue to cook, breaking pork up into pieces, until pork is evenly coated in sauce. Allow to cook undisturbed for another 2-3 minutes, until pork is crispy, caramelized, and cooked through. 

  4. Wrap tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave until soft and pliable, 30 seconds. Divide between plates and fill with pork. Drizzle with sriracha mayo, then top with pickled veggies, draining first. Top with cilantro and serve with remaining lime wedges on the side.


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Scallion-Shrimp Bowls with Honey-Ponzu Sauce & Toasted Sesame