Taco Pao fills soft bao with tender five-spice pork, crunchy cabbage, and tangy pickled daikon.
2 hours 30 minutes · Serves 6
Ingredients for Taco Pao
400 g pork loin, cubed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1/3 cup water
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 cup water, plus more as needed
Oil
Salt, to taste
2 cups daikon radish
1/2 thumb-sized piece ginger, thinly sliced
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup white sugar
Taco-shaped steamed buns (bao or gwa pao)
Thinly shredded cabbage
Sliced red chilies
Mayonnaise
How to cook Taco Pao
1.Sauté garlic in oil, add pork, and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add 1 cup water, soy sauce, brown sugar, and five-spice; simmer gently for 2 hours until pull-apart tender.
2.Stir occasionally and add water if needed; mix in hoisin and cornstarch slurry, simmer until thick, then season with salt.
3.Toss daikon with 1 tablespoon salt and rest 1 hour; rinse thoroughly, squeeze dry, and combine with ginger.
4.Boil vinegar, 1/2 cup water, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt for 5 minutes without stirring; pour over daikon, cover, and refrigerate for 2 days.
5.Steam bao according to package directions; fill with pork, cabbage, pickled daikon, chilies, and mayonnaise.
