Yesterday was a bit of a rough day for me. I took the Bubba boy to the vet to have surgery. Minor surgery to remove a mass from his mouth and his eyelid, but surgery that involves anesthesia and a 13-year-old dog is scary. He is the light of my life and if anything were to happen to him…well, it wouldn’t be good. Fortunately the surgery went well, and Bubba woke up…angrily according to the vet, but I have a hard time envisioning my mild-tempered boy to be angry. He doesn’t bark or growl – ever – for crying out loud. It took quite some time for the anesthesia to fully wear off, and it was a sad/cute thing to see. But, as the hours passed, he slowly began to get back to normal. I sure love that little guy 🙂
And, he sure likes to linger in the kitchen while Mama cooks. The smell of these tacos must have been irresistable, because even when I shooed him out, he’d lie right outside the kitchen and stare….just waiting for me to drop something and call him to come clean it up for me. Yes, I do that. And he loves it. I first saw this recipe on Jessica’s blog, and immediately thought that I would make it into a taco! Mmm mmm good. I was so happy with how it turned out, and that it translated well into a taco. It’s definitely a different twist, and the flavors were amazing. Whether in a taco or as a plated dish, you should try this…stat!
Oh, and hug your pets a little extra tonight, and appreciate the joy and love that they bring to your life. 🙂
Shanghai Pork & Cabbage Tacos
Adapted from: Sunny Side Up In San Diego
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat
- 2 tsp corn starch
- 1 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- dash salt
- 2-3 cups shredded cabbage (I used angel hair coleslaw mix)
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- Red Chile Sauce for serving
- Flour Tortillas
Preparation
- In a small bowl whisk together the corn starch, rice vinegar, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil, pepper and sugar. Remove the pork from the freezer and cut into 1/4″ slices. Stack the slices on top of each other and cut into 1/4 inch strips. Place the strips of pork in the sauce and stir to evenly coat.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of peanut oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat until the oil just starts to smoke. Use tongs to carefully add the pork strips to the hot oil. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the pork is no longer pink and the edges just start to turn golden brown, stirring the pork to evenly cook .
- Add the cabbage and cook just until the cabbage is tender, but not completely wilted, about 30 more seconds.
- Warm tortillas, layer with rice and pork mixture, then drizzle with chile sauce and serve warm.
Jessica
I'm so glad your pup is doing well. Even minor surgeries can be scary!
And I LOVE what you did here!! What a great idea. Love Taco Tuesdays! +1 for creativity 🙂