Asian Pork Tacos

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Asian Pork Tacos start with warm, soft flour tortillas that get loaded up with a sweet-and-spicy pork/ veggie blend. Drizzle on the best spicy mayo sauce for the perfect finishing touch! 

Not sure about spicy pork tacos? Try our citrusy, carnita-inspired Ground Pork Tacos with a lime crema instead!

Overhead image of Asian Pork Tacos

Asian Pork Tacos

We can’t get enough of these tacos — they’re certainly unique, and insanely tasty! Plus, we’ve loaded them up with tons of hidden veggies which not only adds nutrients, but it also helps to stretch out the meat further, making this dish more budget friendly.

And while these tacos are a bit spicy, there is a good amount of sweetness to balance out the spice so it’s not too overpowering.

Process shots-- browning mushrooms and green onions; adding in the ground pork; continuing to brown the mixture.

QUICK TIP

When browning the pork, let it cook undisturbed in the skillet for a bit; we want to avoid stirring too much at the start, so it can get a nice brown crust. Browning equals flavor, so the more browning, the more flavorful the pork will be.

Asian Pork Tacos Filling Notes

  • Ground pork: We recommend an 85/15 blend for these tacos.
  • Mushrooms: The diced mushrooms add a nice texture and umami flavor while also helping the pork stretch further. We’re also “sneaking” in some veggies — win, win! Really, any mushrooms will work fine, and we typically use Baby Bella or Crimini.
  • Green onions: Separate the greens from whites — whites get sautĂ©ed with the mushrooms and greens add a finishing garnish.

SHORTCUTS

  • Minced ginger and garlic: For a quicker prep time, use Dorot’s® crushed garlic and ginger cubes. (Check if your local store carries them; they’re typically found with frozen veggies in the grocery store.) 
  • Matchstick carrots: Again, we like to use a timesaver here — get shredded carrots from your store; this is so much faster than cutting your own matchstick carrots.
  • Shredded cabbage: Instead of shredding a whole cabbage, grab a bag of already shredded cabbage — easy and it cooks down so quickly! (The only ingredient on the package should be green cabbage; avoid the veggie blends.)

Process shots-- images of the garlic, ginger, cabbage, and carrots being added to a pan and cooking; the sauce being mixed together; adding the sauce to the pan.

Asian Pork Tacos Stir-Fry Sauce

The sauce that gives the pork and veggies all the amazing flavor is so quick and easy to make, using pantry staples!

  • Cornstarch: This thickens everything nicely, adding a rich, glossy finish to the pork and veggies.
  • Soy sauce: We like using Kikkoman’s® regular soy sauce (not lite/low-sodium) in this sauce. Lite soy sauce doesn’t offer enough seasoning (saltiness).
  • Low-sodium chicken broth: It’s important to use low-sodium to control the saltiness. (There is a good amount between the soy sauce and hoisin sauce.)
  • Chili-garlic sauce: This ingredient balances the sweetness of the hoisin sauce and adds spice to these Asian Pork Tacos. Without this ingredient, the flavor will be lacking, but if you’re sensitive to spice, you can slightly reduce it (noting that flavor will be missing). If you don’t have access to this sauce, we did test this recipe with sriracha sauce and while not the same, it worked too. (We liked 1 tablespoon of Sriracha best.)
  • Hoisin sauce: It’s discussed below under the section “What is Hoisin?”

Process shots--cook the sauce until thickened; mix in the green onions.

What is Hoisin?

If you aren’t familiar with hoisin sauce, it’s a condiment made with fermented soybean paste, spices, and other ingredients — it’s sometimes called Chinese BBQ sauce. It adds an umami Asian flavor with sweet, spicy, and tangy elements. It’s very fragrant and makes a pungent sauce, the star of these tacos.

I’m pretty picky with hoisin sauce and have found a lot of brands to be fairly lackluster or overpowering in flavor. Hands down our favorite and what we recommend for these Asian Pork Tacos is Lee Kum Kee’s® sauce (not sponsored). If there is a brand you know you love, feel free to use that, otherwise, use Lee Kum Kee’s for best results.

Process shots of Asian Pork Tacos: combining sauce ingredients; mixing to combine; assemble tacos; drizzle sauce on tacos.

Spicy Mayo

The spicy mayo is the perfect finishing touch to these Asian Pork Tacos and it is so simple to make. We use more chili-garlic sauce, mayo, and some limes — and that’s it! If you’d prefer to not make the sauce, the tacos will still be tasty, but we’d recommend drizzling a few lime wedges on top to add a needed acidity and freshness.

Tortillas

Flour tortillas are best in this recipe and we prefer the smaller or street-sized flour tortillas best. These TortillaLand® tortillas are our favorite — they’re easy, so fresh tasting, and completely perfect right off the heat (not sponsored).

If you aren’t using the fresh tortillas, we recommend charring or warming the tortillas first, using one of the methods below:

  • Quick char the tortillas: Spray both sides of the tortillas with olive oil cooking spray and char the tortillas directly over the gas flames for a few seconds. Use tongs to flip until tortillas are lightly charred and soft. Immediately fold the tortilla in half (so it will fold into a taco nicely later) and set aside under a tea towel to keep them warm and pliable.
  • Warm the tortillas in a nonstick skillet. Spray both sides of the tortillas with olive oil cooking spray; cook for about 10-15 seconds, flip and cook for another 10-15 seconds. Immediately fold the tortilla in half (so it will fold into a taco nicely later) and set aside under a tea towel to keep them warm and pliable.
  • Warm tortillas in the microwave. Wrap a few tortillas in paper towels and microwave until warm and pliable, about 20 seconds.

Close-up image of Asian Pork Tacos

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Asian Pork Tacos

5 from 4 votes
Asian Pork Tacos start with warm, soft flour tortillas that get loaded up with a sweet-and-spicy pork/veggie blend. Drizzle on the best spicy-mayo sauce for the perfect finishing touch! 
Print Recipe

Asian Pork Tacos

5 from 4 votes
Asian Pork Tacos start with warm, soft flour tortillas that get loaded up with a sweet-and-spicy pork/veggie blend. Drizzle on the best spicy-mayo sauce for the perfect finishing touch! 
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Asian Pork Tacos
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6 servings (quantity of tacos dependent on how full you fill them!)
Chelsea Lords
Calories 753kcal
Cost $8.62

Ingredients

Pork & Tacos

  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 2 cups diced mushrooms Note 1
  • 1 bunch green onions, separated
  • 1-1/2 pounds (24 oz.) ground pork (85/15 blend)
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons each: minced ginger, minced garlic
  • 2 cups matchstick/shredded carrots
  • 1 bag (10 oz.) shredded cabbage Note 2
  • Soft flour tortillas Note 3
  • Optional: lime wedges, cilantro

Stir-Fry Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons regular soy sauce (not lite)
  • 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup good quality hoisin sauce Note 4
  • 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce, separated Note 5

Creamy Sauce (Optional)

  • 1/2 cup mayo Note 6
  • 2 juicy limes

Instructions

  • SAUCE: If making the creamy sauce, start so it has a chance to get more flavorful. Combine 1/2 cup mayo, 1/2 teaspoon lime zest, 3 tablespoons lime juice, and 2 teaspoons (up to 3 teaspoons) chili-garlic sauce. Season with a tiny pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth; cover and chill in the fridge until ready to use. (The sauce may make more than what you use, but better more than less! Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week.)
  • VEGGIE PREP: Wash, dry, and dice mushrooms into small pieces. Thinly slice green onions and separate into 2 parts -- the white parts and the greens. Mince ginger and garlic.
  • PORK: Heat sesame oil in a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the mushrooms and the white parts of the green onions. SautĂ©, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms soften, 3-4 minutes. Press to the edges of the pan and add pork to the center of the pan. Brown the pork, breaking up as you cook until it's mostly cooked through, 3-5 minutes. At this point, add in the ginger and garlic and continue to cook and break up the pork until it's no longer pink-- about 2-3 minutes.
  • SAUCE: While the pork is cooking, whisk together cornstarch and soy sauce in a medium-sized bowl until completely smooth. Once smooth, add in chicken broth, hoisin sauce, and 2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce. Whisk until smooth and set aside.
  • FINISH MEAT: Back to the pork: add in the cabbage and matchstick carrots. Stir for 1 minute and then add in the sauce. Cook and stir until the sauce is thickened and glossy and veggies are tender, about 2-3 more minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the green onion tops.
  • TACO ASSEMBLY: Cook tortilla shells or warm through (Note 7). Load up tortillas with 1/4 cup (38g) meat filling and then drizzle on sauce. If desired, top with fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges to drizzle on top. Enjoy promptly! If you fill each taco with 1/4 cup meat you should get about 28 tacos!

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Mushrooms: Pretty much any mushrooms will work fine, and we typically use Baby Bella or Crimini. Two cups is about 5-6 ounces of mushrooms.
Note 2: Cabbage: Instead of shredding a full cabbage, pick up a bag of already shredded cabbage -- so easy and it cooks down so quickly! (The only ingredient on the package should be green cabbage -- avoid the veggie blends.)
Note 3: Tortillas: Flour tortillas are best for these tacos -- these TortillaLand tortillas are our favorite -- they're easy, so fresh tasting, and completely perfect right off the heat (not sponsored).
Note 4: Hoisin sauce: We recommend Lee Kum Kee's sauce for this recipe. Hoisin sauce can vary a lot from brand to brand, so if there is a brand you know you love, feel free to use that; otherwise, use Lee Kum Kee's for best results.
Note 5: Chili-garlic sauce: This is spicy and adds heat to these tacos! Without this ingredient, the flavor will be lacking, but if you're overly sensitive to spice, you can slightly reduce it. We also tested this recipe with sriracha sauce and while not the same, it worked. (We liked 1 tablespoon of Sriracha best in the pork mixture--2 was too hot!--and 1 tablespoon in the sauce).
Note 6: Mayo: Use a good (not sweet) mayo like Hellman's/Best Foods. If you don't want to add the spicy mayo sauce, drizzle lots of fresh lime instead on top of the pork mixture. The lime will add much-needed acidity and freshness! If you'd like a spicier sauce, add more chili-garlic sauce.
Note 7: Warming tortillas: If not using the fresh tortillas that need to be cooked, we recommend warming tortillas first using one of the below methods:
  • Quick char the tortillas: Spray both sides of the tortillas with olive oil cooking spray and char the tortillas directly over the gas flames for a few seconds. Use tongs to flip until tortillas are lightly charred and soft. Immediately fold the tortilla in half (so it will fold into a taco nicely later) and set aside under a tea towel to keep them warm and pliable.
  • Warm the tortillas in a nonstick skillet. Spray both sides of the tortillas with olive oil cooking spray; cook for about 10-15 seconds, flip and cook for another 10-15 seconds. Immediately fold the tortilla in half (so it will fold into a taco nicely later) and set aside under a tea towel to keep them warm and pliable.
  • Warm tortillas in the microwave. Wrap a few tortillas in paper towels and microwave until warm and pliable, about 20 seconds.
Nutrition information is for one serving, which is about 4 or 5 tacos (street taco size).

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 753kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 1921mg | Potassium: 836mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 7231IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 191mg | Iron: 6mg

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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Recipe Rating




8 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This recipe is amazing! I used cooked shredded pork because that’s what I had and it worked just fine. I love the flavors and the bit of zip. Would also be good over rice or on a lettuce leaf.

  2. Thank you for this great recipe. We had it in bowls over rice and it was really good.
    Couldn’t get the chili garlic sauce so we used the plain chili sauce and added some garlic…

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