Paleo Bahn Mi Inspired Tacos
I grew up in an area without too many foreign, or exotic foods. I didn't actively seek them out either, because I didn't know much about them. As I grew up I began to love some of these combinations that were so new and foreign to me.
One of the most simple, yet mind blowing foods I encountered was a bahn mi sandwich. A popular vietnamese sandwich that I fell in love with.
Toppings seem to vary, too, depending on where you get one. I've tried quite a few but the most memorable was one from a food truck at music festival years ago.
The thing I loved about this one, was a sweet plum sauce that covered the pork. We recreated it often, burger style. Bun, store bought plum sauce, spicy mayo slaw, and used a ginger spiced turkey burger as the base.
After going paleo, I forgot about my favorite twist on the traditional bahn mi, but was recently reminded of it and inspired to recreate it, taco and paleo style.
4 of your favorite paleo taco shells (my favorites: here, here, and here.)
pulled pork (I put a pork tenderloin in a crock pot with garlic, salt and pepper, covered with broth for about 6 hours, flipping halfway, then puling with a fork)
julienned carrots and cucumber
cashew butter (or a creamy tahini)
Go ahead and prepare your pork (takes about 6 hours in a crock pot).
Use a peeler to julienne your cucumber and carrots. Soak these in a few tbsp of rice vinegar (no sugar kind) and water while you're prepping the rest.
Chop cabbage to a coleslaw like size. Add 1 tsp cashew butter, a drizzle of hot sauce, a drizzle of rice vinegar, and a drop of fish sauce for extra umami (thanks Nom Nom Paleo!) Mix (I used my hands for best results)
Set the veggies and cabbage in the fridge until ready to serve.
Blend 1/2 cup blackberries or your favorite seasonal berry (plums were nowhere to be found!) in a food processor with 1/4 up of water. Bring to a boil on the stovetop in a small pan. Add 1 tbsp raw honey, and stir until sauce has thickened.
Take some of your pulled pork and heat it slightly on the stovetop. I sprinkled a little ginger powder on it for extra flavor.
Assemble: lay a small handful of pork on your shell. Drizzle the fruit sauce on the pork, then top with the vinegar soaked veggies, and slaw. Sprinkle a few cilantro leaves and green onion on top.
