These Korean Pork Tacos with Crispy Slaw are a delicious, quick and easy meal. Pile the bulgogi-seasoned pork on warm tortillas and top with a refreshing, crispy, tangy slaw. These tacos are the perfect solution to leftover pork and no one will ever guess they're leftovers!
I love how new recipes come out of situations where you have to do something with leftovers and don’t exactly know what to do. Now some people love leftovers and some people hate them but, with this recipe, I think both the lovers and the haters can come together.
No one will believe these are leftovers!
This recipe for Korean Pork Tacos with Crispy Slaw came about while visiting my sister in Michigan. We had a huge pork loin all fixed for a big family dinner that got postponed at the last minute. We ate the deliciously cooked pork loin the first night but had to figure out what to do with so much leftover.
Enter my Korean (Bulgogi) BBQ Kabobs. The sauce that is used on these is so awesome I thought it would work well for turning the pork loin into pork tacos. I actually boiled it down by half to make it more like a thick salsa and wow! it turned out so rich and flavorful. We drizzled some over the meat to reheat it and served the rest on the side.
So, after you’ve made a delicious pork loin dinner, like my Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin Sheet Pan Dinner or Grilled Asian Pork Loin, this Korean Pork Tacos with Crispy Slaw recipe will come in handy. They taste like an entirely different meal and I’ll bet no one will be able to tell they’re leftovers. Not only that, it’s a quick and easy meal that you can throw together on any busy weeknight.
Leftover Pork never tasted so good!
Next, I hit the internet for a nice fresh, crunchy slaw to put on top. I decided on using Dash of Texas' Crunchy Slaw for the basic slaw and made it simpler by using a packaged coleslaw mix along with the other ingredients. This crispy slaw can be made ahead of time and is actually better when it sits for about 30 minutes.
Just a few simple steps to make this fresh crispy slaw.
- Gather all the ingredients. There's quite a few but they are staple items that you probably have in your refrigerator or pantry.
- Place all the fresh chopped vegetables in a large bowl. Sprinkle on spices.
- Add simple dressing of vinegar, olive oil, lime juice and sugar.
- Toss to coat. Let marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes while preparing rest of meal.
We also had some avocados and they were just ripening up, so it seemed fitting to whip up a nice avocado crema to combat some of the heat in the bulgogi sauce. For the crema we used a recipe from Chowhound that was both simple and delicious.
We served the meat and slaw with warm tortillas, sliced avocados and shredded cheese for a make-your-own taco dinner. When we took out first bite all you could hear at the table were sighs of pure pleasure. The meat had a little heat to it and the crispy slaw had a nice fresh and crispy bite to it. My brother-in-law now swears that’s the only way he wants his tacos from now on. My sister and I were pretty blown away with the success of our leftover impromptu dinner. Yay us!
This is a great weeknight dinner but it’s also so delicious you can serve it to guests. No pork leftovers? Don't let keep you from making this recipe. Just cook a few pork loins up just for this dinner – believe me, it’s worth it!
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KOREAN PORK TACOS WITH CRISPY SLAW
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork loin cooked & sliced very thin
Bulgogi Sauce
- 5 Tablespoons soy sauce use Tamari for gluten-free
- 2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 ½ Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 Tablespoons white sesame seeds
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground or fresh ginger optional
Crispy Slaw
- 3 ½ cups packaged coleslaw mix (cabbage & carrots)
- 2 jalapenos chopped
- ½ red bell pepper thinly sliced then halved
- ½ yellow bell pepper thinly sliced then halved
- ½ cup cilantro roughly chopped
- ⅓ large red onion
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ⅓ cup white vinegar
- ⅓ cup light extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 3 limes or 6 Tablespoons lime juice
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- Toppings: avocado crema sour cream, avocados, shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
Crispy Slaw
- Place the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.
- Mix paprika, cayenne pepper and cumin together and sprinkle over prepared vegetables.
- Combine vinegar, olive oil, lime juice and sugar and stir well.
- Pour over seasoned vegetables. Stir and place in refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes.
Bulgogi Sauce
- Place all sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then simmer until mixture is reduced by half and slightly thickened. It should take about 20 minutes. This step can be done ahead of time.
- Pour a little over the sliced pork and reheat quickly in microwave.
- Serve the pork with warmed tortillas, remaining bulgogi sauce, crispy slaw and your favorite toppings.
