Crispy Pork Belly Bao Buns with Pickled Cucumbers

Crispy Pork Belly Bao Buns with Pickled Cucumbers

adapted from Bon Appetit

The pork can be cooked 2 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat before serving.

Bao buns are available in Asian grocers. No bao buns? No problem! Serve in lettuce cups.

Makes 3 servings

1 12-ounce piece skin-on pork belly
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp.Truvia brown sugar blend™, divided

4 chiles de árbol
2 star anise pods
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 Persian or kirby cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 scallions, thinly sliced
½ red chile (such as Fresno or jalapeño), thinly sliced
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
3 Tbsp.white miso
6 Bao buns
1/4 bunch mint
1/4 cup kimchi

1. Diagonally score fat side of pork belly, cutting through fat but stopping at flesh and spacing about ¼" apart. 
2. Season pork with salt and pepper and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. brown sugar; Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let sit at least 2 hours, or chill up to 2 days.
3. Preheat oven to 400°. 
4. Unwrap pork and place in the smallest baking dish you have available. 
5. Add chiles de árbol, star anise, soy sauce, remaining 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, and 1¼ cups water. 
6. Roast until most of fat has rendered, meat is tender, and top is browned and crisp, 2–2½ hours.
7. Meanwhile, toss cucumbers, scallions, red chile, and vinegar in a small bowl to combine. 
8. Mix gochujang and miso in another small bowl.
9. Steam the bao buns for 10 minutes.
10. Transfer pork to a cutting board; let rest 10 minutes. 
11. Pour off pan juices into a measuring glass. Skim fat from surface.
12. Slice pork into ½" slices, transfer to a platter, and pour pan juices over. 
13. Meanwhile steam the bao buns for 10 minutes or until heated through; Cut  open the bao bun but not completely through.
14. Serve the pork in the bao buns with the cucumber salad, mint, kimchi , and gochujang-miso mixture for topping.

Enjoy!

Gochujang Shrimp Cocktail

Gochujang Shrimp Cocktail

adapted from Food Network

Gochujang is a fermented red chili paste that has a savory, sweet, and spicy taste that is popular in Korean cooking.

I love shrimp cocktail but my husband would never order or request it. He will eat it if it is in front of him but it is not one of his favorites. This one however he said he would request again and even wanted to save the sauce to use on chicken. He said it was better than ketchup and that's saying something. He puts ketchup on everything.

Makes 2 servings with leftover sauce                                     1 WW point / Tbsp.

1/4 cup ketchup

1 Tbsp. Gochujang

1 1/2 tsp mayonnaise

1 tsp. rice vinegar

1/2 tsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1/2 tsp. sugar substitute

3/4 tsp wasabi paste

3/4 tsp. water

1/2 lb. poached shrimp or purchased cooked shrimp

1. Whisk together the ketchup, Gochujang, mayonnaise, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar substitute in a bowl.
2. In a separate small bowl mix together the wasabi powder to form a paste; Add to the ketchup mixture.
3. Serve with the poached shrimp.

Enjoy!