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Banh Mi Pork Lettuce Cups
with pickled vegetables / pineapple smoothie

Active: 30 min Total: 1 hr
Inspired by Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwiches, these lettuce cups got great reviews for flavor and texture when they were first featured in 2017.
Smarts: Like most lettuce cups, these are messy to eat. If you prefer less mess, you can chop the lettuce and serve this like a salad instead.
Proteins
Cuisines

Ingredients

Metric
Servings:
4
Banh Mi Pork Lettuce Cups:
  • Garlic - 2 cloves , chopped
  • Tomato paste - 2 Tbsp
  • Bragg's / coconut aminos - 2 1/2 Tbsp
  • Honey - 2 tsp
  • Vinegar, rice - 1 Tbsp
  • Oil, toasted sesame - 1 Tbsp
  • Limes - 1 , wedges
  • Cilantro - 1 Tbsp , chopped
  • Pork chops, boneless - 1 1/2 lbs , cubed
  • Lettuce, romaine hearts - 12 leaves
  • Oil, cooking - 2 Tbsp
  • Sesame seeds, white (opt) - 2 tsp
  • Hot sauce - for serving
Asian Pickled Vegetables:
  • Coleslaw mix - 6 oz (sub thinly sliced cabbage)
  • Carrots, pre-shredded - 5 oz
  • Vinegar, rice - 1 1/2 Tbsp
  • Honey - 1 tsp
Pineapple Banana Smoothie:
  • Pineapple, frozen cubes - 12 oz
  • Bananas - 2
  • Coconut water - 1 cup (sub water or fruit juice)

Prep

  1. Make sauce - Chop garlic. Whisk together garlic, tomato paste, aminos, honey, vinegar (portions for pork), and toasted sesame oil. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
  2. Make pickled vegetables - Toss together coleslaw mix, shredded carrots, vinegar, and honey (portions for the vegetables). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to a day. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
  3. Limes / Cilantro - Prep as directed and store separately. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
  4. Pork - Slice pork into 1" / 2.5 cm cubes. Season with some salt and pepper. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
  5. Make smoothies - Blend pineapple, bananas, and coconut water in a blender until smooth. Add some additional coconut water, water, or juice a bit at a time if needed to get a smooth consistency.
  6. Lettuce - Peel off leaves for lettuce cups.

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Make

  1. Heat a wok or nonstick pan with cooking oil over medium-high heat. Add pork and saute until nearly cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Pour sauce over pork and simmer until sauce thickens and pork is cooked through, ~2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sesame seeds.
  2. Divide pork into lettuce cups and top with pickled vegetables. Squeeze lime wedges over top and finish with cilantro and some hot sauce. Enjoy with smoothies on the side.

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