Thai Pork Burritos is a gleefully inauthentic weeknight meal with vaguely Asian styling. They aren’t fancy enough to call fusion food, and would be unrecognizable in Thailand or Mexico. They are, however, delicious and easy. They have been a staple at our dinner table for nearly two decades, and were my son’s all-time favorite meal for years.
Most recipes on this site come from old-school vintage cookbooks. Thai Pork Burritos does not. When we were first married my mother would ‘gift’ us stacks of recipes torn from magazines or printed from the internet. This particular recipe came from the National Pork Board, part of an initiative to boost ground pork sales. The Pork Board still links to a version of this recipe from their main site. It’s different from our printed version, which has slightly different ingredients and reflects twenty-year old website design trends. Other variants of this recipe have spread far and wide across the internet: the version at food.com is closest to what we make at home.
Preparation is straightforward. Ground pork is browned over high heat. Then aromatics and cabbage are added, and stir-fried until wilted. Last, a mixture of soy sauce, honey, and spices are stirred in and the mixture is allowed to simmer until the flavors blend. Spoon the mixture into tortillas, garnish with cilantro, and serve. As with any stir-fry, mise en place is key to a good result. The final cook goes quick, so be sure to chop veggies and prepare the sauce ahead of time.
Our family has made two modifications to the original recipe. First, as we’ve gotten older we’ve added Sriracha to our burritos. Sriracha provides a beautiful contrast to the sweet pork filling. Second, we fill our burritos with half pork half jasmine rice. I’m not at all sure why or how this started. There’s no real need to double up on the carbs. But after twenty-odd years I can’t eat my Thai Pork Burritos any other way.
Thai Pork Burritos have always been a full meal at our house. I will occasionally serve them with fresh fruit, but they need no accompaniment. Meat, starch, and veggies all rolled up in a tortilla. Who could ask for anything more? Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb ground pork
- 2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
- ½ tsp chopped garlic
- 1 sweet onion (peeled and thinly sliced)
- 2 cups cole slaw mix
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp floral honey
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- 6 10 inch tortillas
- 2 cups cooked jasmine rice
- chopped cilantro
- sriracha hot sauce
Instructions
- Brown pork in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Break up the pork into small pieces as you cook.
- When the pork is well-browned, stir in ginger, garlic, onion, and coleslaw mix. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until cole slaw is wilted, then reduce heat and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent.
- Mix sesame oil, soy sauce, lime juice, honey, coriander, and red pepper in a medium bowl. Pour into skillet and stir to combine, ensuring that all of the pork and veggies are coated. Simmer for 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat.
- Fill burritos with equal portions of pork and rice. Garnish with cilantro and sriracha and serve.