When I posted my recipe for Char Siu pork belly, I mentioned that I had plans for the leftovers, and if it worked I’d post it here. Well, last night I ended up making these Mu Shu tacos, and they were as good as I was hoping they’d be. So here they are!

This does take a bit of effort, but it’s entirely worth it. The first thing you’ll need to do is save your leftover hoisin sauce from the original pork belly. It’ll last for a while in the fridge, as nothing in it is particularly perishable. You’ll also need to make a second full batch. Keep them separate, because the new batch will go into the cabbage mix and the leftovers can be drizzled on the tacos. As for the leftover pork, for this recipe I used half of the pork belly. To prepare it for this recipe, cut it in half crosswise and slice it thinly lengthwise, then set it aside for now. After the pork belly is sliced, put two large dried wood ear mushrooms in a heatproof bowl and cover them with boiling water. Set those aside for at least 20 minutes, which incidentally is the amount of time it’ll take to make the rest of the stuff.

You also need to make tortillas, so get those started first, as they’re going to take the longest. Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat it to medium. I use this avocado oil variety, which you can get from Costco or Amazon. For the tortillas, I use a recipe that has pork rinds as a base. While you can use regular pork rinds, I used pork rind crumbs so there were no chunks from underblending. Remember those slices of pork belly? While you’re making tortillas, heat up a Dutch oven over medium high heat. No need to use any oil, as the pork belly will cook like bacon. Throw the slices into the heated pan, turning them occasionally with tongs, until they start to crisp up and turn golden brown. Remove them from the pan and put them on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain, then store them in the warm oven with the tortillas. You’ll probably need to do this in batches. You can definitely cook them at the same time as the tortillas.

When all the pork belly is cooked, drain off most of the oil and return the Dutch oven to the stove. Add 3 ounces of thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms to the pan and cook them for about two minutes, then throw in a 16-ounce bag of coleslaw mix and a batch of the keto hoisin sauce, stirring to mix it all together. Using kitchen shears, snip the softened wood ear mushrooms into thin slices directly in the Dutch oven. By this point, the cabbage should be somewhat wilted. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting, then use the same kitchen shears to chop a bunch of green onions into the Dutch oven, in 1-inch strips. Stir it until the green onions just start to wilt, then turn it off.

To assemble your tacos, take a tortilla, put in some pork belly, then top with the cabbage mixture. Use your leftover hoisin sauce from making the pork belly to drizzle over the top of the cabbage. Fold them in half and put them in your face hole. These are really filling, but you’re still going to want to eat all 12 of them.

Mu Shu Pork Tacos

A good way to use your leftover Sous Vide Char Siu Pork Belly in a fun fusion form.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Course: Main Course

Calories: 549

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

For the Tortillas

• 4 ounces pork rinds or pork rind crumbs
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 8 large eggs
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• cooking spray

For the Taco Filling

• 1/2 recipe Char Siu Pork Belly see recipe below
• 1.5 recipe Keto Hoisin sauce divided; see notes above and recipe below
• 3 ounces thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 1 lb. shredded coleslaw mix
• 2 large dried wood ear mushrooms
• 1 bunch green onions

Equipment

• Sous vide apparatus
• Blender

Method

 

For the Tortillas

1. Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and coat with cooking spray. Add approximately 1/3 cup of batter for each tortilla, swirling the pan around to create a 5-6" circle. Cook each tortilla until the edges firm up, then flip over and continue until cooked through, about 4 minutes total. Put the tortillas into a warm oven to hold until serving.

For the Taco Filling

1. Put the wood ear mushrooms into a heatproof bowl and cover them with boiling water. Set them aside as you complete the rest of the recipe, at least 20 minutes.
2. Thinly slice your pork belly into approximately 4-inch long strips. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Put the pork belly strips into the Dutch oven and cook, turning frequently, until the pieces are crispy, about 8 minutes total. Put the finished pieces on a paper towel-lined plate to drain, then put them in the warm oven with the tortillas. You will likely need to do this in two batches.
3. When the pork belly is finished cooking, drain the leftover grease from the pan, then return it to the heat. Add your sliced shiitake mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the coleslaw mix and one full recipe of the keto hoisin sauce and stir to combine. Using kitchen shears, thinly slice the wood ear mushrooms into the Dutch oven, then stir again and reduce the heat to low. Finally, use the same shears to slice the green onions, green parts only, into 1-inch strips. Put those into the Dutch oven, stir until they're just beginning to wilt, then remove the mixture from the heat.
4. To assemble the tacos, put two slices of pork belly on a taco, then top with some of the coleslaw mixture and drizzle with the leftover hoisin sauce. Serve immediately.
5. Macros per serving (2 tacos): 549 calories, 8 grams net carbs, 38 grams protein, 39 grams fat. The fat and calories may actually be lower, because the pork belly is cooked to remove more of the fat than usual.

Sous Vide Char Siu Pork Belly

A tender and succulent pork belly with a sweet marinade, sous vide braised and finished on the grill.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 7 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Servings: 20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Calories: 479

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

For the Keto Hoisin Sauce

• 4 tbsp soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos
• 2 tbsp natural peanut butter no sugar added
• 1 tbsp Sukrin Gold fiber syrup or similar honey substitute
• 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• black pepper to taste

For the Pork Belly and Marinade

• 4 pounds pork belly skin off
• 1/4 cup granular Swerve sweetener
• 1/4 cup sugar-free ketchup
• 2 tbsp Keto Hoisin Sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp sriracha
• 3/4 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• red food coloring optional

Equipment

• Sous vide apparatus
• Vacuum sealer
• Gas or charcoal grill

Method

 

For the Hoisin Sauce

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Save two tablespoons for the pork marinade and refrigerate the rest for future use.

For the Pork Belly

1. Put water in the sous vide vessel and heat it to 176 degrees Fahrenheit (80 celsius). If your pork belly is too large to fit in your sous vide vessel, cut it in half.
2. Put the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Put half of the marinade into a ramekin and refrigerate it. Brush the other half onto both sides of the pork belly.
3. Put the pork belly into vacuum sealer bag(s) and seal it using the moist food/gentle settings. Place the bags into the water bath for 6-8 hours.
4. When you're almost ready to remove the pork, set up a gas or charcoal grill for indirect cooking. For the gas grill, turn on some of the burners to medium-high, but leave one set of burners off. For a charcoal grill, put the charcoal on one side of the grill only. If you can, place an aluminum drip pan underneath the unlit side of your grill to reduce the likelihood of a flare-up.
5. Carefully remove the bags from the water bath. Cut them open to drain the fluid from the bags, being especially careful if you used the red food coloring in the marinade. Pat the pork dry and coat it with the remaining marinade. Place it fatty side up on the unheated side of your grill and cook for about ten minutes, turning once, until it begins to get char spots. To serve, slice it thinly.
6. See the notes above for instructions on how to freeze half of it for cooking later if you won't need all the servings at once.
7. Macros per serving (a little over 3 ounces): 479 calories, 1 gram net carbs, 9 grams protein, 50 grams fat. The actual totals on this are likely a little lower, as some of the marinade is lost from the liquid drained from the sous vide bags, but it's impossible to calculate that, so I just included all of it.