Cheesecake Factory's Vietnamese Tacos, At Home!

Earlier this week I was slightly overwhelmed by stress, and decided to drop everything for a tried and true stress reliever - tackling a new (and complicated) recipe. Its was pure kismet that I had all of the ingredients at my house already, including leftover pulled pork that my dad had slow-cooked on his Big Green Egg a few nights before. It was just begging to be used.

I had been totally craving Vietnamese pork buns, which I've had at a few restaurants recently as an appetizer. Most recently, I had them at none other than the Cheesecake Factory, which far from being traditional Asian, were still downright delicious. I know I've had similar buns in other Asian restaurants, but the ones I made at home were directly inspired by the Cheesecake Factory's "Vietnamese Tacos."

The Inspiration: Vietnamese Tacos, from Cheesecake Factory

This was a learning process, and I still need to perfect it. I have very little experience with cooking Asian dishes but I really want to learn. I was very proud of my first attempt, and they passed with flying colors with the whole family. I adapted two recipes that I found online to make my recipe. Jaden from Steamy Kitchen made a version with Pork Belly, and I took the recipe for the buns here at Use Real Butter, but I cut the recipe in half. Both sites have some delicious recipes!

My Homemade Pork Buns!

The steamed buns are what MAKE this dish. Soft and pillowy, they were tricky to make and absolutely delicious. I have never attempted steamed buns before and was thrilled to discover I could make them, and not have to get them store bought and pumped with preservatives. I know you will love them as much as I did!

Asian Pork Buns

makes 18 

Roll out the dough for the buns

Buns are rolled and ready to be steamed, on individual parchment paper

A finished bun! A little deflated, but still delicious

For the Buns:

2 Tbsp sugar
1 cup warm water
3/4 Tbsp yeast
3 - 4 cups flour
1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp canola oil or shortening

Heat the water until its just above 100 degrees F. Dissolve the sugar into the warm water and then add the yeast. Mix completely then let rest for about 10 minutes, until the yeast's froth has grown on top of the mixture. Meanwhile, mix the other dry ingredients (flour, baking powder) and the oil in a big mixing bowl. Pour the yeast mixture and combine thoroughly until a ball of dough forms. Turn out onto a floured surface and kneed in any additional flour until it had become a springy, shiny ball of dough that is soft and not sticky.

Lightly flour a big bowl and place dough inside to rise. Cover with plastic and allow to sit in a warm spot for a few hours, until the dough has tripled in size.

Once the dough has risen, roll out on floured surface and kneed once again. The dough should be divided into equal parts, you should be able to cut into at least 16, possibly 18, even chunks. Roll each piece into a ball and cover all the balls to keep them moist. Roll out each ball into an oval and then fold in half to make a semi-circle shape. Set each bread on an individual square of parchment paper and line up on a cookie sheet to prepare to be cooked. Make sure to cover the prepared buns with a moist towel to keep them from drying out.

Once all the buns have been rolled and shaped, its time to steam!! Most of the recipes say to steam them in a wok, but I just used a stockpot with a steamer tray insert. Put a few inches of water in the bottom and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer so that there is still plenty of steam but its not too hot. Place a few of the buns in the steamer and cover. Allow to cook for 15 minutes, and don't open the cover! When time is up, quickly remove the buns and start the next batch. Allow buns to cool on a rack as you cook the rest.

Side Note - I found it easiest to peel the buns open while they were still hot so that they could be stuffed, if they cool all the way they stick and have to be cut open.

I found it a little challenging to keep the buns from collapsing. If the steam is too hot or they don't cook long enough the skin tends to break and appear gummy. If anyone has hints on how to avoid this I would appreciate it! I think it just takes patience and a good steamer.

The Buns are now ready for the delicious filling!

Pulled pork, ready to be cooked!

Pulled Pork:
3 cups of leftover pulled pork, shredded, preferably without any bbq sauce
1/2 cup diced onions
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 Tbsp ginger (fresh or powdered)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp Asian fish sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp teryaki sauce
1/2 cup water

In a bowl, combine all ingredients (except the pork) and whisk into a marinade.
Pour some of the marinade over the pork to marinate and set aside. Reserve the rest of the marinade for later. Pour a small amount of oil in a large frying pan and heat. When the oil is hot, toss in all of the pork and allow to reheat and brown. After a few minutes you will notice the edges start to brown and look crunchy. (Optional- drizzle some extra brown sugar over the meat to caramelize even more.)
When the meat is soft with some crunchy bits on the outside, pour the rest of the marinade over the meat. It should deglaze the pan and everything will slowly come together to create a delicious sauce. Allow to simmer over medium heat until the liquid has thickened, then turn down to a simmer and cover partially. Allow to simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

The Fixings:
a carrot
a cucumber
a few leaves of lettuce
Hoisin sauce

Finely slice carrots, cucumbers, red onion and even lettuce. Mix together in a bowl and set aside.
The Hoisin will go on alone, because its delicious all by itself!

Spicy Cream Sauce:
1/4 red onion
3 Tbsp thai chili sauce
1/4 c mayo
1/4 sour cream
3 Tbsp Russian/ Thousand Island dressing
(optional) Sriracha or other chili sauce

To make the spicy cream sauce, whisk chili sauce, mayo, sour cream, Russian dressing, and sriracha together and then chill until assembly.

Now, Assembly!!!
Take your steamed bun and open it. Spread some hoisin on the bottom. Then take a small handful of the veggies and add them to the bun. Drizzle the spicy cream sauce on next, then add a generous portion of the pork. (try not to get too much of the pork's liquid, so minimize messiness). Then fold the top back down and secure with a toothpick if necessary!

Repeat until all are assembled, then eat immediately.
If you want to serve some later on, it is best to leave the assembly until the last minute to avoid sogginess.
ENJOY!!! And know that I am insanely jealous of you.

Voila! Your pork buns are ready to eat!

                                                                                                                                                                 
Additional Notes:
As I finish writing this, I realize how complicated it seems when its all written down. Although time intensive, it is totally worth it, and easy if some of the steps are done well in advance!! Save this recipe for a lazy afternoon when you are overwhelmed with leftovers and don't know what to do with them..... In my experience, when my family makes a pulled pork there is enough for the next week or so. Or (and it pains me to say this) you could use store bought, pre-cooked meat and make the filling from that. But homemade is better!

Also, there is a LOT of wiggle room with what you can use for the fillings. Try sliced radish, marinated veggies, or chilies if you want it hotter. For other garnishes, try sesame seeds or parsley or cilantro. No matter what, they will be delicious!