Asian Inspired Dumpling Smash Tacos
Alright, here’s the scoop on this recipe. Normally, I like to test and tweak a dish a few times before sharing it, but this one was simply too good to keep to myself. The first round earned rave reviews like, “wow,” “these are terrific,” and even, “if I paid $30 for this at a restaurant, I’d be pumped.” So clearly, it needed to make its way to you ASAP.
That said, when I make these again, I’ll be trying out two small tweaks:
Ground turkey or chicken instead of pork. I started with pork because it gives that classic dumpling-like flavor and texture, but it’s definitely on the richer side. If you’re cool with that, stick with pork—it’s delicious. But for me, I’ll go leaner next time.
Shredded cabbage in the filling. My original plan was to include it, but I completely forgot to buy cabbage (oops). I think it would lighten up the mix, add some nice texture, and maybe even stretch the filling into a couple of extra tacos.
For all my taco experiments, I always reach for Maria & Ricardo’s CarbBueno whole wheat tortillas—they’re the perfect size, have an amazing texture, and taste great. Plus, the macros are on point if that’s something you care about. You can find these at Whole Foods in the refrigerated section, near the hummus.
For toppings, I whipped up a quick batch of pickled carrots. Sounds fancy, but it’s actually super simple (and totally worth it). If that feels like a stretch, no worries—jarred pickled carrots or even raw shredded ones will do the trick.
Alright, enough chatter. Let’s get into what’s about to become your new go-to quick (and crazy delicious) dinner!
Asian Inspired Dumpling Smash Tacos
What You’ll Need
For the Pickled Carrots
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoons sea salt
For the Taco Filling
6-8 tortillas, depending on size
1lb ground pork (or turkey or ground chicken!)
4 scallions
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
For the Dipping Sauce
1 scallion, finely chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp honey
What You’ll Do
If you’re making pickled carrots:
Start these at least 2 hours in advance so they have time to cool. (Don’t worry, it’s super simple!) Or, if you’d rather skip, jump straight to Step 6.
Place carrots in an airtight glass container (like a mason jar).
In a small saucepan, bring vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer just until the sugar and salt dissolve.
Pour the hot brine over the carrots.
Let cool for 30 minutes, then refrigerate. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.
In a bowl, combine the pork (or your protein of choice) with all the taco filling ingredients. Mix until evenly combined.
Spread a thin, even layer of the mixture onto each tortilla. Press down lightly with a fork so it adheres.
Heat a large skillet over medium. When hot, place tortillas meat side down and press gently with a spatula so the meat makes full contact with the pan. If using turkey or chicken, add a touch of avocado oil to the pan first. Pork has enough fat on its own.
Cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes. Flip and cook another 1–2 minutes until the tortilla is crisp. Tip: You’ll probably fit only 2 tacos at a time. To keep them warm, place cooked tacos on a wire rack set over a baking sheet in a 200°F oven.
Make the dipping sauce by mixing all the dipping sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Or keep it simple with your favorite store-bought sauce.
Pile on toppings! We loved scallions and pickled carrots, but shredded cabbage, raw carrots, sesame seeds, or any crunchy veg would be perfect.
Notes and Substitutions
As I mentioned above, I would use ground turkey or ground chicken next time, as well as adding in a cup of shredded cabbage to the meat mixture. I assume if I had done this, I would have made 8 tacos instead of 6, so keep that in mind. Also if you’re using a leaner meat, you will want to add some cooking oil to the pan before cooking the tacos.
In terms of toppings and dipping sauce, to make this a really easy meal I would have just gone store bought for both. But I made these on a Saturday so I wasn’t under any kind of time crunch.
