Castellon's Kitchen: Spicy Pork Wonton Tacos with Cucumber Relish

WARNING: You will eat every last one of these tacos and you will not want to share! You will have to unbutton your pants and it's not going to be pretty. You have been warned.

The day I made these and shot these photos, I literally made a meal and a half out of this plate of seven wonton tacos. I didn't share them. I ate them all. They were so damn good!

But it's an appetizer for crying out loud, not a main dish! I should've stopped after 3 and definitely after 4. I was full. But noooo...there were 3 left getting soggy in their deliciously sweet and spicy BBQ sauce, sitting all alone on the platter without their friends. What's this very full, taco-loving girl to do?

No, I didn't eat them right away. I resisted. I did.

I resisted the temptation and walked into the other room to fold laundry or do some other never ending household chore, when I heard the faint cries from the appetizer plate. "Please eat me!"

No, I can't eat another bite! I argued.

"Please eat me!"

Really. I can't. I mustn't.

My resolve began to weaken as I imagined drippy BBQ tears puddling around their crispy wonton shells...

No, I really can't eat another...

The weary sobs of 'please eat me' finally drew me back to the kitchen where I half expected to see a soggy hot mess and that's when I realized these little wonton tacos weren't fooling around.
The lonely trio were perfectly lit with afternoon light coming through the kitchen window...all poised in beautiful deliciousness with that cool and crunchy cucumber relish...

"Resistance is futile." They whispered.

Damn it! I topped them with more relish and more BBQ sauce and I ate every last bite. :)

The End

Spicy Pork Wonton Tacos with Cucumber Relish

Makes 24
(I used pork for this recipe but you can substitute with beef or chicken.)

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

1 lb. sirloin pork roast
1/2 cup soy sauce, low sodium
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar or honey
2 T toasted sesame oil
3 T fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 T Sriracha sauce (optional)

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and heat on high for 6 hours or until meat can be shredded. Remove from slow cooker and shred with two forks. Set aside.

Spicy BBQ Sauce
1/3 cup Heinz Jalapeno Ketchup (or regular ketchup)
1-2 T Garlic Chili Sauce (to taste)
2 T brown sugar
2 T low-sodium soy sauce
1 T toasted sesame oil

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
Heinz makes spicy ketchup varieties and I used their Jalapeno Ketchup for this spicy BBQ sauce but if you don't have it, substitute with regular ketchup.

Cucumber Relish
1 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced
2 T red bell pepper, finely minced
3 T cilantro leaves
2 T rice wine vinegar
1/2 t sugar
1/2 t salt
red chili flakes (to taste)

Mix vinegar, sugar, and salt in small bowl and add cucumbers, red pepper and cilantro and let sit for at least 30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator.

Wonton Taco Shells
24 round wonton wrappers
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Assemble cookie sheet with wire baking racks. (see photo) I got these racks at the Dollar Tree for $1.

Line your counter top with a large piece of parchment paper and spray the parchment paper generously with cooking spray. Place 9 wonton wrappers on sprayed parchment paper and then spray the tops of wrappers with cooking spray. Then, center each wrapper over the wire rack like shown.
You will need to work in batches until you have 24 wonton taco shells.

Bake for 8-9 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and let cool.

Stuff each wonton shell with shredded pork and top generously with spicy BBQ sauce and the tangy cucumber relish. Devour! :)

Aren't these gorgeous? They taste as amazing as they look!