Usually when I see a recipe in a magazine it can take me a while to get around to actually making it. I am routinely pulling things out of my recipe binder that are dated back as far as 2003. But some things just sound so good that I immediately head out to the store to buy the ingredients.
Such was the case with this dish, Ming Tsai’s Asian-Style Sloppy Joe Sliders, which were featured in the January issue of Food & Wine. I saw hoisin sauce, lime juice and ground pork and I was sold.
Apparently, Tsai’s mother used to make these for him when he was growing up and all of the kids at school would trade their lunches just to get one. I can totally buy this story because these beat the pants of any PB&J out there!
I made only minor substitutions — switching from ground chicken thighs to a lean ground turkey. After all, there was a pound of ground pork in there too, which I figured would keep it fatty enough. And I didn’t have any brioche buns, so the first night we ate these on steamed buns (a la Momofuku). After that I used our homemade English muffins, which ended up being the best thing ever.
But before I get ahead of myself, let’s talk about what makes this recipe so freakin’ good. It’s simple. Time. I promise you. Tsai’s mom was onto something by making these for lunch because overnight they get so much better.
The first night they were good, but I’ll be honest — I was actually slightly disappointed. We even had a whole spread set out including super sour pickles from the local Asian market and shredded iceberg lettuce for crunch. And while it was a nice change of pace from the Italian-heavy food I had been making all week, it left me a little ‘meh.’
My husband really liked them (he was probably relieved it wasn’t pasta again!), but for me the hoisin sauce was just a little too much and the flavors just weren’t melding. It was like hearing a musician play just slightly off key. I could deal with it, but I wasn’t loving it.
But the next day at lunch, they were divine. The mixture was a little tart from the lime, pungent with garlic and onion and there was a hint of sweetness from the hoisin (which had mellowed dramatically) that brought it all together. Somehow it had become a perfectly in-tune orchestra of flavors.
And the English muffin for a bun? Perfection.
I loved it so much that I almost didn’t have any left for a picture! The first night we were too hungry and so I didn’t bother with the usual food photo op. Then I brought the mixture to work and I almost ate it all before I remembered I still hadn’t taken pictures of the dish. And so, with great sadness, I bought a turkey sandwich that day for lunch so I could save this bit for you all to see.
Hope it was worth it!
It also occurs to me that these would be great for Superbowl. Make them tomorrow so they can be ready to impress by Sunday afternoon!
love that you serve them on English muffins. For as often as I make Eng muffins–I’ve never done anything beside eating them with butter/honey/jam or make a breakfast sandwich with eggs, bacon, cheese. Why not something savory lunch or dinner? Good thinking, J 🙂
I have certainly eaten my shared that way too! But the steamed buns only lasted through one meal, so thankfully I discovered the perfect substitution. Not sure if it would have worked as well with a sourdough English muffin but for the basic recipe we had used, it was just right! I love it when a recipe goes from ‘meh’ to ‘omg, i want to eat it all!.’ =)
Looks amazing! I love asian flavors.
thanks! it was the perfect combo of sweet, spicy and sour.
They look amazing! I had sloppy joes when I visited family in America and loved them! I would definitely give these a go
These are great because it’s hard to take anything on a bun too seriously. They are easy to make, fun to eat and totally not intimidating. But the depth of flavor with the hoisin and sambal kicks it up a notch or two. I’d definitely recommend giving this a try!
Time.
So true.
Those sound great! I love in the article where he says “Everyone at school wanted them.”
Wow!! These look so good!! I love the combination of flavors in this dish!