If you were on my Instagram live last night, then, you know I love Asian food. It’s the sweet and salty combination that tastes sooooo good. Oh, and the umami is great! I love it all – from Japanese to Vietnamese to Chinese. It’s really good. And, some of the cooking is so easy to do. I also love how there’s this commitment to using ingredients that are fresh and not super processed!

Try these sliders. You’ve still got time to grill them outside. I bet smoked, they’d be FANTASTIC!

For the pickled vegetables:

1 cup of rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup of sugar

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 cucumber, sliced thinly

1 cup of sliced carrots

1 shallot, thinly sliced 

For the cilantro pesto:

1 cup of cilantro

3 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon of sugar

1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar

Pinch of slat

Pinch of pepper

3/4 cup of olive oil

For the cilantro coleslaw:

3 cups of coleslaw mix

3 tablespoons of mayo

1 cup of cilantro pesto

For the sliders:

1 pound of ground pork

1/2 cup of ponzu

1/4 cup of chili oil

1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil

Few dashes of fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon of dried ginger

1/2 teaspoon of white pepper

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

*slider buns

*cilantro, to garnish

For the pickled vegetables, add the rice wine vinegar, sugar, and red pepper flakes to a bowl. Whisk until dissolved. Add in the cucumber, shallots, and carrots and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

To make the cilantro pesto, add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

For the cilantro coleslaw, add the coleslaw mix to a bowl. Then, add in the mayo and cilantro pesto. Mix well and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

To make the sliders, in a bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. Then, separate into 4 equal parts. Form into patties and cook in an oiled cast iron skillet on both sides until golden brown.

To assemble, cut slider buns in half. Then, add on the sliders, coleslaw, and pickled vegetables. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy while the sliders are warm.