Shelly's Recipe

CHINESE FIRECRACKER NACHOS

Category: Hot

Pork:
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon peeled, minced ginger
1 pound lean ground pork (95 percent lean)
2 tablespoons Chinese chili garlic sauce (see note)
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Nachos:
4 to 5 ounces corn tortilla chips
5 ounces Muenster, sliced and torn into smaller pieces, or about 2 cups shredded
3 ounces napa cabbage leaves, very finely sliced
3 to 4 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 green onion, chopped (green and white parts)

Make the Firecracker Pork: In a large skillet, warm sesame oil over medium heat. Stir-fry the ginger until it starts to soften, about 1 minute.

Raise the heat to high. Dump in the ground pork, breaking it up into crumbly bits. As the pork cooks, stir in the chili garlic sauce and the hoisin sauce. Continue to cook, stirring and breaking up the pork. Add sesame seeds. The pork will give off juices as it cooks, then the juices will start to evaporate. Cook until the pork is fairly dry on the outer surface, so the chips don’t get soggy. (The pork mixture can be fried as much as a day in advance; refrigerate if not using within an hour.)

Preheat oven to 475 degrees, or preheat broiler with rack positioned about 7 inches from the top of the oven or heat source.

Assemble nachos: Arrange tortilla chips on 12-by-18-inch baking sheet or ovenproof platter. Sprinkle on the cheese and then the pork mixture.

Bake nachos 4 to 6 minutes, or broil until cheese is bubbly. While nachos cook, toss cabbage with rice vinegar. Serve nachos with green onion and the seasoned cabbage sprinkled on top. Makes 1 (12-by-18-inch) tray or equivalent.

Note: Recommend Lee Kum Kee Chili Garlic Sauce.