Teriyaki Pork Wraps with Sweet-Hot Cucumbers and Sesame Bean Sprouts

The other night, I was originally planning on making a pork stir-fry over rice to serve for dinner.  But I just wasn't feeling it.  Not in the mood for rice, but still really wanted a nice Asian dish that was a little different then what I normally make in the house.  A-Ha!  I {heart} Asian lettuce wraps.  They are so fresh, crisp and full of fantastic flavor.  Unfortunately I purchased mescaline greens this week instead of the bib or romaine hearts I generally buy.  So lettuce wraps were out of the question.  But I did have some nice soft flour tortillas.  They worked beautifully!  These wraps were so good I had them for lunch the next day and I seriously think I need to make them again this week.

The recipes for the Sweet-Hot Cucumbers and the Sesame Bean Sprouts are each ones that I had jotted down ages ago and have no idea where they came from- except that they are delicious!  They balance out the saltiness of the teriyaki perfectly.

Teriyaki Pork Wraps
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 green pepper, cut into long thin strips
1 onion, cut in half and sliced into strips
2 boneless pork chops, sliced into very thin strips
4 scallions (green onion), sliced into 1" pieces
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce, reserve additional for dipping (the absolute best is Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded cabbage
Sweet-Hot Pickled Cucumbers *recipes follows
Sesame Soy Bean Sprouts *recipe follows
sesame seeds for garnish
4-6 flour tortillas

For the Pork Filling

In bowl, toss thinly cut pork with teriyaki sauce, cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes- overnight.

In hot non-stick skillet add 1 Tablespoon canola oil, sautee green peppers and onions over medium heat until tender-crisp. Transfer to a bowl and cover tightly with foil to keep warm. In the same pan, add the additional 1 Tablespoon oil, cook and stir marinated pork over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes. Add sliced scallions and sautee for an additional 1 minute.  Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.

Warm stack of tortillas by sandwiching them between two damp paper towels and microwave for 40 seconds.

These cucumbers are a bit sweet but also have a nice kick from the black pepper.  They are so very addicting.  LOVE them!

Sweet-Hot Pickled Cucumbers
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 English Cucumber OR 1 large cucumber, seeded and peeled

Combine the vinegar, sugar, water and salt in a small pan. Cook over a medium heat, stirring until it boils and the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. Cut cucumber lengthwise into quarters and again into 1/8″ strips. Place in a serving bowl and pour marinade over cucumbers, stirring to blend. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Next, lets move onto these yummy bean sprouts

Sesame Bean Sprouts
1½ cups bean sprouts
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp roasted sesame seeds

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the bean sprouts along with the other ingredients. Cook over a medium-high heat until the bean sprouts are tender. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

To Assemble Wraps
I like to have all the different components in their own individual bowls on the table. This way everyone can make their own to their liking. This is my personal favorite layering method for maximum crunch/flavor factor.

On a warm tortilla, layer pepper/onion mixture, shredded cabbage and carrots, pork/ scallions mixture, Sweet-Hot Cucumbers (I like lots of these babies!) , Sesame Soy Bean Sprouts, sprinkle toasted sesame seeds for garnish and drizzle with a touch of extra Teriyaki Sauce. Be careful with the Teriyaki Sauce, it can be quite salty and you don't want to over-do it.  Roll up and devour!

Layer, wrap and enjoy!