Tacos, a staple of Mexican cuisine, are more than just a food – they’re a cultural icon. Originating from the streets of Mexico, these handheld wraps are popular worldwide.
And it’s no wonder why – with their simple, fresh ingredients and bold flavours, tacos offer a delicious taste and texture in every bite. This recipe features tender slices of pork belly, marinated in a blend of spice and citrus.
As the pork belly sizzles in the oven, the aromas alone are a treat.
What elevates this recipe is the homemade maize tortilla. Using just a few basic ingredients, these soft discs provide the perfect canvas for the delicious fillings.
Once assembled, each taco promises a tasty bite – layers of crunchy iceberg lettuce, creamy avocado, tangy pickled red onions, and a kick of heat from your favourite hot sauce. And don’t forget the finishing touch – a sprinkle of fresh coriander and sliced red chilli. Grab your apron and let’s get cooking!
Pork Belly Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 slices of pork belly
- 250g Maize tortilla flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 350ml water (lukewarm)
- Iceberg lettuce (shredded)
- Pickled red onion (from a jar)
- Avocado (cubed)
- Cherry tomatoes (cubed)
- Hot sauce (shop bought)
- Spring onion (chopped)
- Chopped fresh coriander to garnish
- Red chilli sliced to garnish
Directions
- Pre heat oven 200C, then in a bowl, mix together the chilli, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, lime juice & olive oil.
- Bring a pot of water to the boil then add the pork belly cook for 5 minutes. Remove the pork belly and pat dry.
- Place the pork belly on a oven tray and pour over the spicy oil mix, making sure the meat gets a good coating.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until crispy, turning the slices half way though.
- In a bowl add the flour, salt, and water then mix together to form a dough. If the dough feels too dry add some more water, a small amount at a time, until you have a soft and smooth dough.
- Knead the dough for a few minutes and form a ball, then cover with a clean tea towel and rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Split the dough and roll into golf ball sized pieces. Place a ball in-between two pieces of parchment paper and press in a tortilla press, or roll out with a rolling pin to make a disc roughly 15cm in diameter.
- Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
- Heat a frying pan until hot and cook the tortillas, two at a time, for 2 minutes per side.
- Take the pork belly out of the oven and cut into bite size pieces.
- Place a still-warm tortilla on a serving plate and layer up the iceberg lettuce, avocado and pork belly.
- Garnish with tomato, spring onion and some pickled red onion. And finally, finish off with some hot sauce, fresh coriander & chilli.
