this is literally the best thing I've ever smelled - it's a pork slider topped with a red cabbage slaw, spicy radish sprouts and hoisin sauce. While it was cooking, I couldn't stop repeating "I can't believe how good this smells," "seriously this smells so good" and about ten other versions of basically the same thing. I just couldn't stop. I was like my Center Stage soundtrack CD circa 2003 - on repeat. I'll credit the cinnamon. Yes, cinnamon. More on that later.

There's a pretty hearty list of spices and sauces that get mixed into these pork sliders and slaw with another handful of a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but all in all, it won't take you more than an hour and a half including the slaw and spicing the meat.

We've had a few recipes on here in the past. If you've been following our recipes, you may have already caught a little trend around here - we're into Asian influenced Miami-friendly food. I've thought about why, my guess is because Asian condiments are super flavorful and cut your cooking time in half because you don't have to do all that much work when you have flavors with that much punch working for you. They're also into vegetables and so am I.

All the credit for this recipe goes to my boyfriend Jazz (who recently wrote us this great article on what to do with Marine Stadium). I've created a monster who comes home from the grocery store saying crazy things like "I bought us everything to make a cabbage, onion, cilatro and basil slaw." I win!

Here he is to give you his special secrets on how he made this perfect little piece of paradise:

Pork Sliders with Cabbage Slaw

Slaw:

1 small head of red cabbage

1/2 red onion

a handful of cilantro, chopped

a smaller handful of basil, chopped

a smallest handful of scallions, chopped

juice of one small lemon

1 teaspoon fish sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon grated ginger

2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar

1 tablespoon peanut butter

a pinch of brown sugar

Chop up the cabbage and onion, put a little bit of sesame oil on a pan, medium-hot, but not too much because we want these to char up. While that's going, whisk together the fish sauce, sesame oil, lemon juice, honey/agave, ginger, peanut butter, and brown sugar. When the cabbage and onion are ready to go, about 8-10 minutes, put them in a bowl and let them cool off a bit. Add the cilantro, scallions, basil, and sauce mixture you just made, mix it up, and put it in the fridge (or the freezer, that's what I do, but I like it nice and cold).

Pork Sliders:

ground pork (a 1.2 lb package will make about 8 sliders. I say 1.2 because that's what I bought)

a couple shakes of cinnamon

a tablespoon of grated ginger

a couple shakes of garlic salt

3 or 4 shakes of pepper

Mix the pork, cinnamon, ginger, garlic salt and pepper in a bowl. Make patties slightly smaller than your palm, about 1/2 inch thick. Heat a pan with a bit of vegetable oil, medium-hot, throw those puppies on, and cook through until its brown and a little crispy on the top and bottom.

For the burgers:

Buns (I like potato buns)

Hoisin sauce

Spicy radish sprouts

Put the burger on a toasted bun, top with slaw, spicy radish sprouts and hoisin sauce, and boom. That's it. Eat them, already.

the slaw topped pork slider recipe