Description
These delicious Smash Tacos feature flavorful, seasoned pork meatballs pressed thin onto mini corn tortillas and pan-fried to crispy perfection. The tacos are glazed with a sweet and tangy honey-soy mixture and served with fresh toppings like pickled red onions, shredded lettuce, coriander, mayo, hot sauce, and spring onions, making for a mouthwatering and easy-to-make meal perfect for gatherings or a quick weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- Portion of ground pork (to make 8 equal meatballs; estimated 400g)
- 8 mini tortillas (such as Old El Paso Street Vibes Soft Tacos)
- 8 squirts spray oil
Glaze
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp lemongrass paste
- 1/2 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
Toppings
- Pickled red onions
- Shredded lettuce
- Fresh coriander (cilantro)
- Mayo
- Hot sauce
- Spring onions (green onions)
Instructions
- Make the glaze: In a small bowl, thoroughly combine honey, dark soy sauce, lemongrass paste, ginger paste, and brown sugar. Set this sweet and savory glaze aside for later use.
- Prepare the meat mixture: In a large bowl, mix together the sesame oil, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and cornflour. Add ground pork (approximately 400g) and combine everything thoroughly until evenly incorporated.
- Form meatballs: Divide the meat mixture into 8 equal portions and roll each into a meatball.
- Press meatballs onto tortillas: Place one meatball onto a mini tortilla and firmly press it down, spreading the meat evenly to cover the tortilla in a thin layer. Repeat with all remaining meatballs and tortillas.
- Heat the pan: Spray a pan or flat griddle with cooking spray and heat it over medium-high heat until hot.
- Cook meat-covered tortillas: Place the meat-side down tortillas onto the hot pan and cook for 3 minutes until the meat turns golden brown. If needed, cook in batches to avoid overcrowding.
- Apply glaze: Carefully flip the tortillas over and lightly brush the meat side with some of the prepared glaze.
- Caramelize the glaze: Flip the tortillas back to meat side down and cook for 30 seconds to caramelize the glaze on the meat.
- Soak glaze into tortilla: Flip the tortillas once more to allow the tortilla side to absorb any remaining glaze in the pan, cooking for an additional 30 seconds.
- Keep warm: If cooking in batches, transfer finished tacos to a baking tray lined with parchment paper and keep warm in a low oven while cooking the rest.
- Serve: Once all tacos are cooked, top with pickled red onions, shredded lettuce, fresh coriander, mayo, hot sauce, and spring onions as desired and serve immediately.
Notes
- Use fresh ground pork or your preferred ground meat for best results.
- Press the meatballs thinly to ensure even cooking and a crispy edge.
- The glaze adds a beautiful sweet and savory flavor with a hint of lemongrass and ginger—don’t skip it.
- If mini corn tortillas are unavailable, small flour tortillas can be substituted.
- Keep cooked tacos warm in a low oven while finishing remaining batches to serve everything hot.
- Customize toppings according to preference; avocado, cheese, or salsa would also work well.
