Status: ROGUE

As you know from an earlier post, I am a fan of street food. There is something about being able to grab something quickly that fills you so thoroughly. I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that my Nana felt eating should ONLY happen when you are at a table. It would bug her to the point of no end when she would see me walking up the street with a mouth full of food!!! I can still see her face and the heat behind her eyes as I moved towards her looking so satisfied with whatever I was chowing on in that moment. I knew it wasn’t lady-like, but I had no interest in being a lady…Nana did not make it seem like a fun thing.

Anyway, being from California there is street food everywhere! Most of my experience with it is Latin-based, but with the boom in food trucks all the styles of food are getting a major glow up. In Boston, there are sooooo many Asian-inspired food trucks—this where I learned about boas (aka “the buns”). I was in awe at how deliciously hearty and small these little guys were. I had to have more of these little Asian tacos...and more I had. At some point, I figured I would need to learn how to make them. Again, I felt intimidated because I assumed it would be a long process to make them. Then my whole little world opened up when I found this gem. From there I knew I could take on this dish, and I found this recipe which allowed me to play it safe. YUP, that’s right: I didn’t deviate from the recipe. But I will give you some ideas in the #ROGUElyfe section.

Money Matters
To make 8 boas costs $20, which is $5 per serving (2 buns). I could have stretched it out to 10 buns, but I wanted a little more meat per bun.

#ROGUElyfe

I used the cheapest canned biscuits I could find and they came out very well.
I would love to try these with pulled chicken or pork in the sauce for this recipe make—let me know how that comes out :)
Tip: while the buns are steaming, get the filling made. I made the filling, then did the buns and the filling hardened.

My Take
½ pound thick-cut smoky bacon, cut into 2-inch pieces
16 1/8-inch-thick coins peeled fresh ginger
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup mirin
¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 16.3-ounce tube buttermilk biscuit dough

Optional: Hoisin sauce, Sriracha, sliced scallions, sliced radishes and bread-and-butter pickles, for serving

Direction

In a large skillet, cook the bacon and ginger over moderately high heat, turning the bacon once, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Spoon off all of the fat in the skillet. Add the chicken broth, mirin, vinegar, sugar and soy sauce to the skillet and simmer over very low heat, turning the bacon occasionally, until it is tender and the liquid is reduced to a syrupy glaze, about 10 minutes. Cover and keep warm.

Meanwhile, fill a roasting pan with 2 inches of water and set 4 ramekins in the corners of the pan. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray with vegetable oil spray. Arrange the biscuits in the baking pan and set it on top of the ramekins in the roasting pan, over the water. Cover the roasting pan very tightly with foil and bring to a boil over high heat. Steam the biscuits until fluffy and cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Carefully split each biscuit with your fingers and arrange them on a platter; spread the bottoms with hoisin sauce and Sriracha and top with the glazed bacon. Drizzle each bun with some of the glaze and garnish with sliced scallions, radishes and pickles. Close the buns and serve right away.

Happy Cooking Y’all :)