This recipe requires a little prep the night or day before, but once the prep is done, it makes a very quick weeknight dinner.

Ingredients:

Pulled pork recipe inspired by Nom Nom Paleo’s Slow Cooker Kalua Pig Recipe. We like to swap out the bacon with paprika. See her original recipe here:

• 5 pound pork butt
• 1-2 T paprika
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled
• coarse sea salt

Vietnamese pickle (do chua) recipe:

• 2 pounds julienned carrots
• 2 pounds julienned daikon radish
• see the recipe link for the rest of the ingredients

Other ingredients:

• 1 head Steamed spinach tossed
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp GF tamari
• 1 cup dried jasmine rice or your favorite rice
• garnish with black and white sesame seeds and/or kimchi

Instructions:

First prep the pickled carrots and daikon (do chua). Recipe here. Do chua will last in your refrigerator for 4-6 weeks, so you can prep them the night before or 3 weeks before. I like to use a julienne tool to quickly julienne the carrots and daikon for the recipe instead of slicing. It may seem labor intensive, but having Do Chua ready in the fridge to add to numerous meals is fully worth the time up front to slice up the carrots and daikon.

Secondly, prep the pulled pork for the crockpot either before work in the morning or before heading off to bed. Slice off any excess fat along the edges of the pulled pork. With a knife, cut five small incisions around the pork, slide in the peeled garlic cloves whole. Rub the outside of the pulled pork with paprika and sea salt. Place into the crockpot on low for 8 hours.

After the 8 hours have finished, place the pork butt on a cutting board and allow to cool enough to be handled. Gently pull the pork apart with your hands or two forks. We like to freeze half of the meat for later meals.

For dinner: cook one cup of your favorite rice (jasmine, basmati, sushi, or black forbidden rice). This makes two cups cooked. Wash and de-stem the spinach. Steam on the stove for 3 minutes or until just wilted. Pour into a mixing bowl with 1 tsp sesame oil, and 1 tsp GF tamari. Toss to combine.

Assemble the rice bowls: 

1/2 to 1 cup rice on the bottom. Top with a generous handful of do chua (pickled carrot and daikon), a handful of pulled pork, and 1/2 – 1 cup spinach. Garnish with sesame seeds. You can also add other steamed or roasted veggies to the bowl for additional flavors.

Lindsey Thompson is an East Asian Medicine Practitioner at the Thompson Family Acupuncture Clinic in Walla Walla, WA. She loves growing vegetables, raising chickens, and striving to get the most out of life. Practicing medicine and help people find ways to improve their health at home is one of the most fulfilling aspects of her career.