Tacos Árabes with Carrot-Avocado Crema

This recipe is brought to you by Chef Kate Ramos of Hola Jalapeñ0. Hailing from Puebla, Mexico, Tacos Árabes are infused with Middle Eastern flavors of cumin, coriander, and cinnamon and served in pita bread or thick flour tortillas, then drizzled with jocoque (a thick Mexican buttermilk), and chipotle salsa.

Kate used our Al Pastor Sauce Starter as a marinade, which has the flavors of cumin, garlic, and chipotle most commonly found in Tacos Arabes and is super delicious and easy. And finished things off with a homemade Carrot-Avocado Crema made from thick Greek yogurt, a touch of sweetness from carrots, ripe avocado, a bite of garlic, and serrano chiles

Prep time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes

Serving size: 6

Ingredients

• 2 pounds pork shoulder roast
• 1 packet of La Tortilla Factory Al Pastor Sauce Starter
• 4 medium carrots
• ½ red onion
• 4 serrano chiles
• ½ ripe avocado
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 package La Tortilla Factory Non-GMO Wraps or Handmade Style Flour Tortillas, warmed

Directions

1. Slice pork roast into ¼ inch thick slices. Coat pork slices on all sides with the sauce starter. Let sit at least 30 minutes.
2. Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat, if using. The pork can also be cooked on a grill pan which you won’t need to heat up until ready to cook.
3. Meanwhile, make the crema. Peel and chop 3 carrots and add them to a saucepan with ¼ of the red onion, and 1 of the serrano chiles (remove the stem and also the seeds if you’d like it less spicy).
4. Cover by an inch of the water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and transfer veggies to a blender.
5. Add avocado, yogurt, garlic, lime juice, cumin, and salt, and blend on high until smooth. Taste and add more salt or lime juice, if needed. If it is too thick add a tablespoon or so of water. Let cool in the fridge until ready to serve.
6. Prepare the garnishes by making thin slices of the remaining carrot and curling them into ribbons. Slice the remaining ¼ of the red onion into thin slices.
7. Once the grill is hot (or place a grill pan over medium-high heat), place pork slices on the grill along with the remaining serrano chiles. Grill pork until well browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Chiles should be lightly charred and starting to shrivel.
8. Slice the pork into thin pieces and place in the warm wraps. Top with a dollop of crema, a few carrot ribbons, and red onion slices. Dig in!

See the original post and recipe here.