Recipe: Cormac Mahoney's Coco Piggy

credit: flickr.com/photos/stewtopia

If this image is familair, you know you're in for some good eating.

​This is part three of our conversation with Cormac Mahoney of Tako Truk. He may have saved the best for last: a recipe for his succulent, raved-about, coconut-infused pork belly taco. Right now, you can't get these tacos around town --except for at Tako Truk's long-awaited reappearance, a Haiti-relief fundraiser, this Saturday in SoDo-- but you can make them at home. For more about the man behind this meal, read part one and two of our conversation, here and here. (For more info about his event, and to RSVP, visit takotruk.com.)

Coco Piggy*
1 pound pork belly, rind on, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 stalks lemongrass, cut into 3" pieces, smashed
4 Kaffir lime leaves
1 head garlic, top cut off
3 tablespoon fish sauce
12 oz can Chaokoh coconut water with pulp, strained and separated

Marinate pork in fish sauce and coco pulp. Put lemongrass, lime leaves, and garlic in heavy pan. Arrange pork on top and add enough coconut water to cover. (Mix the rest with Thai basil, mint, and cachaca and drink it!). Skim gross-looking brown stuff off before covering and putting in oven. Bring to simmer, cover tightly and put in 350 oven for 3-4 hours til tender.

Cucumber Sauce
1/2 cup cucumber, peeled seeded in 1/4" dice
3 scallions, white ends only, cut into 1/4" rounds
1 medium shallot, diced fine
6 Thai chilis, sliced fine
2 tablespoon cilantro stems, diced fine
2 tablespoon palm sugar diluted in 1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup fish sauce
water

Toss veg and herbs in sugar dilution. Add fish sauce and water to taste. Pick herb leaves: Thai basil, mint, cilantro.

Toppings and Prep
Chicharrons (pork rind) crisped for a couple minutes in 350 oven, then broken into small pieces, or

Fries: mandoline 1 or 2 peeled russet potatoes on the fine tooth blade into bowl of water and rinse as much starch out as possible. Fry in 350 degree peanut or canola oil, drain.

On hot skillet, toast tortillas (the smallest corn tortillas are best), flipping three times till bubbles form.

Place a couple leaves each of Thai basil, mint, and cilantro in tortilla. Top with some pork and then dress with cucumber sauce. Add more sliced chilis to taste and top with chicharrons or fries.

*All ingredients are available at Viet Wah.