Bonus! Pork Buns!

I know this is supposed to be dedicated to what I've made as part of the cooking and baking challenges, but I made these the other night and wanted to share!

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces pork belly
• 2 scallions
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 bunch Thai basil
• 1 carrot
• 1 lime
• 1/4 head red cabbage
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• Olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder
• 6 Chinese steam buns
• Hoisin sauce
• Sriracha

Directions:

1. Wash and dry the fresh produce.  Bring 2-3 inches of water to a boil in a medium pot over high heat.  Thinly slice the scallions, separating the white bottoms from the green tops.  Pick the basil and cilantro leaves off the stems.  Peel the carrot and cut into thin matchsticks.  Remove and discard the core of the cabbage, then thinly slice the leaves.  Cut pork belly into six even pieces.  Coat each piece of pork with the brown sugar, Chinese 5-spice, and a little salt and pepper.
2. To make the salad: squeeze the juice of the lime into a small bowl (save the rinds for later) and season with salt and pepper.  Whisk in the sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of olive oil until well combined.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrot, white parts of the scallions, and Thai basil (roughly copping before adding, if you'd prefer).  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the lime vinaigrette to coat and toss to thoroughly mix.
3. In a large pan, heat 1 teaspoon of oil on medium-high until hot.  Add the seasoned pork and cook 3-4 minutes per side, or until browned and cooked through.  Remove from heat, add zest from the lime rinds, and stir to thoroughly combine.  Spoon the oil and zest over the pork, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant.  Transfer the cooked pork to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside in a warm place as you continue cooking.
4. Place a colander on top of the pot of boiling water, making sure that the water isn't high enough to touch the colander.  If you don't have a colander, you can try a metal roasting rack with another pot over top.  Place the steam buns into the colander (or on the roasting rack) and tightly cover with the lid of the pot (or with another pot).  Steam 3 to 4 minutes, or until softened and puffy.  Using tongs, transfer the steamed buns to a plate.
5. To assemble the pork buns, gently open each steam bun and spread a little hoisin sauce and sriracha onto the inside of the buns.  Divide the cooked pork between each bun and garnish with cilantro and green parts of the scallions.