Tender, chewy flatbread wrapped around crunchy cabbage slaw, succulent prawn and mushroom filling, and spicy peanut sauce. Add a squeeze of lime and it doesn’t get much better than this.
Fifteen years ago, there was a wonderful Chinese restaurant in the University Village shopping center in Seattle. I was completing a second degree at the University of Washington at the time, and along with a couple of other always hungry art students, found myself all too regularly chowing down at this nearby restaurant.
I don’t remember the name of the place (it’s long gone), but I do remember the dish I ordered without hesitation every time we ate there: Asian Tacos.
They came to the table nestled in a nifty rack that held three smallish tacos upright. The wrapper was a delicate, thin Beijing Pancake. Each pancake held a different filling and sauce. Lovely presentation and over-the-top delicious.
They were a bit messy to eat, but I licked the dripping sauce off my hands without even considering using a napkin. We all did. And I’ve been dreaming about those amazing Asian-style tacos ever since.
Which brings me to this post. It finally occurred to me that I could make them myself. But first, I had to master the pancakes and then a sublime peanut sauce. The filling was the easy part. You can improvise a different filling every night if you want to.
You can have these incredibly tasty Asian Tacos on the table in under ½ hour–if you make Asian Pancakes and Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce in advance. You don’t even need to dress the cabbage if you are in a rush.
This said, if you try to make everything at one go, you will be harried and irritable by the time you complete all the elements. I’m just saying.
But even though this dish requires time and effort, the results are well worth it.
Jump to the recipe
More Asian-Inspired Recipes from LunaCafe
- Asian Pancakes (Beijing Pancakes)
- Asian Tacos with Prawn & Shiitake Filling & Cabbage Slaw
- Chinese Cracker Jacks
- Chinese Good Fortune Cookies
- Home-Style Chinese Fried Rice
- Spicy Korean Noodle Soup (Jjambbong)
- Spicy Pork Wonton Soup
- Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce
- Thai Red Curry Paste
- Thai Red Curry Soup
- Vietnamese Crispy Crepes (Banh Xeo)
Cookin’ with Gas (inspired recipes from around the web)
- 10th Kitchen: Moo Shu
- Asian Enticement: Korean Tacos Recipe
- Big Oven: Chinese Plum Chicken in Pancakes
- Casa Veneration: Fish Tacos, Asian Style
- Kitchen.m: Moo Shu Pork
- Nibble Me This: Asian Mini Tacos
- Simple Comfort Food: Taiwanese Steamed Bun Tacos
- Sprouted Kitchen: Shitake Mushroom & Lentil Asian Tacos
- Steamy Kitchen: Korean Style Tacos with Kogi BBQ Sauce
- The All American Chinese Cookbook 2: Homemade Mu Shu Pancakes
- The SAM: Salmon Tacos
- The Way the Cookie Crumbles: Not a Chinese Burrito (Moo Shu Pancakes)
- Two Sisters, Two Suppers: Fried Fish Tacos with Asian Slaw and Hot Peppers
- Yankee in Nashville: Asian Meat Marinade
Susan, your Asian-inspired menu this month just keeps making me hungry each day! Now I NEED these tacos for lunch–and I don’t have time for all 3 parts in one day. As you pointed out, I may lose what marbles I have left if I try that. Maybe I make the pancakes today and see what happens!! Thanks for the inspiration!
Dee Dee, thanks so much! January is now my favorite month of the year. 🙂
This looks amazing. Nothing beats tacos filled to the brill with yummy goodness. Cabbage slaw rocks on tacos.
I love that filling! Shrimp tacos are one of my faves!
Oh yummy, these sound amazing, what a great flavor combination!
When I saw that the “tacos” are really the same as moo shu pancakes, I immediately got on board. I’d love to learn to make those – so versatile. And peanut sauce is a given in these types of recipes. So with a filling of my choice, I’m on the road!! PS – I have the same grad school memories, only mine were with Cuban Chinese chicken and rice, a dish found only in NYC and Cuba as far as I know.
Laura, you’re going to love these. Such a versatile concept and easy to make too. I have never heard of that Cuban Chinese chicken and rice dish. Trying to imagine those two cuisines working together. You know how I love to mix things up. 🙂
These sound amazing. And I agree–making tacos at home can be really frazzling with any culture’s cuisine. Your irritated and frazzled comments made me laugh in empathy.Now I am off to find the recipe!
Laura, it’s only a bit frazzling if you’re trying to create all the elements at one go and there’s a hungry man pacing in the kitchen waiting for his dinner. Much better to make thee sauce and the pancakes earlier in the day. Then it’s easy-peasy. 🙂
Oh my gosh you had me at spicy peanut thai sauce ! These will be happening at my house soon, they look amazing
Jennifer, I could eat that sauce with a spoon. 🙂
I wouldn’t want to waste a single drop of sauce, either – these sound so delicious! And I really do love that they are wrapped in a delicate pancake. Beautiful!
Oh wow these look so good! Thanks for sharing the recipe – I’ll be making these on the weekend now! 🙂
Hey lady! Was thinking about you the other day as I got out your cookbook and was leafing through it. Classic cookbook that I will forever love. These Tacos have my belly reaching for the screen, literally. I am putting them on the “have to do” list. Making clam chowder with razor clams for dinner tonight. (So excited!) Have a great weekend!
These look amazing! I love big messy tacos, and these look like they have incredible flavor!
These look delicious! I would love to sit down to a plate of these!
Come on over,Kate! 🙂
Wow. These tacos have me drooling – they look wonderful.