When I was young (aka until I was 22 years old) and an idiot, I used to hate Mexican food and all its variations for absolutely no reason. I spent most of my days rejecting any dish that wasn’t a chicken or cheese quesadilla even into my four years living in Texas until my Waco best friend Jonathan revealed the most delicious Mexican food restaurant to me approximately one week before I graduated (I simultaneously hate and appreciate him for such a revelation). Thankfully, now I love Mexican food and try to attempt variations of different dishes whenever possible (see some here, here, here, and here) with my most recent endeavor being these extremely nontraditional kalua pig tostadas that came together in the span of 30 minutes! I’ve never eaten tostadas in a restaurant and I know that this version doesn’t come close to the conventional options, but they turned out especially delicious and satisfying!
Ingredients (for five tostadas):
- Five tostada shells
- One pack of May’s or Keoki’s brand kalua pig
- One can of refried beans
- Shredded cheese
- Eight large cherry tomatoes
- Salsa and sour cream to taste/for preference
Instructions:
- Set a large pan on medium heat
- Add kalua pig to skillet and spread in a thin layer to cook evenly (do not move kalua pig until crispy on one side)
- Stir and flip kalua pig until browned and crispy on all sides
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees
- While kalua pig is cooking, heat refried beans in a small pot, stirring periodically to not burn
- Cut cherry tomatoes into thin slices
- Place tostadas in oven and bake until golden brown (around 4 minutes)
- When tostadas are crispy and toasted, remove from oven and let slightly cool
- Apply thin layer of refried beans on tostada shell and top with kalua pig
- Add cherry tomatoes and hefty sprinkle of shredded cheese
- Finish tostadas with salsa and sour cream to taste
- Serve with rice and beans or your favorite chips, salsa, and guacamole!
