Instant Pot Taiwanese Meat Sauce
by Instant Pot Taiwanese Meat Sauce with Crispy Shallots! Taiwanese style pressure cooker meat sauce is similar to bolognese and with shiitake and bamboo shoots. This Paleo Whole30 Keto instant pot meat sauce is healthy, easy, and full of flavor. Serve it over steamed rice for gluten-free meal, cauliflower rice, or sautéed zoodles for low carb dinner!
The dish that reminds me of home – Instant Pot Taiwanese Meat Sauce
Taiwanese meat sauce is the most common street food you’ll find in Taiwan. Often it’s made with minced pork belly and slow cooked in a sweet and savory sauce, topped with crispy shallots over a bowl of white rice.
Sometimes you’ll also see people serve the meat sauce like Asian style meat ragu or bolognese over noodles with a soy-braised egg and blanched bok choy on the side. This dish brings back many childhood wonderful memories.
Today’s Instant Pot Taiwanese Meat Sauce is a lighter version than the traditional one and it uses ground meat instead of pork belly. To bring out that nostalgia umami rich flavor, I rely on herbs, shiitake, and bamboo shoots.
I use fresh shiitake in my Taiwanese meat sauce recipe however, if you happen to have dry shiitake at home, definitely follow this video post to learn how to rehydrate shiitake. It’ll add extra flavor to the sauce.
Savory and naturally sweet flavor based meat sauce
Different from Italian bolognese, Taiwanese meat sauce is a soy flavor based meat stew sauce. Traditionally you’ll cook it over stovetop that’s similar to my Taco Meat Sauce recipe and this Instant Pot version made the whole process easier. And it goes without saying that I’ve made it Paleo, Whole30, and Keto friendly.
Crispy Shallots – highly recommend !
Sauté the sliced shallots on the side until they are golden brown while the pressure cooker is working its magic. Sprinkle the crispy shallots over the meat sauce, topped with a soft-boiled egg…hmm…absolutely delicious.
So my friends, this Instant Pot Taiwanese Meat Sauce is –
Easy
Healthy
Taiwanese style of meat ragu/bolognese
Savory and naturally sweet
Great over rice, cauli rice, zoodles,
& paleo Whole30 Keto friendly !
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Instant Pot Taiwanese Meat Sauce (Paleo, Whole30, Keto)
Video
Ingredients
For the ground meat seasonings:
- 1.5 lbs ground pork, beef, chicken, or turkey
- 1.5 tsp coarse salt
- ⅛ tsp white or black pepper
- ¼ tsp 5 spice powder
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- ¼ tsp + ¼ tsp garlic and onion powder
Aromatics:
- 4 tbsp garlic cloves, finely chopped (~ 8-10 large cloves)
- 3 large shallots, thin sliced lengthwise, reserve ~ ⅓ qty. for pan fried crispy shallots
- 1.5 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
- 4 bulbs scallions, separate white + green parts
- ½ tsp dry red pepper flakes or 1 fresh serrano chili pepper without seeds, optional
For the Instant Pot sauce seasonings :
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 4 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2-3 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 pitted dates, roughly break open in half
- 4 oz. or more fresh shiitake
- 5-8 oz. fresh bamboo shoots
Instructions
- Season the ground meat with salt, pepper, 5-spice powder, coconut aminos, sesame oil, and garlic and onion powder. Mix well and set aside in the fridge while prepare ingredients under ‘aromatics’.
- Press Saute and wait until the panel shows ‘hot’. Add 2 tbsp cooking fat of your choice, saute garlic, shallots, ginger, white parts of scallions, and chili pepper. Season with a pinch of salt and keep sauteing until fragrant (about 10 seconds). Stir frequently so they won’t get burnt.
- Add seasoned ground meat and break it further to smaller pieces. Saute about 3 minutes. Season with another pinch of salt. Press Off/Cancel button. Add chicken stock, coconut aminos, tomato paste, pitted dates, shiitake, and bamboo shoots. Stir the ingredients to distribute the broth and seasonings. Seal the Instant Pot lid and valve. Press Manual on high for 30 minutes. Wait for 10 minutes before quick release. When open the lid try to avoid extra water/liquid goes into the pot.
- In the meantime, in a well-heated large skillet, add 2 tbsp avocado oil. Saute sliced shallots (previous reserved quantity) and season with a pinch of salt over medium heat. Keep stir-frying until they are in golden brown crispy (about 5 mins). The shallots will first turn translucent color then become crispy. Pay attention to the stovetop temperature so they won’t get burnt. Once golden brown, spread them over a piece of paper towel to soak up extra oil.
- Taste the sauce once it’s slightly cooler (not pipping hot) then decide if you want to season it with more salt, coconut aminos, or tomato paste. Ladle the meat sauce over cauliflower rice, lightly sauteed zoodles, or steamed white rice. Sprinkle crispy shallots and green parts of scallions. Serve in room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Looking for a stovetop version ? Check out my Asian Taco Meat Sauce for meal prep bowls !
Want more Instant Pot Recipes ? Paleo Vietnamese Pho with Beef Brisket, Paleo Chinese Chicken Bone Broth, Easy Butter Chicken, and Best Whole30 Instant Pot Recipes !
I don’t have an instant pot, but can I still make this recipe on the stovetop?
Hi Michelle! Yes. Absolutely. You can slow simmer the meat sauce over medium to medium-low heat. Keep the pot covered with a lid. Stir periodically so to make sure nothing is stuck at the bottom. The flavor will be more concentrated when you make it over stovetop because the liquid/moisture evaporates. If it feels too dry, add a bit more chicken stock and adjust the seasoning quantity to your liking. Happy cooking!
I cook ground turkey almost every week and was looking for a new way to cook it so I tried this recipe. OH.MY.GOD! Hands down one of my fav recipes ever! I made it with rehydrated shiitake mushrooms and 2 lbs of ground turkey. I ate it all week and was still sad when it was all gone. So amazingly delicious! Will be making again soon!
That sounds amazing. Thanks for sharing, Alana!
Made this with beef and added some carrots for an extra veggie and added a splash of shaoxing. Turned out amazing and passed the taste test of my girlfriend from Taiwan. Thank you so much for sharing.
Bonus- it’s One of Those meals that’s even better the next day!
That’s so awesome. I’m so happy to hear that, Kyle!
Hi! Made this last night and the whole family loved it! I know the recipe says 6 servings but could you tell me how much one serving should be? About a cup? I didn’t measure it out beforehand and am trying to figure out weight watchers points. Thanks!!
Hi Shirley, thank you! I roughly calculated for 6 people so one serving will be less than 1 cup.