Dawn Burrell's Mapo Pork & Edamame Hummus Recipe

"This is a male-dominated industry, and I'm happy to be one of the people who broke the mold to help women of color," says Top Chef: Portland finalist and chef-partner of Late August in Houston. "We're often passed up and sometimes not taught—but that will change."

Photo: Christopher Testani

The former Olympic long jumper competed with the world's top athletes at the 2000 Summer Games. But trading in her track spikes for a chef's coat and going on Top Chef: Portland is where the Philadelphia native tested her limits. "Being a chef is far more challenging," says Burrell, 47, a finalist on the Bravo series. Now she's working on opening her own restaurant in Houston called Late August, where she can showcase her global comfort food with touches of the African diaspora. "This is a male-dominated industry, and I'm happy to be one of the people who broke the mold to help women of color," she says. "We're often passed up and sometimes not taught—but that will change." Burrell shared her insights and her recipe in a PEOPLE exclusive interview to celebrate her selection as one of PEOPLE's 50 Food Faves.

Ingredients

Mapo Pork

• ⅓ cup neutral oil
• 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns, finely ground
• 3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• ½ lb. ground pork
• 2 tablespoons sambal oelek
• 1 tablespoon doubanjiang (fermented spicy chili bean paste)
• ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• .666 cup water
• 1 large scallion, sliced
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 (10-oz.) containers hummus
• Sesame seeds

Edamame Hummus

• 1 (1-lb.) bag shelled frozen edamame
• 1 ½ cups water, plus more as needed
• 1 large shallot, sliced
• 1 medium jalapeño, stemmed, halved lengthwise, and unseeded
• 1 ¼ cups olive oil, plus more as needed
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 10 medium garlic cloves, divided
• ⅓ cup tahini
• 3 tablespoons chopped preserved lemon, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Mapo Pork

• Step 1Heat oil in a wok over medium. Add peppercorns; cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add ginger; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Increase heat to medium-high. Add pork; cook, stirring and breaking up pork finely, until pork starts to brown in spots, about 5 minutes.
• Step 2Stir in sambal oelek, doubanjiang, sugar and sesame oil to combine. Add water; bring to a boil over medium high. Reduce heat to medium; simmer, stirring occasionally, until pork resembles the consistency of a meat ragu, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Step 3Add scallion and salt; cook, stirring constantly, until just wilted, about 30 seconds.
• Step 4Spread hummus on a large serving platter. Spoon pork mixture on top. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Edamame Hummus

• Step 1Bring edamame and water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium. Add shallot, jalapeño, olive oil, salt and 6 of the garlic cloves; return to a simmer over medium. Reduce heat to low, and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until edamame, garlic and jalapeño are tender, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Step 2Carefully transfer edamame mixture to a food processor while hot. Add tahini, preserved lemon, lemon juice and black pepper. Process until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. If needed, add more water or olive oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, until hummus is slightly thick and creamy. Spoon hummus into a large bowl, and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour.