Allow me to tell you a little story.  It's a similar story to one you've heard before...about John, and his mysterious tastebuds.  You see, for years I have been trying to get John to eat steamed buns.  Chinese, Taiwanese, I wasn't picky.  Nope.  He "didn't like them".  His own words.  So for years, I'd be eating them alone or (more likely) not eating them at all.  The horror, right?  I know you're feeling sorry for me right about now.  Me and my tastebuds deprived of tasty foods.

This has to do with pepper relish, I promise.  It will just take me a few more lines to get to the connection - work with me.  When we were in Portland visiting John's family, John's brother suggested a place in Portland for dinner we hadn't been before, Pai Men Miyake.  It's a ramen noodle joint that is inexpensive and tasty.  Perfect for a rainy night (which it was when we went).  We decided to share 2 appetizers and their steamed buns looked so good, I bargained with John to get them.

Well, well, imagine my surprise when the steamed buns came out and John practically moaned in ecstasy eating them.  "These are soooo good, I love steamed buns".  This is like a moment from my poached egg saga, right?  The kid drives me nuts.  Anyway, I was glad to see I had finally converted him to my way of thinking.  And since then, he's wanted to recreate these exact pork buns at home.  The first step was a sweet yet spicy pepper relish.  See, I told you we'd get there eventually!

Pepper Relish
Serves:  8 (2 cups relish)
8 jalapenos, diced
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar

Combine the jalapenos and onions in a small bowl.  In a small pot, combine the cider vinegar and sugar and heat until the sugar dissolves, about 2-3 minutes.  Add the jalapenos and onions to the vinegar mixture and simmer 10-15 minutes.  Pour into a glass container and cover.  Store in the fridge until ready to use, up to 4 weeks.

Until the next time my oven is on...