Taiwanese Braised Pork Belly Buns (Gua Bao)
- camissonia
- Nov 13
- 1 min read
This Gua Bao recipe was the result of an insatiable craving I had in 2012 for the ones my Grandma (Ah-Ma) used to make. Gua Bao consists of only a few ingredients: soy-braised pork belly, chopped sour mustard, sweet peanut powder, and some fresh cilantro, all sandwiched within freshly steamed white buns. I remember back then making a quick inventory of the frig & freezer and realizing that I actually had all ingredients on hand EXCEPT for the buns. I'd seen them frozen at the 99 Ranch Market before, but the closest one to us was an hour's drive away in Chino. I was bummed about no buns, but short of losing sleep over this quandary, I decided to make my own. I found a recipe for steamed bun dough in Lonnie Mock's cookbook Favorite Dim Sum and adapted it to make Gua Bao buns. The dough came out soft & yeasty with a slightly sweet taste - a perfect foil for the unctuous savory-sweet-sour filling. No need to ever buy store-bought buns with this easy home-made version. Hope I made Ah-Ma proud!
1
Note on the sauce:
*Pickled Sour Mustard can be found in the refrigerated section of many Asian markets.
Notes
1
Make the braised pork belly first. Add 3 tbsp. fried shallots to the braising liquid & cook until very tender (2-3 hours). You can always make this the night before: let cool, cover & chill in the frig overnight, then bring the pork bellies and braising liquid back up to a boil before using.
2
FOR THE DOUGH:
Stir 1 tbsp of sugar with the yeast in a measuring cup or medium bowl. Add the warm water and stir until sugar and yeast have dissolved completely. Let mixture sit for 10 minutes or until it becomes frothy/foamy. Add melted shortening & set aside.
Combine flour, salt, and 5 tbsp of sugar in a large bowl. Mix well. Pour in the yeast mixture and stir until a dough forms. Pat into a ball shape and let rest for 5 minutes.
3
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead about 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.
Place dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm location (I put mine in a closed oven with the heat off). Let dough rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Punch dough down with your fist, cover and let rest a few minutes.
4
Remove dough to a cutting board or smooth surface (e.g., granite countertop) and roll into a 12-15" log.
Cut the log into 12-14 pieces (more pieces will produce thinner buns, if you prefer less dough to filling ratio).
5
Shape each piece into a ball and roll into an approximately 4" diameter circle. Brush the top of each dough circle with a bit of vegetable oil, then fold in half. Continue same process with remaining dough. Place the buns on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet until ready to steam.
6
Remove the sour mustard from its package (they come whole), rinse well under running water, squeeze or pat dry and chop into small dice. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a sauté pan over medium heat, add the chopped mustard, 2 tsp of sugar, and stir-fry for about1-2 minutes or until heated through; set aside.
7
For the peanut powder: place 1 cup of dry roasted peanuts and 1 tbsp of sugar into a food processor. Process for a few seconds until the peanuts are ground into a medium-fine powder; set aside.
8
Place a steamer over a large wok or pot half-filled with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lightly brush the bottom of the steamer with a bit of veggie oil. When water comes to a boil, place the buns in a single layer in the steamer (do not overcrowd - steam in batches if needed), cover, reduce heat to medium-high, and steam for 15-20 minutes or until done. Continue steaming remaining buns until done.
9
Reheat the pork bellies, then remove to a chopping board. Cut the pork bellies into 3"-4" slices.
10
TO ASSEMBLE: Let the buns cool slightly. Open each bun, sprinkle about 1-2 heaping tbsp of sour mustard on the bottom, top with a slice of pork belly, sprinkle with a couple teaspoons of peanut powder, and garnish with a bit of chopped cilantro. Fold the bun over and, voila! You've got yourself a bona fide totally delicious Taiwanese 'burger.'
Instructions
1 recipe of Soy Braised Pork Belly (Lu Rou/Lo Ba)
8.8-oz package pickled sour mustard (giam tsai)*
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup dry-roasted peanuts
1 tbsp sugar
Peanut powder
1 pkg active dry yeast
1 1/4 cup warm water (105F-110F)
3/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp vegetable shortening melted
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups bread flour
Extra flour for dusting
Dough
1/4 cup vegetable oil (for brushing steamer & buns)
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Taiwanese Braised Pork Belly Buns (Gua Bao)
Prep Time
3 hours
Cooking Time
30 min
Rest Time
0 min
Total Time
3 hours 30 min
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