Gua Bao Taiwanese Pork Belly Buns 割包 Recipes

TAIWANESE BAO (GUA BAO 割包)

Steps:

• To start, pour the flour onto a clean surface or in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center.
• Add the instant dry yeast, sugar and baking powder in the well then mix until incorporated.
• Heat up the milk in the microwave for 20 seconds or until the milk is slightly warm. Stir the oil into the milk and pour in the mixture over the dry ingredients.
• Mix well until a dough is formed.Pro Tip: If you find the dough too wet, add 1/2 tbsp flour at a time and knead it in until it reaches a consistency that's not too sticky.
• When a smooth ball has formed, place it in a large clean bowl with a kitchen towel on top and let it rest for 90 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
• Cut the baking paper up into squares. This will be used as a base for the baos to avoid them sticking to the steamer.Pro Tip: Measure the size by placing the baking paper above the cookie cutter or cup you will be using to cut the dough. Leave space roughly 1 cm (0.4") from either side, then snip.
• Roll the dough out until you have a 1 cm (1/2″) thickness, then brush sesame oil over the top. This will help the baos open up the after being steamed.
• Use a cookie cutter or cup to cut circles out of the dough.
• Fold each circle in half, place it onto the cut baking paper and press down gently until it has flattened. You can use a rolling pin to roll over it to further flatten and smooth out the surface.
• Let the baos rest for another 30 minutes under a kitchen towel. They will rise during this time.
• Put some baos in the bamboo steamer and steam on high heat for 15 minutes.Pro Tip: Place a kitchen towel over the steamer to stop water droplets from dripping on the baos.
• Slice the pork into slices, roughly 1.5 cm (0.6") thick and 7cm (2.8") wide.
• Boil them with the ginger and 3 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine for 20 minutes or until the meat color has changed to white.
• Drain everything in a colander.
• Heat up a wok with 4 tbsp oil and pan fry the pork belly for 3 minutes on both sides each or until golden brown. Transfer them onto a plate, leaving the oil behind.
• Using the same oil, fry the ginger, shallots, garlic and star anise on medium heat for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
• Add the cooked meat in and stir for 3 minutes.
• Pour in the water, dark soy sauce, rock sugar, spring onion knots, salt and remaining Shaoxing wine to simmer for 90 minutes. Transfer just the meat onto a dish until ready to serve.
• Meanwhile, heat up 3 tbsp oil in a wok on high heat and cook the pickled mustard greens with the sugar and chili.
• Carefully open the bao's mouth and lay a bed of pickled mustard greens on the bottom lip.
• Place a slice of pork belly in the middle and garnish with crushed peanuts and coriander.
• Garnish the Taiwanese Bao Buns with crushed peanuts and coriander, then serve immediately as is!

GUA BAO (TAIWANESE PORK BELLY BUNS, 割包)

Steps:

• (Optional) If you're making my Gua Bao Bun recipe, cook the pork during the first rise of the dough. Shape the steamed buns while the pork is cooking. Then steam the buns after the pork belly is cooked.
• Heat a large skillet (*Footnote 2) over medium-high heat and add the oil. Once the oil is hot add the pork belly. Cook on both sides until the edges just turn golden, then transfer to a plate.
• Add the garlic, green onions, and ginger to the same skillet. Stir to release the fragrance, about 1 minute. Add the star anise, cinnamon, and chilis. Stir and cook for another 30 seconds.
• Pour in the shaoxing wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula to release the brown bits. Then add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar. Stir to mix well.
• Add the browned pork back back to the pan, flipping once to coat the pork with the seasonings. Add the white pepper and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Braise, covered, for 1 to 1.5 hours, flipping occasionally, until the pork turns tender but not to a degree that it falls apart.
• Once the pork is done, remove the pork from the pan and place it onto a big plate. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent from drying out.
• Add a mesh strainer over a tall cup (or an oil separator), strain the braising liquid and discard all the solid spices. Use a ladle or big spoon to skim the fat off the top and discard (*Footnote 3). Once you've removed most of the oil, return the liquid to the pan. Cook over medium-high heat and let the broth reduce until thickened, 10 minutes or so. (*Footnote 4)
• Slice the pork belly into 2.5" (6 cm) pieces and add it to the reduced sauce. Flip a few times to coat the pork, then transfer the pork to a serving plate with the remaining sauce on the side in a small bowl.

TAIWANESE PORK BELLY BUNS (GUA BAO) RECIPE

Steps:

• For the Pork Belly: Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or wok. Cook pork belly until lightly browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Flip pork belly and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer pork belly to a plate and set aside.
• In the same skillet, add garlic and ginger and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until fragrant. Add star anise and chile (if using), and sugar and cook, stirring, until the sugar is melted and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Add rice wine and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Add five-spice powder, dark and light soy sauces, and water and bring to a boil.
• Return pork belly to the skillet and reduce heat to low. Cover skillet and cook until pork belly is very tender, at least 1 hour or preferably 2 hours.
• For the Buns and Toppings: Meanwhile, combine peanuts and sugar in a blender or food processor and pulse, stopping to scrape down the sides, until the mixture resembles a coarse powder, about 1 minute.
• Set a steamer over a pot of boiling water. Add buns, cover steamer and cook until buns are heated through and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• To Serve: Spread pickled mustard greens inside each steamed bun and set a piece of pork belly on top of mustard greens. Top pork belly with a pinch of chopped cilantro and a sprinkle of peanut powder. Serve immediately.

CHINESE LOTUS LEAF BAO (STEAMED BUNS)

Steps:

• Starter or Yeast Prep
• For the yeast version, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water in a small bowl. Allow to bloom for about 5 minutes.
• For the sourdough versions, feed your 100% hydration starter so you have at least 160g. Or mix up the sweet stiff starter described above. Allow the starter at least double in size. This can take just a few hours or be overnight depending on your ambient temp and feeding ratio.
• Dough Mixing and First Rise
• Whisk together the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Hand mixing is fine too.
• Add the wet ingredients (including the starter or yeast mixture) to the bowl and mix thoroughly with the dough hook attachment. When the dough comes together, turn off the mixer and touch it. If it's very sticky add a little more flour and if it's dry add a little more milk or water. The dough should feel somewhere between pizza and bagel dough hydration.
• Continue running the mixer on medium-low speed for about 5 minutes. Or knead by hand for about 5 minutes.
• Cover and let the dough rise until it has doubled. In warm temps, this was 40 minutes for the yeast dough and 4 hours for the sourdough.
• Dividing, Shaping, and Final Proof
• Prep 16 small pieces of parchment paper, about 4x4 inches. Another option is to make parchment circles that fit into your steamer and cut them into pieces around the bao just before loading. The cutting is so steam can come up on all sides. I used dinner plates to hold parchment circles and to cover them as well, but a baking tray and a damp tea towel or plastic wrap cover is fine too. I also made one batch with no parchment paper and the bao didn't stick to my pan, so I may skip the paper altogether next time.
• Divide the dough into 16 pieces and roll the pieces into balls. Line them up in sequence of how you rolled them because you'll begin shaping the first ball immediately after you finish rolling the last. I didn't weigh each ball but if you choose to, they're about 36g each. You're also welcome to make fewer, larger bao and extend the steam time by a few minutes.
• Cover the waiting dough balls with a slightly damp tea towel. With a rolling pin and a little flour, roll out a 3" x 5" oval. See the photo gallery below.
• Brush a thin layer of oil on the top and fold in half, oil-side in.
• Place the folded dough on parchment paper and continue until all the dough balls are shaped.
• Cover and let proof about 20 minutes for the yeast version and 3 hours for the sourdough version.
• Steaming
• With a two-layer steamer, you can do two batches of 8 buns, and each batch takes about 20 minutes. If you're doing the yeast version that proofs quickly and you have a single-layer steamer or workaround, you should refrigerate half your dough at this point so it doesn't overproof.
• Add water to the bottom of your steamer leaving 1.5-to-2 inches of empty space between the water and the next layer.
• Assemble all the pan layers and lid (no towel yet) and bring up to a boil.
• When the water is boiling vigorously and the buns are fully proofed (see photos for dough expansion), remove the lid, dry it off and wrap it with a fresh towel. Use a rubberband if needed to prevent it from dangling onto the stovetop.
• Add the bao to the layers of your steamer and cover with the towel-wrapped lid. Lower the heat until you hear a rattle of a simmer and not a loud rumble-boil.
• Your total cook time will be 8-10 minutes, but set a timer for 5 minutes and when it dings, quickly swap the layers of your steamer so the top is now closer to the water, then reset your timer for another 3-5 minutes.
• When the steaming is complete, don't remove the lid. Shut off the heat and let the buns sit for 8-10 minutes more. Then remove the buns to a very lightly oiled plate to cool.
• Check the water level and the towel. Add more water and get a new, dry towel if needed. Bring the water up to a boil again and repeat until all the bao are steamed.
• Serve immediately. Extra bao can be refrigerated for 2-3 days or frozen for about 1 month. To reheat, steam them again or microwave them wrapped in a damp towel.
• Steamer Workaround (if you don't have one)
• Put a small amount of water in a large saucepan or wok. Place a small bowl into the pan. Make sure the bowl is 1.5-to-2 inches taller than the water level. Top the bowl with the plate. There should be space between the sides of the pan and the plate for steam to pass through. Both the bowl and the plate should be able to tolerate high heat, and you should take care to let them cool before handling.
• The instructions for use are the same as above but without swapping of layers partway through the steaming.
• Bring the water to boil, transfer the proofed buns and parchment paper to the plate. Wrap the lid with a dish towel and place it on the saucepan.
• Set a timer for 8-10 minutes. After the steaming is complete, turn off the heat and leave the bao covered for 8-10 minutes.