Taiwanese Bao Gua Bao 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!

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.