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Pork belly buns served with cilantro and peanuts
Fluffy bao buns with hoisin glazed pork

Sticky Pork Belly Bao Buns

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Main Courses
'Gua Bao' is the star of Taiwanese street food. Imagine a cloud-like steamed bun hugging a slice of tender, sticky-glazed pork belly. The richness of the meat is cut by pickled vegetables, fresh cilantro, and the crunch of crushed peanuts. It's a perfect interplay of textures: soft vs. crunchy, and flavors: salty-sweet vs. acidic.
🕒 Prep Time 30 mins
🍳 Cook Time 1 hr 30 mins
⌛ Total Time 2 hrs
🍽️ Servings 4 servings
🔥 Calories 550 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Taiwanese / Asian

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Steamer basket (bamboo or metal)
  • Pot for braising
  • Skillet for glazing

Allergen Information

⚠️ Wheat
⚠️ Soy
⚠️ Sesame
⚠️ Peanuts

Instructions

1 ✓

Blanch: Place the whole piece of pork belly in boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse. Slice into 0.5-inch thick pieces.

Tip: Blanching removes impurities and helps the slices keep their shape.
2 ✓

Braise: In a pot, briefly sauté ginger and garlic. Add soy sauce, sugar, five-spice, vinegar, and enough water to submerge the meat. Add the pork slices. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for 1.5 hours.

Tip: The pork is ready when it's 'jiggly' and a chopstick pierces it with zero resistance.
3 ✓

Glaze: Remove the pork. Reduce the braising liquid in a pan until it becomes a thick syrup. Toss the pork slices in this glaze to coat them.

Tip: Reducing concentrates the flavors into a sticky, savory candy coating.
4 ✓

Steam Buns: Steam the frozen bao buns according to package instructions (usually about 10 minutes) until puffy and hot.

Tip: Serve immediately; they can harden as they cool.
5 ✓

Assemble: Smear a little Hoisin sauce inside each bun. Insert a slice of glazed pork, cucumber slices, cilantro, and a sprinkle of crushed peanuts or sesame seeds.

Tip: The crunch of the cucumber is essential to cut through the fatty meat.

Recipe FAQ

The meat isn't tender enough.
Patience. Pork belly needs at least 1.5 hours of gentle simmering to break down.
The buns stick to the steamer.
Place a small square of parchment paper under each bun or lightly oil the steamer rack.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs Pork Belly (skin-on)
  • 8 pieces Frozen Bao Buns
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • 1 inch Ginger (sliced)
  • 0.25 cup Soy Sauce
  • 2 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
  • 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
  • 1 tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder
  • 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
  • 1 medium Cucumber (sliced) or Pickled Mustard Greens
  • 1 bunch Fresh Cilantro
  • 1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds or Crushed Peanuts