Taiwanese Braised Pork Belly Bao (Gua Bao)

About This Recipe

Taiwanese Braised Pork Belly Bao is a real, traditional Taiwanese dish, known as Gua Bao. Soft steamed folded buns stuffed with braised pork belly, pickled mustard greens, cilantro and crushed peanuts.\n\nGua bao is traditionally eaten in Taiwan around the Lunar New Year, symbolically representing a stack of money, and later became one of Taiwan's most recognized street foods internationally, often nicknamed the 'Taiwanese hamburger'.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Taiwanese home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 600 gpork belly(in one piece)
• 4 tbspsoy sauce
• 2 tbspdark soy sauce
• 2 tbsprock sugar
• 3 tbspShaoxing wine
• 1 piecefresh ginger(sliced)
• 4garlic cloves
• 1star anise
• 300 mlwater
• 8folded steamed bao buns (gua bao)
• 150 gTaiwanese pickled mustard greens (suan cai)
• 0.5 cupcrushed roasted peanuts with sugar
• 0.5 cupfresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

1. 1

   Braise the pork

   Combine pork belly, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rock sugar, Shaoxing wine, ginger, garlic, star anise and water in a pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 1.5 hours until very tender.

2. 2

   Rest and slice

   Let the pork rest in the braising liquid for 15 minutes, then slice into thick pieces.

3. 3

   Reduce the sauce

   Simmer the braising liquid uncovered until it thickens slightly into a glossy glaze.

4. 4

   Steam the buns

   Steam the folded bao buns according to package instructions until soft and puffed, about 8 minutes.

5. 5

   Assemble

   Open each bun and tuck in a slice of pork belly, dipping it lightly in the reduced braising sauce.

6. 6

   Finish

   Top with pickled mustard greens, crushed peanuts and fresh cilantro before serving warm.

Variations

• •

  A crispy fried tofu version makes a vegetarian gua bao using the same fillings.

• •

  Some vendors add a fried egg for a heartier bun.

• •

  Swap peanuts for crushed sesame seeds for a different textural crunch.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions