Gua Bao

Name: Gua Bao
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 180 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Taiwan
Ingredients: 500g pork belly, sliced thick; 1/4 cup soy sauce; 2 tablespoons rock sugar; 1 star anise; 2 cloves garlic; 12 steamed bao buns; 1 cup pickled mustard greens; 1/2 cup crushed peanuts with sugar; Fresh cilantro for garnish

6 servings60 min prep120 min cookMedium Taiwan

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The Story Behind It

The Tale of Gua Bao

Gua bao, a folded steamed bun filled with braised pork belly, has roots in Fujianese cooking and became a Taiwanese street food staple over the 20th century. It found new international fame in the 2010s, inspiring Western dishes like David Chang's pork buns.

Ingredients

Scale:· 6 servings

500g pork belly, sliced thick
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rock sugar
1 star anise
2 cloves garlic
12 steamed bao buns
1 cup pickled mustard greens
1/2 cup crushed peanuts with sugar
Fresh cilantro for garnish

Instructions

1Braise the pork belly slices with soy sauce, rock sugar, star anise, garlic, and enough water to cover, simmering gently until very tender, about 1.5-2 hours.
2Steam or warm the bao buns until soft and pillowy.
3Slice the braised pork belly into pieces sized to fit inside the buns.
4Open each bao bun and place a slice of braised pork inside.
5Top with pickled mustard greens and a sprinkle of crushed peanut-sugar mixture.
6Garnish with fresh cilantro.
7Drizzle with a little of the braising sauce.
8Serve immediately while warm.

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