{"id":192094,"title":"Gua Bao – Taiwanese Steamed Bun with Braised Pork","modified":"2026-10-17T12:21:05+02:00","plain":"A Taiwanese steamed bun folded into a half-moon and filled with braised pork belly, stir-fried pickled mustard greens, ground peanuts and cilantro.\n\n\n\nSome bites you eat standing up, over the cutting board, because you couldn\u2019t wait long enough to set the table. Gua bao is one of them. \n\n\n\nThe still-warm steamed bun opens onto a glazed slice of pork that melts in your mouth. The pickled mustard greens add their tangy crunch, and the peanut powder mingles with the juices. A sprig of cilantro on top, and the first bite already has you reaching for the second.\n\n\n\nAnother Taiwanese braised pork classic: lu rou fan, served over rice\n\n\n\nWhat Is Gua Bao?\n\n\n\nGua bao (\u5208\u5305) is a small steamed bun, shaped into an oval and then folded in half, that you open like a book to fill. In Taiwan, the classic filling comes down to four elements: a slice of pork belly braised in light soy sauce and rock sugar, stir-fried pickled mustard greens (suan cai), peanut powder and cilantro. \n\n\n\nRestaurant versions often add hoisin sauce, mayonnaise, cucumber or five-spice powder, none of which belong to the Taiwanese version. The recipe below sticks to that base and livens up the braise with a little miso and doubanjiang.\n\n\n\nThe name comes from the Hokkien koah-pau, often linked to koah, \u201cto cut\u201d or \u201cto split,\u201d because of the slit in the bun. It is also called a lotus leaf bun, for its folded shape, and in English a \u201cbao bun,\u201d a phrase that says \u201cbun\u201d twice.\n\n\n\nFor stuffed steamed buns, try baozi\n\n\n\nA Year-End Bite Turned Street Snack\n\n\n\nGua bao is most often traced back to the cooking of Fujian, on China\u2019s southeast coast, from where it is believed to have reached Taiwan with Hokkien migrants. On the island, it is associated with wei ya (\u5c3e\u7259), the year-end meal that bosses treat their employees to. The filled bun is said to resemble a full purse, a good omen for the year ahead.\n\n\n\nIts Taiwanese nickname, \u201ctiger bites pig\u201d (\u864e\u54ac\u8c6c), comes from the image of the bun closing around the slice of pork. Today, you can find it year-round at night markets and small food stalls, and people eat it on the go.\n\n\n\nAnother Taiwanese night market snack: popcorn chicken\n\n\n\nGua bao has since traveled the world, and restaurants now fill it with fried chicken, pulled pork or tofu. These versions can be good, but they lose the Taiwanese balance between the richness of the pork, the sourness of the mustard greens and the sweetness of the peanuts.\n\n\n\nThe Main Ingredients in Gua Bao\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe dough is simple: flour, yeast, baking powder, sugar and lukewarm water, with no milk or fat. The two leaveners give a light, white crumb that stays supple once folded. The pork belly is sliced before braising, then simmers with Shaoxing wine, rock sugar, star anise, ginger, garlic, chiles and green onions.\n\n\n\nMiso and doubanjiang, a spicy fava bean paste from Sichuan, give the braise a fermented depth and a little heat. The rock sugar melts into a glossy sauce that glazes the meat, and sesame oil adds a toasty note.\n\n\n\nSuan cai, fermented Chinese mustard greens, brings what the pork lacks: acidity and crunch. Soaked to remove some of the salt, then stir-fried in lard with garlic, chile and a little sugar, it cuts through the richness of the meat. You\u2019ll find it in packets at Asian grocery stores, along with doubanjiang. Peanut powder and cilantro finish off each bite, one sweet, the other fresh.\n\n\n\nTechnique Tips for Good Gua Bao\n\n\n\nKnead the dough until it is very smooth, then slip a piece of parchment paper into the fold of each bun so the two halves come apart without tearing. \n\n\n\nSet the steamer basket over water that is still cold, so the buns rise gently while the water heats up. For the pork, allow about 45 minutes of covered simmering, then let it rest off the heat while it finishes soaking up its juices. Serve the gua bao warm, while the buns are still soft.\n\n\n\n\n\n\tGua Bao\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\tFor the dough300 g flour1 teaspoon baker's yeast (instant dry)1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon sugar155 ml water (lukewarm)For the braised pork1000 g pork belly100 ml soy sauce (light)200 ml Shaoxing wine1250 ml water120 g rock sugar2 star anise20 g ginger2 chili peppers6 cloves garlic5 green onions1 tablespoon miso2 tablespoons doubanjiang ((spicy fava bean paste))1 tablespoon sesame oilFor the stir-fried pickled mustard greens200 g pickled mustard greens ((suan cai))3 cloves garlic1 chili pepper1 green onion2 tablespoons lard2 tablespoons sesame oil1 tablespoon sugar1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine1 pinch salt1 pinch white pepper (ground)For serving100 g peanuts (ground)10 sprigs cilantro\t\n\t\n\t\tFor the doughMix the flour, yeast, baking powder and sugar.Gradually pour in the lukewarm water, mixing as you go.Knead until a rough dough forms.Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.Knead again until the dough is very smooth, about 8 minutes in a stand mixer.Divide the dough into 8 portions.Roll each portion into a ball.Flatten each ball into an oval.Fold each oval in half lengthwise, slipping a piece of parchment paper inside.Let rise for about 30 minutes, until the buns have puffed up slightly.Place the buns in a steamer basket set over cold water.Bring to a boil over high heat.Reduce the heat to medium-low and steam for 10 minutes.For the braised porkCut the pork belly into slices about 2 cm thick.Split the chili peppers in half, crush the garlic and cut the green onions into pieces.Saut\u00e9 the ginger, chili peppers, garlic and green onions.Add the light soy sauce and the doubanjiang.Add the miso, rock sugar and pork.Let the pork brown on both sides.Add the Shaoxing wine, star anise, sesame oil and water.Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 45 minutes.Turn off the heat and let rest, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes.For the stir-fried pickled mustard greensThinly slice the pickled mustard greens.Soak them in water to remove the excess salt, then squeeze them dry.Chop the garlic, chili pepper and green onion.Heat the lard and sesame oil.Saut\u00e9 the garlic and chili pepper.Add the pickled mustard greens, salt, white pepper, sugar, Shaoxing wine and green onion.Stir-fry until everything is fragrant.AssemblyOpen each steamed bun.Fill with a slice of braised pork.Add some stir-fried pickled mustard greens.Sprinkle with ground peanuts.Add a few sprigs of cilantro.Serve warm.\t\n\t\n\t\tTo save time, you can find frozen gua bao buns at Asian grocery stores: simply reheat them in a steamer for 8 to 10 minutes. Homemade ones are still much better.\nSuan cai (\u9178\u83dc, Taiwanese pickled mustard greens) and doubanjiang are available at Asian grocery stores. If you can't find suan cai, well-rinsed sauerkraut that is then stir-fried comes close, but doesn't quite match it. Doubanjiang can be replaced with a mild fermented chili paste.\nShaoxing wine can be replaced with rice wine or, failing that, with dry sherry. Rock sugar gives the braise a glossy, lacquered finish: with brown sugar, the color will be a little less deep.\nThe ground peanuts can be served plain or lightly sweetened. For the classic Taiwanese version, mix them with a little sugar and add some both before and after the meat; they flavor the pork and balance its fattiness.\n\t\n\t\n\t\tPlat principalTa\u00efwanaise","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192094"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192094\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/191963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}