Servings: 4
Ingredients
For the dough
- 300 g flour
- 1 teaspoon baker's yeast instant dry
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 155 ml water lukewarm
For the braised pork
- 1000 g pork belly
- 100 ml soy sauce light
- 200 ml Shaoxing wine
- 1250 ml water
- 120 g rock sugar
- 2 star anise
- 20 g ginger
- 2 chili peppers
- 6 cloves garlic
- 5 green onions
- 1 tablespoon miso
- 2 tablespoons doubanjiang (spicy fava bean paste)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
For the stir-fried pickled mustard greens
- 200 g pickled mustard greens (suan cai)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 chili pepper
- 1 green onion
- 2 tablespoons lard
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch white pepper ground
For serving
- 100 g peanuts ground
- 10 sprigs cilantro
Procédé
For the dough
- Mix the flour, yeast, baking powder and sugar.300 g flour, 1 teaspoon baker's yeast, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon sugar
- Gradually pour in the lukewarm water, mixing as you go.155 ml water
- 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 pork
- Cut the pork belly into slices about 2 cm thick.1000 g pork belly
- Split the chili peppers in half, crush the garlic and cut the green onions into pieces.2 chili peppers, 6 cloves garlic, 5 green onions
- Sauté the ginger, chili peppers, garlic and green onions.20 g ginger
- Add the light soy sauce and the doubanjiang.100 ml soy sauce, 2 tablespoons doubanjiang
- Add the miso, rock sugar and pork.1 tablespoon miso, 120 g rock sugar
- Let the pork brown on both sides.
- Add the Shaoxing wine, star anise, sesame oil and water.200 ml Shaoxing wine, 2 star anise, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1250 ml 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 greens
- Thinly slice the pickled mustard greens.200 g pickled mustard greens
- Soak them in water to remove the excess salt, then squeeze them dry.
- Chop the garlic, chili pepper and green onion.3 cloves garlic, 1 chili pepper, 1 green onion
- Heat the lard and sesame oil.2 tablespoons lard, 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- Sauté the garlic and chili pepper.
- Add the pickled mustard greens, salt, white pepper, sugar, Shaoxing wine and green onion.1 pinch salt, 1 pinch white pepper, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- Stir-fry until everything is fragrant.
Assembly
- Open each steamed bun.
- Fill with a slice of braised pork.
- Add some stir-fried pickled mustard greens.
- Sprinkle with ground peanuts.100 g peanuts
- Add a few sprigs of cilantro.10 sprigs cilantro
- Serve warm.
Notes
To 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.
Suan cai (酸菜, 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.
Shaoxing 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.
The 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.
Did you make this recipe?Tag @marcwiner on Instagram!