Gua bao is a delicious Chinese dumpling. It is also known as pork belly buns. Gua Bao is very popular Taiwanese street food. It is braised pork belly filled in between steamed buns with fresh vegetables and herbs. It is derived from the Taiwanese language hence is translated as “cut bread”. It is made from a disc of dough which is folded in half and then steamed later. Once steamed, you can fill it with your desired tasty fillings including meat, pickles, veggies, sauces, seeds or nuts. There are many different variations of gua bao, but hands down, following is the BEST recipe you can find.
RECIPE TO MAKE DOUGH/BUNS
INGREDIENTS FOR STEAMED BUNS
3 ¾ cups (450g) plain flour (all-purpose)
2 tbsp caster sugar
½ tsp salt
2 tsp (equivalent to one packet or 7g) instant dried yeast
3 tbsp whole milk
¾ cup + 2tbsp (210 ml altogether) warm water
3 tbsp unsalted butter - very soft
1 tbsp olive oil
INGREDIENTS FOR SLOW COOKED PORK BELLY
2.2 lb (1Kg) rind less pork belly slices chopped in half - (each piece being approx. the length of your index finger
4 ¼ cups (1 Liter) hot chicken/veg stock
1 tbsp minced ginger
3 cloves garlic - peeled and chopped in half
1 tbsp rice wine
1 tbsp caster sugar
INGREDIENTS FOR PORK BELLY GLAZE
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 pinch of salt and pepper
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 red chilli - finely chopped
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp lemon grass paste
GUA BAO TOPPINGS:
1 Small bunch coriander (cilantro) - roughly torn
2 red chillies - sliced into thin strips
4 spring onions (scallions) - sliced into thin strips
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp toasted cashew nuts - chopped
RECIPE TO MAKE GUA BAO
Start by making the bao buns.
Place the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a bowl and mix together.
Add the milk, warm water and butter to a jug and stir together until the butter melts. Stir the liquid mixture into the flour mixture at first with a spoon, and then with your hands. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can do this in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover (with cling film or a damp towel and leave to prove until doubled in size for about 90 minutes - 2 hours).
Meanwhile, start on the pork belly. Add all the slow cooked pork belly ingredients to a pan (use a cast iron casserole pan preferably). Bring to the boil, then place a lid on, turn down the heat and simmer for 2 hours. Then turn off the heat and drain the pork.
Once the dough has proved, tip it out of the bowl onto a floured surface. Knead the dough again and split into 10 balls. Place a piece of baking parchment on your work surface and roll each ball into an oval on top of the parchment, using a rolling pin – approximately 12cm x 8cm.
Brush the ovals with the olive oil and fold each oval over, using a chopstick in the middle to fold over to leave a little space in the fold (so the oil is on the inside of the fold). Remove the chopstick.
Prepare two oven trays by lining each with a piece of baking parchment. Place the buns on the trays - still on the baking parchment - as this will help you to move them later. Cover each tray with cling film or a carrier bag and leave to prove for a further hour, until puffed up.
Put a large steamer pan on to boil. Working in batches, place the buns in the steamer (you can keep them on the baking parchment and steam for 15 minutes).
Whilst the bao buns are steaming, you can continue to cook the pork belly. Chop the pork into bite sized chunks. Add 1 tbsp. of the oil to a frying pan, and then mix the remaining glaze ingredients in a small bowl.
Heat the oil and add in the pork, salt and pepper, frying on a high heat until the pork starts to turn golden. Now pour the glaze over the pork and continue to cook until the pork looks dark and sticky, for about 6-7 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer to a warm bowl until you are ready to assemble the gua bao.
Once cooked, open the buns up and stuff them with pork belly along with the gua bao toppings; coriander (cilantro), slices of red chillies, and strips of spring onions. Sprinkle on sesame seeds and chopped cashews.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION FOR ONE SERVING GUA BAO
Calories: 667kcal
Carbohydrates: 49g
Protein: 34g
Fat: 37g
Saturated Fat: 15g
Cholesterol: 82mg
Sodium: 900mg
Potassium: 343mg
Fiber: 2g
Sugar: 11g
Vitamin A: 355IU
Vitamin C: 1mg
Calcium: 41mg
Iron: 3mg