Pork Belly Bao

Pork Belly Bao, or Gua Bao, is a Chinese dish consisting of steamed soft fluffy bread folded over pork belly and condiments. The bread is traditionally made from a slightly sweetened wheat flour mixture, but I will show you how to make it from biscuit dough that you can find in any grocery store.

My first experiences with Bao came from when I would go for Dim Sum with friends or family in the 90s. I remember the first time I tried Char Siu Bao and I thought the texture was amazing. Sticky braised pork belly wrapped around delicious fluffy bread. Years later, I saw this “new to me” type of bao, which resembled a taco. I had originally thought it was an odd “Americanized” version of Bao, but I was totally wrong.

Pork Belly Bao, or Gua Bao, has been popular for centuries in East Asia. It was later popularized in The United States by David Chang in his Momofuku restaurants. You can use whatever fillings you want in these steamed buns, however, Gua Bao is traditionally made with Pork Belly. I chose to add pickled cucumbers, but that is in no way traditional. Traditional Gua Bao has pork belly, pickled mustard greens, and peanuts.

What is Bao flour made from?

Bao flour is normally made by stirring together all-purpose flour, instant yeast, baking powder, canola oil, sugar and water. However, in this recipe, I use biscuit dough as a short-cut and it comes out so fantastic! It isn’t traditional, but it tastes really great, trust me!

I started steaming biscuit dough a few months ago when I was looking for a way to make homemade Char Siu Bao. Steamed dough has such a fun and amazing texture. This cooking hack has brought me so much joy in the kitchen.

One day I will make traditional Bao dough, but for now, I am keeping it simple. I have a friend who is a great baker, so when she comes over one day, once this pandemic is over, her and I can make Bao dough from scratch. Until then, I will continue to make it from biscuit dough because it is just too easy!

I made some pickled cucumber slices for this ahead of time and they are really the easiest thing to make. You can make a fast version by slicing up two cucumbers very thin, and adding them to a bowl with a cup of water, 1/3 cup rice vinegar, 1 tbsp Maple Syrup (you can use sugar or honey), 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of sriracha, and 5 diced green onions. Let that sit in the fridge for one hour, but it is even better when it sits over night. I really recommend adding these to your Gua Bao.

INGREDIENTS  

• 1 Can Buttermilk Biscuit Dough
• 1 Pack Fully Cooked Pork Belly (I bought mine at Trader Joe’s)
• Pickled Cucumbers Made ahead of time(instructions below)
• Shredded Carrots
• Fresh Cilantro
• Hoisin Sauce
• Chinese 5 Spice Seasoning(this has a blend of spices including star anise)

Pickled Cucumbers

• 2 Cucumbers Sliced thin
• 1 Cup Water
• 1/3 Cup Rice Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Maple Syrup or sugar or honey
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Sriracha
• 5 Green Onions

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Pickle some Cucumbers. I did a fast version of this by slicing up some cucumbers, and adding it to a small bowl with a cup of water, 1/3 cup rice vinegar, 1 tbsp Maple Syrup (you can use sugar or honey), 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of sriracha, and 5 diced green onions. I let that sit in the fridge for one hour, but it is even better when it sits over night. These are great on any sandwich!
• Crisp up the Pork Belly. I buy my fully cooked pork belly at Trader Joe’s, then I sprinkled it with Chinese 5 Spice powder. Then, I browned all sides in a frying pan over medium heat. I wanted the outside to be crispy so I kept flipping it on all sides until i achieved that. You aren’t looking to cook it through, since it is already cooked. You just want to make the outside nice and crispy. Once this is done, set it aside
• Roll out your biscuit dough into an oblong shape, like the photos above. Then, fold it in half. Add a piece of parchment paper in between the halves so that they do not stick together. Steam the biscuits in a bamboo steamer or steamer basket.
• While the biscuits are steaming, slice the pork belly into 1 centimeter thick slices
• Once the biscuits are steamed, open them up. Layer in the cucumbers, sliced pork belly, pieces of fresh cilantro, shredded carrots, and 2 teaspoons of hoison sauce. You can use as much sauce as you want, so start with 2 teaspoons and then judge. Fold it over and enjoy!

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