Taiwanese · Free recipe
Fluffy Pork Belly Bao
Pillowy folded steamed buns, made from a lightly sweet yeasted dough, cradle slabs of pork belly braised with soy, five-spice, and rock sugar until they wobble. A scatter of crushed peanuts, pickled mustard greens, and cilantro gives each soft, sticky bite contrast and crunch.
- Prep
- 2 hr
- Cook
- 2 hr
- Total
- 4 hr
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Hard
Method
-
Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, and baking powder, add the warm milk and oil, and knead 8 minutes until smooth and elastic; cover and let rise 1 hour until doubled.
-
Meanwhile, blanch the pork belly slices in boiling water for 3 minutes, drain, and rinse off any scum.
-
Return the pork to a clean pot with the soy sauce, wine, sugar, five-spice, ginger, and 2 cups water, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours until a chopstick slides through the fat with no resistance.
-
Uncover and simmer 15 minutes more until the liquid reduces to a glossy glaze that coats the pork.
-
Punch down the dough, divide into 12 pieces, roll each into a 4-inch oval, brush lightly with oil, and fold in half over a small strip of parchment; rest 20 minutes until puffy.
-
Steam the buns in batches over boiling water for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and wait 3 minutes before lifting the lid so they do not wrinkle.
-
Open each bun and fill with a slice of glazed pork belly, mustard greens, sugared peanuts, and cilantro.
Zest note from the test kitchen
Wrap the steamer lid in a kitchen towel; it catches condensation that would otherwise drip onto the buns and leave dimpled spots.
