Pork Belly Bao Buns
Our sprawling American-Sicilian family, an enormous feast of Street Foods from around the world, and a recipe for fluffy, tender pork belly bao buns!
Servings: 6 buns
Calories: 350kcal
Ingredients
Pork Belly
- 1 lb. skin-on pork belly
- 2 T. vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 1/2 inch fresh ginger sliced
- 1 small Thai chile thinly sliced
- 2 T. brown sugar
- 1/2 t. five spice powder
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice wine
- 4 cups water
Bao Buns
- 1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
- 1 T. brown sugar
- 12 steamed bao buns
- 4 cabbage leaves
- 1/2 cup pickled mustard greens chopped (optional)
- 1/2 cucumber thinly sliced
- 6 sprigs fresh cilantro roughly chopped
Instructions
Pork Belly
- Cut pork belly into 2-inch strips, then cut strips into 1/4-inch slices.
- Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Sear pork belly until lightly browned on both sides. Remove from the wok and set aside.
- Add garlic, ginger, & chile to the wok and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add brown sugar & five spice and stir until sugar is melted and bubbling, about 2 minutes.
- Add soy sauce, rice wine, & water and bring to a simmer.
- Return pork belly to the wok and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 2 hours until very tender.
Bao Buns
- Pulse peanuts and brown sugar in a food processor into a coarse powder.
- Arrange frozen or uncooked bao buns on top of cabbage leaves in a bamboo steamer or metal steamer. Set steamer over a large pan of boiling water and steam for 3-5 minutes, until centers are soft and fluffy.
- Slice buns in half. Spread pickled mustard greens on the bottom, top with a slice of pork belly, and sprinkle with cilantro and peanut powder.
- Serve hot immediately.
Notes
Adapted from Serious Eats.