Gua Bao (Taiwanese pork buns)

Name: Gua Bao (Taiwanese pork buns)
Total time: 3 h
Ingredients: 300g of plain flour, plus extra for dusting; 10g of milk powder; 4 tbsp of caster sugar; 7g of fast-action dried yeast; 1 pinch of salt; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 200ml of water, at room temperature; oil, to brush the buns; red food colouring, (optional); 500g of pork belly; 2 red chillies; 5 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 ginger, peeled and crushed; 1 cinnamon stick; 4 cloves; 8 peppercorns; 4 tbsp of dark soy sauce; 2 tbsp of sugar; water, as needed; 1/2 cucumber; 10 radishes, small, cut in rounds; 1/4 cabbage, julienned; 1 green chilli, slit; 120ml of distilled vinegar; 2 tbsp of sugar; 3 tbsp of water; coriander, chopped

by Nisha Thomas

Item 1 of 1

Snack
medium
Makes 10
3 hours

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This gua bao recipe from Nisha Thomas offers useful tips on making these classic Taiwanese street food snacks. Packed with braised pork belly and garnished with tangy pickled vegetables, these buns are great for a party or get-together.

First published in 2015

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I first had gua bao at a street food stall in Shoreditch and there was no looking back. It’s been on my mind ever since to try them at home and was on the lookout for a trustworthy recipe. This Taiwanese street side snack is delicious and the soft steamed buns make it impossible to just stop at one.

I admit it was a bit intimidating to see the different steps involved and the prep work needed, especially because I'm such a last minute, impulse cooking kind of person. Planning ahead is not my forte and so this idea of trying the gua bao at home was put to the back of my mind until I ended up having it again from the Kurobuta stall at Taste of London earlier this year. I had to make it, and so i did. Planned ahead, bought everything as per list and even made the pickle a 3 days ahead so I could have the ultimate experience.

It all worked out well, except that I didn't put a baking paper to separate the folded buns and so they stuck together in spite of oiling them properly. It meant I had to slice them open and use the filling. Lesson learnt, so this time I did it the right way with a baking paper. Please make sure you do this. Having a big bamboo steamer also helps because you can steam two or three at a time. I had a small one so it took me an awful lot of time to steam one at a time.

The good thing is you can make the buns, the pork and the pickle way in advance, which makes the process less stressful. The buns can be made even a week in advance and they just need to be stored in the refrigerator. Just re-steam before use and they would be as good as fresh. You can also experiment with different filling, like chicken or pulled pork, and I'm sure they'd taste fab.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Gua Bao dough

300g of plain flour, plus extra for dusting
10g of milk powder
4 tbsp of caster sugar
7g of fast-action dried yeast
1 pinch of salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
200ml of water, at room temperature
oil, to brush the buns
red food colouring, (optional)

Braised pork filling

500g of pork belly
2 red chillies
5 garlic cloves, crushed
1 ginger, peeled and crushed
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
8 peppercorns
4 tbsp of dark soy sauce
2 tbsp of sugar
water, as needed

Pickled vegetables

1/2 cucumber
10 radishes, small, cut in rounds
1/4 cabbage, julienned
1 green chilli, slit
120ml of distilled vinegar
2 tbsp of sugar
3 tbsp of water

To serve

coriander, chopped

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Method

To begin, prepare the pickled vegetables. Mix together all of the cut vegetables in a bowl

Bring the vinegar, sugar and water to a simmer in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Adjust the seasoning according to taste

Set aside to cool, then add the pickling liquid to the prepared vegetables, mixing well

Transfer to a clean glass jar and refrigerate until ready to use. It's ideal if you can prepare this a day or 2 ahead for the pickling effect to be obvious

Now make the dough. Add the flour, milk powder, sugar, yeast, salt, baking powder and baking soda to a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the lukewarm water, using a wooden spoon to bring it all together

Either using the dough hook of a standing mixer or with your hands on a clean surface, knead the dough until it no longer sticks and is elastic and pliable – this should take around 5–6 minutes on medium speed in a mixer or around 10 minutes by hand. If you feel it needs more flour, add only a spoonful at a time

Grease the mixing bowl with oil and put the dough inside. Cover with cling film and set aside to rise. I preheated my oven at 100°C for about 6 –7 minutes and placed the bowl inside with the light on. It took the dough about 2 1/2 hours to double in size

Cut out 20 square pieces of baking paper while the bun dough is proving

Punch the dough down, transfer the to a lightly floured surface and shape into a thick log. Slice the log into 10 equal parts and roll each part into a neat ball

Roll out each ball into an oval shape and brush with some oil. Place 1 square of baking paper on 1 side of the dough and fold the dough over the paper so it is sandwiched inside. Place this on another baking paper sheet and repeat the process with the remaining balls

Set aside to double in size for around an hour or so. I decided do a design of three spots over the bun as is traditionally done, but it's purely optional. Use a chopstick to dip in the red colour and put 3 spots on each bun

When ready to steam, place a bamboo steamer over a pot of simmering water and place the bao buns (with baking paper still attached) into the steamer

Steam them for about 10 minutes, making sure the water temperature is not too hot

Once the buns are really puffy, take them out of the steamer and set aside until ready to use

To make the filling, place the cut pork belly in a pan and fill with enough water to cover the meat completely. Bring to a rolling boil on high heat for a couple of minutes until you can see that all the foam-like impurities floating on the top. Remove these with a spoon and drain the meat in a colander, rinsing well with cold water while you're at it

Transfer the meat to same pan and add all of the remaining ingredients. Give everything a good mix

Cook on low heat for about 1 1/2–2 hours, checking occasionally and adding dashes of water if you think it's drying out

Let the meat braise until it is completely cooked and is tender, but not falling apart. Remove the pork from the stock and set aside. Resist the urge to eat this on its own

If your sauce isn't thick enough, add a bit of cornflour and keep boiling until it becomes thick and syrupy

To assemble, fill the buns with pickled vegetables and pork belly. Spoon over the thickened sauce and serve with a sprinkling of chopped coriander

First published in 2015

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Nisha Thomas

Nisha is a freelance writer, avid food blogger and wannabe food photographer.

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