Pork Belly Gau Bao Bun Recipe

Pork Belly Gua Bao Bun's might be one of the most delicious, decadent, soft things a human can eat. With the buns being so soft and the meat so juicy and tender, it's a meal that everyone will love!

Ingredients

Gua Bao Bun Dough Ingredients:

1. 3 tablespoons Granulated sugar
2. 1.5 cups whole milk
3. 2 teaspoons  instant yeast
4. 4 cups all-purpose flour
5. 2 teaspoons baking powder
6. 1/2 teaspoon salt 

Pork Belly Ingredients: 

1. 2 lb pork belly 
2. 2 tbsp Oil 
3. 1.5 tbsp of rice vinegar 
4. 2-3 tbsp of sugar 
5. 3 star anise 
6. 2 cups of water (use more if you need) 
7. 3 tbsp of shaoxing wine 
8. 3 tbsp of dark soy sauce 
9. 1.5 tbs of soy sauce 

Toppings Ingredients

1. Orange Carrot 
2. Daikon (White Carrot substitute) 
3. Cilantro 
4. ½ cup peanuts 
5. 2-3 tbs of powdered sugar

Method 

Dough Instructions: 

1. Mix sugar, instant yeast, and 110 degree F milk into a bowl and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes. 
2. In a different large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients. 
3. Add wet ingredients (milk, yeast, sugar) into the dry ingredients and need for 5 minutes. 
4. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Need out for about 1-2 minutes and place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour at room temp. The longer the better. 
5. After the dough has risen, cut 70 gram balls from the main dough. You should have around 15 pieces. 
6. Cover these with a damp towel as you work on rolling out one at a time. 
7. Shape the balls into an oval shape on a lightly floured surface. 
8. Brush oil onto one side and fold over till you have a taco shaped dough and place on a square parchment paper. 
9. Roll out the rest of the balls and cover with plastic wrap to proof for about 15-20 minutes at room temperature. 
10. Get a steamer going with lightly simmering water on the bottom. Put the dough with the parchment paper into a steam basket and steam for 10 minutes with a lid on. After, cut the flame and let it sit for 5 minutes with the lid on. 

Pork Belly Instruction: 

1. Cut pork belly into a ¾ inch thickness cut 
2. Season pork belly with salt/ 
3. Shred carrots and daikon. 
4. Add rice vinegar, sugar, star anise, water, shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, and soy sauce into a bowl and mix. 
5. Use a large pan at medium high heat and coat with oil. 
6. Add in pork belly for about 1-2 minutes on each side just to sear. 
7. With the pork in, add in liquid mixture and bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer 
8. Simmer for about 45 minutes flipping the pork belly every 10 minutes. 
9. Remove pork from the pan and continue to simmer if you want a thicker sauce. 
10. Coat the pork belly with the sauce if desired. 
11. Place peanuts and powdered sugar into a food process and pulse. Peanuts should still be slightly coarse. 
12. Place the bun, add the pork belly, sauce, shredded carrots and daikon, peanut and sugar mixture, and cilantro. 
13. Enjoy.