Taiwanese Pork Belly Buns (Gua Bao) Recipe (2024)

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Pork Belly

Braised pork belly + pickles + herbs + peanut powder = classic Taiwanese snack.

Cathy Erway

Cathy Erway is an award-winning food writer, author, blogger, and podcast host based in Brooklyn. She contributes to The Huffington Post, The New York Times, TASTE Cooking, Eater, Saveur, Serious Eats, and Food & Wine, among other publications.

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Updated September 21, 2022

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Why It Works

While it can take up to two hours, braising the pork belly is very easy: It's simply browned in a skillet and then cooked in the same pan with an aromatic broth until tender.
Traditional recipes often call for rock sugar, but this version offers easy substitution options like brown sugar.

Despite all the iterations found on menus across the United States, there is only one true Taiwanese pork belly bun, orgua bao. The classic fluffy steamed bun is filled with a rich, meaty, salty, savory slice of braised pork belly, but it's the three accouterments served with it that are its true signature. To be considered the real thing, gua bao must always have pickled mustard greens, cilantro, and peanut powder.

Taiwanese Pork Belly Buns (Gua Bao) Recipe (3)

Let's go over each of the fillings. First, there's the pork belly, which is cut into bun-sized slices and then red-braised, which means it's stewed in soy sauce and rice wine that's flavored with five-spice powder and other aromatics. This style of pork is commonly found on Taiwanese tables, and is often served with sides that help cut the richness, such as lightly cooked vegetables and/or pickled vegetables like mustard greens.

Taiwanese Pork Belly Buns (Gua Bao) Recipe (4)

That's why pickled mustard greens are an integral part of gua bao—it's the classic pairing in bite-sized portions. These pickles are made by lacto-fermenting a head of mustard greens (a process similar to making sauerkraut, kimchi, or Jewish deli pickles), which gives them a tangy flavor and turns them a dark, not entirely beautiful lizardy green color. The greens are then shredded or finely chopped.

Taiwanese Pork Belly Buns (Gua Bao) Recipe (5)

To balance the fermented flavor and drab color of the mustard greens, fresh, bright green cilantro is added as well. Cilantro is a common topping in Taiwan, sprinkled on everything from soup to ice cream. When chopped, it has a way of sticking to whatever it's on, which is especially helpful in the case of a somewhat messy bun. To maintain its crisp bite, the cilantro is typically chopped with its stems.

Lastly, the bun is topped with peanut powder. Unlike the crushed peanuts commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisines, Taiwanese peanut powder is blended with rock sugar, and ground quite fine. You can make it yourself in a food processor or blender, swapping in brown sugar or raw sugar for rock sugar instead.

All combined, the Taiwanese pork belly bun is a messy, colorful, glorious combination of salty, sweet, pungent, and fresh flavors, with multiple textures to boot.

April 2014

Recipe Details

Taiwanese Pork Belly Buns (Gua Bao) Recipe

Active30 mins

Total2 hrs 30 mins

Serves2to 3 servings

Ingredients

For the Pork Belly:

2 tablespoons vegetable orpeanut oil
One (1-pound) slab skin-on pork belly, cut into 2-inch strips, then sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 mediumcloves garlic, crushed
2 (1/8th-inch) slices fresh ginger (unpeeled)
1 star anise pod (optional)
1 small fresh red chile, such as Thai chile (optional)
2 tablespoonsrock, brown or raw sugar
1/4 cup Asianrice wine
1/2 teaspoonfive-spice powder (see note)
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
1/4 cup light soy sauce
4 cups water

For the Buns and Toppings:

1/2 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts
1 tablespoon rock, brown, or raw sugar (see note)
6 fresh or frozen Chinese-style steamed buns (see note)
6 sprigs fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems chopped
4 tablespoons coarsely chopped Asian pickled mustard greens (see note)

Directions

For the Pork Belly: Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or wok. Cook pork belly until lightly browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Flip pork belly and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer pork belly to a plate and set aside.
In the same skillet, add garlic and ginger and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until fragrant. Add star anise and chile (if using), and sugar and cook, stirring, until the sugar is melted and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Add rice wine and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Add five-spice powder, dark and light soy sauces, and water and bring to a boil.
Return pork belly to the skillet and reduce heat to low. Cover skillet and cook until pork belly is very tender, at least 1 hour or preferably 2 hours.
For the Buns and Toppings: Meanwhile, combine peanuts and sugar in a blender or food processor and pulse, stopping to scrape down the sides, until the mixture resembles a coarse powder, about 1 minute.
Set a steamer over a pot of boiling water. Add buns, cover steamer and cook until buns are heated through and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
To Serve: Spread pickled mustard greens inside each steamed bun and set a piece of pork belly on top of mustard greens. Top pork belly with a pinch of chopped cilantro and a sprinkle of peanut powder. Serve immediately.

Notes

Find five-spice powder, fresh or frozen Chinese-style steamed buns, jarred pickled mustard greens, and rock sugar at Asian grocery stores.

Pork Belly
East Asian

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
743	Calories
42g	Fat
54g	Carbs
38g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2to 3
Amount per serving
Calories	743
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 42g	54%
Saturated Fat 12g	59%
Cholesterol 95mg	32%
Sodium 1375mg	60%
Total Carbohydrate 54g	20%
Dietary Fiber 7g	24%
Total Sugars 21g
Protein 38g
Vitamin C 64mg	321%
Calcium 171mg	13%
Iron 3mg	19%
Potassium 1208mg	26%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)