Asian Style Pork Belly Bao Buns Recipe

Last Updated on November 7, 2022 by Rebecca Huff

First, I realize that the term “bao buns” is redundant since “bao” literally translates to “bun” in Chinese. However, “bao buns” is the term most English-speaking people use, so I’m using that wording for consistency and ease of understanding.

Second, bao might mean two different shapes of bread. A popular street food, Gua Bao is Chinese for Pork Belly Buns. You may be thinking of a fully contained, stuffed bao bun like this:

However, I’m referring to steamed buns which are folded, taco-style, then stuffed with pork belly slices and topped with scallions or cilantro if you like. They look like this:

How I Discovered Pork Belly Bao Buns

I originally tried Gua Bao in the states. Later, it was one of the street foods I aspired to try on my first trip to China.

I’ve also eaten delicious steamed bao in several eateries here in the states. In Knoxville, Tennessee, Kaizen offers them as appetizers, and in Atlanta, Georgia, I have had them at Suzy Siu’s inside of Krog Street Market.

My family enjoys eating foods from cultures all over the world. I’ve found the best way to offer them a taste of the world while having control over the ingredients is to learn to cook these foods on my own.

Pork Belly Bao Buns are one such example. I knew they wouldn’t be hard to recreate at home. So I started experimenting with steamed bread recipes and came up with the formula below.

Use these steamed buns to hold the crispy pork belly, drizzle with bbq or hoisin sauce and add thinly sliced green onion or cilantro if you prefer. Serve on a large tray already prepared or buffet-style, where each person builds their own.

Making the Best Pork Belly Bao Buns

One of the hardest cooking skills to acquire is simultaneously preparing separate components of a meal. I recommend starting with the dough. While it is rising, you can slice the pork belly.

You'll have extra time since the dough needs to rise for about two hours before you roll and cut the buns. You can cut the pork belly during the dough rising time.

Refrigerate the pork belly until the bao buns are ready to steam. You'll allow the dough to rise for two hours, then roll it out and cut it into three-inch circles. After cutting, you'll let the bao rest for half an hour before steaming.

You'll cook the pork belly toward the end of the rest time or during steaming. This depends on whether you can cook the pork belly all at once or need to do it in batches. Remember that the pork belly cooks for about 20 minutes, and the buns only steam for 8-12 minutes. Then adjust your plan accordingly.

To get crispy yet tender pork belly-filling, I use an air fryer. Although, you can get a similar texture using the oven.

How to Make Crispy Pork Belly in an Air Fryer

Watch the video to see how I cut and prepare pork belly in an air fryer. The process is simple. One key to effectively cutting pork belly is ensuring it is cold and firm. Room-temperature pork belly is softer yet harder to slice. Therefore, you might want to refrigerate it before cutting to make the process easier.

1. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cut cold pork belly into bite-sized pieces (about one inch is what we prefer)
3. Toss the cubed pork belly in a combination of two tablespoons of coconut sugar (or you can use brown sugar if that’s what you have), one teaspoon of garlic powder plus salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cook for 18-20 minutes on the rotation setting if your air fryer has one. If your air-fryer is the basket style, you might need to cook in batches, as it works best in a single layer. Alternatively, use the oven: lay them out on a rimmed baking sheet and cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-30 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Where to Get Pork Belly

I only use Heritage Breed Berkshire Kurobuta Pork Belly. Read my Snake River Farms Review to learn more about what that is and why I use this specific brand of pork belly.

In short, it is all-natural and is raised without any added hormones. Due to its higher fat content, Kurobuta is rich in flavor and has a fantastic melt-in-your-mouth texture. That’s why it is perfect for long-cooking recipes like smoked pork belly and high-heat cooking methods like air frying.

Snake River Farms Kurobuta pork uses 100% purebred Berkshire hogs as mandated by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture and raised with no added hormones and grown in a network of small family farms. The muscle fibers are shorter than in other breeds, which makes the meat naturally more tender and gives it a smoother texture.

Toppings for Pork Belly Bao Buns

Keep it simple, or go wild with the toppings for these pork belly bao buns. In my video, you can see that I kept it simple and even used a premade Japanese BBQ sauce. You can do that too if you like. If so, I recommend Bachan's, which you can buy here or find in a supermarket. (I've even seen it at Costco recently!)

Ideas for toppings and garnish:

• crushed peanuts (I like salted roasted peanuts)
• cilantro
• green onions (scallions)
• chives
• thinly sliced peppers (whatever kind you can tolerate)
• thinly sliced red onion soaked in a mixture of rice wine and rice vinegar
• black or tan sesame seeds
• sriracha or Japanese BBQ Sauce

Tips for Successful Steamed Buns

In the video, you can watch me make the buns in my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer using the dough hook attachment. However, you can do it by hand as well.

I use a rolling pin to roll out my dough to about 1/4 inch thick, but I don’t use a ruler or anything to measure. Because of this, you might end up with more or less than 14 buns.

You'll cook the bao buns using a bamboo steamer. I've found this works best when you line each basket with unbleached parchment paper. Alternatively, you can use unbleached paper coffee filters or cupcake liners.

Other Suggestions

Make sure to cut the pieces of pork small enough to be bite-sized. I have also used a frying pan to get a crispy pork belly for these bao buns. Cook over medium-high heat, and don’t overcrowd the pan for best results.

You can use just the pork belly recipe and skip the bao buns if you like. Other ways to serve include on top of rice or noodles. You can even use zucchini noodles.

I’ve also used this sauce recipe and the slices of pork to make braised pork belly. To do this, add the cooked pork belly and sauce to a dutch oven and let it simmer for about half an hour up to a full hour or until the sauce is thickened.

Prep Time: 2.5 hours

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Recipe to Make Steamed Bao Buns

Steamed Bao Ingredients:

1/3 cup warm water

1/2 cup warm milk

1 tbsp active dry yeast

4 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp neutral oil

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour *see notes for gluten-free option

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Braised Pork Belly Ingredients

1 pound (or more) 1-inch cubed pork belly

Rub for pork belly:

2 tablespoons of coconut sugar (or you can use brown sugar if that’s what you have)

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Japanese BBQ Sauce, Optional or Buy Bottled (to drizzle on top)

1 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce

3 tablespoons coconut aminos or light soy sauce

3 tablespoons of Coconut Sugar or Brown Sugar *see notes for a sugar-free option

1 tablespoon of Organic Mirin (or increase sweetener to 4 tablespoons and double rice vinegar)

1 teaspoon of Organic Tomato Paste (buy a tube, makes it so much easier and less wasteful)

2 teaspoons grated fresh Organic Ginger

1 tablespoon of Unseasoned Organic Rice Vinegar

2 cloves garlic

Pinch of sea salt

1 tablespoon of Organic Toasted Sesame Oil

Dough Instructions

1. If using, cut parchment paper into circles using the steamer basket as a tracing guide for getting the right size. (Alternatively, you can use unbleached paper coffee filters – I’ve done this and it works great.)
2. Combine warm water, milk, sugar, and yeast in a small bowl and let it activate for about 5 minutes.
3. Add dry ingredients to mixer bowl, slowly add yeast mixture, and mix on medium speed until rough dough ball forms; turn the mixer to the lowest setting.
4. While kneading with a dough hook, add oil slowly and allow the mixer to knead for another five minutes.
5. Remove the dough hook and cover the bowl with a towel. Allow it to rest until it is doubled in size. (Anywhere from half an hour to two hours, depending on the environment.)
6. Cover the work surface with a Silpat mat after the dough has doubled, and turn it out so you can punch it down gently to roll it out to about 1/4 inch thick.
7. Bring a pot of water to boiling while you complete the next step. (Make sure it is big enough to place the steamer on top without the bottom touching the water's surface.)
8. Cut out the bao buns using a 3 to 3.5 -inch circle cutter or large glass. (You should get between 12-16 buns depending on the thickness and size of your cutting tool.)

Pork Belly Instructions

1. Cut cold pork belly into one-inch cubes.
2. Mix dry rub ingredients in a small bowl
3. Toss cubes in dry rub and set aside (or refrigerate) while you prepare the bao buns, sauce, and garnish.

Sauce Instructions

1. Add all sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and simmer on medium-low heat until the consistency of a glaze.
2. Assemble by pulling apart bao bun, stuff with pork belly, drizzle with BBQ Sauce, then top with garnish of your choice.

Notes:

Gluten-Free Option: Works with Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend

Sugar-Free Option: Works with Swerve Erythritol brown sugar substitute