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MONDAY, JULY 2, 2012
Pork Belly Buns Recipe
By SteamyKitchen / 67 comments
Pork Belly Buns is probably one of the biggest Asian food fads to hit American palates, right
next to Korean Tacos and Bo-Ba Tea. Its no surprise, since since pork belly is essentially
where the much-loved bacon comes from. Slow-cooked pork belly is sliced and simmered
in a sweet-savory Vietnamese caramel sauce and sandwiched between soft, pillowy
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steamed buns. But it doesnt stop there a hit of spice comes from kimchi and flash-fry of
fresh chilies and green onions.
My version of Pork Belly Buns is sort of a mashup between three cultures: Vietnamese
caramel braising sauce, Chinese steamed buns and pork belly and Korean kimchi. You
wont find a better combination of flavors or textures.
Ive adapted the pork belly recipe from my buddy, John, of Food Wishes. Do you know John?
If not, you must see his videos! Hes amazing. Plus, we have matching mustaches.
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Those who live near a good Chinese market can find pre-made buns (usually frozen), but
for the rest of us, I have 2 solutions for you. A flour mixture, specifically for steamed buns, is
available in many Asian markets (theres photos below). And if you cant find that, a cheater
recipe that I learned from my mom is also written for you using.get thiscanned Pillsbury
Buttermilk Biscuit dough. YES! Really!
Unfortunately, theres no cheater recipe for the pork belly. But I swear, its all worth the
effort.
Full disclosure here THIS IS NOT A FAST RECIPE. Plan on an afternoon. Or you can
slow-roast the pork belly one day and make the buns/finish the pork belly the next day,
which is what I did.
How can you resist?!
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Pork Belly Buns Recipe
caramel braised pork belly
Ladies, gents, meet pork belly. It looks like bacon. Asian markets with a fresh meat counter
will have pork belly. Otherwise you might have to request it from your meat man/woman.
Buy a nice slab of it this recipe calls for 2 pounds which will give you enough pork belly
left over to enjoy with some ramen.
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Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Not too much just a nice sprinkle.
Wrap it up in 2 layers of tin foil. Wrap it nice and tight. You dont want any of the juices or fat
escaping.
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Roast slow n low: 275F for 2 hours. Do not open the package. Youll lose all that precious
liquid.
Then let it rest on the counter until cool enough to refrigerate (but remember, dont open it
yet! no peeking!) Refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight.
Only after its fully chilled, then you can open it. This method will ensure that 1) the pork
belly keeps its shape 2) no juices escape, which is important because thats good flavor!
This is what it looks like after refrigeration:
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When you slice it, youll see what I mean about keeping its shape.
Slice into 1/2 thick.
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Heat up a saute pan or wok swirl in a bit of oil and fry each slice on both sides until browned
and the edges start to crisp up. Remove from pan.
Keep all that fat in the pan and youll use the fat to saute garlic, ginger, green onion (and
fresh chilies if you want). Take care not to burn these aromatics!
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Now its time to make the caramel braising sauce. Whisk together fish sauce, soy sauce,
rice vinegar, green onion, garlic, ginger and fresh chilies.
Pour it sauce in.
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Add the pork belly pieces back into the pan.
Let it simmer on low for about 20 minutes, covered.
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Resist the urge to just devour the entire thing.
After that, you can just turn off the heat and let the pork belly hang out in the sauce until
youre ready to serve.
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how to make the steamed buns
I always start with a package of pre-mixed flour*. All you need to do is add sugar, milk and a
bit of cooking oil. Easy. If youre looking to make these buns from scratch, head over to my
friend, Jens site Use Real Butter.
Cheater bun recipe is at the bottom of the post which are just as amazing as these buns.
*Heres another photo of different brand of mixed flour.
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In a big bowl (youll need a big bowl!) Pour in the ingredients except for the flour. While
mixing with a wooden spoon, pour in the flour mixture.
Stir! Stir! Stir!
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Keep stirring until it comes together like dough.
Now use your hands to knead the dough for a few minutes in the bowl. Push with the palm
of your hand towards the side of the bowl, lift dough, rotate and push again.
pssst..yes, I give you permission to use a mixer + dough hook.
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Once the dough becomes smooth, cover and let rise for 20 minutes.
It will rise and look like this:
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Dust work surface with flour. Sprinkle a bit of flour on the dough.
Cut into 8 pieces.
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And then cut those pieces in half, so you have 16 total.
Roll into balls.
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Keep balls covered! < really important
Use a rolling pin or (ahem) a muddler. I prefer a smaller 1 diameter rolling pin, but since I
couldnt find the one my mom gave me, Im using a muddler. It will do. The giant rolling pin
seems overkill on this itty bitty ball of dough.
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Roll it out into an oval-ish shape.
Its not completely round. Theres a reason for that. Just slightly oval.
The reason is because youre gonna fold it in half into a half circle bun.
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Place it on a parchment square. This makes sure that the bun doesnt stick to the steamer.
Keep em covered until ready to steam! < important too
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To steam the buns, get a wok.
you: HEY. Thats a nice wok!
me: Really!? oh thanks! Its the brand spankin new STEAMY KITCHEN WOK!!!
you: OMG. thats awesome.
me: I know, right?! Its the perfect wok. It even comes with the steamer rack.
Ok ok ok.back to the program. Fill the wok or large, wide pot with a inch-ish of water.
Place a rack on top or something to prop up a plate in the pot. Ive been known to use 3
shot glasses or a can of tuna (without the tuna, of course).
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Place a plate on top of the rack.
Put buns on plate (dont over crowd they puff up when they cook).
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Cover and steam for 15 minutes.
Theyll puff up like this!
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Let em cool.
Like clouds.
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how to make the chili/green onion topping
Chopped green onions + fresh chilies of your choice + vinegar + salt in a heat-proof bowl.
In a small saucepan, heat 2 tbl of cooking oil until smoking. Yes make sure you wait until
you start seeing wisps of smoke.
But dont set off your fire alarm, or start a fire. Keep yer eye on the oil!
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Once it starts smoking, immediately pour the oil into the bowl. Carefully.
Magic happens! The hot oil sizzles, crackles and POWS! the green onion and chili,
releasing its flavors without burning them.
You might also want some sweet hoisin sauce so spread on the buns.
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Take a bun, open it up and spread just a bit of hoisin sauce. Add a piece of pork belly, top it
with the chili/green onion. Sneak in a bite of kimchi.
Enjoy.
Pork Belly Buns Recipe Pork Belly Buns Recipe
Servings: Makes 16 buns, serves 8 as appetizer/side dish Prep Time: 1 hour + overnight chill in
refrigerator Cook Time: 2 hours
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For cheater buns using Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits - see note below the recipe.
ingredients:
FOR THE PORK BELLY
1 slab pork belly (about 2 pounds)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
1 fresh chili pepper, minced (optional)
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup water
FOR THE BUNS
14 ounce package of steamed bun flour (banh bao)
+ ingredients as per package instructions (I used milk, sugar, oil)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour for dusting work surface
16 squares of parchment paper (about 4"x4")FOR THE CHILI SAUCE
1 stalk green onion, minced
1 fresh chili, minced or sliced very thinly
1 teaspoon rice vinegar (or white vinegar)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cooking oil
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
Kimchi (optional)
directions:
1. Preheat oven to 275F. Wrap the pork belly in heavy tin foil (or use 2 layers). Place on
baking sheet and roast for 2 hours. Remove from oven and let cool before refrigerating at
least 2 hour or up to 2 days.
2. Unwrap the pork belly, and slice into 1/2" pieces
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, rice vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce and
water.
4. Heat a wok or large saute pan over high heat. When hot, swirl in cooking oil and add
several slices to the wok, but do not overlap. Fry each side until browned. Remove to plate.
Repeat with remaining.
5. Turn the heat to medium-low. Add in the garlic, ginger, chiles (if using) and green onion.
Saute for 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in the remaining caramel sauce into the
pan.Return the pork belly slices back into the wok and let simmer for 10 minutes.
FOR THE BUNS
1. Follow the directions on the package to make the dough, cover and let rise for 20
minutes.
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2. Sprinkle clean work surface with the all-purpose flour. Place the dough on work surface
and cut into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and keep all balls loosely covered
with plastic wrap or towel. You'll work with 1 ball at a time, keeping the rest covered.
3. Use a rolling pin to roll out each ball into an oval, about 4"x3". Fold the oval in half to
create bun shaped. Place on parchment square. Keep covered loosely with plastic wrap or
towel to prevent drying out. Repeat with remaining dough.
4. Prepare steamer (see photos above). Steam the buns for 15 minutes. You'll have to
steam in 2 or 3 batches (avoid overcrowding the buns).
FOR THE CHILI SAUCE
Place the green onion, chili, vinegar and salt in a small heatproof bowl. In a small
saucepan, heat the cooking oil until smoking, remove from heat and immediately pour on
top of the green onion mixture. Please be careful, the oil will bubble and crackle.
To serve, carefully open each bun, spread a bit of hoisin sauce in the bun. Add a slice of
pork belly and top with the chili sauce. Add a bit of kimchi if desired.
how to make steamed buns with pillsbury buttermilk biscuit
dough
My friend, Isabelle, came over for dinner and she arrived the same time I was popping open
this can of Pillsbury Biscuit dough. Even though my mom told me to use this dough 9 years
ago, I had never experimented with this.
So Isabelles sitting at the counter, enjoying her wine and watching me roll these balls and
Im like, This is SO NOT GOING TO WORK I bet you $10 that this canned dough will fail
miserably.
Lesson learned: never doubt my Mom. They were just as tasty as the dough mixture and
they looked better with smooth, pillowy texture.
This will make 20 buns, however, they will be just a bit smaller than the buns Ive made
above just make sure you cut the pork belly into thinner slices.
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour for dusting work surface
2 cans Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuit dough (7.5 ounces each)
20 parchment squares (about 4x4)
1. Dust work surface with the flour. Open the can of dough. Separate out the biscuits
there should be 10 in each can. Keep the dough covered loosely with plastic wrap or
towel. Roll each biscuit into an oval and fold in half. Place on parchment square. Keep
covered until ready to steam.
2. Prepare steamer as shown above in photos. Steam the buns for 12 minutes. Youll
steam the buns in batches, avoid overcrowding the plate while steaming otherwise the
buns will stick to each other.
Use Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits:
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Roll each biscuit out to oval-ish shape
Fold in half and place on parchment square:
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Steam:
Fluffy!
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Gorgeous. Brilliant trick, Mom!
Categories: Appetizers/Bites, Asian Recipes, Breads, Chinese New Year, Chinese Recipes, My Favorite Recipes, Recipes,
Seafood/Meats
Ingredients: chilies, fish sauce, flour, garlic, ginger, green onion, hoisin sauce, milk, pork belly, rice vinegar, soy sauce
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67 Responses to Pork Belly Buns Recipe
Older Comments
Trisha 11/2/13 @ 9:12 pm
My local butcher, in Saint Louis, Missouri, claims Pork Belly is the same as Hog
Mawswhat do you think?
Joel Roush 1/10/14 @ 2:36 am
You need a new butcher. Hog maws are linings of the stomach
of the hog. A pork belly is a giant slab of meat, rectangular in
shape, and about 1.5 to 2 in thickness. Its the same cut that
bacon is made from.
Laura @ Inwideningcircles 11/9/13 @ 6:58 pm
This was delicious!! I went the Pilsbury route and while I had a little trouble
following your directions, I think we made it out okay! The pork is amaaaaazing.
I went ahead and made Momofukus ginger scallion sauce and some quick
cucumber pickles to go with the buns (also: kimchi). SUPER tasty and so fun.
Thanks!
Anne 11/11/13 @ 4:45 pm
Thanks for the pillsbury dough tip. It was perfect!
To Trisha Hog Maws is not at all the same as pork belly. Pork belly is fatty
meat cut from the belly of the pig (usually its what we use to make bacon in
the US). Hog maws is the stomach lining and has no fat if properly cleaned.
Completely different you may want to consider finding a new butcher.
Dan 2/7/14 @ 6:14 am
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REPLY
REPLY
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@Trisha, definitely get a new butcher
This recipe is great, anyone thinking of trying it should definitely give it a go,
Ive started buying extra pork belly when for my sunday roast so that I can cut
a lump off for this as a mid week meal.
Thanks Jaden
Ashley 2/12/14 @ 8:07 pm
I had some trouble with steaming the buns. They took way longer and were still
very soggy on top. Has anyone else had this problem? I ended up putting them
in the oven for a minute to dry out. Otherwise very tasty!! We will be making
them again!
Thank you for sharing!
Pingback: Grace in Small Things No. 7 | My Shiny Life
Giselle Ko 3/24/14 @ 8:38 am
Hi Jaden, my husband and I are undergoing a kitchen renovation and we are a
few days away from using our new Thermador Grand Pro Steam oven for the
first time. Our daughter has requested steamed pork buns to celebrate the
occasion. We love your Steamy Kitchen cookbook, and we know that we will
eventually learn how to convert those recipes for use in our new oven, but in
the meantime, I would like to follow detailed directions. Have you developed a
recipe like this specifically for use with the Thermador oven? Thank you!
Helen 3/28/14 @ 10:56 am
Grr.. I hate and love you at the same time. Hate because I wont be able to
make this until Sunday (two days from right now) and love because I know its
going to be freaking amazing.
gah.
thank you!!!!!!!
IJE 5/19/14 @ 9:23 pm
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit, thanks for sharing the recipe
Pingback: Momofuku Steamed Pork Buns | Just Putzing Around the Kitchen
Phanny 7/27/14 @ 11:05 pm
Just made these pork buns and they were delish!! thanks for sharing the
recipe
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