Pork Belly Buns Recipe - Steamy Kitchen Recipes

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MONDAY, JULY 2, 2012

Pork Belly Buns RecipeBy SteamyKitchen / 67 comments

Pork Belly Buns is probably one of the biggest Asian food fads to hit American palates, rightnext to Korean Tacos and Bo-Ba Tea. Its no surprise, since since pork belly is essentiallywhere the much-loved bacon comes from. Slow-cooked pork belly is sliced and simmeredin 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 offresh chilies and green onions.

My version of Pork Belly Buns is sort of a mashup between three cultures: Vietnamesecaramel braising sauce, Chinese steamed buns and pork belly and Korean kimchi. Youwont 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.



Those who live near a good Chinese market can find pre-made buns (usually frozen), butfor the rest of us, I have 2 solutions for you. A flour mixture, specifically for steamed buns, isavailable in many Asian markets (theres photos below). And if you cant find that, a cheaterrecipe that I learned from my mom is also written for you using.get thiscanned PillsburyButtermilk Biscuit dough. YES! Really!

Unfortunately, theres no cheater recipe for the pork belly. But I swear, its all worth theeffort.Full disclosure here THIS IS NOT A FAST RECIPE. Plan on an afternoon. Or you canslow-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?!



Pork Belly Buns Recipecaramel braised pork bellyLadies, gents, meet pork belly. It looks like bacon. Asian markets with a fresh meat counterwill 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 bellyleft over to enjoy with some ramen.



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 fatescaping.



Roast slow n low: 275F for 2 hours. Do not open the package. Youll lose all that preciousliquid.Then let it rest on the counter until cool enough to refrigerate (but remember, dont open ityet! 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 porkbelly keeps its shape 2) no juices escape, which is important because thats good flavor!This is what it looks like after refrigeration:



When you slice it, youll see what I mean about keeping its shape.

Slice into 1/2 thick.



Heat up a saute pan or wok swirl in a bit of oil and fry each slice on both sides until brownedand 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 (andfresh chilies if you want). Take care not to burn these aromatics!



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.



Add the pork belly pieces back into the pan.

Let it simmer on low for about 20 minutes, covered.



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 untilyoure ready to serve.



how to make the steamed bunsI always start with a package of pre-mixed flour*. All you need to do is add sugar, milk and abit of cooking oil. Easy. If youre looking to make these buns from scratch, head over to myfriend, 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.



In a big bowl (youll need a big bowl!) Pour in the ingredients except for the flour. Whilemixing with a wooden spoon, pour in the flour mixture.

Stir! Stir! Stir!



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 palmof 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.



Once the dough becomes smooth, cover and let rise for 20 minutes.

It will rise and look like this:



Dust work surface with flour. Sprinkle a bit of flour on the dough.

Cut into 8 pieces.



And then cut those pieces in half, so you have 16 total.

Roll into balls.



Keep balls covered!

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.



Place it on a parchment square. This makes sure that the bun doesnt stick to the steamer.

Keep em covered until ready to steam!

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 3shot glasses or a can of tuna (without the tuna, of course).



Place a plate on top of the rack.

Put buns on plate (dont over crowd they puff up when they cook).



Cover and steam for 15 minutes.

Theyll puff up like this!



Let em cool.

Like clouds.



how to make the chili/green onion toppingChopped 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 untilyou start seeing wisps of smoke.But dont set off your fire alarm, or start a fire. Keep yer eye on the oil!



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.



Take a bun, open it up and spread just a bit of hoisin sauce. Add a piece of pork belly, top itwith the chili/green onion. Sneak in a bite of kimchi.Enjoy.

Pork Belly Buns RecipePork Belly Buns RecipeServings: Makes 16 buns, serves 8 as appetizer/s ide dish Prep Time: 1 hour + overnight chill inrefrigerator Cook Time: 2 hours



For cheater buns using Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits - see note below the recipe.

ingredients:FOR THE PORK BELLY1 slab pork belly (about 2 pounds)1 tablespoon cooking oil2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger1 fresh chili pepper, minced (optional)1 green onion, chopped1/4 cup packed brown sugar2 tablespoons rice vinegar3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce1 tablespoon soy sauce1/2 cup water

FOR THE BUNS14 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 surface16 squares of parchment paper (about 4"x4")FOR THE CHILI SAUCE1 stalk green onion, minced1 fresh chili, minced or sliced very thinly1 teaspoon rice vinegar (or white vinegar)1/4 teaspoon salt2 tablespoons cooking oil3 tablespoons hoisin sauceKimchi (optional)

directions:1. Preheat oven to 275F. Wrap the pork belly in heavy tin foil (or use 2 layers). Place onbaking sheet and roast for 2 hours. Remove from oven and let cool before refrigerating atleast 2 hour or up to 2 days.2. Unwrap the pork belly, and slice into 1/2" pieces3. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, rice vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce andwater.4. Heat a wok or large saute pan over high heat. When hot, swirl in cooking oil and addseveral 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 thepan.Return the pork belly slices back into the wok and let simmer for 10 minutes.FOR THE BUNS1. Follow the directions on the package to make the dough, cover and let rise for 20minutes.



2. Sprinkle clean work surface with the all-purpose flour. Place the dough on work surfaceand cut into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and keep all balls loosely coveredwith 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 tocreate bun shaped. Place on parchment square. Keep covered loosely with plastic wrap ortowel to prevent drying out. Repeat with remaining dough.4. Prepare steamer (see photos above). Steam the buns for 15 minutes. You'll have tosteam in 2 or 3 batches (avoid overcrowding the buns).FOR THE CHILI SAUCEPlace the green onion, chili, vinegar and salt in a small heatproof bowl. In a smallsaucepan, heat the cooking oil until smoking, remove from heat and immediately pour ontop 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 ofpork belly and top with the chili sauce. Add a bit of kimchi if desired.

how to make steamed buns with pillsbury buttermilk biscuitdoughMy friend, Isabelle, came over for dinner and she arrived the same time I was popping openthis can of Pillsbury Biscuit dough. Even though my mom told me to use this dough 9 yearsago, I had never experimented with this.So Isabelles sitting at the counter, enjoying her wine and watching me roll these balls andIm like, This is SO NOT GOING TO WORK I bet you $10 that this canned dough will failmiserably.Lesson learned: never doubt my Mom. They were just as tasty as the dough mixture andthey looked better with smooth, pillowy texture.This will make 20 buns, however, they will be just a bit smaller than the buns Ive madeabove just make sure you cut the pork belly into thinner slices.2 tablespoons all-purpose flour for dusting work surface2 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 ortowel. Roll each biscuit into an oval and fold in half. Place on parchment square. Keepcovered until ready to steam.2. Prepare steamer as shown above in photos. Steam the buns for 12 minutes. Youllsteam the buns in batches, avoid overcrowding the plate while steaming otherwise thebuns will stick to each other.Use Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits:



Roll each biscuit out to oval-ish shape

Fold in half and place on parchment square:



Steam:

Fluffy!



Gorgeous. Brilliant trick, Mom!

Categories: Appetizers/Bites, Asian Recipes, Breads, Chinese New Year, Chinese Recipes, My Favorite Recipes, Recipes,Seafood/MeatsIngredients: 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 pmMy local butcher, in Saint Louis, Missouri, claims Pork Belly is the same as HogMawswhat do you think?

Joel Roush 1/10/14 @ 2:36 amYou need a new butcher. Hog maws are linings of the stomachof the hog. A pork belly is a giant slab of meat, rectangular inshape, and about 1.5 to 2 in thickness. Its the same cut thatbacon is made from.

Laura @ Inwideningcircles 11/9/13 @ 6:58 pmThis was delicious!! I went the Pilsbury route and while I had a little troublefollowing your directions, I think we made it out okay! The pork is amaaaaazing.I went ahead and made Momofukus ginger scallion sauce and some quickcucumber pickles to go with the buns (also: kimchi). SUPER tasty and so fun.Thanks!

Anne 11/11/13 @ 4:45 pmThanks for the pillsbury dough tip. It was perfect!To Trisha Hog Maws is not at all the same as pork belly. Pork belly is fattymeat cut from the belly of the pig (usually its what we use to make bacon inthe 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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@Trisha, definitely get a new butcherThis 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 cuta lump off for this as a mid week meal.Thanks Jaden

Ashley 2/12/14 @ 8:07 pmI had some trouble with steaming the buns. They took way longer and were stillvery soggy on top. Has anyone else had this problem? I ended up putting themin the oven for a minute to dry out. Otherwise very tasty!! We will be makingthem again!Thank you for sharing!

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Giselle Ko 3/24/14 @ 8:38 amHi Jaden, my husband and I are undergoing a kitchen renovation and we are afew days away from using our new Thermador Grand Pro Steam oven for thefirst time. Our daughter has requested steamed pork buns to celebrate theoccasion. We love your Steamy Kitchen cookbook, and we know that we willeventually learn how to convert those recipes for use in our new oven, but inthe meantime, I would like to follow detailed directions. Have you developed arecipe like this specifically for use with the Thermador oven? Thank you!

Helen 3/28/14 @ 10:56 amGrr.. I hate and love you at the same time. Hate because I wont be able tomake this until Sunday (two days from right now) and love because I know itsgoing to be freaking amazing.gah.thank you!!!!!!!

IJE 5/19/14 @ 9:23 pmI 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 pmJust made these pork buns and they were delish!! thanks for sharing therecipe

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welcome!Pork Belly Buns RecipePork Belly Buns Recipecaramel braised pork bellyhow to make the steamed bunshow to make the chili/green onion topping

Pork Belly Buns Recipeingredients:directions:how to make steamed buns with pillsbury buttermilk biscuit doughyou might also like...67 Responses to Pork Belly Buns RecipeLeave a Comment

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