| Level: | Advanced |
| Total: | 1 day 11 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 cups soy sauce
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons garlic powder
- 5 green onions
- 2 pounds pork belly, skin off
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
- 2 teaspoons raw sugar
- Vegetable oil
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon chopped white onion
- 1 head preserved mustard greens, chopped
- 2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
- 3 teaspoons cilantro leaves, chopped
- 6 gua bao (pork belly buns)
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
Instructions
- Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, green onions and 4 cups water in a pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Let cool to room temperature. Combine the marinade and the pork belly in a pan, cover and marinate for 24 hours in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Set the pan with the pork belly and marinade in the oven. Cook until tender, about 3 hours.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Set a second pan directly on the pork belly and weight it with canned goods to compress the pork belly. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or until the pork belly is firm.
- Crush the roasted peanuts in a food processor or with a mortar and pestle. Mix in the raw sugar. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, white onions and preserved mustard greens. Saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the sweet soy sauce. Set aside.
- Slice the pork belly into 3-inch-long blocks, and then cut into 1/2-inch-thick rectangles. Sear on both sides in a little oil until golden brown.
- Set up a steamer and steam the gua bao until soft and fluffy.
- Open up the steamed buns. Spread each with 1/2 tablespoon of the hoisin and then top with a slice of pork belly and 1 tablespoon of the preserved mustard green mixture. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the crushed peanuts and some chopped cilantro.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 1291 |
| Total Fat | 94 g |
| Saturated Fat | 31 g |
| Carbohydrates | 85 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 54 g |
| Protein | 30 g |
| Cholesterol | 109 mg |
| Sodium | 5372 mg |
Reviews
The pork belly, by itself, is pretty dang close to the definition of succulent, tender as well. And then that’s when you add all the accoutrements, and put them into a properly steamed bao bun. That’s when the magic happens. Don’t skimp on the peanut/ raw sugar mix, 9/10, would make again
Recipe for the buns? Or where did anyone purchase?
Don’t let all the steps scare you. It’s not really that much and is VERY worth it. I did not vary the recipe at all. I found the buns in the freezer department of an oriental market but had to order the mustard greens from Amazon. It was worth getting them. I made some with the greens and few without. My family and guests asked for the greens. I was surprised even some of my harshest critics didn’t have anything bad to say! It was loved by all.
how can you make the recipe without the preserved mustard greens recipe?
This is amazing. We didn’t make the mustard green mix, but did make the peanut dust. We also served ours with Vietnamese-style pickled carrots/daikon, sunomono cucumbers, Fresno Chile slices and cilantro. The most delicious ones had a little bit of all of the above. We will absolutely make this again. We made the buns, added hoisin and the pork belly and held in a warmer for a football game buffet line. Worked perfectly.
I tried this twice now and it’s a big hit! So worth it! We do double batches to make sure we have plenty!
Awesome recipe! I made this for my kids and they absolutely loved it!