TAMARIND GLAZED GUA BOA (PORK BELLY BOA BUNS)

What's that you might ask? Your new best friend, is what it is. The first time I heard of this concept I was a bit intimidated. But, at the same time I was like okay it's a steamed bun that so happens to be filled. Was I not wrong! These are melt in your mouth sticky, sweet & sour glazed pork belly portions. Which are stuffed near bursting in soft, marshmallow-like steamed buns along with fresh julienned veg. The starch (boa bun) and the meat are the stars here, how different is that from the African diet...

W H A T I S I T ?

Gua bao, also known as “pork belly buns” (or simply “bao”), are a popular street food which originated from Taiwan. It consists of a flat steamed bun folded halfway to hold a piece of braised pork belly, typically topped with some fermented vegetable, ground peanuts, coriander, etc.

After eating this you won't be able to stop thinking about it until the next time you have it. It's a vicious circle that I'm kinda not mad at. This is kind of the international street food that I wanted to show you guys. To express the ease of making it, especially with the help of the Instant Pot Duo Plus.

So how does the pot come into play in this recipe. It has a stupidly simple, but highly ignored button because of our little friend called fear / intimidation. Its called the sous-vide function.

If you are new to sous vide? Hold on to your hat, my guy. You’re in for a ride. When you take a tough cut like pork belly and slowly cook it sous vide, something incredible happens—the meat takes on textures and flavours you just don’t see with traditional methods. For real, though. You won’t believe the food coming out of your kitchen, you'll basically be pumping out restaurant worthy meals. I'm talking transforming cheap steaks into having a deep and succulent flavour that eat like pricey steaks . I'm talking shanks that transform into tender, impossibly tasty pieces of meat and firm spareribs that melt in your mother-loving mouth.

But for now, we’re talking pork belly right. And yea, I'm fully aware that sous vide isn’t the only way to cook it. When you're in a hurry, we stick that tummy in a pressure cooker, and dinner’s on the table within an hour and some change. When we’re feeling nostalgic for the aromas of gogo's kitchen, an old-school braise is in order. But for our money—not very much of it that is, as this cut’s pretty cheap—sous vide is the best way to cook a belly. Nothing beats the magical texture and extraordinary flavour, that’s achievable only with sous vide. Try this incredibly easy approach and thank me later. But be sure to report back, pretty pictures of slow-cooked pork belly definitely is my jam.

Okay, let's get back to the Gua Bao I went off on a tangent there!

The pork belly is first sous-vide, then pressed to get even shapes and sizes. Then seared on all sides until its nice and brown and caramelized. Then it is coated in the tamarind glaze.

H A V E A G O O D W O R K F L O W

There are several preparation and cooking processes involved in the making of this fantastic creation. So it’s quite important to have a good workflow. Here is the procedure that I follow:

1. Sous-vide the pork belly overnight (12H) at 64'C.

2. On the following day, take the pork out of the sous-vide and press

3. After that prepare the dough and shape the buns. Then leave them to rest until doubled in bulk.

4. During this time, prepare the other fillings for Gua Bao: sauce and vegetables.

5. Then steam the buns. It takes about 12 minutes from boiling the water to finish steaming.

6. By then, the pork belly should be pressed enough to serve. You are ready to assemble Gua Bao and enjoy!

The steamed bao buns are so delicious and fun to make! They're not the dumplings that I grew up eating that's for sure (no shade to gogo). They're light and fluffy due to the corn flour. Okay, I'm pretty sure that you can feel my passion through the screen so we'll just hop into the recipe.

T A M A R I N D G L A Z E D P O R K B E L Y B A O B U N S

Yield Prep Time Resting Time Cook Time

12M 1H30 2H 12H sous vide

12M steaming

P O R K B E L L Y

1 kg pork belly, skin removed

1 piece fresh ginger, sliced

2 star anise

1 T chili flakes

B A O B U N

300 g (2 c) plain flour

125 g (1 c) corn flour

5 T castor sugar

1 t instant yeast

2 1/2 t baking powder

180 ml (3/4 c) warm water

60 ml (1/4 c) vegetable oil, plus extra

T A M A R I N D G L A Z E

500ml water

4 T tamarind paste

115g treacle sugar / brown sugar

1 T crushed chili

20g ginger, finely grated

10g garlic, finely chopped

3 t cornstarch

Water

G A R N I S H

Julienned carrots

Julienned cucumber

S P E C I A L I Z E D E Q U I P M E N T

instant pot duo plus/ sous-vide machine

vacuum bag/ resealable bag

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P O R K B E L L Y

Fill the inner pot with warm water to a height according to the manufacturer’s instructions (keep in mind that the pork will cause the water to rise when added).

Set the instant pot to the sous vide function with a temperature of 64°C for 12 hours.

While the water is getting to temperature, place pork belly, ginger, star anise and chili flakes in the bag and turn to coat. Place a spoon inside the bag to help submerge the bag.

Vacuum seal or partially close the resealable bag, getting as much air out as possible to keep bag from floating, and place in water bath. If using a resealable plastic bag, push the partially closed bag into the water to submerge (this will push more air out of the bag) and fully close. To ensure proper cooking, contents of the bag need to be completely submerged in water.

Once done, remove the bag from water bath and let the pork belly rest in the bag for 15 minutes (this lets the pork absorb some of the juices).

Remove the pork belly from bag and pat dry with paper towels. (You can also save the liquid left in the bag and use it for making a stir-fry or as the cultured do, dip some bread in there!)

Transfer the pork to a plate then cover with greaseproof paper and a chopping board and weigh down in the fridge. Leave for a minimum of 4 hours.

B A O B U N

Measure all of the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric stand-mixer (if using).

Measure the warm water and oil into a measuring jug. The water needs to be a bit more than lukewarm to help activate the yeast, but it shouldn’t be boiling hot.

Using the dough hook on medium speed, mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Depending on the type of flour you have used, you might need more or less liquid that than stated in the recipe.

Once you have a sticky dough, continue kneading the dough on medium speed until it becomes soft and smooth to touch. This should take about 10 minutes using the stand-mixer on medium speed, or about 5 minutes by hand.

Once the dough is soft and smooth, roll it into a ball and place it back into the (clean) mixing bowl. Place the bowl somewhere warm for about 60 to 90 minutes for the dough to rise and double in size. Or boil some water, whilst the water is boiling place a large baking tray on the bottom of the oven with the oven temperature set to 50°C. Place the bowl in the oven covered with a clean dishcloth, once the water has boiled, quickly pour it into the tray and close the oven. You should see some steam. Leave it until doubled in size.

S H A P E T H E B U N S

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it back and knead it by hand for about 5 minutes to release any air bubbles in the dough. Then roll the dough out until it is about 1 cm in height.

Use your hands to rub some oil onto the surface of the dough. Use an 8 cm cookie cutter to cut out rounds from the dough. Re-roll the dough as needed. Place these rounds onto a small sheet of baking paper or use cupcake cases which are flattened. Fold over each round.

Place all of the shaped buns onto a large tray, cover with a tea towel, and place in a warm place for about 30 minutes for the buns to rise again. After this time, the bao buns should have puffed up slightly.

S T E A M T H E B U N S

Meanwhile, prepare the steamer on the instant pot or on the stove

Steam the buns in batches for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are puffy and soft, and cooked all the way through.

T A M A R I N D G L A Z E

Add all ingredients to a pot. Stir to dissolve. Bring to a boil and reduce for 5-10 minutes.

Mix cornstarch with about 20ml water and stir into the sauce. Allow to boil for 2 mins until slightly thickened.

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T O S E R V E

Cut the pressed pork into individual portions or rectangles and pat the skin dry with kitchen paper. Heat a large pan over a medium-high heat. Add oil and cook pork belly on all sides until browned and crisp (it happens fast, so don’t walk away), 1–2 minutes total. Toss in the sauce and keep aside.

Place the vegetables on the bun and place the coated pork on top. If you please, you can add more of the tamarind sauce on. Enjoy.