Taiwanese Gua Bao is probably one of my favorite authentic Taiwanese foods. It's a thick slice of braised pork belly sandwiched in-between a fluffy steamed bun (aka bao) that's so tender it literally melts in your mouth.
This recipe uses the braising liquid from my slow cooker Braised Pork Belly Recipe for an extremely tender meat. It's also combined with pickled mustard greens and crushed honey roasted peanuts giving it a sweet & sour taste to offset the fattyiness of the pork belly. Guaranteed to be a hit, I have yet to meet a person who doesn't like Gua Bao.
For the full preparation method and instructions, watch the YouTube video tutorial here.
Cut the pork belly into large pieces (about the size of your steamed buns), then brown for a few minutes before putting into your slow cooker.
Add the braising liquid to the slow cooker, then cook on high for 6 hours.
When the pork is almost done cooking, steam the frozen steamed buns (bao) for 8-10 minutes or until soft and fluffy.
Prepare the pickled mustard greens by chopping into small pieces, then soaking for 10 minutes with cold water to remove the saltiness. Stir-fry with a bit of oil, and season with organic cane sugar (to taste).
Prepare some crushed honey roasted peanuts.
When all the ingredients are prepared, assemble the bao. Start with placing a thick slice of pork belly in the bao, followed by the pickled mustard greens, some braising liquid, crushed honey roasted peanuts, and finally topping with a generous amount of cilantro.
