Taiwanese Pork Belly Buns (Gua Bao)

There’s nothing quite like biting into a warm, fluffy Taiwanese Pork Belly Buns (Gua Bao) stuffed with melt-in-your-mouth pork belly, sweet crushed peanuts, and tangy pickled greens. These buns are a true comfort food—perfect for a cozy dinner, a festive party, or whenever you’re craving something indulgently delicious.

My first Taiwanese Pork Belly Buns (Gua Bao) experience was in New York, and it was love at first bite. Since then, I’ve chased that flavor from NYC to Taiwan, where I stood captivated outside a Gua Bao shop for nearly half an hour. Now, I’m thrilled to share my favorite homemade version with you!

Recipe

Serving: 6 buns
Prep time: 30 minutes (plus soaking and marinating)
Cook time: 3 hours 15 minutes

For the buns:
2 pounds pork belly with skin
2 chopped shallots
1 bunch chopped scallions (white and middle parts)
5 cloves smashed garlic
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
3 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons rice wine
½ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon five-spice powder
2 cups hot water
1 cup honey-roasted peanuts, ground
Handful of cilantro
6 doubled buns

For the pickled sour mustard:
8 ounces pickled sour mustard, washed and soaked 1 hour
Dash of soy sauce
Pinch of white pepper
Pinch of five-spice powder
Pinch of sugar

Instructions

1. Prepare the pork belly:

• In a pan over high heat, no need for oil. Pan fry 2 pounds of cleaned, 1-inch sliced pork belly for about 5 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside.

2. Build the flavor base:

• In the rendered pork fat, stir-fry 2 chopped shallots, 1 bunch of scallions, 5 smashed garlic cloves, 2 star anise, and 1 cinnamon stick until fragrant. Add 3 tablespoons of sugar and let it melt.

3. Simmer the pork:

• Pour in 6 tablespoons soy sauce, 6 tablespoons rice wine, ½ teaspoon white pepper, and ½ teaspoon five-spice powder.
• Return pork belly to the pot, then add hot water until the meat is just covered.
• Simmer on low heat for 3 hours, stirring occasionally and topping off with hot water if needed.

4. Make the pickled mustard:

• After 1 hour of cooking, ladle out 5 tablespoons of the pork fat stock.
• In a separate pan, heat the pork stock and stir-fry the drained, minced pickled sour mustard.
• Season with a dash of soy sauce, a pinch of white pepper, five-spice powder, and sugar. Cook until fragrant. Set aside.

5. Steam the buns:

• Steam 6 doubled buns over high heat for 5 minutes, using parchment or a steam sheet to prevent sticking.

6. Assemble the Taiwanese Pork Belly Buns:

• Open each bun and layer in a piece of pork belly, some pickled mustard, crushed peanuts, and a few sprigs of cilantro.
• Serve warm and enjoy every bite!