The Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Network received a recipe from Morrison Living. Please join us in celebrating Chinese New Year with this Bao Bun recipe.
Bao buns are all the rage! They originated in Taiwan. The Bao (“Bun”) developed in Chinese culture as a filled form of ‘Mantou’, a plain steamed dumpling which is often compared to bread. Mantou is said to have been created by the Legendary 3rd Century Military Strategist Zhuge Llang.
Bao Buns are steamed until light and fluffy and then stuffed with all things delicious. There are entire restaurants dedicated to this delicacy, while street food trucks across the country sling out bao after bao to hungry guests. There are so many varieties of this popular Asian Sammie- including new versions that infuse other cultures into the mix- but all are unified by one thing, a tender, steamy bun. The dish consists of stewed meat and other ingredients in between two sides of soft white bread dough. The result is light, fluffy, bite-sized sandwich that’s surprisingly not greasy, but filled with goodness and completely addictive! You could even say it’s the Chinese equivalent to tacos. Common traditional ingredients include pork belly, coriander, and peanuts, but over time people have added their own twists to recipes using vegetables, fish, fried chicken and beef.
Slow Roasted Pork Bao
Ingredients
Slow Roasted Pork
- 5 fl oz soy sauce Gluten Free
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. fresh garlic chopped
- 2 tbsp. fresh ginger minced
- ¼ cup scallions chopped
- ¼ cup shallots peeled, minced
- 19 oz. Pork Belly Raw
Pickled cucumbers and onions
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1-1/4 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
- 11 fl oz water
- 1-1/4 tsp sambal oelek chili paste
- 9 ½ oz. English cucumbers peeled, Sliced Thin
- 2-1/2 oz red onion Fresh Julienne Sliced
Assembly
- 12 each bao buns
- 6 tbsp. hoisin sauce
- 24 each fresh cilantro sprigs
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Instructions
Slow Roasted Pork
- Preheat oven to 250F.
- Place soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and scallions in a large heavy-bottom pan and bring to a gentle boil.
- When the mix comes to a boil, remove from the heat and add the pork. Cover and place in the oven for 2 hours.
- Remove the lid and cook uncovered for an additional 45 minutes to 1 hour. The pork should be tender.
- Remove the pork from the sauce, let cook slightly and slice thin.
Pickled cucumbers and onions
- Place the granulated sugar, salt, rice wine vinegar, water, and chili paste in a small sauce pan over a medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolved.
- Pour the mixture over the cucumber and red onions, and leave for 2 hours.
Assembly
- Steam the bao Buns for 6 minutes or until they are fluffy and fully cooked.
- Spread 1/2 tbsp. of hoisin sauce inside each steamed bun.
- Place 2 each 1 oz slices of cooked pork into each steamed bun.
- Garnish each steamed bun with 1 oz of the drained pickled cucumber and red onion.
- Top each steamed bun with 2 sprigs of fresh cilantro.
- Serve immediately.
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