Gua bao
刈包
Taiwanese steamed folded buns stuffed with soy-braised pork belly, pickled greens, sugared peanuts and coriander.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: 刈包.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 40 min
- Rest
- 1 hr 15 min
- Total
- 3 hr 35 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Gua bao is a soft steamed bun folded like a taco around a slab of braised pork belly, sharp pickled mustard greens, a spoon of ground peanuts mixed with sugar and a few leaves of coriander. The buns are a plain yeasted dough, rolled into ovals, folded over oiled paper and steamed for ten minutes. The pork is belly braised in soy, rice wine, rock sugar and five-spice until a chopstick slides through. The pickled greens are the one ingredient hard to find outside Asian grocers, so this recipe offers a quick vinegar pickle of napa cabbage as a stand-in. Assemble at the table while the buns are hot.
What you'll need
23 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Buns
- Pork
- Pickle
- To finish
Ingredients
Buns
- Wheat flour, plain, plus extra for dusting350 g
- Yeast, instant4.9 ml
- Baking powder2½ ml
- Sugar, 1 for the dough, 1 for the pickle, 2 for the peanuts59 ml
- Milk, lukewarm; or water180 ml
- Neutral oil, 1 for the dough, 1 for brushing30 ml
Pork
- Pork, belly, skin on, in one piece800 g
- Soy sauce100 ml
- Dark soy sauce15 ml
- Shaoxing wine80 ml
- Brown sugar30 ml
- Garlic, smashed4 clove
- Ginger, sliced20 g
- Spring onion, in lengths3
- Chinese five-spice2½ ml
- Water500 ml
Pickle
- Napa cabbage, shredded fine; or 200 g pickled mustard greens, rinsed and chopped250 g
- Vinegar, rice vinegar44 ml
- Salt4.9 ml
- Fresh chilli, sliced (optional)1
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Put the pork belly in a Dutch oven with both soys, Shaoxing, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, spring onion, star anise, five-spice and water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer very gently until a chopstick slides in without resistance, about 90 minutes. Leave it in the liquid.
95 min
Step 2
Mix flour, yeast, baking powder and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Add milk and 1 tablespoon of oil and knead to a smooth, soft dough, 8 minutes. Cover and leave to double, about an hour.
12 min
Step 3
Toss the shredded napa cabbage with salt, leave 15 minutes, squeeze dry, then dress with vinegar, 1 tablespoon of sugar and the chilli. Mix the ground peanuts with 2 tablespoons of sugar.
20 min
Step 4
Divide the dough into 8. Roll each into an oval about 12 by 8 cm, brush the top with oil, fold in half over a square of baking paper and set on a tray. Cover and prove 15 minutes.
15 min
Step 5
Steam the buns in a bamboo steamer or steamer basket set in a wok over boiling water for 10 minutes, in batches. Keep the lid on for a minute after turning off the heat before lifting it.
25 min
Watch: Lifting the lid straight away collapses the buns. Wait.
Step 6
Slice the pork into 8 thick slabs and warm them in a little of their braising liquid, reduced until syrupy. Open each bun, add pork, a spoon of pickle, a spoon of sweet peanuts and a few sprigs of coriander. Eat immediately.
8 min
Tip: Dip the cut side of the pork in the reduced braising liquid so the bun soaks up some of it.
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 1162 kcal
- Protein
- 76 g
- Carbs
- 100.7 g
- Fat
- 49.4 g
- Saturated fat
- 13.3 g
- Fibre
- 6.5 g
- Sugar
- 24.6 g
- Sodium
- 2742 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Soy
- Peanuts
- Milk
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Pork belly → Braised shiitake mushrooms or fried tofu
Vegetarian bao are common in Taiwanese temple food. Braise in the same liquid for 20 minutes.
Tips
- Shop-bought frozen folded bao buns from an Asian grocer are a fair shortcut. Steam from frozen 8 minutes.
- The pork can be braised two days ahead and sliced cold, then reheated in the liquid.
- Do not skip the sugar in the peanuts. The sweet against the fatty pork and sour pickle is the whole balance.
History & culture
Night market food, eaten standing, and a traditional dish for year-end company dinners because the bun's shape resembles a full purse. Taiwanese call it the Taiwanese hamburger, half as a joke. It has travelled further than most Taiwanese food: bao shops in London, New York and Tokyo are usually selling this, with a wider range of fillings.
Gua bao comes from Fuzhou in Fujian, where the bun is called a tiger bites pig for the way it closes around the filling, and arrived in Taiwan with migrants. It was a modest street food until it became fashionable abroad in the 2000s. The traditional filling has not changed: fatty belly, pickle, peanut, herb.
Modern adaptation — The pork and buns are traditional. The quick vinegar pickle of napa cabbage replaces proper pickled mustard greens (suan cai); if your grocer stocks them, use those and skip the pickling step.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Gua bao take?
3 hr 35 min all in — 40 min prep, 1 hr 40 min cook, 1 hr 15 min rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 pieces. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Soy, Peanuts, Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Is the published recipe vegetarian or vegan?
It is not labelled vegetarian or vegan. If a swap on this page says otherwise, that note is the limit of what we claim.
13 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Wok, Mixing bowl, Rolling pin, Dutch oven.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.
How much sugar?
4 tbsp (1 for the dough, 1 for the pickle, 2 for the peanuts) of Sugar.
How much soy sauce?
100 ml of Soy sauce.
How much dark soy sauce?
1 tbsp of Dark soy sauce.
How much brown sugar?
2 tbsp of Brown sugar.
How much vinegar?
3 tbsp (rice vinegar) of Vinegar.
What can I use instead?
Pork belly → Braised shiitake mushrooms or fried tofu. Vegetarian bao are common in Taiwanese temple food. Braise in the same liquid for 20 minutes.
What should I watch for?
Lifting the lid straight away collapses the buns. Wait.
Any tips from this recipe?
Shop-bought frozen folded bao buns from an Asian grocer are a fair shortcut. Steam from frozen 8 minutes. The pork can be braised two days ahead and sliced cold, then reheated in the liquid. Do not skip the sugar in the peanuts. The sweet against the fatty pork and sour pickle is the whole balance.
Can I prepare this ahead?
The pork can be braised two days ahead and sliced cold, then reheated in the liquid.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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