These Pork Belly Buns comprise of slow-cooked pork belly is sliced and simmered in a sweet-savory Vietnamese caramel sauce and sandwiched between soft, pillowy steamed buns. But it doesn’t stop there – a hit of spice comes from kimchi and flash-fry of fresh chilies and green onions.
Why This Pork Buns Recipe Is So Good
- Step by step photos – how to make caramelized pork belly
- How to make Chinese steamed buns – plus a bonus cheater bun recipe using Pillsbury refrigerated dough (a secret ingredient!)
- Top the pork belly with spicy fresh chilies, kimchi and a slather of sweet, sticky hoisin glaze
Ingredients
For the Pork Belly
- Pork belly
- Cooking oil
- Garlic cloves, ginger, chili pepper
- Green onion
- Brown sugar
- Rice vinegar, Asian fish sauce, soy sauce
- Water
For the Buns
- Steamed bun flour, all purpose flour
- Parchment paper
For the Chili Sauce
- Green onion
- Chili
- Rice vinegar
- Salt
- Cooking oil
- Hoisin sauce
- Kimchi (optional)
How To Make This Pork Buns Recipe – Step By Step
Caramel Braised Pork Belly
Ladies, gents, meet pork belly. It looks like bacon. Asian markets with a fresh meat counter will have pork belly. Otherwise you might have to request it from your meat man/woman.
Buy a nice slab of it – this recipe calls for 2 pounds – which will give you enough pork belly left over to enjoy with some ramen.
Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Not too much – just a nice sprinkle.
Wrap it up in 2 layers of tin foil. Wrap it nice and tight. You don’t want any of the juices or fat escaping.
Roast slow ‘n low: 275F for 2 hours. Do not open the package. You’ll lose all that precious liquid.
Then let it rest on the counter until cool enough to refrigerate (but remember, don’t open it yet! no peeking!) Refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight.
Only after it’s fully chilled, then you can open it. This method will ensure that 1) the pork belly keeps its shape 2) no juices escape, which is important because that’s good flavor!
This is what it looks like after refrigeration:
When you slice it, you’ll see what I mean about keeping its shape.
Slice into 1/2″ thick.
Heat up a saute pan or wok swirl in a bit of oil and fry each slice on both sides until browned and the edges start to crisp up. Remove from pan.
Keep all that fat in the pan and you’ll use the fat to saute garlic, ginger, green onion (and fresh chilies if you want). Take care not to burn these aromatics!
Now it’s time to make the caramel braising sauce. Whisk together fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, green onion, garlic, ginger and fresh chilies.
Add the pork belly pieces back into the pan.
Let it simmer on low for about 20 minutes, covered.
Resist the urge to just devour the entire thing.
After that, you can just turn off the heat and let the pork belly hang out in the sauce until you’re ready to serve.
How to make the steamed buns
I always start with a package of pre-mixed flour*. All you need to do is add sugar, milk and a bit of cooking oil. Easy. If you’re looking to make these buns from scratch, without a four mix, here’s my Mom’s recipe for Chinese Steamed Buns.
Cheater bun recipe is at the bottom of the post – which are just as amazing as these buns.
*Here’s another photo of different brand of mixed flour.
In a big bowl (you’ll need a big bowl!) Pour in the ingredients except for the flour. While mixing with a wooden spoon, pour in the flour mixture.
Stir! Stir! And Stir!
Keep stirring until it comes together like dough.
Now use your hands to knead the dough for a few minutes in the bowl. Push with the palm of your hand towards the side of the bowl, lift dough, rotate and push again.
pssst…..yes, I give you permission to use a mixer + dough hook.
Once the dough becomes smooth, cover and let rise for 20 minutes.
It will rise and look like this:
Dust work surface with flour. Sprinkle a bit of flour on the dough.
Cut into 8 pieces.
And then cut those pieces in half, so you have 16 total.
Roll into balls.
Keep balls covered! <– really important
Use a rolling pin or (ahem) a muddler. I prefer a smaller 1″ diameter rolling pin, but since I couldn’t find the one my mom gave me, I’m using a muddler. It will do. The giant rolling pin seems overkill on this itty bitty ball of dough.
Roll it out into an oval-ish shape.
It’s not completely round. There’s a reason for that. Just slightly oval.
The reason is because you’re gonna fold it in half into a half circle bun.
Place it on a parchment square. This makes sure that the bun doesn’t stick to the steamer.
Keep ’em covered until ready to steam! <– important too
To steam the buns, get a wok. Fill the wok or large, wide pot with a inch-ish of water. Place a rack on top – or something to prop up a plate in the pot. I’ve been known to use 3 shot glasses or a can of tuna (without the tuna, of course).
Place a plate on top of the rack.
Put buns on plate (don’t over crowd – they puff up when they cook).
Cover and steam for 15 minutes.
They’ll puff up like this!
Let ’em cool.
Like clouds….
How to make the chili/green onion topping
Chopped green onions + fresh chilies of your choice + vinegar + salt in a heat-proof bowl.
In a small saucepan, heat 2 tbl of cooking oil until smoking. Yes – make sure you wait until you start seeing wisps of smoke.
But don’t set off your fire alarm, or start a fire. Keep yer eye on the oil!
Once it starts smoking, immediately pour the oil into the bowl. Carefully.
Magic happens! The hot oil sizzles, crackles and POWS! the green onion and chili, releasing its flavors without burning them.
You might also want some sweet hoisin sauce so spread on the buns.
Take a bun, open it up and spread just a bit of hoisin sauce. Add a piece of pork belly, top it with the chili/green onion. Sneak in a bite of kimchi.
Enjoy.
How to make steamed buns with Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuit Dough
My friend, Isabelle, came over for dinner and she arrived the same time I was popping open this can of Pillsbury Biscuit dough. Even though my mom told me to use this dough 9 years ago, I had never experimented with this.
So Isabelle’s sitting at the counter, enjoying her wine and watching me roll these balls and I’m like, “This is SO NOT GOING TO WORK” — “I bet you $10 that this canned dough will fail miserably.”
Lesson learned: never doubt my Mom. They were just as tasty as the dough mixture – and they looked better with smooth, pillowy texture.
This will make 20 buns, however, they will be just a bit smaller than the buns I’ve made above – just make sure you cut the pork belly into thinner slices.
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour for dusting work surface
2 cans Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuit dough (7.5 ounces each)
20 parchment squares (about 4″x4″)
1. Dust work surface with the flour. Open the can of dough. Separate out the biscuits – there should be 10 in each can. Keep the dough covered loosely with plastic wrap or towel. Roll each biscuit into an oval and fold in half. Place on parchment square. Keep covered until ready to steam.
2. Prepare steamer as shown above in photos. Steam the buns for 12 minutes. You’ll steam the buns in batches, avoid overcrowding the plate while steaming otherwise the buns will stick to each other.
Use Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits:
Roll each biscuit out to oval-ish shape
Fold in half and place on parchment square:
Steam:
Fluffy!
Gorgeous. Brilliant trick, Mom!
A Super Popular Dish
Pork Belly Buns is probably one of the biggest Asian food fads to hit American palates, right next to Korean Tacos and Bo-Ba Tea. It’s no surprise, since since pork belly is essentially where the much-loved bacon comes from!
Pork Belly Buns
My version of Pork Belly Buns is sort of a mashup between three cultures: Vietnamese caramel braising sauce, Chinese steamed buns and pork belly and Korean kimchi. You won’t find a better combination of flavors or textures.
I’ve adapted the pork belly recipe from my buddy, John, of Food Wishes. Do you know John? If not, you must see his videos! He’s amazing. Plus, we have matching mustaches.
Can I Use Pre-made Buns?
Those who live near a good Chinese market can find pre-made buns (usually frozen), but for the rest of us, I have 2 solutions for you. A flour mixture, specifically for steamed buns, is available in many Asian markets (there’s photos below). And if you can’t find that, a cheater recipe that I learned from my mom is also written for you using….get this…canned Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuit dough. YES! Really!
Take Some Time
Unfortunately, there’s no cheater recipe for the pork belly. But I swear, it’s all worth the effort.
Full disclosure here – THIS IS NOT A FAST RECIPE. Plan on an afternoon. Or you can slow-roast the pork belly one day and make the buns/finish the pork belly the next day, which is what I did.
How can you resist?!
Top Tips For This Pork Belly Buns Recipe
- Use heavy tin foil to wrap the pork or 2 layers of regular tin foil.
- Use all purpose flour to dust your work surface when making the buns.
- You can use pre made buns or Pillsbury dough, for a shortcut.
- Add some kimchi for an extra kick!
Check Out These Delicious Pork Recipes
- Pork Belly Lettuce Cups Recipe
- Sous Vide Pork Belly Recipe
- Thai Pork Chops in Ginger Coconut Sauce
- Pork and Spinach Wonton
Have you tried this Pork Belly Buns recipe? Feel free to leave a star rating and I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
Pork Belly Buns Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE PORK BELLY
- 1 slab pork belly about 2 pounds
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2-3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
- 1 fresh chili pepper minced (optional)
- 1 green onion chopped
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
FOR THE BUNS
- 14 ounce package of steamed bun flour banh bao
- + ingredients as per package instructions I used milk, sugar, oil
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour for dusting work surface
- 16 squares of parchment paper about 4"x4"
FOR THE CHILI SAUCE
- 1 stalk green onion minced
- 1 fresh chili minced or sliced very thinly
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar or white vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- Kimchi optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275F. Wrap the pork belly in heavy tin foil (or use 2 layers). Place on baking sheet and roast for 2 hours. Remove from oven and let cool before refrigerating at least 2 hour or up to 2 days.
- Unwrap the pork belly, and slice into 1/2" pieces
- In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, rice vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce and water.
- Heat a wok or large saute pan over high heat. When hot, swirl in cooking oil and add several slices to the wok, but do not overlap. Fry each side until browned. Remove to plate. Repeat with remaining.
- Turn the heat to medium-low. Add in the garlic, ginger, chiles (if using) and green onion. Saute for 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in the remaining caramel sauce into the pan.Return the pork belly slices back into the wok and let simmer for 10 minutes.
FOR THE BUNS
- Follow the directions on the package to make the dough, cover and let rise for 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle clean work surface with the all-purpose flour. Place the dough on work surface and cut into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and keep all balls loosely covered with plastic wrap or towel. You'll work with 1 ball at a time, keeping the rest covered.
- Use a rolling pin to roll out each ball into an oval, about 4"x3". Fold the oval in half to create bun shaped. Place on parchment square. Keep covered loosely with plastic wrap or towel to prevent drying out. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Prepare steamer (see photos above). Steam the buns for 15 minutes. You'll have to steam in 2 or 3 batches (avoid overcrowding the buns).
FOR THE CHILI SAUCE
- Place the green onion, chili, vinegar and salt in a small heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cooking oil until smoking, remove from heat and immediately pour on top of the green onion mixture. Please be careful, the oil will bubble and crackle.
- To serve, carefully open each bun, spread a bit of hoisin sauce in the bun. Add a slice of pork belly and top with the chili sauce. Add a bit of kimchi if desired.
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comment section! I always appreciate your feedback and I know other readers do, too!
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Would be great with chicken, turkey, lamb, pea, black bean mix (Google vegan meat) or tofu, hubby won’t eat pig, but son and I do. Venison pounded slow cook also might work well.
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This is very helpful information author clearly describe this topic.
I noticed your instructions, when you fold the dough in half, does not include brushing topside with oil prior to folding to keep it from sticking. This is a step I’ve found in many others; is it not necessary?
Hi there. This is great instruction and I am determined to make the entire recipe. First issue however is
How far in advance can I make the buns? Can they cool a few hours. We plan to make this for a crowd so lots of steaming…..
Hi Kerrie – you can make the buns even a couple days ahead. Cook, cool completely, then refrigerate. When ready to eat, put the buns in steamer for a couple of minutes to heat up. Jaden
This recipe is absolutely amazing, thank you for posting! Thanks to you I’ve nailed the buns which was a challenge before. I’ve made the pork belly yesterday but I left the pork skin on for roasting, then removed it because it was just too greasy before pan-frying. I know others have asked this but never saw an answer – do you roast it with the skin off alltogether or remove it after cooking? Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂
Thanks so much Liv! I roast with skin-on, and also eat with skin-on (most restaurants will do this). Once you pan-fry, the fat melts and is delicious 🙂
Hi,
In your step by step pictured instructions, you do not mention adding brown sugar to the sauce and even your pictures do not show it added. But the recipe shows 1/4 cup brown sugar and the written instructions say to add brown sugar to fish sauce, etc. i am confused as to add it or not.
The caramel braising sauce in Step 3 has brown sugar. It’s whisked in with the fish sauce, soy sauce, etc.
Thank you!!!!
Hi Nancy,
I plan to make these awesome baos for a potluck. Is there any tip/trick to keeping them warm, moist after putting them out on the table?
Thanks in advance!
-Lili
Yes! Keep them covered in a towel. That will keep the buns moist
Hi Jaden! I have been a blog follower for many years and I finally wanted to post and say thank you for sharing all your wonderful recipes over the years!
I have a question- I am not a very good kneader by hand so I rely on my KitchenAid to do all the work. Do you know how long should I knead the banh bao mix using my KA?
Hi Nancy! I knead for just a few minutes – look at the texture of the dough (see all the photos) for cues on when dough is ready!
Wow! Thank you so much for the “cheater” version of steam buns! It does work perfectly! I’m so excited because now these awesome steamed buns are in reach for “everyday” dinners not just special occasions!
Made this recipe about 2 years ago. Couldn’t find the buns, so used the cheatrecipe. This time around, found real steamed buns. Can’t wait!!!! Awesome recipe. Follow exactly…..
I have this page opened on my browser for weeks now and finally yesterday I decided to make the buns with store brought bun mix, it was for bao. I followed the technique you shared and they turned out white, fluffy like clouds. I am still going to try this PB recipe which no doubt will be awesome. Thank you for sharing this wonderful post
Thank you so much!
Hi Jaden, I saw your recipe and was dreaming about it for weeks. I finally found pork belly at my local latino market. Did the oven thing, and the next day went to slice and fry. Only the meat had bones in it!!! I cut them out, fried them up seprately. Otherwise fabulous recipe.
Btw, what was that I bought?
Hi Debra! You bought pork belly with the spareribs still attached to it, which is fine! You can remove the bones beforehand, or have your butcher cut them off for you.
Hi my name is Connie! My children are half Thai. I am Native American, Black and German. I embrace all cultures and cooking foods from around the world. I made your pork belly recipe for a family party and it was a great hit with everyone! I failed at making the buns. lol! I love to cook Asian foods and your recipes are awesome! Thank you for sharing your recipes and yourself with us online. I am thankful to live a life of being open minded to all cultures, foods and respecting others. Your family picture is awesome too! I wish you much success and I will continue to cook more of your recipes and leave comments. I am sure that they are all delicious!!!
Thanks so much Constance! Great to meet you.
Understand PB can be cooked with or without skin but if cooked with skin, does it need to be removed before frying and serving?
Hey! How much milk, sugar, and oil did you use?
You’ll have to follow the instructions on the package – different brands of steamed buns have different instructions – just look on back of package.
I accidentally left the skin on the pork belly when I roasted it. Will this be a problem?
Nope, not at all!
Hi Jaden!
I made this last night, but the skin and fat came out rubbery like a boot. Can you tell me what my mistep was?
Hi Jessica – Hmmm, not sure. Did you take a photo of it? Cooking this method, low and slow is pretty foolproof. Did you follow the recipe exactly?
Well… this recipe has ruined me. We didn’t make the buns but used Hawaiian rolls and made sliders with the meat and sauce. Added some beans sprouts tossed with a little carrot and basil. Everyone is still talking about it today. I added a few chopped Thai chillies right into the reduction for more spice. We eat things really spicy around here. Just saying. The meat was good. The kids have already planned/demanded the next time we are making them. ha.
Thanks so much Doug – happy that your family loves it 🙂
Hi, i was wondering if there is something i could substitue for the fish sauce? Wife is allergic to all seafood.
Thanks
Recipe is Delish!
Hi Scott – I would sub with any of these options (just pick one!)
1. 3 Tbl soy sauce plus a pinch of sugar
2. Coconut Aminos
3. 2 1/2 Tbl soy sauce + 1/2 teasp miso paste
4. 1 1/2 Tbl soy sauce + 1 1/2 Tbl beef broth
Thanks
Jaden & family,
Thank you very much for the wonderful website. I look forward to cooking & trying many of your recipes.
I just cooked this for dinner. To die for!!! Planning to share to everyone at work. But trying to figure out if it still fine the next day and can we microwave them? please answer my question. thanks heaps!
Hi Marian – yes, cover the buns with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 15 seconds.
Hi just making this now and it has 1/2 a cup of water in the sauce for the pork belly but it doesn’t say it when your showing us? Just wandering to put it in or not.
Hi Tayloh – It’s in step 3 in the recipe instructions!
Hi Taylah – It’s in step 3!
Love your recipes!!!!!!
it’s like you hear me googling this exact recipe when you posted. I just happen to be searching for this yesterday. God Bless you, Jaden 😀
Thanks Jen! Hey! Haven’t chatted with you in a long time! Hope you are well.
Has anyone tried making this with other cuts of meat?
I like to make bao with banh mi fillings.
I absolutely love pork belly buns! Thank you for the detailed instruction. This looks awesome!
I also make steamed buns (the stuffed/steamed Chinese variety) with refrigerator biscuit dough. Cheaper the better in my experience. I picked it up from David Rosengarten’s Taste program… 15 or so years ago. Sara Moulton may have been guest hosting. Anyhow, the best little shortcut I had heard of in a long time and still use it (and use it for the buns) for Viet buns. I was so excited to see someone else doing this! I do mine slightly different, main difference is I slow cook belly chunks on the oven and then crisp them up in the end. Then sauce them quickly just before serving. I look forward to trying your version and your sauce – also a little diff. Steamy indeed!
These little buns look effing awesome. They are straight to the top of my “to do” list. Nice one 🙂
I can buy frozen buns at my local Korean market. They are a hybrid of making your own and going the bisquit route, I guess. Because this is a time consuming, but totally worth it recipe, I sometimes cook the pork belly, slice it, freeze it in small batches, then can fry it up and indulge a pork belly bun craving easily.
Just made these pork buns and they were delish!! thanks for sharing the recipe
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit, thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
Grr.. I hate and love you at the same time. Hate because I won’t be able to make this until Sunday (two days from right now) and love because I know it’s going to be freaking amazing.
gah.
thank you!!!!!!!
Hi Jaden, my husband and I are undergoing a kitchen renovation and we are a few days away from using our new Thermador Grand Pro Steam oven for the first time. Our daughter has requested steamed pork buns to celebrate the occasion. We love your Steamy Kitchen cookbook, and we know that we will eventually learn how to convert those recipes for use in our new oven, but in the meantime, I would like to follow detailed directions. Have you developed a recipe like this specifically for use with the Thermador oven? Thank you!
I had some trouble with steaming the buns. They took way longer and were still very soggy on top. Has anyone else had this problem? I ended up putting them in the oven for a minute to dry out. Otherwise very tasty!! We will be making them again!
Thank you for sharing!
Ashley, when you steam the buns wrap the lid with a towel so the steam from the boiling water doesn’t condense onto the buns. Be sure to keep the towell away from the burner so it doesn’t catch on fire.
@Trisha, definitely get a new butcher…
This recipe is great, anyone thinking of trying it should definitely give it a go, I’ve started buying extra pork belly when for my sunday roast so that I can cut a lump off for this as a mid week meal.
Thanks Jaden 🙂
Thanks for the pillsbury dough tip. It was perfect!
To Trisha – Hog Maws is not at all the same as pork belly. Pork belly is fatty meat cut from the belly of the pig (usually it’s what we use to make bacon in the US). Hog maws is the stomach lining and has no fat if properly cleaned. Completely different – you may want to consider finding a new butcher. 😉
This was delicious!! I went the Pilsbury route and while I had a little trouble following your directions, I think we made it out okay! The pork is amaaaaazing. I went ahead and made Momofuku’s ginger scallion sauce and some quick cucumber pickles to go with the buns (also: kimchi). SUPER tasty and so fun. Thanks!
My local butcher, in Saint Louis, Missouri, claims Pork Belly is the same as Hog Maws…what do you think?
You need a new butcher. Hog maws are linings of the stomach of the hog. A pork belly is a giant slab of meat, rectangular in shape, and about 1.5″ to 2″ in thickness. It’s the same cut that bacon is made from.
True
No it’s not. Very different
Trisha, I live in St. Louis too and if you go to the Asian market on olive street you will find the pork belly there in the butchers case.
I just made these this evening for my fiancé and me, I had a huge craving to fill after finding out a food truck in iur area makes them. This is a great and simple recipe. I actually was impatient and let the pork sit for 20 min after being in the oven before sautéing the meat. Turned out fine and very tasty! Ethnic f
Ethnic food, cheap ethnic food, is hard to come by in my town, charleston, SC. So I am happy to make these and share them with my friends.
we’re big bao fans since finding chairman bao in san francisco while on vacation earlier this year. i made them once using the frozen buns from the asian market. and followed a different recipe for the pork belly. meh, they were ok… the pork belly was pretty good (seared first, then long braise… recipe ended there but they came out bland, so i seared again and tossed in a sauce i whipped up), but the buns were kinda yuk. i tried doing the canned biscuits tonight (using store brand buttermilk biscuits, no less) and they were delish! i also used your technique of roasting the pork belly in foil first and then searing and braising. much easier! a little quick-pickle shredded carrots and some fresh baby spinach made for a fantastic dinner! thanks!
This looks absolutely delicious!
Do you leave the pork belly skin on or do you remove it? I can’t seem to tell from the pictures. Thanks! Love your site!
I just made the buns using the pre-mixed flour. They tasted really good but came out a little more dense than I would have liked. Do you think I kneaded it too long? I did end up using a stand mixer. . .
Tried them. Lot of work. Had to ask for the porkbelly because here they cut them up to make “chicharrones” so i whole piece is hard to find. In the end it was absolutely worth it. They were yummy!! Next time I think I serve them with noodles or rice though.
I’m making pork belly buns tonight and bought the frozen buns to use. Now I’m reading this and kicking myself because I happen to have a lot of pillsbury dough on hand! DARN.
Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Silly question – If I double the amount of meat (4 lbs vs 2 lbs), do I need to increase the cooking time or temperature?
You don’t need to increase the temperature or time. When you roast pork belly, the timing has more to do with the thickness of the meat vs. actual pounds. Since pork belly is relatively flat, it should be fine.
Tried this over the weekend. Results were amazing, big hit! We have several asian markets nearby so finding the pork belly was not a problem. Roasted the belly the day before which made serving day prep a snap. The combination of roasting, browning and then simmering the meat resulted in melt-in-your-mouth results.
I also used the Pillsbury biscuit shortcut with incredible results. This is a great trick, my guests were shocked when they learned how the buns were made. Definitely a keeper. Was thinking for a party of cutting the biscuits in half and making bite size finger food portions.
If you can’t find pork belly at your local market, find a Safeway and ask them to order some for you. I lucked out, when I asked I found out the Manager had ordered some pork belly by mistake. He sold me 3 pounds at $4.00 a pound – what a deal!
What a great recipe. Yum. One hint about cooking the pork belly. Make sure you have a splatter shield handy and even put a lid over it because the pork belly really spits and pops as it cooks. I actually got a pretty bad burn trying to turn them before the pan had cooled down.
I didn’t have any Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits so I made mine out of Bisquick. Then I followed the same directions for the Pillsbury biscuits. Worked great and they were really tasty. Nice and fluffy.
Thanks – we’ll be having the leftovers for dinner tonight! 🙂
These were so good! Thank you! Made them today – lot’s of bun’s (unsteamed) left over, do you think they will freeze?
Hi Graeme – Yes, they’ll freeze beautifully. Freeze in single layer (otherwise they’ll stick together). When you are ready to eat, re-steam (while frozen) for a few minutes. OR you can microwave – put frozen buns on plate, put a damp towel on top of the frozen buns. Microwave for a couple of minutes. The damp towel will prevent them from drying out.
I can’t stop laughing at the photos of these, the steamed buns look like pac man or a pair of lips eating the filling. 😀 Thanks for sharing!
Made this last week for my wife’s birthday. It was a hit! Thanks for the recipe!
I recently made Vietnamese caramel sauce and it’s base was actual caramel (sugar/water). Have you tried cooking the belly in that? Thanks so much for sharing your recipes and tips !
lucybird. How did the fried tofu work out? I only eat meat on rare occasion and would love to make these veggie also. I checked out Whole Foods to see if there might be some other ideas. Still working on it. I do eat seafood once in awhile and thought shrimp might be good also.
I live by many Asian markets — which brand of pre-mdae frozen buns do you like? Can you post a picture of the bag please? Thanks!
Hi Darlene – I haven’t bought frozen buns in a long time. So I don’t have a package photo for you. But generally, all the frozen buns you’ll find at an Asian market are pretty good. I haven’t run across a bad brand.
We made this the other day… my husband loved it. Yum! Of course I was lazy and ate it with rice and didn’t have any peppers on hand… so we ate it Korean style in lettuce wraps. Delicious.
Of course I had no fish sauce or brown sugar, so instead I used more soy sauce, some noodle base sauce or something-or-another I had picked up one day, some honey, and, in deference for our need for spice, added a ton of jalapeno juice from a jar of pickled jalapenos. And it was still good!
The worst part was taking the pork belly out of the oven and having grease drip EVERYWHERE. That was fun. Need to wrap it differently next time, haha.
Don’t fear the pork belly!!! Thank you so much it was my first time making (not eating) pork belly. So easy and wonderful. I used the canned dough. I had so much fun making this, and everyone loved it. THANK YOU JADEN!
I’ve found your blog today and … I’m getting more and more anxious to taste all of those things that you explain how to make, but I have a suggestion for you. Did you consider masking videos on how to make dishes using your recipes. I’m totally sure that they’ll be positively accepted by your target audience. Now, I’m one of them. 🙂
Thanks for all the fun I’m having with your site.
awesome!!! my grandma (r.i.p.) use to make this for me! a true labour of love!
Your mom is a genius! This is going on my must try list!
These are really wonderful! really enjoyed my visit!
swing by if you get a chance!
This looks [bad words censored] good, Jaden! I have to see this right before I make chicken legs for dinner? Seriously? Aren’t you supposed to post some kind of a warning before posting something like this?
being vegetarian i am going to alter this recipe by using fried tofu i may be able to get similar results.
I have been trying forever to make the buns. I wouldn’t think of using biscuit dough. That is SO SO COOL!
I love, love steamed buns and pork belly inside them are just out of this world! I’ve made steamed buns before with different fillings but I like your recipe! You make it seem so much easier than mine. And so much more delish! Love that red wok, too! Hmmm, definitely putting that on my “wish list”. Thanks for sharing this great recipe, Jaden!
Look super yummy. I can’t wait to try it,
Wow – now I MUST find me some pork belly and try this! I’m featuring this in today’s Food Fetish Friday (with a link-back and attribution). I hope you have no objections and it’s always fun to be following along with your creations…
Thanks so much!
Those buns look fantastic, I will be trying them soon.
Really nice recipe!
David Chang does offer a steamed bun recipe in his Momofuku Cookbook, which I tried twice. Although it produces nice result, the process is way too laborious.
Great post! I didn’t know they had pre-made flour mixes or that you could use refrigerated biscuits, though the latter just doesn’t sound right to me. I do know you can by pre-made buns, you just need to steam them.
I’ve made the buns from scratch before and let me tell you, I don’t think they are worth the effort/time. I cook often and am pretty patient but for the amount of effort and the end product, I will definitely concentrate on the pork belly and just use store bought buns. In fact, David Chang talks about how he tried to get the bun recipe from his favorite Chinese restaurant in NY and after many years, the owner relented and gave him a piece of paper. The paper led him to a factory where they make buns for many Chinese/Dim Sum restaurants.
Seriously–these look divine! I will have to give them a whirl!
Ummmm, omg.
This looks like a fun recie to try. Could chicken or beef be used instead? If beef, is there a cut you’d recommend? Thank you.
Sure! Here’s a recipe using chicken with the buns: https://steamykitchen.com/85-peking-chicken-with-steamed-buns.html
That’s it – I’m heading to the Italian Market tomorrow to pick up some pork belly! Jaden – this looks amazing and, btw, totally adoring the SKWok!
You’re right, Jaden, this is a massive recipe and an all day project but I’m so glad you posted this (and were so descriptive) because I’ve been wondering what pork belly was like for so long. Perfect!
Does it taste fatty at all? Or does it just taste like a bit hunk of amazing bacon?
YUM!!
xoxo
Cheri
First of all, this looks so darn good. It’s enough to make me want to eat pork again!! Love your mom’s trick for steamed buns!! I can’t wait to get your wok to make the buns and even actual banh bao!
A nice variation of what we get here in Singapore. The next time I pack some home, I will add some kimchi on top of the bun! The chili with hot oil is a good idea too!
Mmmmm love me some pork belly! Looks amazing too Jaden, love the new red steamy kitchen wok! I think I need one! 😉
Oh my, I love pork belly. This sounds good even without the buns. Would work rice as well.