red braised pork belly bao buns w/quick pickles & mustard greens

I'm not willing to shell out 5 bucks for a *singular* SINGULAR pork belly bao at places like Jinya lol so this is my solution. my cheapness + extra time in quarantine = this recipe

Components:

1. the actual bao buns (or you could substitute with storebought ones too! can be found at asian grocery stores and are typically pretty cheap :D)

2. the red braised pork belly (aka chinese 红烧肉, the key ingredient!）

3. quick pickled cucumbers

4. mustard greens (optional but recommended)

5. hoisin sauce + sriracha

Ingredients:

• Pork Belly

  • 12 ounces/1 pound lean, skin on pork belly

  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

  • 5 tablespoons light soy sauce (regular soy sauce basically)

  • thumb size piece of rock sugar or 1 tbsp brown sugar

  • 1 tbsp shaoxing wine

  • 6-7 pieces of ginger

  • 1 star anise

  • 1 tbsp black vinegar
    

• Quick Pickle Cucumbers

  • 6-7 persian cucumbers (about a cup's worth)

  • 2 tbsp sesame oil

  • 2 tbsp light/reg. soy sauce

  • 2 tbsp black vinegar

  • 1-2 tbsp korean red pepper flakes (optional)
    

• Mustard Greens

• 1-2 tbsp chinese tian mian jiang (chinese sweet bean sauce)

• Buns

• 500 grams flour

• 1 tablespoon yeast

• 250 grams water

• 1 teaspoon oil

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• parchment paper

• steamer
  

• Sauces (optional but recommended!)

• hoisin sauce

• sriracha sauce

Bao Buns:

1. Combine yeast, sugar, water, and stir. Let bloom and set aside for 5 minutes.

2. Cut parchment paper into 3 inch squares. You will need 12 of these.

3. Incorporate the rest of the ingredients and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic.

4. Place into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a tight plastic lid until it rises to about twice the size for 1-2 hours.

5. Take out the bao dough and divide into 2 pieces.

6. Place one of the pieces back into the bowl and cover when you are working to prevent it from drying out.

7. Make the dough into a long "snake". Cut into 6 pieces.

8. Roll each dough piece into a oval shape. Then, flatten it slightly with your palm.

9. Make each piece into a long oval shape by rolling it out first vertically and then horizontally on each side.

10. Place parchment paper piece into the middle and fold the bao around the parchment paper.

11. Place onto another parchment paper sheet. Once all bao buns are done let them rise for another 15 minutes.

12. Steam the bao, and you're done! To steam, make sure your water is at a boil, then place bao buns into the steamer for 15 minutes.

Pork Belly:

1. Thaw the pork belly for 4-5 hours or overnight until completely defrosted.

2. Cut the pork belly into small pieces, about an 1/2 - 3/4 inch wide.

3. fill a pot with cold water and place pork belly pieces into the pot, boil on high heat to get all the impurities out (the floating grey thingies) and to cook the pork.

4. once the pot is boiling, let it simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

5. drain the pot and rinse the pork belly to get the impurities off the pieces.

6. place the pork in your instant pot. Or you can just use a regular pot, either works.

7. Add in 6-7 pieces of ginger, 5 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce (老抽), 2 tablespoons of chinese cooking wine (shaoxing wine), 1 star anise, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, 1.5 tablespoons of salt, and a thumb size (2 inch piece) of rock sugar (could substitute with a tablespoon of brown sugar).

8. cover the pork with cold/room temp. water until all the pieces are about half submerged (about 2 cups water). this doesn't have to be perfect, and if there's too much water, don't worry since you will simmer the pork later on anyway and it can reduce!

9. put it in the instant pot on the soup setting for 35 minutes. if using regular pot, just let it simmer once it boils off for 45 minutes to 1 hr.

10. release the instant pot pressure once done and put onto the saute function.

11. saute and mix the pork (so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot) until the water is reduced into a thicker sauce (to your liking).

12. and you're done! you can use the pork just like this or you could fry it up/let it crisp up if you want to do that.

Quick Pickled Cucumbers:

1. Cut your cucumbers (about 1-2 cups worth) into thin slices. I prefer using persian cucumbers (the smaller, "mini" kind) for these pickles.

2. Mix with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, sesame oil and vinegar each. Add in korean red pepper flakes (1-2 tablespoons depending on your spice tolerance).

3. mix, mix, mix and you're done! That was easy :D

Mustard Greens:

1. Soak mustard greens overnight or just for 3-4 hours. This is to reduce the saltiness.

2. Drain the mustard greens.

3. Cut into matchstick pieces (1/4 inch wide).

4. Saute with oil and chinese "tian mian jiang" (about a tablespoon).

5. you're done!

Assembly.

1. Cover one bun with hoisin and sriracha!

2. Put in a layer of cucumbers & mustard greens.

3. Add pork belly pieces. (typically 2-3 pieces)

4. Enjoy!

Tips & Tricks:

1. Make the cucumbers and let them sit overnight. This will allow for better flavor!

2. Make the bao buns first and then you can freeze them! They freeze very well and then you can use them whenever you want by quickly "steaming" them in the microwave with a glass of water by microwaving for 2.5-3 minutes.

3. Make pork belly the day of, and serve with prepared overnight pickles, frozen bao buns, and toppings of your liking (could add spring onion, avocado, pickled carrot, etc.)

4. Recipes that I referenced: https://cookidoo.thermomix.com/recipes/recipe/en-US/r69249 https://thewoksoflife.com/shanghai-style-braised-pork-belly/ https://www.loveandlemons.com/bao-buns/