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Taiwanese · Chinese

Gua bao (Taiwanese pork belly buns)

Non-vegetarian

刈包 · guàbāo

Soft, folded steamed buns stuffed with melting soy-braised pork belly, pickled mustard greens, sweet peanut powder and fresh coriander. A Taiwanese night-market favourite.

Gua bao (Taiwanese pork belly buns) is a Taiwanese sandwich, ready in about 3 hours 10 minutes and made with all-purpose flour, pork belly and roasted peanuts. It serves 5 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
40 min
Cook
1 h 30 min
Rest
1 h
Total
3 h 10 min
Serves
5
Level
Intermediate
Calories
773

Ingredients

5 servings (10 buns)

Buns

Braised pork

Toppings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Put the pork, soy sauce (opens in a new tab), wine, sugar (opens in a new tab), star anise (opens in a new tab), ginger, garlic (opens in a new tab), spring onion (opens in a new tab) and water in a heavy pot. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently until meltingly tender.

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile mix the flour, yeast, sugar (opens in a new tab), baking powder (opens in a new tab), milk (opens in a new tab) and oil into a smooth dough, knead 8 minutes and leave covered until doubled, about 1 hour.

    • 10 min
    Hands kneading dough on a floured surface
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Divide into 10, roll each into an oval about 12 cm long, brush with oil and fold in half over a piece of baking paper. Rest 15 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Steam the buns over medium-high heat until puffed and springy, then leave the lid on for 2 minutes off the heat so they don't collapse.

  5. Step 5

    Uncover the pork and reduce the liquid to a sticky glaze. Fill each bun with pork, mustard greens (opens in a new tab), a generous spoonful of peanut sugar (opens in a new tab) and coriander.

    • 8 min
    • medium-high heat

About this dish

Origin
Taiwan · Well documentedRooted in Fujianese (Minnan) food traditions brought to Taiwan.More food from Taiwan
Dish
Lunch · Snack · Sandwiches · Street food
Cooking method
Braised, Steamed
Taste
sweet & savoury, rich, nutty
Diet
No main diet labels
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Egg-free · Beef-free
With the listed swaps: Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Street food · Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly
Cook more with
All-purpose flour · Pork belly · Roasted peanuts · Dried yeast · Sugar · Baking powder
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Steaming · Braising · Kneading

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom milk
  • Contains: Peanutsfrom roasted peanuts
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder, soy sauce, shaoxing wine
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder, soy sauce, shaoxing wine
  • Contains: Soyfrom soy sauce

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

773 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 345 g · recipe makes 5

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 10%
  • Carbohydrate 34%
  • Fat 56%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy773 kcal224 kcal
Protein19.1 g5.5 g
Carbohydrate65.9 g19.1 g
Net carbohydrate61.9 g18 g
Sugars14.5 g4.2 g
Added sugars11.5 g3.3 g
Fibre4 g1.2 g
Fat47.8 g13.8 g
Saturated fat15.4 g4.5 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol54 mg16 mg
Sodium890 mg258 mg
Salt equivalent2.2 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
516 mg
Calcium
159 mg
Iron
4.3 mg
Magnesium
64 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
61 µg
Vitamin C
17 mg
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
0.7 µg
Folate (DFE)
218 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Shaoxing wine: Sake (FDC 167723) used as a stand-in for Chinese rice cooking wine.
  • Star anise / anise: Anise seed (FDC 171316) used as a stand-in for star anise.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Steamed buns freeze well — re-steam from frozen for 8 minutes.

Common mistakes

  • Steaming over a fierce boil makes the buns wrinkle — use steady medium-high heat.
  • Opening the lid straight away so the buns collapse.

Food safety

  • Braise the pork until very tender (well above 71 °C).
  • Refrigerate leftover pork within 2 hours; reheat until piping hot.

Storage

  • Pork keeps 4 days refrigerated; buns freeze for 2 months.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Braised pork

Used in steps 1, 2, 5

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 30 min

    Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).

  2. First rise (bulk) · about 1 h

    About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.

  3. Rest · about 2 min

    Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

  4. Final proof · about 15 min

    Poke test: the dent springs back slowly and only partly. Springs back fast = needs longer; doesn't spring back = over-proofed, bake now.

  5. Bake · about 12 min

    Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).

  6. Start to finish: about 1 h 59 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

The dough

The dough in baker's percentages. Flour = 100%.
IngredientRoleWeightBaker’s %
All-purpose flourFlour300 g100%
MilkOther liquid165 g54.9%
SugarSugar20 g6.7%
Neutral vegetable oilFat14 g4.5%
Baking powderRaising agent4 g1.5%
Dried yeastYeast4 g1.3%
Total flour
300 g
Hydration
—
With milk, eggs…
47.8%
Wholegrain
0%

Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.

If something goes wrong

  • Spreads flat / no oven spring

    Likely causes

    • Over-proofed
    • Weak shaping (no surface tension)
    • Oven not hot enough
    • Too much water for the flour

    What to do

    • Shorten the proof; bake when the poke springs back slowly
    • Shape tightly so the skin is taut
    • Preheat fully (30+ minutes; with a stone or Dutch oven, 45)
    • Lower hydration or use bread flour
  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Crust too hard or thick

    Likely causes

    • Baked too long at too low a temperature
    • No steam at the start

    What to do

    • Bake hotter for a shorter time
    • Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
    • Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust

Reviews & corrections

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