How to make classic pork bao

When they started a bao food stall in 2012, Erchen Chang, Shing Tat Chung and Wai Ting Chung couldn’t have predicted the cult following it would amass. Ten years and five restaurants later, they share their tips for perfecting the traditional Taiwanese steamed buns at home

Bun in a million: compared to the larger buns in Taiwan, this bao is the ideal three-four bites (Sirui Ma/BAO)

This is the bao that defines who we are. It is the bao that is in our logo and the bao that embodies all our values. It is our pursuit of perfection. The processes and techniques that go into it and the ways in which we have translated the traditional Taiwanese gua bao into our bao makes it who we are.

At home in Taiwan, the gua bao is normally two to three times larger. At that size, it is all about filling your stomach – the opposite of kuchisabishii, which describes the concept of eating not because you are hungry but because your mouth is lonely. A lot of people ask why we serve it smaller. Well, firstly it’s because we want diners to sample a range of dishes, not just one. But most importantly, we serve it this way to faciliate that perfect moment of solitude. Our baos are the ideal three-four bites.

The classic pork bao is perfectly formed, with a clean 1cm (½in) gap between the edge of the bun and the edge of the meat. It is filled with 12-hour braised pork that yields no resistance, melting in your mouth with the cloud-like bao, the flavour notes of the ferments and sweet peanut powder lingering on in your mouth. In this recipe the pork is braised for three hours at a higher temperature but it still produces a great braise.

The fermented mustard greens are a crucial component of this bao and you will need to prepare them at 2 weeks in advance. If you don’t have the time to desire to ferment your own, however, you can buy them from any Asian supermarket. They tend to be vacuum-packed in a bag with their own juices and are a pleasing yellowish-green colour.

Classic pork bao

Serves: 10-12

Ingredients:

For the soy-braised pork belly:

1kg pork belly (side), cut into 5cm (2in) cubes

50ml light soy sauce

40ml dark soy sauce

60ml Shaoxing rice wine

20g spring onion (scallion)

1 clove garlic, crushed

20g fresh ginger, peeled, sliced and crushed

1 star anise

20g rock sugar

Pinch of garlic powder

4 dried red chillies

6g cinnamon bark

For the fried mustard greens:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

½ tsp doubanjiang (fermented chilli bean paste)

100g drained Fermented Mustard Greens (see below), chopped

A few drops of rice vinegar

To serve:

10-12 gua baos (homemade or from a shop)

1 small bunch coriander

Chopped 90g Peanut Powder (see below)

Method:

For the soy-braised pork belly:

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the pork cubes and blanch for 2-3 minutes to get rid of any impurities. Drain, then place in a flameproof clay pot or large saucepan.

The first cookbook from London’s cult favorite restaurant BAO offers a taste of Taiwanese food culture (Phaidon)

Add the remaining ingredients to the pot or pan and pour over enough water to just cover the ingredients. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 3 hours. There should just be small bubbles on the surface of the liquid. Halfway through cooking, flip the pork cubes to ensure they are evenly cooked.

Transfer the pork to a plate and leave to cool. Strain the braising liquid, then bring to the boil and cook until it is a light, sticky consistency, reducing it by about half. When the pork has cooled slightly, chop it into cubes of about 1 cm (½ inch). Put the cubes into the reduced sauce, give it a good stir and remove from the heat.

Warm the pork with the sauce over a medium heat for about 10 minutes before serving.

For the fried mustard greens:

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the doubanjiang (fermented chilli bean paste) and, when the oil starts to turn red, add the fermented mustard greens. Stir-fry for 5 minutes until super fragrant and wilted. Season the greens with a few drops of the vinegar.

To assemble:

While the pork is reheating and the greens are cooking, steam the gua baos. Open a bao and line the bottom with 45g of the piping-hot, glistening pork, then top with 1 teaspoon of the fried mustard greens. Finish with 1 teaspoon of the chopped coriander (cilantro) and 1 tablespoon of the golden, sweet peanut powder. Repeat with the remaining baos and fillings.

Fermented mustard greens

There is nothing as joyful as good fermented mustard greens, known as suan tsai in Chinese. When we first started BAO, my kitchen was full of fermenting jars, with juices leaking everywhere. The greens should have the perfect amount of acidity and saltiness once fermented, and since they can be used in so many different ways, they are always handy to have in your store cupboard. They’re great eaten as they are, as a palate cleanser, or they can also be treated as a seasoning, added to your meat or noodle dishes to provide depth and complexity of flavour. I love using these fermented greens in noodle dishes, and they are a crucial component of the classic pork bao. Chinese mustard greens can be bought fresh from specialist or Asian supermarkets. You will need to prepare them at least two weeks in advance of using.

Makes: 350g

Ingredients:

500g Chinese mustard greens, washed and chopped into 2.5cm (1in) pieces

2 tsp salt (2% of the total weight of the greens)

Method:

Put the chopped greens into a bowl and sprinkle over the salt, massaging it into the greens until it is evenly distributed.

Pack the salted mustard greens tightly into a 500ml sterilised jar. After about 30 minutes, the salt will draw out the liquid from the mustard greens and this liquid should cover the greens. If it does not, place something heavy on top (like a fermenting weight) to keep the greens submerged in the brine (the greens must be submerged otherwise they will grow mould).

Put the lid on the jar and seal. Leave to ferment at room temperature for at least 14 days, but ideally one month. Make sure to “burp” the jar every night by opening the lid momentarily - this will release the gasses and ensure that the jar doesn’t explode!

When the greens have fermented to your liking, either transfer the jar to the refridgerator or eat straight away. The fermented greens can be stored in the refridgerator for up to three months.

Peanut powder

This powder is great sprinkled on pork or used as a garnish.

Makes: 200g

Ingredients:

200g shelled peanuts (groundnuts)

2 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Spread out the shelled peanuts on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden. Shake the tray or turn the peanuts every five minutes to ensure an even colour. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.

Transfer the peanuts, in small batches, to a food processor and pulse until you have a coarse powder (it is best to do this in batches because peanuts have a high fat content and can very easily turn into peanut butter in no time).

Tip the peanut powder into a bowl, add the sugar and mix thoroughly until well combined. The peanut powder can be stored in a jar in the refridgerator for up to one month.

Recipe from ‘BAO’ by Erchen Chang, Shing Tat Chung and Wai Ting Chung (Phaidon, £29.95).