Sticky Pork Bao
Servings: 8
Calories: 518kcal
In this Sticky Pork Bao recipe, succulent pork is cooked in a sticky sauce until fork-tender, then stuffed into bao buns with fresh veggies, crushed peanuts, herbs, chilli and mayonnaise. Although the meal does take a while to make, it is mostly hands-off, with just a few minutes of prep before the oven does the rest of the work. The recipe makes 8 buns, which serves 2 people generously as a main.
Ingredients
Pork
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 500 g boneless pork belly, cut into approximately 2 cm (¾ inch) slices (or pork rashers/slices) (see note 1)
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly sliced
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, roughly sliced into matchsticks
- 125 ml Shaoxing wine (can be substituted with dry white wine or with water)
- 55 g brown sugar
- 60 ml tamari or all-purpose soy sauce
- 1 tsp Chinese five spice
- 2 star anise
- 125 ml water
To serve
- 8 bao buns (see note 2)
- Peanuts, crushed
- Spring onion (scallion), finely sliced
- Carrot, sliced into batons
- Cucumber, cut into batons
- Coriander (cilantro) leaves
- Chilli, finely sliced
- Equal parts sriracha and whole-egg mayonnaise, mixed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F) (140°C/275°F fan-forced).
- Heat the oil in an ovenproof pot over medium–high heat and cook the pork slices for 3–5 minutes, turning regularly until brown all over. Set aside. Do this in batches if needed so that the pork is not overlapping/crowded in the pan.
- Turn the heat off. To the same pan, add the garlic and ginger. Cook for 30 seconds in the residual heat. Add the Shaoxing wine, stir for 30 seconds, then add the remaining ingredients.
- Return the pork to the pan. Cover with a lid (or double layers of foil) and cook in the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- The pork should be tender enough to break apart with a fork. If not, continue cooking, covered, in 15-minute intervals until it is.
- The sauce should be sticky and glaze the pork. If not, simply return the pork and sauce to the stovetop, uncovered, and cook for 2–3 minutes over high heat or until the sauce has reduced to a honey-like consistency.
- Serve the pork in the bao buns with all or some of the suggested toppings.
Notes
Note 1 – You can use up to 800 g (1¾ lb) pork.
Note 2 – The recipe makes 8 buns, which serves 2 people generously as a main. The nutritional stats are per bun.
MAKE AHEAD
Follow steps 1–6 and refrigerate the pork for up to 48 hours in an airtight container. Reheat in the microwave; add 1–2 tablespoons of water to loosen if needed. Not suitable to freeze.LEFTOVERS
Refrigerate for up to 48 hours in an airtight container. Reheat in the microwave; add 1–2 tablespoons of water to loosen if needed.Nutrition Facts
Sticky Pork Bao
Amount per Serving
Calories
518
% Daily Value*
Fat
38
g
58
%
Saturated Fat
13
g
81
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
4
g
Monounsaturated Fat
19
g
Cholesterol
45
mg
15
%
Sodium
660
mg
29
%
Potassium
211
mg
6
%
Carbohydrates
29
g
10
%
Fiber
2
g
8
%
Sugar
8
g
9
%
Protein
11
g
22
%
Vitamin A
9
IU
0
%
Vitamin C
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
94
mg
9
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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