The cake sandwich material is really a great Chinese snack, there are different versions everywhere: Shaanxi meat sandwich bun, Sichuan pot helmet filled with cold noodles, Hebei donkey meat hot pot, and today’s recommended Taiwan gua bao.
The most special part of making kari bun is the crust. It is steamed like a steamed bun, and the meat is the classic Taiwanese marinated meat. The white flat crust is sandwiched between a large piece of meat, just like a tiger biting the pork, so it is also called “tiger biting pig”, which means “blessing bite”, very interesting.
What is gua bao
Gua Bao is a Taiwanese snack, and in Taiwanese it is called “tiger bites pig”, because it looks like a tiger opening its mouth and biting a piece of rosin and tender pork.
This kind of snack with meat and vegetables sandwiched between two steamed buns is similar to hamburgers and roujiamo. This kind of snack, steamed buns and marinade are especially good. Even if you have eaten a lot, you can’t help but take two more bites.
The most special part of the bao is the crust, which is steamed like a steamed bun, and the meat is a classic Taiwanese braised pork.
Gua bao Recipe
Ingredients:
Dough | |
All-purpose flour | 300 grams |
Milk | 150ml |
White sugar | 10 grams |
Yeast | 5 grams |
Salt | 3 grams |
Edible oil | a little |
Stuffing | |
Pork belly | 700 grams |
Sauerkraut | 400 grams |
Star anise | 2 |
Sichuan peppercorn | a little |
Ginger slices | a little |
Garlic | a little |
Onion | Moderate |
Bay leaf | 4 pieces |
Old soy sauce | 20ml |
Yellow rock sugar | 20 grams |
Salt | 4 grams |
Cooking wine | a little |
White sugar | 2 grams |
Red chilli | 1 |
Peanut powder | Moderate |
Coriander | a little |
Tips for gua bao
In Step 6: Brush the dough with cooking oil and fold it in half, so that it will not stick together after steaming.
How to make gua bao
1. Cut the pancetta into 2 cm thick slices.
After the water boils, add ginger, cooking wine, quickly boil down, discolored and removed from the pot.
2. Start a frying pan, stir-fry the meat until lightly browned, clip out. The remaining oil burnt star anise, pepper, ginger, garlic.
3. Put the meat back into the pot again, add knots of green onion and aromatic leaves.
Pour in the right amount of clean water, then add the soy sauce, yellow rock sugar, salt, cooking wine.
Bring to a boil on high heat, turn down the heat and simmer slowly for one and a half hours.
4. Soak the chopped sauerkraut just to dry the water in the hot oil and stir-fry the fragrance. Add sugar to simply season and some red pepper to stir-fry well.
5. Add milk to the flour. Mix the dough until it is almost in a ball, add salt and cooking oil to make it more al dente.
Knead the dough again, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in size.
6. Divide the waking dough into about 60 grams and knead into small dough balls.
Cover with a damp cloth and continue to rise for ten minutes, roll into an oval shape.
Brush one side with cooking oil, fold in half and place in the steamer for another 15 minutes.
7. Wrap the lid with saran wrap to avoid water dripping on the crust before putting on the pan.
Steam for a full ten minutes after the steam has risen.
8. In the middle of the steamed gua bao. First lay a layer of sauerkraut, then a large piece of control meat, sprinkle some peanut powder, and finally sprinkle a little cilantro, gua bao is ready.

Gua Bao
Ingredients
Dough
- 300 grams All-purpose flour
- 150 ml Milk
- 10 grams White sugar
- 5 grams Yeast
- 3 grams Salt
- Edible oil a little
Stuffing
- 700 grams Pork belly
- 400 grams Sauerkraut
- 2 Star anise
- Sichuan peppercorn a little
- Ginger slices a little
- Garlic a little
- Onion Moderate
- 4 pieces Bay leaf
- 20 ml Old soy sauce
- 20 grams Yellow rock sugar
- 4 grams Salt
- Cooking wine a little
- 2 grams White sugar
- 1 Red chilli
- Peanut powder Moderate
- Coriander a little
Instructions
- Cut the pancetta into 2 cm thick slices.
- After the water boils, add ginger, cooking wine, quickly boil down, discolored and removed from the pot.
- Start a frying pan, stir-fry the meat until lightly browned, clip out. The remaining oil burnt star anise, pepper, ginger, garlic.
- Put the meat back into the pot again, add knots of green onion and aromatic leaves.
- Pour in the right amount of clean water, then add the soy sauce, yellow rock sugar, salt, cooking wine.
- Bring to a boil on high heat, turn down the heat and simmer slowly for one and a half hours.
- Soak the chopped sauerkraut just to dry the water in the hot oil and stir-fry the fragrance. Add sugar to simply season and some red pepper to stir-fry well.
- Add milk to the flour. Mix the dough until it is almost in a ball, add salt and cooking oil to make it more al dente.
- Knead the dough again, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in size.
- Divide the waking dough into about 60 grams and knead into small dough balls.
- Cover with a damp cloth and continue to rise for ten minutes, roll into an oval shape.
- Brush one side with cooking oil, fold in half and place in the steamer for another 15 minutes.
- Wrap the lid with saran wrap to avoid water dripping on the crust before putting on the pan.
- Steam for a full ten minutes after the steam has risen.
- In the middle of the steamed gua bao. First lay a layer of sauerkraut, then a large piece of control meat, sprinkle some peanut powder, and finally sprinkle a little cilantro, gua bao is ready.
Leave a Reply