Cook’s notes
Yes, it’s fusion — a creation of my daughter, Alex. And it does look similar to cua pao, the Filipino adaptation of the Fujian gua bao. But since both gua bao and cua pao traditionally use lotus leaf bun — a folded bun that you unfold to insert the filling and then refold to close — I won’t give this bread and meat snack that name. The buns used here, after all, are simply grocery-bought mantou which we had to slice open with a bread knife.
Mantou? Aren’t those bao? Both mantou and bao refer to steamed soft white bread that originated in China. Mantou usually referts to plain bread with no filling. Bao, on the other hand, is often used to refer to bread with filling. The terms are used interchangeably, however.
(If you prefer to use the term bao, please don’t say bao bun. Bao means bun and “bao bun” literally translates to “bun bun”. And that’s as ridiculous as “matcha green tea” because matcha is powdered green tea and, ergo, “matcha green tea” translates to powdered green tea green tea.)
Mantou or bao, not bao bun
Mantou? Aren’t those bao? Both mantou and bao refer to steamed soft white bread that originated in China. Mantou usually referts to plain bread with no filling. Bao, on the other hand, is often used to refer to bread with filling. The terms are used interchangeably, however.
(If you prefer to use the term bao, please don’t say bao bun. Bao means bun and “bao bun” literally translates to “bun bun”. And that’s as ridiculous as “matcha green tea” because matcha is powdered green tea and, ergo, “matcha green tea” translates to powdered green tea green tea.)
Pickled carrot and radish
Julienned carrot and radish soaked in pickling solution is a traditional element of Vietnamese banh mi. Humba is already a fusion dish but using pickled carrot and radish as garnish makes these pork belly buns a fusion dish twice over. Note: Ideally, the pickled carrot and radish should be made a day or two ahead and kept in the fridge until needed.Humba
While humba looks very similar to Chinese red-braised pork belly especially after cooking, the texture and flavor are different. That’s because of the difference in some ingredients and in the cooking procedure (see full humba recipe).Pork belly buns
Ingredients
- humba
Pickled carrot and radish
- 1 medium carrot peeled and julienned
- 1 medium radish peeled and julienned
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon rock salt
Buns and garnish
- 8 large mantou (available in Asian groceries)
- cilantro
Instructions
Pickle the carrot and radish
- Place the julienned carrot and radish in a jar with a screw-on lid.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and screw on the lid tightly.
- Shake the jar gently until the sugar and salt are fully dissolved.
Assemble the pork belly buns
- Heat the mantou in a steamer.
- Split the mantou without cutting all the way through but only to open them up.
- Arrange pork belly slices (as many as you like) on the bottom halves of the mantou.
- Drop a generous heap of drained pickled carrot and radish on top of the pork belly.
- Sprinkle in toasted sesame seeds and torn cilantro.
- Serve your pork belly buns immediately.
Fried rice with bacon, tomato, garlic and basil
