Happy Lunar New Year to everyone who celebrates! Aside from the usual sweets and carbs, I am absolutely obsessed with cooking Korean food. Honestly, obsessed is probably an understatement. My obsession started a few years ago as a way to learn more about my culture and heritage since I was adopted from Korea as a baby. It gives me a sense of home even though it’s completely foreign to me. So in the spirit of Lunar New Year, I decided to make steamed baos with a Korean twist. And, to celebrate the year of the pig, I made spicy Korean pork belly bao buns.
Yes, I know baozi is Chinese. And they’re not traditional. But I love baos. They’re so fluffy and pillowy and the perfect vehicle for any flavor. Chinese char siu baos are also another personal favorite of mine. But, of course, I wanted to incorporate some Korean flavors in these. Also, feel free to use the recipe for these steamed bao buns to create your own bao flavor and give your own spin on it. They’re the perfect blank canvas just waiting to be topped.
For these spicy Korean pork belly baos, I marinated the pork belly in a spicy gochujang sauce. This is the same sauce used for spicy pork bulgogi (dwaeji bulgogi 돼지불고기). But I thought the pork belly (samgyeopsal 삼겹살) would be better suited for the bao buns. I also made some quick pickled cucumbers. Then I topped each of the pillowy bao buns with the pork belly, pickled cucumber, cabbage kimchi, green onions, and cilantro. I hope you enjoy these fluffy, pillowy buns because they're my fave!
Spicy Korean Pork Belly Bao Buns
Print RecipeIngredients
For the Korean spicy pork belly
- 2 lbs thinly sliced pork belly
- ¼ cup Korean red chili pepper paste (gochujang)
- 2 tablespoons Korean red chili pepper flakes (gochugaru)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons mirin
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the steamed bao buns
- Note: I put bread measurements in units of grams because it needs to be precise and everyone measures differently. Using a scale is also a game changer and they're cheap online. Using a scale is also much faster and cleaner because you don't need to dirty any cups or spoons. You can measure straight into the bowl! Highly recommended pro tip!
- 582 grams all-purpose flour
- 85 grams granulated sugar
- 12 grams kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
- 56 grams unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 9 grams instant yeast
- 1 egg
For the quick spicy cucumber pickles
- 1 english cucumber
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
- 1 teaspoons sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 garlic clove, minced
Instructions
For the Korean spicy pork belly
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the pork belly and massage the marinade into each of the pork belly slices so every piece is evenly coated. Let marinate for while you make the bao buns and prepare the toppings.
- Once the bao buns are done, cook the pork belly. Oil and heat a skillet or grill pan on medium-high heat. Once hot, add the pork belly and cook until fully cooked, about 3-4 minutes on each side depending on how thinly sliced the pork belly is. I like to cook my pork belly until the edges get nice and charred.
- Cut the pork belly into pieces and stuff into the steamed bao buns. Top with the quick cucumber pickles, cabbage kimchi, sliced green onions and cilantro.
For the steamed bao buns
- In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, add the butter and heat on low until melted. Once melted, add the milk. Heat on low until the mixture reaches 100F. Once the milk comes to temperature, remove from the heat and add the instant yeast. Stir to dissolve using a small whisk.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, transfer the milk mixture. Then add the egg and then the flour mixture. Mix on medium low for 2 minutes to make a cohesive dough, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times.
- Transfer the dough to a glass bowl or plastic container. Cover and let proof until it has doubled in size, around 45 minutes - 1 hour depending on the temperature in the room.
- In the meantime, cut 16 squares of parchment paper for the dough to sit on while it steams later. Then, prepare the toppings. Make the cucumber pickles (see directions below) and slice the green onions.
- Once the dough has proofed, divide the dough into 56 grams pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and then roll out flat into an oval. Brush with sesame oil and then fold over in half to create a moon shape. Place each folded bun onto a piece of parchment paper.
- Let the buns proof for 15-20 minutes.
- While the buns proof, setup a steamer. I personally use a wok and a bamboo steamer. I feel the bottom of the wok with water and then place the steamer on top. I also like to add fresh sliced ginger to the water to add a little aromatics to the buns as they steam.
- Place the buns with the parchment paper still attached into the steamer. Steam for 5-7 minutes. Serve immediately with the toppings.
For the quick cucumber pickles
- Wash the cucumber and cut into round slices. Transfer to a colander and salt the cucumber. The salt will draw out the water content and the cucumbers will begin to sweat so I like to do this step in a colander in the sink. Let sit for 10 minutes. Then dab with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
- In the meantime, combine the vinegar and sugar in a small bowl. Whisk until the sugar is fully dissolved. Then add the rest of the ingredients: soy sauce, Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru), sesame oil, fish sauce, and minced garlic.
- Add the drained cucumber slices and mix to combine making sure the cucumbers are sufficiently and evenly coated. Set aside until ready to top the bao buns.
- You can also take this time to slice the green onions and prepare the cilantro so everything is ready to go!