Crispy Pork Belly Bao Buns

, from Issue #119. February, 2025
Photography by Yuki Sato.
Crispy Pork Belly Bao Buns

Pork belly was the first recipe I tried in the air fryer as it seemed to be the ingredient everyone said was the ultimate to air fry. And yes, they were right. It’s totally delicious with meltingly tender meat and the crispiest of crackling.

Makes: 12 Bao Buns

INGREDIENTS

600-gram piece boneless pork belly, skin on
1 teaspoon Shaoxing Chinese cooking wine
¼ teaspoon each onion, powder, garlic powder, Chinese 5 spice and brown sugar

TO COOK
sea salt
1 teaspoon apple cider or white wine vinegar

TO SERVE
12 purchased bao buns, steamed
Slaw with Sesame Mayo, see recipe at bottom of page
store-bought chilli peanut crisp or your favourite chilli sauce

METHOD

Using a very sharp knife or box cutter, score the skin of the pork belly at 1cm intervals but don’t cut down to the meat.

Turn the pork meat-side up and rub the wine into the meat. Combine all the spices and sugar together and rub into the meat. Place on a plate, skin side up and refrigerate for 24 hours, uncovered, to dry out the skin.

TO COOK: Season the meat side with sea salt. Place the pork skin side up on a piece of foil and fold the foil up snuggly around the pork belly so that it covers all sides of the meat but leaves the skin exposed. Brush the skin with vinegar and season with sea salt.

Preheat the air fryer to 210°C on air fry.

Put the pork parcel in the basket and cook for 20 minutes.

Reduce the temperature to 180°C on air fry.

Cook the pork for a further 10 minutes. If the crackling needs a little more cooking, turn the air fryer to max crisp and cook for 2–3 minutes more but keep a close eye on it as it can go from gloriously golden to badly burnt very quickly.

Take the basket out of the air fryer and leave the pork parcel in to rest for at least 15–20 minutes. Lift out and slice thinly.

TO SERVE: Fill the warm bao buns with slaw and pork and top with a spoonful of chilli crisp.

SERVING SUGGESTION: I find the best way to slice the pork is to put it crackling side down on a board and cut through into thin slices with a very sharp knife.