Easy Chinese style marinated pork with hoisin sauce, oyster sauce and Chinese five spice powder. Served with Chinese fold over buns.
This easy sautéed pork belly with hoisin goes well when served with common steamed buns, known as Chinese lotus leaf buns (a name because of the shape). Besides, you can decorate it with a fork just like this one.
There are always busy days when I just want to finish up the meat dishes of the meal in a quick way. And my favorite solution is to sauté pork, chicken or roasts a fish marinated in the previous day. I highly recommend you trying this if you have to serve a big group in the next day or you are possibly out of time for the coming meals.
You will need
- Small chunk of pork belly or pork butt (250g)
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon honey
- a small pinch of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Chinese five spice
- half of a middle size red onion
- oil for brushing the pan
Steamed buns
- 2 cups (250g) all purpose flour
- 125ml water, room temperature or 150ml milk
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Pinch of salt
Other serving ingredients
- Coriander, cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces
- Pickles, any type and minced
- Dip sauce if you prefer
Freeze the pork belly for around 1 or 2 hours until it is firmed and then cut into thin slices, as thin as possible.
Add salt, Chinese five spice, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce and honey. Stir slowly for couple of minutes until all the pieces are well coated. Mix with red onion and cover the plate with a plastic wrapper and then refrigerate overnight.
In a sand mixer, mix flour, yeast, water(milk), sugar and salt together, mix with low speed for around 8 minutes until the dough begins to gather in a ball. Shape the dough to a round ball with hands and then cover with a wet cloth and set aside until the dough is double in size (place the dough in warm place).
Transfer the dough to a slightly floured board and then knead forcefully until there are no more small holes inside the dough. Shape the dough into a long log and then divide into 10 equal portions. (I skipped the detailed pictures for this process, if you need extra help, check Chinese steamed buns- Mantou )
Knead each of the portions for 1 or 2 minutes until they are smooth. And then roll each of the small balls to an oval like shape.
Slightly dust the oval and fold the dough over by the middle.
Place them in steamer and let it stay for 15 minutes (second proofing). In cold water days when the room temperature is quite low, turn up the fire and heat for 2-3 minutes, turn off the fire and wait for 10 to 15 minutes. After the second proofing, start the fire and steam the buns for 10 minutes after the water boils.
Brush some oil in the pan and lay the pork slices (try to spread and avoid folded pieces). And then start the fire and fry over medium to slow fire. Turn over the well-fried pieces immediately.
Prepare other serving side ingredients and enjoy!
- Pork belly or pork butt (250g around 1 pound)
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- ½ tablespoon honey
- a small pinch of salt
- ¼ teaspoon Chinese five spice
- half of a middle size red onion, cut into 3-4 pieces
- oil for brushing the pan
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 125ml water, room temperature or 150ml milk
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Pinch of salt
- Coriander, cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces
- Pickles, any type and minced
- Dip sauce if you prefer
- Freeze the pork belly for around 1 or 2 hours until it is firmed and then cut into thin slices, as thin as possible.
- Add salt, Chinese five spice, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce and honey. Stir slowly for couple of minutes until all the pieces are well coated. Mix with red onion and cover the plate with a plastic wrapper and then refrigerate overnight.
- Brush some oil in the pan and lay the pork slices (try to spread and avoid folded pieces). And then start the fire and fry over medium to slow fire. Turn over the well-fried pieces immediately
- In a sand mixer, mix flour, yeast, water(milk), sugar and salt together, mix with low speed for around 8 minutes until the dough begins to gather in a ball. Shape the dough to a round ball with hands and then cover with a wet cloth and set aside until the dough is double in size (place the dough in warm place).
- Transfer the dough to a slightly floured board and then knead forcefully until there are no more small holes inside the dough. Shape the dough into a long log and then divide into 10 equal portions.
- Knead each of the portions for 1 or 2 minutes until they are smooth. And then roll each of the small balls to an oval like shape. Slightly dust the oval and fold the dough over by the middle.
- Place them in steamer and let it stay for 15 minutes (second proofing). In cold water days when the room temperature is quite low, turn up the fire and heat for 2-3 minutes, turn off the fire and wait for 10 to 15 minutes. After the second proofing, start the fire and steam the buns for 10 minutes after the water boils.
- Prepare all the side ingredients and serve with warm buns.
Can I use a leaner type of pork? Please let me know your suggestions on what type of meat to use. The pork belly really is too fat for my husband who has high cholesterol. Thank you.
Hi Eileen,
You can use pork butt if pork belly seems too fat for your family.
Hi Elaine,
I’m somewhat confused about exchanging water for milk for the buns. The kind of (cow) milk I get here usually has at least 3.5% fat and making dough for buns using this kind of milk will give them a *very* different flavor as opposed to using water. So which one would you prefer?
Then I will choose pure water.
Hi Elaine 🙂
I love your site, all of your recipes are fantastic! I made these buns tonight and they turned out amazing! I don’t have a bamboo steamer, so I had to make some adjustments for my rice cooker steamer. So, I thought I would comment in case your other readers face the same dilemma.
No cups here, so I used 5 dl flour and about 1.5 dl water. I followed the rest of your recipe and rolled them out in ovals, dusted with flour really well and folded them. I let them rest again about 20 minutes. I put water in the rice cooker, hit cook and waited until steam was pouring out (took about 10-15 min). Then I lined my steamer trey with parchment and steamed 4 of the buns for 20 minutes. I then turned off the rice cooker and waited 5 minutes before opening the lid. They turned out perfect!
Thank you again, I want to try all of your recipes 🙂
Hi Elizabeth,
You are so smart to use rice steamer for those buns. Thanks for sharing us this wonderful idea.
Dear Ilaine. I made 2 beaches of the cookies w/ the black sesame’ the taste was pterfec but they lost the shape while baking. Could you tell me why please
Susana
What is dl? How to convert the amount to UK in Oz or grams please.
Hi Lin,
If you do not use measure cups, you can use 250g flour for this recipe.
The condiments listed for the buns, I believe in the pictures were Chinese parsley but listed as coriander. I know that was incorrect. I love Chinese parsley.
Both types can work.
Woow .looking so delicious and yummy.. I love this recipe. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
I am a little confused with the steaming instruction. I have a steamer, you want us to heat for 3 minutes, w/o boiling the water. Remove for 10 minutes and then steam for another 10 minutes when the water comes to a boil, right?
Thank you.
Hi Catherine,
Sorry for the misunderstanding. In hot winter days, just let the buns stay in the steamer for the second proofing. In cold water days, heat the water for 2-3 minutes until warm and let the bun stay for second proofing(takes around 10 to 15 minutes for this recipe). After the second proofing, start the fire and steam the buns for 10 minutes after the water boils.
I tried the recipe. 500grams is way too much near for so little marinate. It didn’t caramalize at all.. am I doing it wrong?
Hi Kai,
Sorry I have double checked the recipe and find I forget to double the amount of sauces from test. You will need to use only 250g pork belly if follow the amounts of the marinating ingredients.