Gua bao is a Chinese steamed bread in the shape of an oval, folded in half. It’s sort of like a taco in a sense that meat and vegetables are filled in between two halves of the oval bread and served open-faced. As a rule of thumb, anything you’d put in a sandwich, taco, or pita bread, you can put in a gua bao.
Most Asian markets will have cooked, frozen gua bao in the freezer aisle. All you have to do to prepare is to steam it over a double boiler. Make sure that no part of the bao is submerged into the water and no water collects on the bottom where the bao is sitting. The best tool to use for steaming is a bamboo basket steamer. Use a large pot with some sort of riser (even a small, tall bowl placed upside down will work) inside and filled with about 2 inches (5 cm) of water. Then, put the bamboo steamer on top.
If you can’t get ahold of a bamboo steamer, try to use something that is heatproof and perforated (like a metal colander) so that the steam doesn’t puddle. The key is to keep excess water away from the buns as they will get soggy. Also line the each bao with a nonstick parchment paper or cupcake liner for easy removal.
Serves 6 to 8
INGREDIENTS
1 packet 12 frozen gua bao (steamed buns)
2 pounds (910 g) sliced Pork Belly Char Siu
½ cup (120 ml) Spicy Hoisin BBQ Sauce
1 cucumber, sliced lengthwise, about ¹⁄₈-inch (3 mm) thickness
½ carrot, julienned
½ cup (120 ml) Smoke Queen House Pickled Red Onions
Parchment paper or foil sheets, cut into 2-inch (5 cm) squares
SPICY HOISIN BBQ SAUCE
1 tablespoon (15 ml) sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 knob fresh ginger, 1 inch (2.5 cm), grated
5 tablespoons (75 ml) soy sauce
5 tablespoons (75 ml) maple syrup
2 tablespoons (40 g) molasses
1 tablespoon (16 g) peanut butter (substitute [15 g] tahini or [15 g] sesame butter, or [16 g] other toasted nut butters)
1½ teaspoons doubanjiang (spicy chili bean paste)
1 teaspoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon Chinese Eight-Spice Powder Rub
¼ teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons (28 ml) room-temperature water
1-2 fresh Thai chilis, minced, or 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
SPICY HOISIN BBQ SAUCE
4 large red onions, thinly sliced
½ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
½ cup (144 g) salt
3 cups (700 ml) vinegar
PORK BELLY CHAR SIU WITH CHAR SIU BBQ SAUCE
2½ -3 pounds (1.1 to 1.4 kg) skinless pork belly (center cut preferred)
2 tablespoons (28 ml) Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine)
6 tablespoons (90 ml) Chinese Eight- Spice Powder Rub
½ cup (120 ml) Char Siu BBQ Sauce
Char Siu BBQ Sauce
6 cubes fermented bean curd
¼ cup (120 ml) light soy sauce
¼ cup (85 g) honey
¼ cup (72 g) oyster sauce
¼ cup (60 ml) Shaoxing wine
(Chinese rice wine)
¼ cup (60 ml) caramel soy
sauce
1 tablespoon (15 ml) Chinese
Eight-Spice Powder Rub
1 tablespoon (7 g) ground white pepper
1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
METHOD
FOr the SPICY HOISIN BBQ SAUCE
1 In a medium saucepot, briefly sauté the fresh garlic and ginger with the sesame oil over low heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2 Add the soy sauce, maple syrup, molasses, peanut butter, doubanjiang, seasoned rice vinegar, and Eight-Spice Chinese Powder Rub. Stir occasionally and let it simmer.
3 In a separate bowl, make the slurry by combining the cornstarch and room-temperature water. Slowly pour in the slurry while stirring the sauce in the pot.
4 Turn up the heat to medium. The sauce will thicken as it comes to a boil. To kick it up a notch, add minced Thai chili. Crushed red pepper flakes can be substituted for a less spicy option.
5 Remove from heat and let it cool down to room temperature. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Makes about 1 cup (235 ml).
FOr the SMOKE QUEEN HOUSE PICKLED RED ONIONS
1 To thinly slice the onions, peel and discard the first hard layers. Cut the onion in half. Using a mandolin or processor with a slicing blade or a very sharp knife, cut the onions in 1/8-inch (3 mm) slices.
2 In a medium container, stir to dissolve the salt and sugar with the vinegar.
3 Place all the sliced onions in an airtight container. Pour the vinegar mix into the container, pushing down the onions so they’re fully submerged.
4 Refrigerate overnight and rotate the onions and give them a mix the next day. By this time, the onions should be a bit more condensed.
5 They are now ready to serve. For a more pickled taste, marinate in the refrigerator for another day. Serves 6 to 8.
FOr the PORK BELLY CHAR SIU WITH CHAR SIU BBQ SAUCE
1 Preheat your favorite smoker to 250°F (121°C). Maintain the temperature. Trim the belly of any excess fat. Moisten the pork belly with the Shaoxing wine. Generously season all 6 sides of the pork belly with the Chinese Eight-Spice Powder Rub.
2 Smoke the pork belly until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C), 4 to 5 hours. Generously brush on the Char Siu BBQ Sauce.
3 Continue to smoke until the internal temperature reaches 190°F to 205°F (88°C to 96°C).
4 Let it rest for at least 15 minutes, then glaze with remaining Char Siu BBQ Sauce and serve.
FOr the Char Siu BBQ Sauce
1 In a food processor or with an immersion blender, blend the red fermented bean curd with the soy sauce until there are no lumps.
2 Add with the rest of the ingredients to a saucepot over medium heat. Let it simmer to melt the sugar. Be careful not to let it
boil over.
3 Let it cool down to room temperature before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Makes 2 cups (475ml).
TO ASSEMBLE
1 Follow the directions on the package to steam the gua bao. Line the bottom of steamer with parchment paper or foil to keep it from sticking.
2 Assemble the gua bao by layering all the ingredients inside and serve hot.
Excerpted from Chinese-American Barbecue: Big Flavor Asian BBQ from the Smoke Queen, published by Harvard Common Press, an imprint of the Quarto Group (2026).
This original article first appeared in the FALL 2026 issue of City Style and Living Magazine.
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