Chinese Pork Belly Bun (Rou Jia Mo, 肉夹馍)

Rou Jia Mo sits somewhere between a sloppy joe sandwich and a taco in my opinion, with a long-simmered braise of clove, star anise, cinnamon, and Sichuan peppercorn giving the pork its master-sauce flavor, and the cilantro and pepper chopped straight into the meat on the cutting board so the herbs cut the fat. If you have ordered pork belly buns in a Chinese restaurant before, you have most likely met the Taiwanese version, Gua Bao, which uses skin-on braised pork belly in a folded steamed bun with pickled mustard greens, cilantro, and crushed peanuts. Well, I have to tell you that Rou Jia Mo is a different sandwich from a different region, closed on all sides in a wheat flatbread instead of an open steamed fold.

My original version of this Chinese pork belly bun recipe was published in 2018 and it linked out to a separate flatbread recipe. Today, I brought the flatbread back into the same post and redeveloped the dough method for a chewier and more authentic Rou Jia Mo texture, closer to the ones I remember eating on the street in Beijing under a buck a piece.

From start to finish, the work goes in 3 stages, the braise that simmers hands-off for 2 hours, the yeasted dough that rises and rolls into 10 flatbreads, and the fast chop-and-stuff assembly at the end. I encourage you to make this recipe as a weekend project when you have a little extra time. My step-by-step recipe walks you through the entire street vendor method, and I just know you and your family will absolutely love it.

Ingredients

I know the ingredient list looks a little long because the master braise uses a traditional Chinese spice blend, but almost every dried ingredient is something I already keep in my pantry for other Chinese recipes.

Pork belly: I use skin-on pork belly when I can find it because that is how it is cooked on the street in China, but skinless works if you do not like the texture of the skin. I cut the slab into 2-inch chunks so the pieces braise at the same rate and the fat has room to render into the liquid.

Master braise spices: Dried Chinese chili peppers, whole cloves, whole star anise pods, a cinnamon stick, fennel seeds, Sichuan peppercorn, and grated nutmeg give the braise its savory-warm base. This spice mix is the foundation of what Chinese cooks call a master sauce, a braising liquid that is meant to be complex and layered.

Braise aromatics and liquids: I add sliced ginger and halved green onions for freshness, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce for saltiness, and dark soy sauce for a burnished color on the finished pork. A spoonful of sugar rounds out the salty and spicy notes.

Flatbread dough: I mix instant yeast with warm water, all-purpose flour, a small amount of baking powder for a lighter crumb, and a spoon of vegetable oil for a tender crust.

Assembly toppings: I chop cilantro coarsely and dice fresh chili peppers small right before serving. Chinese long peppers are what I reach for when I want the traditional flavor, but Anaheim or a mix of sweet peppers and jalapenos also work well. A few drops of homemade chili oil at the table are optional for anyone who wants extra heat.

How to Make

1. Blanch the pork: Place the pork belly chunks in a large pot and add cold tap water to cover the pork by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, turn to medium, and boil for 10 minutes until no more brown foam rises to the surface. Discard the blanching water and transfer the pork to a clean pot just big enough to hold the pieces snugly.

2. Braise the pork: Pour in 3 cups of fresh water and add all the braising ingredients except the salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 2 hours until the pork is tender enough to give under a chopstick. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt halfway through and taste the broth.

Once the pork is cooked, remove the large pieces of the aromatics and let the pork sitting in the braising liquid.

3. Activate the yeast: Start the dough while the pork is simmering. Pour the warm water into a small bowl at about 110°F, sprinkle in the active dry yeast, and let sit for 10 minutes until the surface bubbles up.

4. Mix the dough: Whisk the flour and baking powder together in a large bowl. Slowly pour in the yeast water while stirring with a pair of chopsticks in a clockwise direction, until the water is fully incorporated and semi-firm flakes form with almost no dry flour left. Drizzle in a little more water if needed. Add the vegetable oil and stir again to combine.

5. Knead the dough: Dust both hands with flour and start kneading in the bowl until the dough comes together.

6. First rise: Transfer the dough to a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Rest for 10 to 15 minutes so the dough hydrates and turns easier to knead.

7. Knead again: Knead the dough for 10 to 15 minutes until quite smooth.

8. Start the second rise: Rub a large bowl with oil, place the dough inside, cover with plastic wrap, and rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour.  

9. Knead the dough: Knead the risen dough a few times until it returns to its original size.

10. Divide the dough: Divide into 10 equal pieces of about 75 grams each and shape each one into a ball by hand. Transfer to a tray, cover with plastic wrap, and rest for another 10 minutes so the dough is easier to roll.

11. Roll and shape the flatbreads: Press one dough ball flat with your palm and roll it out with a rolling pin into a long oval about 8 inches long and 3 inches wide. The dimensions do not need to be exact as long as the shape is a long oval.

12. Create the spiral: Fold the oval lengthwise, then roll the folded strip up into a coil.

13. Shape the flatbread: Flatten the coil with the rolling pin into a disk about 4 inches across.

14. Rest: Once all are shaped, rest for 10 minutes after finishing the last piece so the dough relaxes and slightly expands.

15. Cook the flatbreads: Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat until hot. Place the first flatbread you rolled into the pan, spacing multiple pieces about 1 inch apart. Cook covered for about 2 minutes per side, until the surface turns golden and the bread is cooked through. If the surface browns too quickly, turn to medium-low. If the surface is not quite golden after the full 4 minutes covered, uncover and cook for 1 minute per side to finish the color.

17. Chop the filling: Transfer one piece of braised pork belly onto a cutting board and cut it coarsely into small chunks. Place a handful of cilantro and a handful of diced peppers on top of the pork. Use a heavy knife to chop and mix everything together until the herbs and peppers are blended into the meat.

18. Assemble and serve: Slice a flatbread horizontally in half without cutting all the way through, leaving one end attached to form a pocket. Spoon the chopped pork mixture into the pocket, drizzle a spoonful of braising liquid over the filling, and add a few drops of chili oil if you want the extra heat. Serve immediately while the bread is still warm.

How to Serve

Rou Jia Mo is street food made for eating right away with your hands. I pass out the assembled buns as soon as the last one is stuffed, still warm from the pan, and I keep a small dish of the braising liquid on the table for anyone who wants to spoon more onto their sandwich mid-bite. On a weeknight this is a two-hand dinner for me and my husband, messy, but finger-lickering good.

For a family dinner that needs more on the table, I set the buns down as the main and set a small Northern Chinese foods around them. A cold Chinese cucumber salad does the refreshing work against the fatty pork, a plate of Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce adds the green, and a light Chinese egg drop soup is the perfect combo. If I am hosting a bigger group with a real Xi’an flavor in mind, I add a plate of real-deal Xinjiang cumin lamb for a second Northern protein that have the same spice-warm profile as the braise. Yum!

Frequently Asked Questions

Chinese Pork Belly Bun (Rou Jia Mo, 肉夹馍)

By Maggie Zhu

5 from 8 votes

Prep Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 buns

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My Chinese pork belly bun, or Rou Jia Mo, is a Northern and Midwest Chinese street food where melt-in-your-mouth braised pork belly is minced with cilantro and chili pepper, stuffed into a fluffy yeasted homemade flatbread, and finished with a spoonful of the savory braising liquid.

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• 2 lb pork belly , cut into 2-inch (4.5-cm) chunks (*Footnote 1)

Braising

• 3 cups water
• 2 dried Chinese chili peppers , seeds removed
• 3 cloves
• 2 whole star anise pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 thumb ginger , sliced
• 4 green onions , halved crosswise
• 1/4 cup Shaoxing wine
• 1/4 cup light soy sauce
• 1.5 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Pork bun

• 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water (110ºC)
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Assemble

• 1 cup cilantro , coarsely chopped
• 2 to 3 chili peppers , small diced (I used Chinese long pepper)
• Homemade chili oil (Optional)

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Instructions

Cook the pork

• Blanch the pork: Place pork belly in a large pot and add cold tap water to cover the pork by 1” (2 cm). Bring to a boil. Turn to medium heat and boil for 10 minutes, until there’s no more brown foam forming. Discard the water and transfer the pork to a clean pot that’s just big enough to hold the pork.
• Braise the pork: Pour 3 cups of water and add all the braising ingredients except the salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn to medium-low heat. Simmer, covered, for 2 hours, until the pork is very tender. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt halfway through and taste the broth. It should taste slightly salty. If not salty enough, add more.

Prepare the buns

• Activate yeast: Start the dough when the pork is cooking. Pour the warm water in a small bowl and add the yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes to activate the yeast.
• Mix the dough: Mix the flour and baking powder together in a large bowl. Slowly pour in the water with yeast a few times, stirring with a pair of chopsticks in a clockwise direction, until water is fully incorporated and semi-firm dough flakes form. There should be little dry flour left in the bowl. Drizzle a little more water if needed. Add the oil and mix again. Dust both hands with flour and start by using one hand to knead until dough begins to form. The dough should be quite firm and not stick to the bottom of the bowl. Add more flour and keep kneading if the dough sticks to your hands, 1 teaspoon at a time.
• 1st rise: Transfer the dough to a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Rest the dough for 10 to 15 minutes. This brief process helps the dough to hydrate and is easier to knead.
• 2nd rise: Then knead the dough again until quite smooth, 10 to 15 minutes or so. Rub some oil onto a large bowl, place the dough into it, and cover with plastic wrap. Rest until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Divide the dough: Once rested, knead the dough a few times again until it returns to the original size. Divide the dough into 10 equal parts, about 75g per dough, and shape each one into a ball by hand. Transfer the dough onto a tray and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for another 10 minutes. So the dough is easier to roll.
• Roll out flatbread: Place one dough ball on the working surface, then press it with your palm into a round shape. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into a long oval shape that’s narrow on both ends, 8” long and 3” wide (*Footnote 2). Fold lengthwise, then roll up the roll into a coil. Use a rolling pin to flatten the bread into a 4” thick disk. Place the rolled dough onto a greased tray. Shape the rest of the dough balls the same way. Once all the dough has been shaped, let it rest until the bread has relaxed and slightly expanded, 10 minutes after you finish rolling the last dough piece. (*Footnote 3)
• Cook the bread: Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat until hot. Start with the first flatbread you rolled out. Place the bread into the pan, 1” (2.5 cm) apart. Cook covered, until the bread is cooked through and has turned golden on the surface, about 2 minutes or so per side. If the bread browns too quickly, turn to medium-low heat. If the surface is not quite golden after the full 4 minutes, uncover the pan, then keep cooking the flatbreads for 1 minute per side. Once done, set aside to cool.

Assemble

• Transfer one piece of pork belly onto a cutting board, cut it coarsely into small chunks. Place a handful of cilantro and a handful of diced peppers on top of the pork. Use a knife to chop and mix everything together. Slice the buns horizontally in half to form a pocket, with the end still attached. Use a spoon to stuff the pork mixture into the bun and drizzle a spoonful broth onto the pork. You can add a few drops of chili oil if needed. Serve immediately.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

1. Try to select pork belly that contains 70% to 80% of lean meat, so the finished meat will have a good lean-fat ratio and will be tender without tasting greasy.
2. Anaheim pepper is a great choice because it is not overly spicy but is more flavorful than bell peppers. If you want to add spiciness, you can mix in some jalapeno peppers as well. I used a mix of sweet peppers and jalapenos for the color and the spicy taste.

Nutrition

Serving: 1of the 10 buns, Calories: 664kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 50g, Saturated Fat: 18g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 23g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 65mg, Sodium: 504mg, Potassium: 259mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 194IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 38mg, Iron: 3mg

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The recipe was updated on Mar. 29, 2018 and republished on July, 2026.