My Gua Bao Experience

iliarili13
Nov 9, 2021
3 min read

Gua Bao Ilustration by Bir Bir Chiao. Freelance Artist 2017.

What is a Gua Bao?

Gua Bao is a popular street dish from Taiwan that has made its way in the International Food Restaurants. You can easily say it is a Taiwanese Burger, or a Bao Sandwich. As a result of the Globalized market now we can find it all around the world from your local Asian convenience store to a Michelin Restaurant and in many different versions. The name Gua Bao means "Cut Bun". It is traditionally made with a fluffy semi-circular-shaped Bao bun stuffed with tender pork belly, cilantro, pickled mustard greens, and crushed peanuts. It is considered a Dim Sum.

Illustration by Marcomics, Pinterest.

Dim Sum, So Close to the Heart.

Gua Bao, Dumplings, Beef Meatballs, Egg Custard, Spring Rolls, and an infinity variety of small dishes are part of that people enjoy as a Dim sum. Most of the modern Dim Sum dishes originated in Guangzhou (Where Gua Bao is called Rou Jia Bao) in Southern Chine, and are commonly associated with Cantonese Cuisine, but nowadays you can find many versions from different Asian countries. Dim Sum is a remarkably interesting way to eat small portions of delicious food for Breakfast or Lunch, traditionally eating in Tea houses.

Dim Sum Photography by Rodney. Welcomtochine.com 2017.

Why did I choose this dish?

I am going to be honest. One day Watching Shokugeki no Soma and I saw the delicious Gua Bao Dish and I wanted to try it. I love Asian food but I more familiar with the Japanese one. At this point I want to explore more about the different cousins around the world. In addition, in my home country, Mexico, it is extremely hard to find traditional Asian food. Some Japanese Restaurants, a lot of fake Chinese buffets and any Taiwanese Restaurant. So, in Toronto I feel like a kid in a Candy shop with all the variety of International Food. Finally, I decided to go directly to China Town and look for something new and not awfully expensive, because I was short of money lately. When I saw the Gua Baos I remembered that I wanted to try it and as these weeks in my school were about Sandwiches, I think I can considerate this dish as a Sandwich and try it to complement my lesions.

"I really want to dig into those warm delicious bums." Anime: Sokugeki no Soma S2 Ep.27 Gua Bao Turtle Burger. 2016.

Sensory Evaluation

As soon as I opened the box that they gave me as take out, all the amazing, sweet smells from the pork and the cilantro went around me. It opened my appetite immediately. It was structured by a smooth bum, so white as a snowball. Inside of the bum were dark crispy pork belly, big chunks of fresh cilantro, sprinkled with crushed peanuts. At the bottom of ingredient was Pickle Mustard Greens (Haam Choy) that I did not know what it was until I researched it. Everything looked so good to the eye, so I dug in to taste it. The texture of the Bao was something that I have been going to remember for a long time. Soft as a Marshmallow with a very delicate flavor that helps to put all the ingredients together. The pork was sweet, sour, and salty, the cilantro gave it freshness, the pickle mustard was crunchy and juicy, and its acidity helped to balance the other ingredients, especially the fat of the pork. Finally, crushed peanuts are a ridiculously small thing that complemented the whole dish with its umami. I can tell you this humble bun as all the basic flavor for just $2.50 dollars.

Experience

I am extremely glad about my decision; I love trying this dish. I enjoyed the whole experience, from looking at the restaurants for the best dish to trying to the end. Definitely I will get this dish again, it is such a satisfying meal that also is very convenient that you can bring it to school or work for lunch. Sometimes we just devour the food without thinking about what is on our plates, and what flavors are composing this dish. Therefore,this experience was particularly important for me. In order to become a Chef, we need to educate ourselves and look over the flavors that are inside each single bite of our food so we can start working thinking about how we can improve it.