Filipino-style Pork Buns

For the atchara:
Put the cut papaya into a large bowl, toss with the salt and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Rinse the papaya with cold water and wring as much water as you can from it (cheesecloth really helps). Return the papaya to the large bowl and add the bell pepper, onion, carrots, ginger, and garlic.

Bring the vinegar just to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Add the pepper and chile, remove from the heat, and pour the liquid into the bowl. Toss the vegetables to coat well and portion into sterilized jars. Seal, let cool and refrigerate at least overnight, but preferably for a few days.

For the banana ketchup:
Make the banana ketchup by heating a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they are translucent and just starting to brown around the edges. Add the garlic and cook one minute longer. Add the remaining ingredients and bring back to a simmer. Blend until smooth with an immersion (stick) blender. Reduce the heat to a low simmer for 20 minutes. Portion into sterilized jars, seal, let cool and refrigerate overnight.

For the pork buns:
Several hours before you plan to serve (or the day before), braise the pork belly. Preheat your oven to 275°F. Season all sides with the salt and pepper then wrap the pork tightly in a double layer of heavy duty foil, ensuring that you seal it well enough to prevent leaks. Cook the pork on the center oven rack for 2 hours. Remove from the oven and let cool wrapped for 2 hours, then refrigerate.

About 1 hour before you’re ready to serve, make the buns. Cut 10 4-inch square pieces of parchment paper and set aside. Flour your surface and roll each biscuit into an oval that’s about 4 inches long and about 3 inches wide (at the widest point). Fold the dough in half, put it on a piece of the parchment and set aside. Repeat this process for the remaining biscuits.

Put about 1 inch of water in a shallow wide pan (with a lid) and elevate a plate or rack in the pan (out of the water) so that it acts as a steamer. Bring the water just to a boil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, steam the buns covered for exactly 12 minutes then remove with the parchment to a rack to cool.

Start your grill and prepare for direct cooking over medium heat (about 300°F). You could also do this in a wok or simply on the cooktop in a saute pan. (I used my new super-cool T-fal OptiGrill which I am reviewing. It worked really well for this application.)

Combine 1/2 cup of the banana ketchup and the hoisin sauce in a small sauce pan and warm over low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Unwrap the cooled pork belly and slice to about 1/3″ thick and 3 inches long. Grill the pork belly pieces until they are nicely browned.

Remove the pieces from the grill and immediately brush each piece with the banana ketchup and hoisin mixture.

Put two pieces of the pork belly into a bun, drizzle with some more of the glaze, and top with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the atchara. Repeat with the remaining pork and buns.

Serve and enjoy!