A few months ago, my friend G popped in, bearing gifts: home-made pork buns a la Momofuku. It was incredible, and seemed easy enough to do.

The pork belly is brined overnight then roasted in the oven toaster. How simple is that, requiring no more than 4 sq.f. of counterspace? No frying, ergo no fatty missiles shooting from the pan, no porky smells sticking on the walls, no huge clean-ups.

David Chang of Momofuku suggests using boneless, skinless pork belly. But here’s one paradox from my open kitchen: if you want pork in its naked glory, leave the skin on. Nothing like pork buns where the sweet pork meat is complemented with shiny, almost translucent, soft-as-jello, sinfully rich pork skin.

Check out Momofuku’s recipe for pork bun here. My version is assembled with wilted spinach, drizzled with a modest amount of hoisin sauce, and served in steamed, store-bought Chinese buns.

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