Store bought mantou is steamed, filled with ultra tender slices of Chinese-style soy sauce braised pork belly, topped with Vietnamese pickled carrot and radish, and garnished with toasted sesame seeds and cilantro.Ideally, the pickled carrot and radish should be made a day or two ahead and kept in the fridge until needed. However, since it takes about two hours to cook the pork and steam the buns, that should be just enough time to allow the carrot and radish to soak up the flavors of the pickling solution.
Place the julienned carrot and radish in a jar with a screw-on lid.
Add the rest of the ingredients and screw on the lid tightly.
Shake the jar gently until the sugar and salt are fully dissolved.
Cook the pork belly
Pat the pork belly dry with paper towels.
Heat the cooking oil in a wide thick-bottomed pan. Lower the pork in the hot oil, skin side down (watch out as the oil will spatter) and sear on all sides.
Add the sliced shallots and garlic to the pork, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables soften a bit.
Throw in the star anise and bay leaf.
Add the black bean sauce and ketchup.
Pour in the soy sauce, vinegar, pineapple juice and about a cup of water.
Stir in the sugar and black pepper.
Bring to the boil, cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Scoop out the pork and transfer to a cutting board.
Cut the pork into one-fourth inch slices then slide back into the simmering sauce.
Cover the pan once more and continue cooking the pork over low heat until tender.
Assemble the pork belly buns
Heat the mantou in a steamer.
Split the mantou without cutting all the way through but only to open them up.
Arrange pork belly slices (as many as you like) on the bottom halves of the mantou.
Drop a generous heap of drained pickled carrot and radish on top of the pork belly.
Sprinkle in toasted sesame seeds and torn cilantro.