Pepper bun
Photo: Fumikas Sagisavas · CC0

History

The pepper bun originated in Fuzhou, and Taiwanese vendors credit its creation to immigrants from Fuzhou. The buns are stuck to the walls of a cylindrical clay oven heated with charcoal. At the gate of Raohe Night Market, Fuzhou Black Pepper Bun was a Bib Gourmand in 2018, and Michelin describes golden crisp buns with a juicy black pepper pork filling and spring onions, with queues through the evening.

Common allergens: Gluten, Pork

Make it at home

Yield 12Hands-on 45 minTotal 2 hr 30 minDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • Dough: 400g plain flour, 7g instant yeast, 250ml warm water, 30ml vegetable oil, 5g salt
  • Filling: 400g pork belly, hand-chopped
  • 100g spring onions, chopped
  • 20g fresh ginger, grated
  • 30ml light soy sauce
  • 15ml dark soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
  • 1 teaspoon caster sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground white pepper
  • 60ml sesame oil
  • 1 egg yolk plus 1 tablespoon water, to glaze
  • 60g white sesame seeds, to coat

Method

  1. Mix dough ingredients, knead 8 minutes until smooth. Rest covered 1 hour until doubled.
  2. Combine pork, ginger, soy sauces, Shaoxing, sugar, white pepper and sesame oil. Stir in one direction to bind. Fold in spring onions just before filling.
  3. Divide dough into 12 pieces. Flatten each into a 10cm disc thicker in the centre.
  4. Place 40g filling on each disc, gather edges up over the filling and pinch closed.
  5. Brush each bun with egg wash, dip top into sesame seeds.
  6. Bake at 220C on a hot stone or pizza pan for 20 minutes until deep golden brown.
  7. Serve immediately while juicy.

Tip from the editors. Hand-chopped pork has the right texture; minced goes too smooth. The bun is meant to drip juice when you bite it.

Where to eat pepper bun

Pepper bun in Taipei

Raohe Street Night Market ★ 4.5

Songshan

Raohe Street Night Market sits on Raohe Street in Songshan District, Taipei City 105; it is one of the night markets this guide lists for Taipei.

All Taipei signature dishes →

More places near Raohe Street Night Market

Not on this list, but close by, nearest first. Every one is in our guide with its address, hours and what to order.

More cities are in research. Want pepper bun covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

Browse all dishes →