This is a guabao, and it's a specialty of northern Taiwan.

Also known as a Taiwanese hamburger,

guabao is one of the few Taiwanese delicacies

that has made it big outside of the island.

I met up with Ivy Chen,

a private cooking class teacher in Taipei

and an old friend of mine.

So this is Shidong Market.

Can you tell me a little bit about

why you chose this market today?

We went and bought pork, flour, and pickled mustard greens,

and walked over to her apartment

where we began the cooking process.

First, we worked on the dough.

So we just added a pinch of salt, and then what else do we do?

Can I touch it?

I just want to see.

Oh, it's very elastic.

Kind of like a rubber band.

Next is the pork.

It is first blanched in boiling water to get rid of excess blood.

Yeah, I always did it with boiling water

and then my pork gets really tough.

Why?

By slowly heating the meat,

the blood coagulates so that it is easily skimmed off.

Okay.

In a wok, she puts in rice wine

and two types of soy sauce:

regular and dark.

And a bit of water.

Is it low heat or high heat?

Cinnamon,

orange peel,

After that's done, it's time to return to the dough.

Oh, my goodness. It's like a pillow!

The dough is rolled out,

brushed with oil,

folded in half,

and then steamed for about 10 minutes.

The whole thing is assembled with peanuts

and cilantro for taste.

While guabao is celebrated internationally today,

its origins are rooted in religion.

Hey guys,

I actually met Ivy three years ago at her cooking class here.

She's the one that taught me how to make xiaolongbao.

I have since forgotten,

and I learned guabao from her.

If you want to learn more about Ivy's cooking class,

click the links below.

Watch this for more videos on Taiwanese food,

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