I don't like the word "fusion" being used to describe cooking, because it implies a combination of ingredients that's contrived. Sure, the Provençal aïoli in these pork belly and steamed bun sandwiches isn't especially traditional—neither, for that matter, is putting Sriracha in Provençal aïoli. But I'm half Chinese and half American, and I live in New York City, where all culinary traditions bleed into one another. This is just how we eat here.

The pork belly sandwich is assembled from four components:

1. Mantou, or Chinese steamed buns, which can be found in the freezer section of most Asian grocery stores. The milk-white buns are fluffy, slightly sweet, and can be as small as an apricot or as large as a fist.

2. Soy-braised pork belly

3. Sautéed, sesame-scented cabbage

4. Homemade chili aïoli

Personally, I live in fear of spectator sports—but I'll venture that these boldly-flavored stuffed buns would make a popular game day dish. I spent $7.44 to make six substantial sandwiches, but, if you buy the miniature steamed buns, you can serve at least double that number as snack-sized "sliders."

The Shopping List

Note: Items bought in large quantities, like the eggs, have been pro-rated for cost. Ingredients a cook can reasonably be expected to have on hand are considered "Pantry Items" and are not factored into recipe cost.

1 pound pork belly - $2.89 Package of 6 mantou, or Chinese steamed buns - $2.99 Half a head of green cabbage - $0.74 Small knob of ginger - $0.15 1 egg - $0.17 (total cost of carton - $1.99) 1 lemon - $0.50

Pantry Items Garlic, soy sauce, star anise and/or cinnamon sticks and/or five-spice powder, chili sauce, mustard, sesame oil, vegetable oil, sugar, and salt

Total Cost

$7.44

The Star Ingredient

Pork belly is basically pre-bacon—that is, bacon before it's been salt-cured and soaked in nitrates. Bacon's already pretty cheap, and pork belly is cheaper. Sadly, it's not sold as widely as bacon, and, in the likely scenario that your grocery store does not carry it, you'll have to visit an independent butcher shop. (In Manhattan, I go to Jeffrey's inside the Essex Street Market—he sells it for $2.89 a pound.)

Cheap as it is, pork belly needs long, slow cooking to tenderize its sizable swathe of fat. Fortunately, the majority of the cooking time in today's dish is not active; during the 3-4 hours of braising, you'll only need to worry about periodically replenishing the water.

Soy-Braised Pork Belly

- will fill 6 large or 12-15 mini sandwiches -

A note on spices: This recipe calls for either five-spice powder or a mixture of cinnamon sticks and whole star anise. If you don't have these items, experiment with Moroccan spice blend ras-el-hanout, or even toasted coriander or anise seeds and whole peppercorns. Most fragrant, woody spices will work here, even if they're not strictly "authentic."

Bonus: As the pork belly simmers, place a few peeled, hard-boiled eggs in the braising liquid. Remove them after an hour or two, when they have taken on a rich, brown color. These are "soy sauce eggs," a traditional Chinese snack and side dish.