Siopao is another dish that Filipinos adopted from the Chinese and it became very popular and a favorite among many. Siopao is also called “Salapao” in Thailand, “Baozi” in China, “Pau” in Hong Kong, or simply known as “Steamed Buns” in English. Basically, it is a steamed bun filled with a savory meat filling.
For the Dough
Ingredients:
3 Cups of all-purpose flour 1 Packet active dry yeast 1 ½ Cup of luke warm water ½ Cup white sugar ½ Cup shortening (Crisco) 1 Tbs. salt Food coloring (red) for flavor identification
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl dissolve yeast in luke warm water, add sugar, and 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour. Beat thoroughly until you have the consistency of a soft sponge. Cover loosely with seran wrap, set aside, and let it rise for 30 minutes. Add shortening, (Crisco) mix well, and then add the remaining ½ cup of all-purpose flour. Knead until smooth. On a flat surface, counter top or table top, dust surface with flour and roll the dough to form a 2 in. tube. Keep adding flour if needed to avoid the dough from sticking to the surface and to your hands. After forming the dough into a 2 in. tube, cut dough with a sharp knife using a cutting board so that you have 2×2 in. pieces. Place on a tray, line with wax paper, and dust with flour. Set aside.
For the Filling
Ingredients:
1 ½ Lbs. Pork or Chicken cut in ¼ in. cubes
4 Cloves of garlic smashed
1 Small onion diced
3 Tbs. Soy sauce
3 Tbs. Hoisin sauce
2 Tbs. Oyster sauce
½ Cup of water
4 Tbs. Brown sugar
½ Tbs. Ground black pepper
1 Tsp. MSG (optional)
1 Tbs. Cornstarch
2 Tbs. Asian sesame oil
2 Tbs. Shortening (Crisco) for sautéing
6 Hard-boiled eggs
Directions:
In a large frying pan heat and sauté 2 Tbs. of shortening over medium heat. Next sauté garlic until golden brown, add onions and cook until onions hit the shiny stage. Then add meat, (pork or chicken) sauté it for 2 minutes, cover, and let simmer for 5 minutes over medium low heat.
In a mean while, mix cornstarch in a small bowl with ½ cup of water until totally dissolved, set aside.
After five minutes remove cover, stir the meat, and add the following: soy sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, cornstarch-water mixture, and the brown sugar. Then season it with msg, black pepper, and sesame oil. Stir well and bring to a boil. Let it simmer uncovered for another 5 minutes on low heat while stirring occasionally. Remove pan from the heat and let it totally cool.
Take the dough cut in 2×2 in. pieces and dust each one with flour. Next roll each individual piece into a ball with your hands and lay the rounded dough onto a flat surface. Again dust with flour. Using a rolling pin flatten the dough to 3/8 of an inch thick or about 5 inches in diameter.
Slice hard-boiled eggs crosswise and carefully arrange 3 slices at a time onto the center of the rolled-flattened dough. Then spoon about one spoonful of pork or chicken filling onto the center of the dough. Pull edges of the dough together and twist together firmly. Using wax paper cut in 4×4 inch pieces, place buns on there upside down so the smooth side is up on the wax paper. Steam Siopao for 25 minutes per batch. Enjoy your Siopao and if you made a little too many to be consumed at one time, relax. You can freeze these buns and re-steam them for 15 minutes later. Just make sure you thaw it out first.
