Siopao Asado
Homemade Siopao Asado with fluffy steamed bun loaded with juicy, melt in your mouth pork asado filling. A hearty snack that’s even more tasty when slathered with siopao sauce.
I made a batch of siopao asado because my daughter wanted a packed snack to bring to school. She’s more familiar with siopao bola-bola, but after biting into one, she can’t get enough. She enjoyed it so much that she even brought some for her friends to share. Imagine my husband’s face coming home with only two steamed pork buns left on the kitchen table.
This homemade siopao are just as good or even better than the ones bought at stores. It’s a great recipe for family gatherings or Filipino potlucks, and it will be a sure hit. If you’re a fan of steamed buns with sweet, savory meat filling, then you’ll love this siopao asado recipe.
What Is Siopao Asado?
Siopao is a favorite snack in the Philippines that is also great when paired with a bowl of hot chicken lomi or beef mami. Steamed buns can be found at nearly all Asian countries and called by different names. “Char Siu Bao” is the Chinese pork steamed buns that is closely similar to siopao asado. The similarities of the two end with the soft, white bun because the fillings are slightly different. Char siu bao is filled with roasted pork with five spice and assortment of soy sauce and oil. Filipino siopao asado, on the other hand, is braised pork in soy sauce, oyster sauce, and hoisin sauce. The most popular variations of siopao in the Philippines is bola-bola and asado.
How To Make The Asado Filling?
When making a batch of this hearty snack, the first step is to make the asado filling. You can even make this a day ahead if you’re short on time. Asado or inasado is a cooking style where the meat is marinated in different sauces and spices then simmered until fork tender. When the liquid is reduced and the meat is soft, cornstarch slurry is mixed-in to make the sauce thick. The meat is then pulled apart using forks.
Making The Dough
Making the siopao dough may look intimidating at first but it’s really simple. The first thing that is needed is to activate your yeast if you are using active dry yeast. To do this, pour yeast on a mixing bowl with warm water and sugar and let it sit for 5 minutes until it blooms. If using instant yeast, skip this part and just add the other ingredients.Â
Once the yeast mixture is ready, just tip in the other dough ingredients like all purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, cornstarch and oil. Continue mixing until it forms into a rough dough then use your hands to knead until smooth. I know manual kneading can be exhausting so you can use a stand mixer with dough hooks if you prefer. Coat the dough with oil while still in the bowl then cover with a kitchen towel and let it sit for 1 hour to rise or double in size.
Wrapping And Steaming
The wrapping technique I used here is the same for the siopao bola-bola, so you can watch and follow the video. You basically take a piece of dough and shape it into a ball then flatten it with a rolling pin until it has a diameter of approximately 5 inches. Place 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoon of filling in the center and gather the sides of the dough towards the middle while folding. Pinch and twist the top to seal. Arrange the buns in a steamer and steam for 15 – 20 minutes.
Making The Sauce
You can make the sauce for the hot buns while waiting for them to cook. Place water, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch and star anise in a sauce pan. Simmer in low heat until desired consistency is achieved. Strain the sauce in a bowl using a fine mesh sieve to remove the garlic and star anise.
Cooking Tips
How To Serve And Store
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Siopao Asado
Ingredients
Asado Filling
- 200 grams pork shoulder (cut into chunks)
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped )
- 1 small onion (sliced)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 2-3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 pcs. bay leaves
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 1 tbsp cornstarch diluted in 1 tbsp water (slurry)
Dough
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp dry active yeast
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 3 tbsp cooking oil (or butter, or vegetable shortening)
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
Sauce
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 1 clove garlic (chopped)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 star anise
Instructions
Making The Filling
- In a pot over medium-high heat, place all ingredients except the slurry and bring to a boil.200 grams pork shoulder, 2 cloves garlic, 1 small onion, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, 2-3 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp hoisin sauce, 2 pcs. bay leaves, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 1/2 cup water
- Lower heat to low-medium and let simmer until liquid is reduce and pork is tender.
- Add cornstarch slurry and stir and continue cooking in low heat until thick.1 tbsp cornstarch diluted in 1 tbsp water
- Remove from heat and transfer asado in a bowl to cool down.
- When filling is cool to the touch, pull the pork using two forks until all of the meat is shredded. Set aside.
Making The Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, pour warm water and stir in sugar. Add dry active yeast and let it sit for 5 minutes or until it blooms.1 cup warm water, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp dry active yeast
- When yeast mixture is ready, add the dry ingredients like flour, sugar, baking powder, cornstarch, mix with a spatula until no traces of flour is left.2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 3/4 tsp baking powder, 1/3 cup cornstarch
- Add cooking oil and mix until incorporated and rough dough starts to form. While still in the bowl use your hand to knead until dough is smooth.3 tbsp cooking oil
- Coat the dough with oil and cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel and set aside for 1 hour or until double in size.
Assembly
- When the dough doubles in size, lightly punch in the middle to release air. Transfer the dough on a flat surface with a sprinkling of flour.
- Form the dough in a log and cut a piece weighing approximately 55 or 60 grams. Mold the piece of dough into a ball and flatten using a rolling pin NOTE: Remember to leave a bump at the center.
- Place 1 tbsp or 1 1/2 tbsp of the shredded pork asado filling in the middle of the dough.
- Gather the sides of the dough towards the middle. Pinch and twist the top to seal the ends together and place the finished dough on a round parchment paper.
- Repeat with the remaining dough balls and rest for 5-10 minutes while covered with a clean towel.
- Transfer in a steamer and steam for 20-25 minutes in low heat. Serve and enjoy. Bon Appetit!
Notes
- Making The Sauce: You can make the sauce for the hot buns while waiting for them to cook. Â Place water, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch and star anise in a sauce pan. Simmer in low heat until desired consistency is achieved. Strain the sauce in a bowl using a fine mesh sieve to remove the garlic and star anise.
- Time for rising of the dough might differ depending on ambient temperature.
