A couple of days ago, Robin requested if I have a good siopao recipe I could share with him so, here it is!!! He got me all craving for it that I just have to make it again!!!
"Love is patient, love is kind"...it's the same principle that also goes in making the best siopao! You gotta have the perfect timing...the right temperature and the best ingredients to achieve this marvelous and yummiest pork bun!!! So, take your time and relax...'cuz the end result is amazing and you'll be surprised that you actually made it yourself! Don't let your neighbors taste them though, they'll be envious of you or they'll be knocking at your door and beg for some more!!! Hahaha...
So, there you have it, the best Siopao in town and as our Italian friend, Charlie calls it the "Filipino Egg-McMuffin!" Ain't that the truth? :-)
Ingredients:
Dough:
2 Packets of Active Dry Yeast
2 cups of lukewarm water (95-115 degrees F)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. Oil
1 Tbsp of Baking Powder
6 cups Flour
Filling (Pork Asado):
3 lb pork steak, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tsp. salt
Bunch of scallions, chopped
2 Tbsps. Cornstarch
Hard Boiled Eggs, sliced or
Quail Eggs
Directions:
Dough:
In a large glass bowl, dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, salt, , baking powder, oil and flour. Then, gradually add the flour mixture into the glass bowl with yeast. Mix it until well blended. Knead the dough on a floured board until smooth and elastic for about 8-10 minutes. I know it takes a lot of kneading, but hang in there! The dough just needs some lovin'! Shape into a ball. Grease with oil, then place in a greased bowl. Cover with a cloth and let it rise until double in size for about an hour in a dry place with no draft. Rising time may vary upon weather conditions. If you live in a colder climate like I do or if making it in the winter time, let it rise for more than an hour. In my experience, the best place to rise the dough is in the oven. Preheat your oven at Warm (roughly 170 degrees F). Once the oven is heated, turn off the heat, open the oven door for a couple of minutes to release most of the hot air, then place your dough in the oven and let it rise. Dough rises well at about 85-90 degrees F.
When your dough has doubled in size, take it out from the oven and punch it down. Divide dough into 30-40 pieces (depending of the size you want). Roll each piece into 4 inch circle. Place a heaping of tablespoonful of filing on the center of circle. Bring edges together. Place sealed-down, on a 3" square wax paper. Cover and let it rise again in the oven until it doubled in size for about an hour or so. Steam 10-12 minutes for small siopaos or 12-15 minutes for bigger siopaos.
Filling:
Marinate pork with the mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt and pepper for a few hours or overnight. Bring to a boil with scallions. Cover and simmer until pork is tender for about 30 minutes. Uncover and boil sauce until very little remains. Push meat aside. On center of the pan, add cornstarch mixture to sauce with meat. Heat through. Cool and drain off excess fat.
As a side note, I used Tamarin Sauce and Apple Cider Vinegar instead of using Soy Sauce and just plain vinegar. Tamarin is just like soy sauce, but richer than ordinary soy sauce and apple cider gives out a better flavor overall. Also instead of using hard boiled eggs, I got a can of quail eggs (already boiled and found on most Asian Grocery Stores) and just cut them in half. Sometimes you might end up with more filling than dough. So, save your pork asado and eat it with steamed rice...so yummy!
Siopao freezes well. You could do a deep freeze. As soon as the siopao's are cooked, immediately place them in a baking sheet and put in the freezer for about 45 minutes. Take it out from the freezer, then place them in freezer bags. Return to freezer. It can stay there for a month or so. To serve from frozen, thaw and microwave for 45 seconds to warm up!
Siopao is best served with a tall ice cold glass of Coke...hehehe!
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