Steamed Pork Buns - Siopao

Copyright 2011 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

Siopao as they are known back home are a favorite afternoon snack and they come in various forms depending on the filling. My friend Jev prefers the ground meat version with a slice of Chinese sausage while I prefer the stewed pork or chicken variety. A bit heavy for a snack you might think but us Filipinos tend to look forward to the 3 pm break time just like the hobbits in Lord of the Rings and their numerous made up meals. Growing up, I have two favorite snacks when I go out with my Mom on our Saturday trips when I had to buy something for class or just to go with her on her Saturday rounds being an Avon lady on her free time and this is definitely one of the two. The other one is a queen-sized burger at Snack Plaza. 

Copyright 2011 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

I made this snack this week to share after meeting up with a friend for lunch and I'm glad that she liked them. The trick is to get the dough right and make sure that the filling is corrected for flavor. I made the choice to use pork asado based on a recipe I found online but the actual recipe on the whole is based on Brian Boitano's recipe of Pork Steamed Buns. So far, I've had success with his dough recipe which has always been the challenge for me. I also added a slice of boiled egg into the filling which is common to most siopao sold back home. Eating these babies off the steamer just transported me home 30 years ago. Yum!

Pork Asado - for the filling

1 1/2 lbs pork 
1 tsp five spice powder
1/2 cup soy sauce (low sodium)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp garlic minced
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup water

1. In a pot, combine all the ingredients and let it simmer for 40 minutes. 

2. Fish out the meat and flake into smaller pieces. Return the meat into 
    the sauce and cook over medium high heat until all the liquid has 
    thickened and almost evaporated. 

3. Cool to room temperature before using as filling.