How to make siopao - asado flavor recipe (filipino steam bun)

i have always love this food, i consider this as my ultimate snack beside cake
my daughters knows how much i enjoy this so when they were in highschool and college they will always bring this to me as their “pasalubong”.

every once in a while i do crave for this food so we buy some at the asian market but being so expensive ($9-12) and some is not that great i decided to look up the recipe of it and just do it on my own and i can have it anytime i want and i dont have to worry about preservatives and the price as well.
you can make the filling ahead and just refrigerate it and just do the dough whenever you have time (not more than 3 days). whatever leftover siopao i will just freeze it and defrost it as i need it.

hope you enjoy!

for the filling:

ingredients:

1.5 lbs pork or chicken or beef or lamb (we uses beef in this one)
3 tbsp extra virgin oil (or canola oil) for sauteeing
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup diced onion
pepper to taste
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce (preferably lee kum kee)
4 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp corn starch or all purpose flour
1/2 cup water

procedures:
1. heat the extra virgin oil (canola oil) and sautee garlic till light brown, add onion and sautee till the onion becomes transparent.
2. add the meat and sautee for 5 minutes, add the pepper (to taste, this one i uses 1/2 tsp) and simmer for 5 minutes uncovered.
3. dissolve the corn starch (flour) to 1/2 cup water set aside.
4. add the remaining ingredients, mix and simmer (covered) in low heat for 30 minutes or until the meat is tender.
5. mix the dissolved corn starch and simmer for another 5 minutes or until a bit thick. let cool for about 1 hour or over night in the fridge. (make the dough while waiting for the filling to cool down, this will give enough time for the dough to rise at the same time. make the dough the next day if you are keeping the filling over night).

for the dough:

ingredients:
2 cups warm water
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup + 1 tsp white sugar (make it less if you dont like it sweet or add some more if you like it sweeter)
1/4 cup canola oil (vegetable oil)
1/2 tsp salt
5 cups all purpose flour
wax paper (12 4×4)

procedures (using a stand mixer) if not still follow the procedures just make sure that the consistency of the dough is elastic and still a bit sticky in your hand:

1. place the warm water on the mixing bowl, sprinkle the yeast and 1 tsp sugar. let stand for 5 minutes or until creamy – not more than 10 minutes if it did not turn creamy it means your water is not warm enough or your yeast is already dead, throw it and do it again.
2. add remaining sugar, canola (vegetable) oil and salt, mix for about 30 seconds.
3. add 1 cup of flour and mix until flour is dissolved. do this 1/2 cup at a time until the 5 cups all purpose flour is gone.
4. knead for 2.5 minutes using the no.2 set of your stand mixer or according to your mixer manual for bread dough (if using hand knead it until it becomes elastic and smooth.
5. oil the same mixing bowl you use and roll your knead dough, cover for at least 45 minutes or until double in size.
6. punch the dough and divide into 12 equal parts – form a ball.

siopao procedures:
1. boil water on your steamer
2. roll the dough 6 inches wide circle.
3. place 1 tbsp filling in the midle and pull edges of the dough and twist it firmly.
4. place wax paper underneath before you put it on your steamer.
5. repeat the process till you finish the 12 siopao.
6. steam for an hour.
7. serve hot or freeze it

note:
*to reheat using microwave, defrost it using bread setting and use 1 lb as a weight for each siopao, it will be nice and not dry if you use this kind of setting.
*if using a normal method. defrost it first and steam for minutes.
*if using rice cooker (steam setting) there is no need to defrost, just place the frozen siopao and press the steam setting.