Siopao Asado

Ingredients:

Dough:

2 cups warm water
2 ½ tbsp sugar (added to yeast mixture)
½ cup sugar (added to the flour mixture)
1 pouch dry yeast
5 cups all purpose flour
1 ¼ tbsp baking powder
6 tbsp shortening

Asado Filling:

2 lbs pork, chopped into small pieces
3 tbsp lard or shortening
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 large onion, minced
2 tbsp cornstarch, diluted in 1/4 cup water
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce

Special Siopao Sauce:

2 cups beef stock
1 piece star anise or ½ teaspoon five spice powder
2 tablespoon cornstarch diluted in 4 tablespoons of water
¼ cup onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
A dash of ground black pepper
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt

Cooking Procedure:

1. Cook the Asado filling
1.1 Heat the shortening in a pan
1.2 Saute the garlic and onions
1.3 Put-in the pork and cook until the color of the outer part turns light brown
1.4 Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, and sugar then mix well. Simmer for
40 minutes
1.5 Put in the corn starch (diluted in water) and mix until the texture of the sauce becomes thick then set aside

2. Make the dough

2.1 Place warm water in a bowl then add the yeast and sugar and mix well.
Leave the mixture for 10 to 15 minutes
2.2 In a mixing bowl, put-in the flour, baking powder, shortening (or lard), and the yeast-
sugar-water mixture then mix well (bubbles should have formed on top by then).

2.3 Knead the combined mixture until the texture of the dough becomes fine. Let the dough
rise by setting it aside for at least an hour (place in the mixing bowl and cover the top ).
2.4 Knead the dough again then cut into individual slices (this will be the dough per
individual siopao).
3. Flatten the dough until a round shape is formed using a rolling pin.
4. Put the asado filling on the middle of the flattened dough and wrap. (refer to the video for the technique if interested)
5. Place the siopao in a steamer and steam for 15 minutes.
6. Serve hot. Share and enjoy!

Note: I used a multi-cooker in steaming the Siopao. The good thing about multi cooker is its flexibility; you may steam on it or use it as a pasta cooker -- I even cook soups and stew on it. I you are looking for a durable multi-cooker,check out All-Clad Multi-cooker. If in case you just want a plain steamer, a Bamboo Steamer is the most practical thing to get.

3. Special Siopao Sauce

1. Heat the saucepan and pour-in the beef stock. Bring to a boil.
2. Add the onions, garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt, ground black pepper, and star anise then simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Make sure to cover the saucepan to trap the steam. Add extra water as needed.
3. Turn of the heat then filter the liquid using a fine-mesh kitchen strainer. This is done by pouring the simmered mixture on a strainer with an empty bowl below to hold the liquid.
4. Heat a clean saucepan and pour-in the filtered mixture. Bring to a boil.
5. Add the cornstarch diluted in water then stir continuously until the texture becomes thick.
6. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool down then transfer the Siopao sauce to a serving container.