Homemade Pork BBQ Siopao

When I made the homemade baked pork barbecue buns back in February, I did mention that I set aside 4 buns to steam which is mostly known as siopao. There is an easy way to make siopao using biscuit dough but if you want to feel accomplished after dealing with flour, yeast, kneading and dough rising then continue reading this post.

FYI, you can skip this step if you have leftover bbq meat or any kinds of meat in your fridge. But if you don’t, make this earlier in the day, at about 10am or so. Just put the meat in a baking pan, pour over and coat bbq sauce on each side of the meat. Cover the pan with a foil then bake in the oven for 2 1/2 hours. We want the meat to completely fall off of the bone.

While the meat is cooking, let’s prepare the dough.

From Connie’s Dough Recipe: In a bowl, sprinkle yeast and 2 tbsp of sugar with the lukewarm water. Let that sit for 10 minutes or until bubbly. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, 1/2 cup of sugar and vegetable oil. Once the yeast mixture is ready, pour it onto the flour mixture. Mix until you can form a ball.

Sprinkle flour in a flat surface. Knead the dough for 10 minutes or so or until soft.

Lightly grease a bowl with vegetable oil, drop the ball of dough in it then cover with a damp towel. Let the dough rise for 2 hours. Punch it after 2 hours, cover then let it rise for another 30 minutes.

Once the pork is done cooking, take it out of the oven and let it sit for a bit before shredding or chopping.

Shred or chop the pork bbq. This could work as the filling but you could still add more flavor by following these next steps. Sauté garlic and ginger in oil. Add the shredded pork bbq, apricot preserves, and chili sauce. Stir everything. The add the cornstarch and water mixture. Stir for a bit then turn the stove off. Transfer the meat filling into a bowl, cover and store in the fridge while you work on the dough. It’s important that the meat filling is completely cool.

Cut the dough in quarters. Roll each quarter in a flour flat surface with a rolling pin. Cut large round shape doughs, and set ‘em aside on a plate.

Fill each round dough with the meat filling in the middle, then fold the sides and twist to secure ‘em tight. Do these with the other remaining dough. Place each buns in a foil/parchment covered sheet pan.

Pour a few cups of water into a wok. Place cabbage leaves or lettuce leaves on the steamers bottom. This will prevent the dough from sticking. Use a parchment paper instead if you have it but lettuce leaves will give the siopao or dumpling a little bit more flavoring, or so I’ve read.

Place the steamer into the wok. Check to make sure the water is not touching the lattice/woven part inside the bottom of steamer. Cover the steamer and steam for 20-25 minutes.

If you’re making a lot of siopao and like me only have 2 tiers of steamers, repeat the process until all buns have steamed.

For the sauce: Use a blender to blend 3 tbsp apricot preserves, 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tsp hot red chili sauce.

———————